RCS Model TZ45R — Z-Wave Thermostat Installation & Operation Manual

Installation and operation guide for the RCS Model TZ45R Z-Wave Thermostat — a Z-Wave-enabled thermostat compatible with most standard and heat pump HVAC systems, with remote sensor support.

Compatibility

• 24VAC systems (requires both 24R and 24C common wires)
• Standard gas/oil/electric heating systems — 1 or 2 stage heating and cooling
• Heat Pump systems — 1 or 2 stage heating/cooling, plus 2nd/3rd stage auxiliary heat (heat strips)
• Do NOT use for line-voltage controls (120/240VAC).

Before Removing Your Old Thermostat

1. Take a picture of the original wires and terminal connections.
2. Label the wires with the terminal markings from the old thermostat.
3. Record the old thermostat's terminal-to-wire-color mapping for reference.

Standard HVAC Wiring Reference

Heat Pump HVAC Wiring Reference

*If a "B" terminal with a brown wire was present, that's a changeover-with-heat heat pump system — set the changeover type to C/O Type: w/Heat in Installer Settings. Otherwise leave it at the default w/Cool.

Installer Setup — HVAC System Type

Access the hidden Installer Settings Menu by pressing the main Menu button, then pressing and holding the middle two buttons for 5 seconds. Navigate to System Settings → Mechanical Settings.

Note: If you get heating when you expected cooling (or vice versa), flip the C/O Type to the opposite setting.

Other Notable Installer Settings

• H/C Delta: minimum separation kept between heat/cool setpoints (default 3°F, range 3–15°)
• Max Heat SP: maximum heating setpoint allowed (default 90°F, range 40–109°F)
• Min Cool SP: minimum cooling setpoint allowed (default 60°F, range 44–113°F)
• Min Run Time (MRT): minimum cycle run time before shutoff (default 3 min, range 1–9)
• Min Off Time (MOT): minimum off time before restart, for compressor protection (default 5 min, range 5–9)
• Fan Cycler: cycles the fan on/off for ventilation (default OFF)
• Recovery Enable: for heat pumps, an automatic early-start recovery to reach setpoint by schedule time without using Aux Heat
• Remote Sensors (RS1/RS2): configure hardwired or Z-Wave remote temperature sensors — RS1 replaces the internal sensor; RS2 can average with it or serve as an outdoor sensor

Basic Operation

• System Modes: OFF, HEATING, COOLING, AUTO (switches automatically between heat/cool to maintain setpoints)
• Emergency Heat (EHEAT): available for heat pump systems if the compressor fails — supplemental Aux heat comes on first and the compressor output is disabled
• Fan Modes: AUTO FAN (HVAC-controlled) or FAN ON (manual, stays on); an optional Cycle mode appears if Fan Cycler is enabled
• Setpoint Push: the thermostat maintains a minimum separation between heat/cool setpoints — adjusting one may automatically push the other

Schedules

An optional 4x7 schedule (4 time periods per day, each day independently configurable) is available if enabled in Installer Settings. Two preset schedules are included — Comfort (mild setbacks) and EnergyMiser (deeper setbacks) — or you can build a custom schedule. Day schedules can be copied to other days or groups of days from the schedule screen.

Z-Wave Installation

1. Put your primary Z-Wave controller into Include/Add/Install mode.
2. On the thermostat's Main Menu, scroll to ZWave Install and select it.
3. When prompted by your controller, press YES on the ZWave Install screen.

Verify success by checking the ZHID (Home ID) and ZNID (Node ID) in the Thermostat Info screen — an un-installed thermostat shows 000 for Node ID. If your controller doesn't support full thermostat device class functions, it can still trigger the energy-saving Away mode via BASIC_SET commands (0x00 = Away, 0xFF = revert to Home).

Remote Sensor Configurations

FCC/IC Compliance

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules and Industry Canada license-exempt RSS standards. Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to operate the equipment.