Ecobee Thermostat Keeps Turning Off – 6 Methods To Fix It.

There’s no doubt about the quality or the efficiency of the Ecobee Thermostat when it comes to managing your HVAC system.

This thermostat has tremendous value to offer and I personally consider it the best one on the market compared to its other competitors.

So I want to assure you that whatever problem you are currently facing with this unit, it is still one of the best available options to rely on to manage your HVAC system.

Speaking of problems, one of the most reported issues by Ecobee users is that they sometimes notice that their thermostat keeps rebooting or keeps turning off.

Let me first tell you that this problem occurs with all kinds of thermostats, regardless of brand, and in this post, I’ll do my best to show you how to fix it.

So keep reading to find the solutions.

How To Fix Ecobee Thermostat That Keeps Turning Off?

There are many reasons that let your Ecobee thermostat keeps restarting including an overheating furnace, insufficient power transformer, wiring issue, or an internal software error.

In the following chapters, you’ll find a detailed explanation of everything and how to solve each problem.

Method 1: Power Cycle The Thermostat.

A very common way to fix an electronic gadget when it’s not working is to restart it, this process can give the device a fresh start which can help fix many temporary issues.

This troubleshooting tip is very useful, especially if the root cause of your problem is due to an internal error or a bug within the device’s software.

Here’s how to power cycle your Ecobee thermostat:

1. Locate the breaker that powers your HVAC system and turn it off.
2. Wait 30 seconds.
3. Then turn the breaker back on.

Method 2: Prevent The Furnace From Overheating.

During the winter season, your furnace will work harder to maintain a warm interior temperature and the effort may be greater if you live in extremely cold areas.

Is this the main reason why my thermostat keeps restarting?

Yes, this could be the main reason because when the furnace overheats, it triggers the temperature sensor and it automatically shuts off as a safety measure to prevent home fires.

And it will also cut power to your Ecobee thermostat causing it to turn off or the screen to go completely black intermittently, usually while the thermostat is calling for heat.

How do I stop this and get my device working again?

An overheating furnace is due to restricted airflow. Poor airflow to and from the furnace can be attributed to a dirty air filter.

So you can follow the next troubleshooting steps in order to fix it:

1. Shut off power to your furnace via the breaker or power switch.
2. Check the furnace filter. The filter is usually located behind a panel inside the furnace itself, or sometimes in a wall or ceiling.
3. If the filter appears to be dirty, it will likely need to be replaced with a clean one.
4. If the filter appears to be clean and the issue persists, attempt to run the furnace without a filter for a few minutes after restoring power.

Method 3: Insufficient Transformer.

According to Ecobee, one of the more common reasons that cause your thermostat to shut off is when you have one or more Ecobee thermostats powered by the same 24 VAC transformer as the boiler and/or boiler zone valves.

If this is your case, the easiest way to solve it is by using a separate 24 VAC transformer with a rating of 40VA to power the thermostat.

The transformer should be wired to the Rc and C terminals on the Ecobee thermostat.

Safety Note: Remember to turn off the circuit breaker when wiring and installing the transformer. I recommend hiring an electrician to do this if you’re not familiar with this kind of task.

Method 4: Tripped float switch

The float switch is an electronic water sensor that gives your AC system the ability to detect if it has a clogged drain, and if the switch detects a clogged drain scenario, it immediately shuts the system off.

This will cause the cooling to stop and also cut the power to your Ecobee thermostat as well since the flow of 24 VAC has been interrupted.

To solve this you have to turn off the circuit breaker and remove the water from the drain pan. Once the water level is low enough for the switch to reset, the system should come back on and your thermostat as well.

Method 5: Fix Your Wiring Issues.

The next thing to do is to check your wires, proper Ecobee thermostat wiring is essential to make it work properly.

Make sure that all the wires connected to the thermostat are inserted correctly and keep in mind that incorrect wiring will cause many problems, including electric shock, damage to the thermostat and also power problems.

Here is a comprehensive “guide” that shows you how to set up wires properly (Make sure to switch off the circuit breaker during wires installation).

Here are the instructions to follow in order to check if your wires are inserted properly:

1. Turn off power to your thermostat and HVAC system at the circuit breaker to avoid electrical shock.
2. Remove the Ecobee thermostat from the wall.
3. Check that your wiring connections match the directions in the installation guide.
4. Make sure that each wire is well connected. To be sure, you can remove and reconnect each wire.
5. You may need to re-strip and straighten the wire ends so that they can be fully inserted into the Ecobee connectors.

Method 6: Upgrade Your Ecobee Thermostat Firmware.

The last troubleshooting tip in our article is to upgrade the Ecobee thermostat firmware. This is a mandatory step to keep your device running smoothly and to avoid issues like frequent reboots.

Upgrading your firmware will fix any bugs and errors that existed in the previous update that may be the reason your thermostat is shutting down.

The update may also give the device a new feature and fix existing security flaws that a hacker might use to hack your gadget.

The only thing you need to do to update your Ecobee thermostat is to make sure it’s connected and then it will update itself automatically.

If you notice connectivity issues then here’s an article that can help you: “9 Ways To Fix Ecobee Thermostat Not Connecting To Wifi”.

Final Thoughts.

If you applied the tips mentioned above properly there’s a big chance that your Ecobee Smart Thermostat is going back to work as before.

In case the problem persists I suggest hiring an HVAC pro to check your HVAC system or to take the device to a technician.