Amazon Smart Thermostat Doesn't Switch On Air Conditioning

If your Thermostat doesn't switch on the air conditioning, check the wiring.

Note: If you're not comfortable working with electrical wiring on your home heating and cooling system, contact an HVAC service company.
Important: Before starting work on the Thermostat or the heating and cooling system (HVAC), always switch off the power to the HVAC. Switch off the power at the breaker box or the system's primary power switch. Verify that the power is off before removing the device faceplate. You can verify that the power is off by confirming that the screen is blank. Don't touch any exposed wire ends.

To troubleshoot cooling problems:

  1. Check that the wiring is correct on your thermostat. To check the wiring on your device, remove the device faceplate from the wall and open the cover of the Wall Plate.
    1. If the Y wire connects to the C terminal, your Thermostat recognizes your system as heat only. As a result, cooling mode won't appear in the Alexa app.
      1. Confirm that the same color wire on the Thermostat's Y terminal also connects to the Y port on the HVAC system control board.
      2. If your Y wiring is incorrect, make sure the wire connection on your HVAC control board match the terminals on your Thermostat. You can use the wiring guides for reference.
    2. If you have an R and RC wire, make sure they connect to their matching terminals. Otherwise, your Thermostat might recognize your system as heat only (or cool only).
      1. Connect your R wire to the R terminal, and your RC wire to the RC terminal.
      2. When you have a solo R wire or a solo RC wire, either one can connect to the R terminal.
    3. If you're using a wire saver module, make sure it connects to the K terminal. For correct C-wire setup, see Connect a C-wire Adapter to Your Amazon Smart Thermostat.
    4. If your heat pump system runs cooling and backup heat at the same time, check the Y, C, and W connections.
      This issue happens when the Y or C wires don't connect to the compressor and the backup heat connects to the W wire.
  2. Check that the wiring in the Alexa app matches that on your thermostat device. To check the wiring in the Alexa app, go to Settings. Then go to Thermostat Configurations and select Connected wire map.
    1. If the wiring in the Alexa app doesn't match that on the device, Reset Your Amazon Smart Thermostat and Set Up Your Amazon Smart Thermostat again.
  3. If your system uses a heat pump, try switching the reversing valve's O/B setting in the Alexa app. See My Heat Pump Isn't Blowing the Correct Air Temperature with My Thermostat.
  4. Set your Thermostat to Cool mode in the Alexa app.
  5. Set the temperature lower than the current temperature on the display, and see if your outdoor HVAC unit turns on.
  6. If you still can't resolve the issue, contact customer support.

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