How To Reset a Honeywell Thermostat Without Batteries? – All Types

Wondering how to reset a Honeywell thermostat without batteries? Yes, it is possible but there are quite a few different types of thermostats and the approach for each of them is different.

In this post, we’ll help you identify the type of your Honeywell thermostat and reset it without interacting with the batteries.

Some types of Honeywell cannot be reset without interacting with the batteries while others have a dedicated reset button or switch that you can use. You’ll first need to find out what type of thermostat you’re using and then perform the reset accordingly.

The guide below will help you identify the type of your thermostat out of four different types in total.

Make sure not to skip this part, otherwise, the reset might not work.

Identify The Type of Your Honeywell Thermostat

Before everything else you need to find out what type of Honeywell thermostat you’ve got so you can use the correct reset guide.

Keep in mind that only the programmable thermostat cannot be reset by not interfering with the batteries!

Non-Programmable Thermostat

The non-programmable thermostat will have its display in the bottom left corner with a considerably smaller size.

The color of the menu would be green, but it is widely distinguishable by its smaller display sizes.

Programmable Thermostat

The programmable unit will have a large digital display with a green menu centered in the front panel.

They will have their battery compartment at the back, and you will have to remove the batteries in order to perform a reset.

Mechanical Thermostat

Mechanical thermostats have one feature that can easily distinguish them from all others.

They can only be manually turned ON and turned OFF. The mechanical thermostats are non-programmable units and need to be set manually by the user.

Line/Low Voltage Electronic Thermostat

Electronic thermostats usually do not have a digital display and work with a direct-wired electric furnace or an installed baseboard heating system.

How To Reset A Honeywell Thermostat Without Batteries?

The reset is a pretty straightforward technique, but you’ll need to look into the specific method for your type of Honeywell thermostat.

When you’re sure what kind of Honeywell thermostat you’ve got at home, follow the guide below to perform a reset.

Here are all types of thermostats and how to perform a reset on them:

Thermostat Type #1 – Non-Programmable

The non-programmable Honeywell thermostat can easily be reset by the reset button that is dedicated to this process.

If your Honeywell thermostat is non-programmable, here is a how-to reset it without interfering with the batteries.

How To Reset A Non-Programmable Thermostat?

To reset a non-programmable thermostat, you won’t be prompted to remove the batteries.

Since these types of thermostats have a built-in factory reset button, the only thing left to do is to locate it.

Here is how to reset a non-programmable Honeywell thermostat:

1. Unscrew the face, off the device.
2. Locate the factory reset button in the center of the internal part of the thermostat.
3. Hold the reset button for 5 seconds.

At this point, your non-programmable Honeywell thermostat will reset without any difficulties.

If, however, you’re unable to do so, remember that taking the batteries out/in, is always an option!

Thermostat Type #2 – Programmable

One of the most popular Honeywell thermostats is the programmable ones.

To reset such a thermostat, you will have to eject the batteries or perform a battery flip-flop, which is a specific process of discharging your device.

Unfortunately, there is no way to reset the programmable thermostat without interacting with the batteries, so let’s take a look at the steps.

How To Reset A Programmable Thermostat?

If you’re certain that your Honeywell thermostat is programmable, here are the steps to perform a factory reset on it:

1. Turn OFF your thermostat by pressing the switch on the side panel downwards.
2. Open the battery compartment, which should be on the back of the thermostat.
3. Eject the batteries from their position and insert them the other way around.
4. Wait for 5 seconds while the batteries are inverted and take them out.
5. Now place the batteries correctly, reinstall the compartment and screw the compartment tightly.

Finally, turn on your Thermostat and wait for the digital display to light on with the reset settings.

Thermostat Type #3 – Mechanical

These types of thermostats are not battery operated and this is the reason why we are going to use a circuit breaker in order to perform a reset.

If you’ve never done a mechanical thermostat reset before, we advise you to follow the steps precisely!

How To Reset A Mechanical Thermostat?

Now if you’re certain that your Honeywell thermostat is mechanical, here are the instructions on how to perform a factory reset through the circuit breaker:

1. Turn OFF your thermostat by flipping the switch on the side panel off.
2. Locate the breaker for your HVAC system and flip it off as well.
3. Pause for 30 seconds before turning the breaker back into the on position.
4. Power on your thermostat.

If these steps were done correctly, your thermostat should now boot up with the setup menu after a reset.

Thermostat Type #4 – Line/Low Voltage Electronic

The last type of Honeywell thermostat out there is the line/low voltage electronic thermostat unit.

To perform a reset on such a thermostat, you will have to clean the components and test out the different configurations.

How To Reset An Electronic Thermostat?

To reset an electronic Honeywell thermostat, follow the steps below:

1. Eject the thermostat cover carefully.
2. Gently clean any dust particles on the internal components of the thermostat.
3. Set the thermostat’s heating to the lowest option.
4. Clean the components again, carefully.
5. Now set the thermostat to its highest heating and clean the coil again.
6. Choose desired settings for reset.

This was how to perform a reset on an electronic thermostat.

Keep in mind that you will be able to choose the desired reset settings once you have booted on the thermostat after cleaning its hardware components.

How To Reset A Honeywell Thermostat After Changing Batteries?

For the ones of you that are using a programmable Honeywell thermostat, after changing the batteries, the thermostat will be reset regardless.

But for the other types of battery-operated thermostats, you can follow the guide above to perform the reset.

For these models it does not really matter if the batteries were changed or not, the reset is a function available to be executed anytime.

In case you’ve got issues when trying to reset a battery-operated thermostat and our guide didn’t help, then you might be having an issue that you should address by reaching out to the Honeywell support team for help.

Read Next: How to Remove Old Honeywell Thermostat from Wall?

Bottom Line:

To reset a Honeywell thermostat, you must first figure out what is the device type. For a non-programmable unit, you can use the reset button. For programmable thermostats, you’ll need to re-insert the batteries.

As far as the mechanical thermostats, you’ll need to use the flip switch.

Lastly for electronic thermostats, you’ll need to open and clean the device inside after which you’ll need to turn it on and choose a reset setting.

Now when you’re aware of how to reset a Honeywell thermostat without batteries, we hope that you’ve managed to reset your own unit!

If you have further inquiries about the process, don’t hesitate to reach out to Honeywell and get this case resolved!