Wondering how to replace Dometic thermostat with Honeywell? Well, it’s not that hard at all!
The Dometic thermostats are pretty much the units controlling the temperature in RVs and other related vehicles.
It’s entirely possible to replace your RV thermostat with a Honeywell thermostat and in this guide, we’ll walk you through the entire process in easy-to-follow steps!
To replace a Dometic thermostat with a Honeywell thermostat, you first need to dismount the old thermostat after stopping the power from the fuse.
Next, you must inspect the wiring and how the wires are connected, before installing your Honeywell wall faceplate.
Let’s continue to unwrap!
Can You Replace Dometic Thermostat With Honeywell WiFi Thermostat?
Yes, it’s entirely possible to replace a Dometic thermostat with a Honeywell WiFi thermostat, even with analog thermostats.
The only barrier you might encounter is the compatibility of the wires on your old Dometic thermostat and whether the control box will match the Honeywell.
What Tools Do I Need For the Replacement?
There aren’t many tools you need but it’s recommended to verify their availability:
When you have all tools prepared for the job, as well as your Honeywell faceplate unit, it’s time to start the installation process.
So, without further ado let’s jump into the replacement guide!
How to Replace Dometic Thermostat With Honeywell?
Tip: Follow the steps below in chronological order!
1. Remove the Dometic Thermostat!
The first step is to remove the already existing Dometic thermostat inside your RV. In order to do so you would need to first, remove the power fuse.
There should be no power to the Dometic thermostat while you’re working, to avoid getting shocked or electrified from live wires.
On some RV’s, the fuse box might not have labels for your fuses, so you might have to test with each fuse, to find out which one powers your Dometic thermostat.
In most cases removing the fuse associated with the thermostat also kills the lights within your RV, so prepare a light source!
How to Dismount a Dometic Thermostat!
- First, grab the Dometic faceplate and put it off.
- Take a picture of the wire connections within.
- First, loosen the screws that are holding the wires.
- Next, gently pull out the wires from the terminals.
- Then, unscrew the Dometic thermostat housing.
- Finally, gently pull out the wires from the housing.
Info: When you’re ready with the steps the Dometic thermostat is now disconnected.
2. Connect Honeywell to Control Box
In some cases, your Honeywell thermostat might not be compatible with your Dometic control box in the RV.
So you need to remove the filter and closely inspect whether there are any wires in addition, to your Honeywell thermostat.
Use the diagram below to verify whether your Honeywell unit, will work in your RV:
In case you need to replace the control box, you might have to make additional purchases and, discover control boxes for RVs, compatible with Honeywell thermostats.
Well, if your Dometic is old and still uses all wires as Honeywell, it’s a straightforward job, so jump to the next step.
However, if your Dometic thermostat is a new model, and only uses 3 wires for the entire setup, your Honeywell thermostat will not be able to connect straightforwardly.
In those cases, you need to replace the control box and you need to find a compatible one and install it in your RV.
3. Connect the Honeywell Faceplate!
The next step is to connect the Honeywell thermostat’s faceplate to the wall and connect all of the wires coming from the control box.
Now, the way you connect the wires depends on whether your new unit is analog or digital, so you might have to leave some wires unplugged.
In addition, based on whether your Honeywell unit has a separate fan switch, you might need to connect both wires for the fan control in a single terminal.
- The Blue + Brown wire goes into the “G” terminal.
- When using an SPDT, connect only the green wire.
- The Yellow wire should go into the “Y” terminal.
- The White wire should go into the “W/AUX” terminal.
- The Green wire should go into the “R” terminal.
Tip: In case there are wires with colors you don’t quite recognize, consult the Honeywell thermostat’s user manual for guidance!
How to Replace Dometic Digital Thermostat With Honeywell?
Based on whether your Honeywell thermostat is digital or analog, it’s only left to decide whether you connect the red (RC) wire and where.
So, if you’re replacing a digital Dometic with a digital Honeywell, the red wire goes into the “RC” terminal, to enable the digital functionality of the unit.
In contrast, if your Honeywell thermostat is not digital, you don’t need to connect the red wire to the terminal.
You simply need to cover the live wire with insulation tape for safety purposes.
Note: If you don’t have a red “RC” wire, it means that your control box will not be compatible with the Honeywell digital unit.
4. Mount the Honeywell Faceplate!
When all of the wires are connected, simply install batteries into your new Honeywell thermostat and mount the faceplate on the wall securely.
Then, turn on the power from the main RV circuit by installing the fuse, and you’re ready for some thermostat testing.
How to Test Honeywell RV Thermostat?
- First press the button beneath the “OFF” label.
- The Honeywell thermostat display should light up.
- Then set the “Heat” or “Cool” thermostat’s mode.
- Use the Up and Down Arrows, to adjust the temp.
- Then select a mode for the unit’s fan – Auto or ON.
- Check whether the Honeywell thermostat is working.
Note: In case the thermostat does not work or the digital display does not light up, restart the power from the circuit breaker and test again.
Troubleshooting Honeywell Home Thermostat!
In case you’ve wired up your Honeywell thermostat the correct way, but something does not work quite as expected, we got you covered.
Here are some simple troubleshooting steps to get your RV Honeywell thermostat running in a matter of minutes:
Step #1 Power Cycle the Thermostat
The first step is the simplest. You only need to switch off the fuse in your vehicle’s main circuit that powers your thermostat.
That would kill the lights as well but for as short as 3 minutes, the thermostat will be discharged and hopefully will start running the correct way.
Step #2 Verify the Batteries Charge
The next step is to verify that the batteries within your Honeywell thermostat are not dead and are supplying power to your unit.
In case you’ve inserted the batteries from your old Dometic thermostat, we strongly recommend using a fresh pair of AA batteries for optimal performance.
Step #3 Factory Reset the Thermostat
In case nothing worked, the ultimate way to restore your Honeywell thermostat’s functionality would be by performing a factory reset.
The way this method works is by inserting the batteries in the compartment the wrong way – positive facing negative and negative facing positive.
Keep the batteries inserted the wrong way for about 30 seconds and then switch them back into their correct position.
This will factory reset your thermostat and solve most of your issues!
Need More Help?
In case your Honeywell thermostat unit is not working, perhaps you might need a bit of help so feel free to contact Honeywell Support for further guidance. Best of luck!
Quick Recap:
In this guide, we’ve learned how to replace Dometic thermostat with Honeywell unit, so the conclusion is that you need to get the wiring correct.
The replacement is as simple as dismounting the Dometic unit, and wiring up your Honeywell thermostat’s wall faceplate.
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Finn Wheatley holds a Master’s Degree in Computer Science from UCL, London. He helped small data science consultancy firms, helping large corporations to grow their data capabilities, deploy advanced machine learning-based analytics and troubleshoot tech-related issues. Check out more about him here.