How to Fix Ecobee Overheating Issue? – Complete Guide

Wondering why your Ecobee overheating? Let’s find out everything together!

The Ecobee thermostat is without a doubt very reliable, remote-operable, and controls our home cooling system.

But still, it often puts users into trouble by overheating the room and shutting down immediately after to self-protect the hardware components within the machine! 

There are many factors that’ll cause the Ecobee thermostat to overheat including the bad state of your HVAC system due to clogged filters and drains or incorrect installation. The solution requires a thorough inspection of all heating-related components!

Let’s find out more about the causes of overheating Ecobee thermostats in detail:

Top Reasons For Ecobee Thermostat Overheating

If your Ecobee thermostat is overheating or shutting off, your HVAC system or the thermostat itself is probably faulty.

Therefore, it is quite important to first have a clear grasp of potential causes before proceeding to troubleshoot solutions. 

The following are the most frequent causes of overheating Ecobee thermostats:

1. Improper Installation

When the Ecobee thermostat is not installed and set up properly or the wires are not configured correctly, then the thermostat will inevitably start overheating.

2. Faulty Room Sensor

When the room sensor that comes with your Ecobee thermostat goes faulty, it will make wrong assumptions about the current temperature. This sometimes leads to overheating.

3. Incorrect Configuration of Recovery Feature

When the recovery feature from the Ecobee app is not set up correctly, it will confuse the thermostat due to incorrect scheduling and might start to overheat.

4. Defective or Unclean HVAC System

The poor maintenance of your air conditioning system will also often lead the thermostat to overheat so this is one of the most important factors.

Next, let’s jump in further to discuss the solutions to this issue!

Ecobee Thermostat Overheating – Complete Solutions

Now that the overheating problem with your Ecobee device has been unwrapped, we’ll move on to some practical troubleshooting techniques.

However, to get the most out of these methods, you must first make sure that you strictly follow all of the solutions without skipping a step!

Solution #1 Power Cycle Ecobee!

The very first thing to start with is to perform a power circulation on your Ecobee thermostat and HVAC system.

The easiest way to address issues such as overheating is to refresh all services which will hopefully solve the problem without much trouble!

Switch OFF your Ecobee thermostat and HVAC system from the Circuit Breaker!

If your breaker has ON and OFF switches on the individual fuses, feel free to only switch off the fuse powering your thermostat and HVAC.

It’s important to keep your devices disabled for about 3 minutes and then you can check whether the Ecobee thermostat is still overheating.

Note: The Ecobee thermostat automatically shuts off when overheating to preserve the hardware components!

Solution #2 Check Your HVAC System

The next step is to take into notice the state of your home HVAC because its maintenance plays an important role in the thermostat’s proper working.

There is a chance that something went wrong within your HVAC such as clogged or faulty components, producing the heat!

What HVAC Components Should I Check?

• Air Filters
• Drains or Ducts
• Fan Motor

Proper inspection of the above HVAC components is all you have to do!

Here is how to check your HVAC system:

1. Important: Turn OFF your HVAC Power Breaker.
2. Then, locate your home air conditioner Filters. 
3. Remove them and wash them with lukewarm and soapy water! 
4. Then fixate the filters back when it dries completely.
5. Next, locate the vents and ducts! 
6. Use a vacuum to completely clear them from the inside.
7. Also, check the fan motor and test it via a multimeter for continuity! 

We recommend cleaning your home conditioning filter at least once a month and calling a professional for deep cleaning of your HVAC every year!

Solution #3 Recheck The Thermostat Wiring

The heating and cooling system of your home will be disturbed when the Ecobee thermostat wires begin to wear and lose their effectiveness over time.

If they are not fixed in a timely manner, they might also pose a fire hazard. 

If you recently installed your thermostat at home and are experiencing an overheating problem, it’s possible that the installation was done incorrectly.

Perhaps the inappropriate connection is the reason why the Ecobee overheating, so you need to inspect the wiring.

Here is how to check the Ecobee thermostat wiring:

1. Turn off the thermostat and its power from the Circuit Breaker.
2. Then, hold the Display Screen and disconnect it from the base!
3. Note down the orientation of the wires and disconnect all of them.
4. Carefully check each wire and its connectors and make sure they are fine.
5. If you notice any burnt connectors or wires, do NOT use the thermostat!

Once you are done checking the wiring, then connect the display screen back to its base and turn on the thermostat. Wait for a couple of minutes and check if the thermostat overheats!

Alert: Move on to the next solution, only if the wires and connectors are not burnt!

Solution #4 Configure Smart Recovery Settings

The recovery feature prevents the Ecobee thermostat from using extra power and it won’t turn on the thermostat when there is no need.

Hence, whenever the recovery feature is not configured properly, this mistake can lead to extensive heat. 

Therefore, if you have altered the smart recovery settings via the Ecobee app!

Here is how to configure and turn off the smart recovery in the thermostat app:

1. Open the Ecobee App 
2. Go to the Main Menu.
3. Next, navigate to app Settings.
4. Tap on Preferences from the menu.
5. Then, turn off the settings for Heat Smart Recovery!
6. Also, adjust the Cooling Smart Recovery accordingly.

Once you’re done, then power cycle the Ecobee thermostat and check if it is going to overheat again. Also, ensure that the temperature in the room is below the thermostat’s setting.

Note: In case you weren’t able to solve the problem, continue reading!

Solution #5 Factory Reset Ecobee!

One of the most drastic solutions against overheating Ecobee thermostat is to perform a Factory Reset.

This process will disconnect your device from the app and permanently erase all settings and configurations so beware. 

Here’s how to factory reset your Ecobee thermostat in easy steps:

1. Tap on the Menu button.
2. Scroll down and enter Settings.
3. Go to the bottom and find the Reset option.
4. (optional) Reset the Registration.
5. Tap on Reset ALL.
6. Confirm by tapping on YES.
7. You’ll see “Resetting”.

When the prompt appears tap OK and proceed with setting up your Ecobee thermostat to be able to start operating.

When you’re ready, test whether the thermostat is now going to start overheating, but be sure to re-check the temperature settings once more!

Note: The factory reset process should not take more than 60 seconds!

Solution #6 Check Sensor Settings

If your Ecobee thermostat has a sensor installed, this may be the reason why the device is overheating.

The thermostat is directed to produce heat in accordance with the room’s temperature and the people there. 

However, if the sensor becomes faulty or you don’t set it up correctly, it will undoubtedly make a mistake and cause the device to overheat.

To fix this you’ll need to check the sensor settings.

If you are unsure about anything or detect any fault in the thermostat or in the sensor, then make sure to call a professional technician!

Ecobee Thermostat Still Overheating?

The last thing that you can do is to get a replacement for the Ecobee thermostat.

It’s possible that the thermostat has become defective due to the wrong installation.

Another possibility is that the component has lost its efficiency to perform well after years of usage. 

Check Warranty First!

However, before you go for a replacement, we recommend you first call an Ecobee Support representative to discuss the problem.

They have a very active and responsive team and will surely guide you through the solution. 

Tip: Don’t forget to check whether your warranty is intact!

Quick Recap:

Whenever your Ecobee overheating issue pops up, check your HVAC vents, ducts, and filters and make sure they are not clogged.

In addition inspect the thermostat wiring, and its smart recovery feature settings from the app, and in case nothing works, perform a Factory Reset.

For more troubleshooting guides on thermostats, keep following us!