The Nest thermostat is one of the most popular smart thermostats you can buy. And for good reason. It learns your temperature preferences and makes an energy-efficient schedule to match. And using geofencing with your phone, the Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest E are aware of when you’re at your residence or out and about and can raise and lower temps to help you save even more.
The Nest works with a wide range of 24-volt heating and cooling systems, but it’s always a wise idea to use the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before getting one. Don’t forget to talk with your energy provider for valuable rebates, since you might be able to get a Nest for free or close to it.
Once you’ve checked it’s compatible, you can either hook it up yourself or call a HVAC professional like Schraer Heating & Air Conditioning. If you’re putting it in without help, you’ll see 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 the majority of cases, Nest says this isn’t an issue as the thermostat can pull adequate power from other heating and cooling wires.
In some cases, 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 an improvement from aging programmable thermostats that use a combination of wiring and AA batteries for power. It relies on a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and wiring to link to Wi-Fi, power its digital display and operate your heating and cooling system.
8 Common Nest Thermostat Malfunctions
If it can’t get ample juice, Nest says you could run into some of these problems:
- 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 turn off.
- Your system is producing strange noises, including 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 message on your Nest thermostat’s screen, along the lines of “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
- The system fan is continuously running, won’t turn on or turns off and on repeatedly in a short period of time.
You may think something is up with your heating and cooling system, but if you just installed the Nest, we recommend you check your thermostat right away. This is especially true if the weather is temperate, and you haven’t been using your heat or air conditioning much.
Our Professionals Can Solve Nest Thermostat Problems
If you’ve attempted Nest thermostat troubleshooting by yourself but can’t fix the issue, a smart thermostat professional like one from Schraer Heating & Air Conditioning can support you. We can diagnose the issue and add a C-wire, if necessary.
Smart thermostats like the Nest are made to make your life simpler, by automatic energy-efficient programming and the option to check temps while you’re out. It’s a time-consuming experience when yours won’t work like it should, but our heating and cooling pros at Schraer Heating & Air Conditioning can take care of the problem in no time.
If you’re going through atypical heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, call us at to book your appointment today.