FREEVOLVE housEvolve User manual

FREEVOLVE™ LLC Copyright 2008
housEvolve
Thermostat Module
User Manual and Installation Guide

FREEVOLVE™ LLC Copyright 2008
Introduction
Thank you for purchasing a FREEVOLVE™ product. We designed it to
provide you with years of reliable service.
The following setup instructions will help you get up and running quickly.
While we hope all our products are self-explanatory, the enclosed user guide
should cover all questions you may have. Please refer to the “Support”
section of our website – www.freevolve.com – for additional information.
All FREEVOLVE™ products are covered against manufacturing defects for
a period of 2 years from the date of purchase. During the warranty period we
will replace any defective unit free of charge.

FREEVOLVE™ LLC Copyright 2008
Installation and Configuration
The Thermostat Module is supplied with a 25ft network cable, two mounting
screws and a 9V battery.

FREEVOLVE™ LLC Copyright 2008
1.Installation
•We recommend that this installation be performed by a
qualified person.
•The housEvolve Thermostat Module can support the following
common-return, 24VAC HVAC systems:
i. Standard, non heat-pump, 1-cycle heat/cool
ii. Single stage heat-pump systems, with or without
auxiliary heat
Please make sure your HVAC system falls in one of the above
categories before attempting installation. The housEvolve
thermostat may be able to accommodate certain other types of
heaters. Please contact us to determine compatibility.
•The housEvolve Thermostat Module is pre-configured for
non heat-pump HVAC systems. If your HVAC system is
single-cycle heat-pump, please go to the “Configuring the
housEvolve Thermostat Module” section of this document
(page 14) at this time and perform the necessary changes.
When you’re done, return here.

FREEVOLVE™ LLC Copyright 2008
•Turn off power to the HVAC system
•Open the top cover of your existing thermostat and examine its
current wiring. Standard thermostat cable is color coded and
should be connected as follows:
i. Non-heat pump systems:
1. 24VAC return: Red wire, terminal R
2. Fan: Green wire, terminal G
3. Heat: White wire, terminal W or W1
4. A/C: Yellow wire, terminal Y or Y1
ii. Single-cycle heat pump systems
1. 24VAC return: Red wire, terminal R
2. Fan: Green wire, terminal G
3. Auxiliary heat: White wire, terminal W or W1
4. A/C: Yellow wire, terminal Y or Y1
5. Change-over: Orange wire, terminal C/O or O
There may be an additional wire, usually Blue, which is either
not connected (older thermostats), or connected to the 24VAC
Common and is used to supply AC power to modern, digital
thermostats.
If this wiring map is followed in your current thermostat,
everything is OK. On rare occasions, the previous installer may
not have followed this wiring map and the terminals listed
above are connected to wires of different colors. In these cases
it is important to either write down what color wire is connected
to each thermostat terminal (as you will need to connect
everything the same way on your housEvolve Thermostat
Module); or, change the wiring connections at the HVAC
control board so that the standard mapping applies and you
won’t have to worry about it in the future.

FREEVOLVE™ LLC Copyright 2008
•Disconnect and remove your existing thermostat from its
current location.
NOTE: This installation guide will illustrate the procedure for a
standard heat/cool system. The procedure for a heat-pump
system is similar.
•Open the cover of your housEvolve Thermostat Module by
removing the 4 retaining screws. Please identify areas of
interest as shown in the image below:

FREEVOLVE™ LLC Copyright 2008
•In order to make the installation job easier, we recommend
unplugging the keypad connector cable from the circuit board.
This allows you to get the top cover out of the way entirely.
•Prepare the mounting location by using the open thermostat as a
template to mark the mounting holes on the wall. Remove the
thermostat and drill two leading holes in the marked locations.
Drive the two mounting screws in and out of the wall once to
shape the holes and make securing the thermostat easier. Do
not mount the thermostat on the wall at this time.
housEvolve Network Wiring Considerations: the Thermostat
Module must connect to the housEvolve Telephone Interface
Module in order to provide remote monitoring and control
capabilities. This involves use of the network cable provided. You
may choose to run this network cable behind the wall (next to the
existing thermostat cable), or on the outside of the wall (simplifies
installation). This guide illustrates the installation procedure
running the network cable on the outside of the wall.
•From the back of the Thermostat Module enclosure, insert one
end of the network cable provided through the Cable Entry
opening, as shown:

FREEVOLVE™ LLC Copyright 2008
•Plug the network cable into the NETWORK CONNECTOR
securely (make sure the connector “clicks” into place):
•Turn the device over again. Twist the network cable sideways
and slide it completely into the surface access channel:
This cable position allows the Thermostat Module to be mounted
flush against the wall.

FREEVOLVE™ LLC Copyright 2008
•Place the thermostat against the wall and feed the thermostat
cable through the Cable Entry opening. If the network cable
were mounted behind the wall, it would also feed in at this time
(one of the prepared mounting holes is visible in the picture):
•Fix the Thermostat Module to the wall using the screws
provided:

FREEVOLVE™ LLC Copyright 2008
•OK, we’re ready to connect the thermostat cable. Refer to the
HVAC connector detail below and note the connector grouping
indicated on the board.
i. The top and bottom connections are common for both
types of HVAC system supported. They are COMB
(Common/BLUE) and RR (Return/RED).
ii. Standard (non heat-pump) HVAC systems will need to
use the “STANDARD” group of connectors (marked by
the “[“ bracket) shown below: HW (Heat/WHITE), FG
(Fan/GREEN) and ACY (AC/YELLOW)
iii. Heat-pump HVAC systems will need to use the “HEAT
PUMP” group of connectors (marked by the “]” bracket)
shown below: FG (Fan/GREEN), ACY (AC/YELLOW),
VO (Change-over Valve/ORANGE) and AHW
(Auxiliary Heat/WHITE).

FREEVOLVE™ LLC Copyright 2008
A few notes:
Connection names indicated on the circuit board are used to
indicate both the function and standard color of a particular wire. This
was done to assist the installer in cases where non-standard wiring is
in place.
The ACY and FG connections are common to both HVAC
types. If your housEvolve Thermostat Module is part of a housEvolve
system, the COMB connection is optional. If your thermostat cable
has this wire we recommend you use this connection. Otherwise the
device will draw power from the housEvolve network connection.
If you are using the housEvolve Thermostat Module as a stand-
alone device (that is, not part of a housEvolve system), you must
connect the COMB terminal. The device will not operate without it.
•In this installation example we’re using a non heat-pump,
heat/cool HVAC system. Therefore, the connections used are
RR, HW, FG, ACY and COMB, making sure the wire retaining
screws are securely tightened:

FREEVOLVE™ LLC Copyright 2008
•Reconnect the top cover keypad and the 9V battery. Please stow
the battery as shown. After a brief start-up sequence, the
Thermostat Module will show the screen below:
•Replace the front cover and 4 retaining screws. Turn on power
to your HVAC system. The screen will look like this, indicating
that the installation is complete:
•The next step is optional and only shown here for illustrative
purposes. Even though running the network cable on the
outside of the wall is much simpler and economical than the
alternative, some users find the sight of an exposed cable
undesirable. However, there are simple and economical ways to
easily conceal a cable run. Using a common cable management
raceway available at most hardware stores (the particular one
used here is the CORDMATE®, made by The Wiremold

FREEVOLVE™ LLC Copyright 2008
Company and purchased from the local Home Depot®), we
went from this
… to this, in about 15 minutes:
The raceway surface may even be painted to match your wall
color.

FREEVOLVE™ LLC Copyright 2008
2.Configuring the housEvolve Thermostat Module
The only configuration required at installation time is selecting the
appropriate HVAC system type. The Thermostat Module is
preconfigured for standard, non heat-pump, heat/cool systems. If your
HVAC system is of this type, no configuration is necessary.
From this point forward we’re going to assume you have a single-
stage heat-pump HVAC system and we’ll show the steps required to
configure the Thermostat Module for this setup.
Before we get to that, however, it is time for a few words on how to
interact with it.
All features offered by the Thermostat Module features are accessed
and altered through the use of the 5-button navigation keypad shown
below, in conjunction with the display. Most of the information
displayed on the screen is selectable and configurable. You simply
navigate to the feature of interest and then act upon it.
General guidelines: the Left-Right keys (< >) are used to drag the
selection markers to the feature of interest, while the UP-Down keys
(^ v) are used to scroll up/down through the available settings for the
selected feature. The Select key (•) is used to confirm the feature
chosen or to act upon a navigation selection (Ex: sending the display
to the “Menu” screen).
The Thermostat Module enters a “stand-by” mode in the absence of
user action, identified by the main screen displayed in a low backlight
setting (the screen is dimly lit) and without any selection markers.
Any button press in this mode causes the system to enter the “user”
mode, defined the screen switching to a bright backlight setting and

FREEVOLVE™ LLC Copyright 2008
the selection markers appearing around the default main screen
feature.
As an example we will go through setting the clock on the main
screen. The default value at startup is Wed, 12:00A.
You first need to turn the thermostat on. Please remove the
Thermostat Module cover. Connect the 9V battery provided and stow
it as shown:
The Thermostat Module will go through a brief startup procedure,
then the display will show the current temperature with a “No power”
indicator in the upper right side.
Replace the top cover.
With the system in stand-by mode, press any key. The screen will
light up and the default feature is selected, as shown below.
a. Use the Left or Right key to move the selection markers until they
surround the clock “day” feature.

FREEVOLVE™ LLC Copyright 2008
b. Use the Up or Down button to scroll through the days of the week
until reaching the desired day.
c. Press the Right button to select the clock “hour” feature.
d. Use the Up or Down button to increment/decrement the hour field.
Note: keeping the Up/Down key pressed will allow the system to
scroll through the hour field.
e. Press the Select button to toggle between 12/24 clock display
mode. Note that in 24hr mode the AM/PM marker at the end of the
time field disappears.
f. Press the Right button to select the clock “minute” feature.
g. Use the Up or Down button to increment/decrement the minute
field. Note: keeping the Up/Down key pressed will allow the
system to scroll through the minute field.
h. That’s it! The Thermostat Module will return to “stand-by” mode
after a few seconds of user inactivity, keeping the newly chosen
time.
Now that interacting with Thermostat Module is, hopefully, no longer a
mystery, let’s finish the configuration process.
•First, switch the current HVAC mode to OFF. Failure to do so will
result in the Thermostat Module refusing to change its operating
mode to single-stage heat-pump. This feature is discussed in more
detail in the User Manual.

FREEVOLVE™ LLC Copyright 2008
•Next, navigate to “Menu” and press “Select”. The display will
switch to the Menu screen. Navigate to “Setup”:
•Press “Select”. The display will switch to the Setup screen.
Navigate to “HVAC syst type”
•Press “Select”. The display will show the current HVAC system
type, which is “Standard 1H/1C”. Navigate to “Standard 1H/1C”.
•Press the Up or Down key. This will scroll the selection to “Heat
pump SS”. The second line of the display will also change to
ChOv Heat.
NOTE: you must set the correct active Changeover valve setting.
Heat-pump systems do not have a consistent standard in this regard
(ex: Changeover valve ON = Heat or Changeover valve ON = AC). If
the active changeover valve state places your system in Heat mode
you do not need to change this setting. Otherwise, navigate to “Heat”
and press the Up or Down key:

FREEVOLVE™ LLC Copyright 2008
The system sets the active changeover valve state to AC. When
finished, navigate to “Done” and press Select. The system will return
to the main screen and the Thermostat Module is now configured to
work with a single-stage heat-pump HVAC system.
•Remove the top cover and the 9V battery. Continue with the
installation procedure.