What Is Amazon Thermostat Delayed Start? [And How to Fix it]

If you are facing the Amazon thermostat delay message, don’t worry, we shall walk you through possible causes for this problem and you can have it fixed.

Generally when your Amazon thermostat displays a thermostat delay message(Delayed start system will start shortly), that simply tells you that your system is undergoing a time off, a period when the compressor is prevented from starting to prevent it from short cycling and possibly damaging it.

This message often displays on any amazon thermostat when the system is suddenly turned off or loses power and you attempt to turn it on immediately.

Delay start on any Amazon thermostat usually lasts 2-5 minutes and you should have your compressor turn on again. However, if the thermostat’s delayed start message prolongs or goes beyond the 5 minutes minimum time off, then there could be other problems with your system causing the message.

Let’s take a look at some of these possible reasons in the next section.

Possible causes for the Amazon thermostat ‘Delayed Start’ message

Possible cause	Fix
System Suddenly loses power	Wait for 5 minutes
Thermostat not wired properly	Check wiring and correct where necessary
Problems with the thermostat	Get a replacement

Caution! Before touching any thermostat wires be sure to turn off power to your HVAC system at the main circuit breaker box. This is for for safety reasons

System Suddenly loses power

When you turn off your HVAC system and try to turn it on again, the compressor will not immediately engage. This is because of a time off or delay time, a built-in feature on a thermostat or HVAC system that protects the thermostat from short cycling or otherwise possible damage.

The ‘delayed start’ feature may also activate when power is lost to the AC and suddenly resumes. You don’t need to do anything to manually fix the problem, it will go away in 5 minutes.

But if the message doesn’t go away, try resetting your thermostat and if that also doesn’t work, it could be a sign of another problem that you need to look into.

Let’s look at how you can troubleshoot this problem further..

Thermostat not wired properly

Another common cause for the delay start on thermostats is a thermostat that is not configured or wired correctly. See how to properly wire an Amazon thermostat in this guide

You should check whether your HVAC is configured correctly in the Alexa app, in Thermostat Configurations. Also check the connected HVAC info and wires match exactly the wires you have connected in your thermostat.

You can check the actual wiring behind the thermostat and ensure that the Y wire is securely connected to the Y terminal. Y wire is one that controls cooling on your system

Another possible fix is to use a jumper wire. Does your system provide only on Red wire? If so put a jumper between R and Rc

Problems with the thermostat

If everything else we have looked at so far seems to have no problem but you continue to see the ‘delayed’ start message, then you may have a bad thermostat.

But before you consider replacing your thermostat there is yet another simple technique you can use that can help you determine if the problem is really with the thermostat or with your HVAC system.

This technique involves bypassing the thermostat and checking if the AC would turn on without it.

Remove the face of your thermostat to access the wiring.
Now remove the Y and R terminal from their terminals and join them together.

Is the AC turning? If not, wait for at least 5 minutes for the actual delay time to elapse.

Is the AC now turning on? If not, the problem is probably with the AC system and most likely with power to the AC.

In the other scenario, if the AC turns on after bypassing the thermostat then the problem is most likely with your thermostat.

Final thoughts

To wrap it up, we hope you have a clear understanding of what amazon thermostat delayed start is and how to troubleshoot any problem that can trigger this alert message.

Otherwise if you believe there is another problem other than what we have discussed in this guide, we recommend that you reach out to Amazon support for further help.

Thanks for reading , shalom.

More resources in Amazon Forum

What Is Amazon Thermostat Delayed Start? [And How to Fix it]