Don't you love all the HVAC guys that are shooting holes in this guy? If your an HVAC guy your entitled to make a living - but if you need to hold people hostage for something as simple as this, your not much of a tech. Yes - you have a lot of knowledge and training, and there are things an untrained person shouldn't attempt. But out of the entire system this portion is fairly simple for a handy, mechanically inclined person. Don't hate people who want to take on something as easy as this. No one says you can't charge whatever you want to someone willing to pay it. I'm an electrician and what you're doing is the equivalent of me saying "don't replace your own receptacles - you should hire an electrician". Bullshit - I tell people if you are careful you can replace receptacles, switches and lights. Anything beyond that usually would require a skilled electrician. If you're such a good tech, you'll be in demand and don't have to worry about people doing shit themselves.
Amen, brother! This thing has been running without a hiccup for over 3.5 years since this video. I would say it was a job well done and a lot of money saved.
@@LDSreliance How is it running now? Next time buy an EcoJay or XCI Zone board. I like them the best because they have LEDs next to the equipment and thermostats,s o you can visually see fan, heat, cool, reversing valve, etc. Shows what the thermostat and equipment and dampers are doing,
Thank you for the Video. Was looking everywhere for the Honeywell Universal minizone. I will be ordering the Hz322k this week to get my AC kicking hopefully again. Very much appreciate the video again.
Don't forget to strip the wires 1/4 of an inch. Went to trade school for this- and even I had forgotten so many times. The excitement of understanding a schematic and knowing where everything is can make you forget. Then you wonder why nothings working 😂.
I just stumbled across this video while looking for something else, little inside knowledge from a 25 year hvac vet, I photograph everything on a change out like that to, you never Know I might get a phone call and forget something, the only real difference is I know what each wire does from training and experience. I'd say job well done sir, do you want a job I have 2 year trained techs that can't wire a zone system to save their life LOL. and hey worst you could have done was screw it up and blow a fuse or have to call someone to bail you out. Want a real challenge? go for a 8 zone system with 16 dampers those colors start running together after a while haha. Also painters tape and a sharpie will help a lot in place of the zip ties not saying that won't work, but the tape and sharpie are easier to me.
Haha, I think I'll pass on doing that every day! But seriously, it was pretty easy with those two tricks (clipping the wires and leaving them in the old unit and taking pictures of everything thoroughly before doing anything). I'm never getting into a house again with a damper system, though. It works but doesn't seem to be more than a band-aid fix or cost-cutting measure by a builder who wants to pay the least amount possible to check a box on a new house.
@@LDSreliance I can see how a fella could think that, a zone system is a awesome tool if capital IF it's designed and setup properly but as with so many things in this industry the engineer designs it one way and the installer looks at the plans and say yeah right. Zones have to be balanced right, your static pressures have to be adjusted right, and most importantly it really only works well with a few types of equipment such a high end variable speed air handlers, modulating furnaces, and must always have a variable speed condenser unit or Heatpump. With out those thing you might as well just put covers over the vents you don't want to use and call it good ( also a really bad idea ) otherwise your just throwing money out the window. So let's just say a standard 4 ton 14 seer heatpump was put in with a zone system single speed Air handler and condenser (outdoor unit) it would not have the capability to speed up and slow down the units as needed when only one or two zones needed air or heat that just puts more load on the system and causes extra wear and tear. That system would cost around $13k to $17k in today's market. Now let's say you went for the maximum or correct way with a 4 ton 21 seer variable speed condenser and a variable speed air handler and full zone control you'd be looking at a $30k to $40k system I don't know about you but I don't know very many home owner or builders that are going to go for that price tag, is it nice? Sure but your long term savings come up way short of you upfront cost at that point. Especially now when you could have much more effective system with a Variable Refrigerant Flow or VRF aka multi zone Mini Split with for $16k to $18k. If your not familiar with that look it up that is truly amazing technology.
This was helpful. I would add that after wiring it up that many people likely need to compare the settings on the old panel (Honyewell TZ-4 uses dip switches) and its manual with the new panel's LCD settings and its manual to finish it up. You need to know the old wiring so you can work out if it's a 2-stage a/c or 1-stage heat, etc.
Yes, definitely. I think the strategy here is to copy everything from the old board that is the same on the new board and then whatever is different you tackle those pieces individually. Luckily, my old board and my new board were very very similar so I really didn't have too many hiccups. Just copied the wiring.
Well, as a HVAC tech, i do not worry about this, if some guys want to try, just do it. Even this is a little bit overlap with my own job. My focus is on the commercial side not residential. Be honestly, lots of handy person can do the residential HVAC by himself. It is not hard, I have to say... But to commercial or industrial, a completely different HVAC world...
Absolutely! A picture is great but if it is hard to see whether that wire was brown with a black stripe or solid brown (for example) then you can go back to the actual wires if you clip them short like that and look. Thanks for watching!
I know this video is a few years old and this may be a stretch but I have an old Honeywell TZ-3 which predates the 322 board others in the comments have replaced. Tried reaching out to Honeywell been a couple weeks, been following up, no response. Will this board work if I replace my older TZ-3? I would think so, but looking for some confirmation on that. Thanks Dom
Hi - actually, no, I guess I didn't explain it well enough. I have the older EWC board that controls our upstairs unit in two zones. One of the big complaints with the board is that you can only use 1 or 2 wifi thermostats with it since it requires a thermostat with an o and b terminal, but all the new ones (nest, lyric, etc) don't have an o and b, but have an o/b in one terminal. The link i pasted talks a lot about it and the recommendation is to swap out to a newer zone controller. My question is what to do with the o and b wires connected to the old zone controller when hooking up the newer honeywell one you are walking through. Does that make a little more sense? Thanks!
Yes, that makes sense. Basically, "for thermostats with separate o and b terminals, attach o for cool changeover or attach b for heat changeover." That is taken word for word from page 6 of the following pdf for the honeywell system: www.forwardthinking.honeywell.com/related_links/zoning/truezone/install/69-2199.pdf
Hey, thanks for the quick-look. I'm looking forward to setting up a zone system and wanted an overall peek at someone getting a newish controller hooked up. As for the comments, if some of your detractors think this, which is no more complex than a TV/cable/DVR/Etc. /Etc. , is voodoo, then God help them in the modern world. Clearly, Honeywell thinks it's a pretty ordinary homeowner DIY. Anyway, thanks.
You are welcome! If I had to hook one of those panels up from scratch on a new system I am sure I could do it with the clear labels and the instructions included. Thankfully I did not have to do that.
Hater gonna hate. Great work hoss. We are brothers from another mother. I'm dealing with this exact deal right now, fried board and local AC company quoted $2000 fix!!! WTF!? I would be interested to know what thermostats you have and if they worked with the new system. Also, if you had to run the new capacitor, or if the old one worked... I guess if their was one already for your older Honeywell unit. Thanks again hoss. I'll be buying this same kit right now just because of this video.
Thanks for the support. If you are buying from Amazon use the link in the video description and help me out :) I only replaced the board. I did not use the new transformer that came with it or the temperature sensor or anything else. I still have them new in the box in case I need them. I don't know what you mean by capacitor. I never saw any capacitors in my system. My thermostats are Honeywell cheapo ones. They are not "smart" or programmable other than just setting the temperature. They can run a heat pump but that is about it. I think I saw them for $30-40 at Home Depot once.
I wish we could add pics on these comments!! haha-anyways its a tiny wire that is on the equipment area that goes from W2 to E(white wire is in E also) not sure what it does but assume its there for a reason! everything else looks pretty straight forward although the two wires that go to the power section, is there a certain order they need to go, R and C is labeled but the old board does not have R and C just the two wire going to their own section. Not sure if that made sense......Thanks
pnypwr5 Man it has been over a year since I did this so I don't remember. I do remember something about W2 vaguely. I know there was something on the old board that was not possible to do on the new board but it didn't matter and has no effect on the performance of the new unit. I wish I remembered what it was. Shoot me pictures in an email and I will try to take a look at it and maybe send you back some pictures. ldsreliance @ gmail.com
Hi - thanks for posting this. Very helpful. My current setup is an EWC st series, which is outdated (only a handful of thermostats work on it) and it requires both an o and b wire while the Honeywell only has the o/b hookup. Any idea what to do here? I'm assuming I don't need one but can't figure out what to do. Thanks!
If I am understanding you correctly, your old zone panel (EWC-st) requires an O and B wire from the thermostat, whereas the Honeywell only has one connection O/B. You must be looking at the "Thermostat" connection panel on the Honeywell because the "Equipment" section does have both O and B. If your old thermostat has both wires I would say just replace the old thermostat at the same time. They are super cheap these days (like $20 for the ones I have) and then you won't have to be left scratching your head. If I am misunderstanding, please correct me :)
@@LDSreliance lol if you guys are still pondering this question? The O terminal are for reversing valves that energize in cooling mode and B is for the reversing valves that energize in heating mode.(Raheem/Ruud)
Trying to find out how to connect the wires to the shitty little plastic connectors on the HZ322. You skipped that part. I guess it's obvious to everyone but me.
How’s the panel holding up? Any issues? I Recently started having HVAC issues with my upstairs zone and can see a burnt resistor on the old panel (same as your old one) and am looking to upgrade to the same panel myself.
I haven't touched it since. It has worked flawlessly even though I used the old transformer from the old panel. I still have the new transformer in the box ready to replace the other but I didn't feel like re-wiring that at the time.
What is the worst that can happen? You have to call the guy to come do the $700 fix if you can't figure it out. But, chances are, as long as you follow what I did you should be able to figure it out unless the old board and the new board are very dissimilar. Just make sure you take lots of pictures of how it was wired beforehand and/or use the trick I showed in the video for keeping track of the colors.
did you have to install the transformer? I have the exact same system as you, and I need to replace the zoning board, it burned out, I'm not sure if I should get the whole kit, or just the panel, since my system already have the temperature sensor installed, but I don't see a transformer, I believe the current panel does not require one, I'd appreciate your answer, thanks!
If you already have a transformer and temperature sensor then you just need the board. I actually bought the kit but did not install the new transformer. I used the old one just to save some time and I will have a spare if I ever need it.
LDSreliance Thank you for replying, I'm able to see the sensor installed on top of the inside unit,however, I don't see any transformer, that's why I asked if you needed one, where was yours? I didn't see one on the wall or any where for that matter, thanks!
Mine was installed on the wall inside the closet where my air handler is located. Where does the wire go from your existing panel? It can't go directly to a circuit breaker for 110 or 220 so it has to go somewhere else. Maybe into the attic or garage or something?
Cables for the transformer were connected to the old panel, it looks like they go from the panel to the back of air handler, inside a tight closet, I will just basically transfer all wires one by one into the new panel, HZ322, according to the blue print, I don't see why it wouldn't work, looking forward to this project, thanks for all your help!
I replaced an old honeywell system like this but used an ECOJAY SMARTZONE instead. It is much more geared to a DIY install and they have great support both online and via phone. Still, you shouldn't attempt this unless you are familiar with some basic wiring. The install and setup is much easier than this HZ322. You can find out more about smartzone at www.zoningsupply.com
They are equally easy systems. EcoJay and XCI zone boards are nice because the LED lights show each thermostat calling fan, heat, cool, reversing valve... the output to open or close dampers, and what the call is to the system. It’s easier than having to know how to use a meter, which is still not hard ... it’s just a voltage reading from common to each wire for example to verify what a thermostat is calling for, etc.
Hey I have the same board and it looks like you connected zone one and zone three because today on my board my zone 2 was not turning the unit on so I connected it to zone three is that gonna be an issue
@LDSreliance Thank You for this, quick question: I have the same setup & hz322. I noticed upstairs isn't cooling like it was.. Could the constant red LED next to zone 3 have anything to do with the cooling issues?
Do you have 3 zones? I don't have any red LEDs lit up on my panel. It sounds like something is connected wrong or the board is not seeing the right resistance on the other end which might mean the damper has malfunctioned. Those are just guesses, though.
You figure out if you have power open power close, spring open power close, spring close power open... Basically some need power to be open and some need a sense of power. You can hook the dampers up to the furnace for power in R and C. Anyway, you wire the dampers as needed to get them on the open position. Then you connect the cable from the thermostat you want to control the whole system directly to the equipment. Now you have a whole house system.... Now go fix your problem.
@@LDSreliance Does your old system have a temp sensor as well as the two thermostats? I am looking at zoning my house with the same system and a set of dampers but I am not sure if it has the temp sensor.
quick Question was your old Honeywell panel model EMM-3U? Just wondering as I am about to install the HZ 311 direct replacement for old EMM-3U and using your video, its look like the same panel that I had and all the wires seemed to match and hook up pretty easily...although there is one jumper on my old panel under the equipment side and didn't notice that on yours...and this is why I was wondering model number your old panel. Thanks!
pnypwr5 Yes, my old one was EMM-3U also. What jumper is different on yours? I saved the old board so if you need me to take some pictures or check things out on my end I am happy to do so. I usually check RU-vid a few times a day.
I think so. To my knowledge there isn't much to a damper, just opening and closing with a simple electrical signal. So brand compatibility should not be an issue but don't hold me to that.
Weiyan Yin I am not sure. I just copied the wiring that already existed from the previous installation. I don't know if they had all the dampers on the same zone tied together or not. Sorry
Great point. Even more alarming is that I have had at least two hvac techs in my house that wouldn't touch that panel because it is "old technology". They wanted to blame problems on that panel.
@@LDSreliance It is their job to troubleshoot. To condemn the board they should test the dampers, check the operations of the thermostats calling properly and the outputs of the board. They have to know what it is supposed to do to know whether it is working right.
If you are worried about it then don't do it. If you do what I showed in the video there is no risk of connecting it wrong unless the old panel and new panel are not compatible (have the same markings and terminal options). So you can pay $1200+ for an HVAC contractor to do it or pay $150 in parts and do it yourself.
No they don’t AC systems close like $300 for a coil, $700 for a furnace and maybe $1300 for a condenser. It’s the asshole contractor who charges you $8000 for one day of work because he wants $1000 per hour.
I am a licensed HVAC Contractor in Ft Worth Tx. I figure the guy needed or wanted a zone control board and couldn't afford to have it installed by a professional, licensed and insured HVAC company. So he did it himself and wanted to share with other poor people like him how he did it. Personally and Professionally I am not a fan of zone control systems. Anytime you have multiple stories you have different climates you are trying to keep comfortable. The right way to do it is install a properly sized HVAC system for each floor. Zone Controls are for poor people and home builders who don't want to spend the money to do it right.
I agree. I was replacing an old Honeywell board that had stopped functioning properly with this newer model. The contractor quoted me over $1200 for the new board and labor. I knew that the dual zone setup on my house was not ideal but I didn't have $12k to completely re-do the system. So for less than $200 I fixed it myself.
Just because this guy didn't call a licensed HVAC technician for a fairly simple job like this doesn't make him a "poor" person and I don't know why you felt it necessary to mention it 3 times. Maybe this guy doesn't like being taken advantage of by an industry known for overcharging people or maybe it's because he knows already knows how to use a screwdriver.
Not poor, just smart enough to do it myself and shrewd enough not throw my money at some clown for overpriced work, bad service and alleged "four hour blocks of arrival" on a Tuesday. You know what actually keeps people poor? Bad credit predatory financing.
Poor...? Really, you went there? Kudos to the guy for taking the initiative to educate himself and make it happen with his own hands. I do the same thing constantly because I enjoy learning new things and becoming more self sufficient so I dont have to rely on asshats like you. Dont tarnish your whole profession
and this is why HVAC companies charge so much, lmao #1 this guy just voided his warrenty on his ac system by not having a tech install it CORRECTLY I might add, #2 its a wireless set up so you have the wrong t stats and dampers, it may work ok for a while but will soon start getting back EMF and short out those dampers. But im sure you feel that you saved a ton of money by screwing this up yourself?
+Gary Schumacher It is installed correctly. I have had 2 A/C technicians come do work since then and they said the only thing they would have done differently is mount it to the wall. Thanks for trolling.
+LDSreliance O/B is for the reversing valve on a heat pump . On most units the O/B terminal on the thermostat is energized in cooling mode and de- energized in heating mode . It acts the same way as a NO - NC relay switch . That being said , good for you for doing it yourself but , you don't wanna tamper too much with an A/C or heating appliance unless you're willing to take the risk of hurting yourself or the equipment . Remember you're dealing with low voltage control equipment that controls high voltage components . One wire hooked up incorrectly can cause you major problems . Especially on residential equipment because there aren't many safety's on it . Good work though .
joseph winne Good point. I did this at the recommendation of a HVAC tech who said he could charge me $1200 to do it (including cost of controller) or I could do it myself for $100ish. He just said take a picture of the wiring on the old unit and snip the wires off an inch or two from the terminals instead of actually disconnecting them. That way you can see what colors were connected where. He said it was foolproof if I just connected them the exact same. And it worked!
+LDSreliance not taking anything away from techs . They go to school for a reason and there's a lot of knowledge you need to know to get good at it . That doesn't make it right for them to literally try to steal from you though . You got pretty lucky . That guy saved you a bundle of money . I say good for you .
+Gary Schumacher He does not have the 'wrong' stats and dampers -- it says right in Honeywell's documentation that this zone board works perfectly fine for a traditionally wired setup. In fact, you have to add a separate Redlink module to even use the wireless controls at all.
