Said It Here

Forgot how to wire a part after taking it off

Without a reference photo, rewiring a replaced component requires tracing wires back to their original terminals using user manuals, wiring diagrams, or device schematics. Guessing connections can cause electrical shorts, blown fuses, or permanent damage to the equipment.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

  1. 1
    Searching online for specifications and wiring diagrams
  2. 2
    Asking clerks or online communities for connection guidance
  3. 3
    Trying to guess wire connections based on standard colors
  4. 4
    Trying to locate the air handler or condenser unit to trace wires

In their words

Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.

Totally forgot to take a photo of how this thing was wired up before I took it off to test it.source ↗

RazorwireNoose · r/hvacadvice · 3 upvotes

At this point I’m trying to get my old thermostat back on. But I lose the photo of the wiressource ↗

At this point I’m trying to put my old one back on but I lost the photo of the wiressource ↗

Joe_Paul_ · r/hvacadvice · 1 upvotes

Where this came up

People with this problem also raised