I just bought a house, and I'm trying to save some money by doing simple projects, on my own. I just purchased a smart thermostat and I am trying to follow the directions, for installation. The problem I am encountering, though, is that I can't seem to shut the power to the thermostat.
I removed the batteries from the current thermostat, turned off all the breakers in my breaker panel, but power is still getting to my thermostat. I went to look at my central air unit, and saw that it appears that the wiring from the thermostats is wired directly into the unit. Is this correct? Here are some images:
I also see that there is a small box, on the side. I am not sure what it is, and therefore I'm reluctant to polk around. I took the lid off, and there was another cover.
Anyway, my questions are: First, is it normal to just have the wiring directly into the central air unit, or should there be a breaker somewhere between? Second, if all this is fine, how do I turn off the power to the thermostat?
thanks