The Nest thermostat is one of the top-selling smart thermostats you can buy. And for good reason. It figures out your temperature preferences and makes an energy-efficient schedule to match. And through geofencing with your phone, the Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest E realize when you’re at your home or away and can raise and lower temperatures to help you save even more.
The Nest can be used with a wide range of 24-volt heating and cooling systems, but it’s always a good idea to use the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before getting one. Don’t forget to contact your energy provider for valuable rebates, because you may be able to get a Nest for free or close to it.
Once you’ve checked it’s compatible, you can either wire it yourself or call a HVAC professional like Street Heating and Cooling. If you’re installing it on your own, you’ll see a terminal for the C-wire, or common wire. This wire is just used for powering your thermostat. If your house 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 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 Malfunctions
The Google Nest Thermostat is an improvement from outdated programmable thermostats that have a combination of wiring and AA batteries for power. It uses a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and wiring to sync with Wi-Fi, power its digital display and turn on your heating and cooling system.
8 Common Nest Thermostat Issues
If it can’t receive adequate power, Nest says you may run into some of these problems:
- Short battery life.
- Thermostat motion sensing is disabled.
- Your thermostat occasionally disconnects from Wi-Fi.
- Your system abruptly turns on or off, or won’t turn off.
- Your system is making weird noises, such as 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, such as “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
- The system fan is continuously running, won’t run or turns off and on frequently in a short period of time.
You might believe something is suspect with your heating and cooling system, but if you just installed the Nest, it’s best to begin with your thermostat initially. This is especially true if the weather is mild, and you haven’t been relying on your heat or air conditioning frequently.
Our Pros Can Fix Nest Thermostat Troubles
If you’ve gone through Nest thermostat troubleshooting by yourself but can’t solve the dilemma, a smart thermostat specialist such as one from Street Heating and Cooling can provide support. We can pinpoint the problem and add a C-wire, if required.
Smart thermostats including the Nest are made to make your life more convenient, through automatic energy-efficient programming and the ability to keep an eye on temperatures while you’re out. It’s a frustrating experience when yours won’t work correctly, but our heating and cooling specialists at Street Heating and Cooling can resolve the problem in no time.
If you’re running into atypical heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, call us at to request your appointment right away.