Switches & Outlets
Tired switches and loose outlets replaced, dimmers and smart switches installed, cover plates brought back to matching.
Learn moreThermostats
Thermostat Installation & Replacement
A smart thermostat is one of the few gadgets that genuinely pays for itself in a Florida cooling bill. The install is usually twenty minutes — provided the wiring behind the old one cooperates.
I photograph and label every wire before the old unit comes off, verify whether you have a common wire, mount the new base level, and stay long enough to see the system actually call for cool and the app actually connect.
What's included
- Power isolated at the air handler before the old unit is removed
- Existing wiring photographed and labelled terminal by terminal
- C-wire presence confirmed, or an adapter fitted where needed
- New base plate leveled and the wall patched behind it if the old unit was bigger
- System tested on cool, fan and heat
- Wi-Fi connected, app set up, schedule configured with you
The C-wire question
Most Wi-Fi thermostats need a common wire to stay powered continuously. Older Florida installs frequently ran only four conductors and left the common unused, or ran no fifth wire at all. There are three ways out: use a spare conductor already in the bundle, fit the manufacturer’s power extender kit at the air handler, or choose a model with a battery. I check which applies before ordering anything.
Heat pumps are wired differently
A lot of South Florida homes run heat pumps rather than a furnace, which means an O/B reversing valve wire and auxiliary heat staging that has to be configured correctly in setup. Get it backwards and the system heats when it should cool. This is the step most self-installs get wrong.
Placement affects everything
A thermostat on an exterior wall, in direct sun, above a lamp or near a supply register will read the room wrong and short-cycle your system. If your existing location is a bad one, I’ll tell you — though relocating it’s a bigger job than swapping it.
What this costs
A straightforward swap is a short visit. Adding a power extender kit at the air handler takes longer.
Thermostats — common questions
Which smart thermostat should I buy?
For most people an ecobee or a Nest, chosen on which ecosystem you already use. If you have remote rooms that never cool properly, ecobee’s remote sensors are the genuinely useful differentiator.
What if I have no C-wire?
Very common. Power extender kit at the air handler solves it in most cases. I check before we commit to a model.
Do you service the AC itself?
No. Refrigerant, compressors and air handler repairs are licensed HVAC work. Thermostats are the control end of it and that’s where I stop.
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