The Nest thermostat is one of the best-selling smart thermostats on the market today. And for good reason. It figures out your temperature preferences and makes an energy-efficient schedule to match. And using geofencing with your phone, the Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest E realize when you’re at your home or out and about and can adjust settings to help you save even more.
The Nest is compatible with a vast range of 24-volt heating and cooling systems, but it’s always a smart idea to visit the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before installing one. Don’t forget to contact your energy supplier for valuable rebates, since you could be able to get a Nest for free or close to it.
Once you’ve made sure it’s compatible, you can either wire it on your own or hire a HVAC specialist like Watts Electric & AC. If you’re wiring it without help, you’ll spot 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 setback because the thermostat can pull adequate power from other heating and cooling wires.
In some cases, your heating and cooling system may need that C-wire. And here’s why.
Why Your Nest Keeps Losing Power and Other Malfunctions
The Google Nest Thermostat is an improvement from aging 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 sync with Wi-Fi, power its digital display and run your heating and cooling system.
8 Common Nest Thermostat Malfunctions
If it can’t get ample power, Nest says you may encounter some of these problems:
- Bad battery life.
- Thermostat motion sensing is disabled.
- Your thermostat sometimes disconnects from Wi-Fi.
- Your system unexpectedly turns on or off, or won’t turn off.
- Your system is producing strange noises, including 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 notice on your Nest thermostat’s screen, like “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
- The system fan is continuously on, won’t run or turns off and on rapidly in a short period of time.
You might think something is wrong with your heating and cooling system, but if you just got the Nest, we suggest you check your thermostat right away. This is especially pertinent if the weather is mild, and you haven’t been relying on your heat or air conditioning much.
Our Pros Can Fix Nest Thermostat Problems
If you’ve gone through Nest thermostat troubleshooting without help but can’t solve the problem, a smart thermostat specialist such as one from Watts Electric & AC can provide support. We can diagnose the issue and add a C-wire, if needed.
Smart thermostats such as the Nest are designed to make your life simpler, by automatic energy-efficient programming and the option to keep an eye on settings while you’re on the go. It’s a frustrating experience when yours won’t run like it should, but our heating and cooling pros at Watts Electric & AC can take care of the problem in no time.
If you’re going through strange heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, call us at to set up your appointment now.