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 by geofencing with your phone, the Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest E realize when you’re at your home or out and about and can raise and lower 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 good idea to visit the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before purchasing one. Don’t forget to contact your energy provider for valuable rebates, as you could be able to get a Nest for free or close to it.
Once you’ve confirmed it’s compatible, you can either wire it yourself or call a HVAC professional like Northwest Services. If you’re installing it yourself, you’ll see a terminal for the C-wire, or common wire. This wire is only used for powering your thermostat. If your home or HVAC system is older, you might not have one of these wires. Most of the time, Nest says this isn’t an issue since the thermostat can get adequate power from other heating and cooling wires.
In some instances, your heating and cooling system may need that C-wire. And here’s why.
Why Your Nest Keeps Losing Power and Other Issues
The Google Nest Thermostat is a step up from outdated programmable thermostats that use a combination of wiring and AA batteries for power. It has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and wiring to sync with Wi-Fi, power its digital display and operate your heating and cooling system.
8 Common Nest Thermostat Malfunctions
If it can’t draw ample juice, Nest says you may have some of these troubles:
- Bad battery life.
- Thermostat motion sensing won’t operate.
- Your thermostat sometimes disconnects from Wi-Fi.
- Your system unexpectedly turns on or off, or won’t stop running.
- Your system is creating weird noises, such as chattering, stuttering, clicking or thumping.
- Heating or cooling is short cycling, or frequently turning on and off in a short period of time.
- There is a delay notice on your Nest thermostat’s screen, along the lines of “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
- The system fan is always on, won’t switch on or turns off and on frequently in a short period of time.
You might worry something is up with your heating and cooling system, but if you just got the Nest, we recommend you begin with your thermostat first. This is especially timely if the weather is temperate, and you haven’t been running your heat or air conditioning consistently.
Our Professionals Can Solve Nest Thermostat Issues
If you’ve gone through Nest thermostat troubleshooting by yourself but can’t fix the issue, a smart thermostat pro such as one from Northwest Services can support you. We can identify the issue and add a C-wire, if needed.
Smart thermostats including the Nest are designed to make your life more convenient, through automatic energy-efficient programming and the opportunity to monitor temps while you’re away from home. It’s an annoying experience when yours won’t run properly, but our heating and cooling pros at Northwest Services can resolve the trouble quickly.
If you’re running into odd heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, call us at to schedule your appointment today.