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Coleman RV Thermostat Wiring Color Code

Coleman RV Thermostat Wiring Color Code

Coleman RV thermostat is an ideal solution to keep control of the air conditioner, electric heater, gas furnace, and fan in your vehicle from a single location. 

Coleman RV analog thermostat with heat/cool control has 6 wires with standard color codes. They are red, white, grey, green, yellow, and blue for +12V, furnace control, low fan speed, high fan speed, AC compressor, and -12V or ground, respectively. The thermostat with the cool-only option has 5 wires with the same color codes except for the missing white wire for heat control. The digital thermostat also has standard color codes for 12VDC, but they vary for 24VAC or DC power designs.

According to your requirements, they are available in analog, digital, both heat/cool, and cool-only options.

Working of Coleman RV thermostat

RV thermostat is a compact instrument to control the air temperature inside the cabin. It connects with various heating, ventilation, and air conditioning appliances installed in the vehicle and controls their switching according to preset temperature settings.

It has a sliding switch in analog designs and up/down arrow buttons in digital ones to set temperature values you want to maintain inside the vehicle.

Its compact design with a stylish look in white or black colors makes it an aesthetically pleasing addition to the RV.

Wiring color codes for Coleman RV thermostat

Coleman thermostats are available in various types according to their control mechanisms, input power voltage level, and heat and cool options. The 2 main categories are digital and analog designs.

Each one has further division into 2 options, including both heat/cool and cool-only options. Digital devices also have further 12VDC and 24DC or AC input power options available.

However, you can select the design according to the present voltage level and temperature control required in your vehicle.

Digital Display

Coleman RV thermostat with digital display and temperature settings have 5-9 wires separately color-coded for each function.

Single stage 12VDC thermostat

For a 12VDC digital thermostat with heat/cool features and compatible with a 1-stage heat pump, there are 7 wires as tabulated below:

Sr. # Color code Color Function
01 GL Gray Fan low speed
02 GH Green Fan high speed
03 WhP White/Black Heat Pump
04 Y Yellow AC compressor
05 R Red The positive terminal of the battery (+12VDC)
06 B Blue Negative Terminal or ground (-12VDC)
07 WF White Furnace

 There are also Coleman thermostat models having the same feature as already mentioned with 9 wires.

The 2 additional wires, having white/green (white with green stripes) color, connect other room sensors to monitor the temperature at another location inside the cabin.

1-Stage 24V

The thermostat with digital display and 24VDC or AC input has a heat/cool option. It has a fan with auto/on mode without hi/lo speed control.

Therefore it has 5 wires for fan output, compressor output, heat output, 24V input for cool, and 24V for heat input. Color code follows the same convention as for early mentioned models.

2-Stage 12VDC

It provides a control for the air conditioner and furnace in 2 steps. The first high stage at full power is for extreme hot or cold weather conditions and the second settings for mild weather for uniform temperature variations.

Coleman 2-stage thermostat has two electrical connectors for separate control of heat and cool functions, operates on 12VDC, and has auto and ON fan modes with hi/lo speed control.

It has 9 wires with one connector and 3-4 wires with the second one. The color-coding scheme of both connectors is as follows:

Sr. # Color code Color Function
First connector
01 G Gray Freeze or high settings for AC
02 R Red 12VDC power
03 G Gray Second terminal for freeze
04 B Blue -12VDC power (negative terminal)
05 Y Yellow AC compressor terminal 1
06 O Orange AC compressor terminal 2
07 B Black Fan high-speed setting
08 Wh B White/Black Electric heater control
09 P Purple Indoor fan low speed
Second Connector
01 RWh Red/white +12VDC
02 BWh Blue/white -12VDC
03 Wh White A heat pump or gas furnace low control for RV
04 OWh Orange/white A heat pump or gas furnace high control for RV

In the above table, the wire at sr#1 and 8 can have different colors and roles according to the specific model of the digital device.

Moreover, a model with the 4th connection point missing in the second connector is also available, and it has single control for the camper gas furnace.

Analog Readout

Analog Coleman thermostats are also available in designs with both heat/cool control and cool only settings. They have sliding switches with an analog scale to display temperature settings.

Moreover, they need a 12VDC power supply for their operation. Designs operating on 24VDC supply are also available. Rest of their working principle and installation procedure is the same.

Analog thermostat with heat & cool control with 12VDC power

It has 12VDC input power requirements and connections available for airconditioning compressors and gas or electric heating systems.

It offers single-stage temperature control with options for high/low fan speed control. Here is the color coding scheme of this analog model:

Sr. # Color Function
01 Green Fan high speed control
02 Gray Fan low-speed control
03 White Eclectic or gas heating element control
04 Yellow AC compressor for cool settings
05 Red The positive terminal of the battery (+12VDC)
06 Blue Negative Terminal or ground (-12VDC)

Analog thermostat with cool only option 12VDC input power

It has 12VDC input power requirements and is compatible with Coleman air conditioner only. It has no heat control options.

It has the same color-coding scheme as the above model except for the missing white wire for heat control.

Analog Thermostat 24Volt

It utilizes 24V input power, and you can use it according to the power source available in your RV.

It has both high/low-temperature control settings and auto/on fan modes with no speed control. It has 5 wires with the following color coding scheme for RV installation:

Sr. # Color Code Color Function
01 RH Red/white 24VDC or AC input for heat control
02 R Red 24VDC or AC input for cool settings
03 G Green Fan output for ON/auto control
04 Y Yellow AC compressor output
05 W White Heat output

Why use a proper color coding scheme with the thermostat in RV?

The safety of RV needs to utilize the standard color coding scheme for installing the Coleman thermostat.

You can forget the customized connections you have made for the air conditioner, heat pump, or fan with time. 

It helps you while upgrading the device or installing a new appliance to heat or cool the cabin. Any wrong connection can result in a short circuit causing damage to the air conditioner, RV furnace, or thermostat itself.

What are the power requirements of the Coleman thermostat?

Power requirements of Coleman thermostats can vary according to the specific model. Most of them have 12VDC input voltage requirements that you can fulfill by connecting with a battery.

Input power follows the same color conventions for all models by using red wire for the positive terminal and blue wire for the negative terminal.

There are also models with 24 Volt ratings that you can connect with either DC or AC source of the same ratings.

Wire gauge to use for wiring of the RV Coleman thermostat

Coleman also manufactures specific gauge wires suitable for use for low voltage switching of air conditioners or furnaces.

The recommended wire is 18-gauge with 5-8 conductors of specific colors insulation compatible with color-coding schemes of thermostats.

Is it mandatory to follow a color-coding scheme for the installation of the Coleman RV thermostat?

There is no mandatory or legal obligation to follow a standard wiring color scheme for thermostat installation in RV. You can adapt according to your convenience.

However, it is crucial for your safety and future reference to adapt a standardized approach. It will also be convenient for the next owner to whom you sell your vehicle.

Moreover, it will save installation time as you don’t have to trace the wiring to find the electrical connections of heat/cool appliances.

Sources of finding color coding scheme of RV thermostat

Coleman is a leading manufacturer of RV heat/cool appliances, including air conditioners, heating strips, and devices for temperature control of the cabin.

It provides the installation or user manual for all of its products. Therefore, you can consult it as the primary and most authentic source for finding the color coding scheme of the thermostat model you are installing.

Secondly, you can use Trucksauthority.com to find the wiring diagram and standard colors for multiple functions. It will be helpful for older models that have become obsolete, and no data is available regarding them.

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