The Nest thermostat is one of the best-selling smart thermostats you can get. And for good reason. It figures out your temperature preferences and creates an energy-efficient schedule to match. And through geofencing with your phone, the Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest E know when you’re at your house or away and can raise and lower settings to help you save even more.
The Nest can be used with a vast range of 24-volt heating and cooling systems, but it’s always a good idea to use the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before installing one. Don’t forget to talk with your energy company for valuable rebates, since you may be able to get a Nest for free or close to it.
Once you’ve confirmed it’s compatible, you can either install it without help or contact a HVAC pro like Watts Electric & AC. If you’re wiring it yourself, you’ll notice a terminal for the C-wire, or common wire. This wire is solely used for powering your thermostat. If your home or HVAC system is older, you might not have one of these wires. In most cases, Nest says this isn’t a problem since the thermostat can get adequate power from other heating and cooling wires.
In some instances, your heating and cooling system could have to have that C-wire. And here’s why.
Why Your Nest Keeps Losing Power and Other Problems
The Google Nest Thermostat is a step up from outdated programmable thermostats that rely on a combination of wiring and AA batteries for power. It relies on a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and wiring to connect to Wi-Fi, power its digital display and operate your heating and cooling system.
8 Common Nest Thermostat Malfunctions
If it can’t get adequate juice, Nest says you may have some of these troubles:
- Short battery life.
- Thermostat motion sensing won’t operate.
- Your thermostat every now and then disconnects from Wi-Fi.
- Your system unexpectedly turns on or off, or won’t stop running.
- Your system is making odd noises, like chattering, stuttering, clicking or thumping.
- Heating or cooling is short cycling, or repeatedly turning on and off in a short period of time.
- There is a delay message on your Nest thermostat’s screen, like “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
- The system fan is always running, won’t switch on or turns off and on rapidly in a short period of time.
You may worry something is up with your heating and cooling system, but if you just installed the Nest, we recommend you check your thermostat first. This is especially true if the weather is moderate, and you haven’t been using your heat or air conditioning much.
Our Specialists Can Resolve Nest Thermostat Problems
If you’ve gone through Nest thermostat troubleshooting on your own but can’t solve the dilemma, a smart thermostat professional such as one from Watts Electric & AC can support you. We can determine the issue and add a C-wire, if required.
Smart thermostats like the Nest are made to make your life easier, with automatic energy-efficient programming and the ability to monitor temperatures while you’re away from home. It’s a frustrating experience when yours won’t work correctly, but our heating and cooling experts at Watts Electric & AC can fix the issue quickly.
If you’re going through weird heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, call us at to set up your appointment now.