Attempting To Connect Ecobee 3 With Taco Zone Board And Air Handler
The air handler electronics are all but inaccessible due to the handler being installed in a knee wall and facing away from the room. I have a Taco 3 zone control board connected to a 2 zone radiant system for heat. Ecobee tech support is telling me I cannot install this thermostat without access to the air handler for the C wire connection. Is this correct? If so is there another option or another brand without this limitation? Thanks.
Comments
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sooner or later access is going to be needed.
Now’s the time!
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It is accessing a side attic door, hurdling the AC pipe and crawling on my hands and knees thru 35 feet of fiberglass to the back of the house. So yes, some day when I have the air handler replaced. Just not today when all I am after is having a thermostat I can program via my phone and monitor when I am away.
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You may be able to power the thermostat with a separate power supply. Amazon among others..
Br. Jamie, osb
Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England1 -
What taco zone board are you working with specifically? Often it can supply a com wire
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I thought that would be an option too but was told it was not. The Taco board also has a 24vac block on it but was told it could only go to only the air handler block as there was no way to complete the circuit. I do not understand why I could not do this from the Taco board when she mentioned a rebooting problem. ??
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I guess the AC adapter is for when there is no air handler present as it connects to the Rç?
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Read SteveSan replies
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Bite the bullet and do the wiring as ecobee says. It's worth the hassle. I have two ecobees and they are terrific.
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Why would an air handler be installed in such an inaccessible location? How long has it been there? There's nothing you can frame out in a wall or ceiling for better access?
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That sounds like a cop out!
What are you going to do when it fails in the middle of the winter.
Are you going to complain because the repair bill was so high!
its in the manual…………………Access MUST be provided!
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maybe I’m missing something, is there a boiler supplying radiant heat if so why is the air handler in this scenario
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also they say the nest 2nd generation does not require a c wire
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I'll believe that when I see it. Where does it get its power? Pixie dust?
Just to remind people. When a thermostat is calling, the device it is controlling expects to see zero voltage drop — closed circuit — between R and W.
That means no power is available to the thermostat while calling.
Br. Jamie, osb
Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
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The guy who rehabbed the house in 1992 installed the air handler for aircon when it was an unfinished attic. He then installed drywall and flooring. The electrical connections are on the side facing the outside of the house.
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For air conditioning.
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I’m still waiting for any claim by NEST to come true!
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Rip it out and have it reinstalled!
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The AC unit is 32 years old. It is supposed to 3° next week so not worried about AC at the moment. In-floor radiant is what provides heat.
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So now’s the time to correct the issues.
how many more years do you expect to get out of it?0 -
I think this solution will work until I replace the AC. Yes there is a 24 vac block on the Taco relay. This is what I have at the thermostat. Where the C wire attaches is no mystery but what about the 2nd 24 vac wire from the Taco relay?
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electrons know no color.
we need to see the other end of that mess.1 -
That is why they are labeled. It is the exact same configuration I inherited that was photographed, labeled, and moved from the previous thermostat that has been perfectly functional for the past 15 years. It is what it is.
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so where’s the C label?
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I see what you mean now by needing a C wire off the AC wiring that will pair with Rc. A picture is worth a thousand words.
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So I only need the C wire off the 24v block?
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The ecobee is powered by 24vac between its Rc and C terminal. If you're bringing the Rc from your air handler control board, you'll need the C wire from there as well. For heating only applications (not you) its possible to use the Taco's common wire and "Rh" wire (via Rc terminal) to power the ecobee. You won't be able to use common from the Taco block and Rc from Air handler to power the Ecobee.
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