The Nest thermostat is one of the top-selling smart thermostats on the market today. And for good reason. It learns your temperature preferences and creates an energy-efficient schedule to match. And by geofencing with your phone, the Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest E are aware of when you’re at your home or away and can raise and lower temps to help you save even more.
The Nest works with a full range of 24-volt heating and cooling systems, but it’s always a smart idea to visit the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before getting one. Don’t forget to check with your energy company for valuable rebates, as you might be able to get a Nest for free or close to it.
Once you’ve made sure it’s compatible, you can either hook it up without help or hire a HVAC professional like HCE Systems. If you’re putting it in without help, you’ll notice a terminal for the C-wire, or common wire. This wire is just used for powering your thermostat. If your residence or HVAC system is older, you might not have one of these wires. In most cases, Nest says this isn’t a problem as the thermostat can draw enough power from other heating and cooling wires.
In some cases, your heating and cooling system may require that C-wire. And here’s why.
Why Your Nest Keeps Losing Power and Other Issues
The Google Nest Thermostat is better than older programmable thermostats that use 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 turn on your heating and cooling system.
8 Common Nest Thermostat Issues
If it can’t get enough power, Nest says you might have some of these problems:
- Poor battery life.
- Thermostat motion sensing is disabled.
- Your thermostat occasionally disconnects from Wi-Fi.
- Your system abruptly turns on or off, or won’t shut off.
- Your system is making weird noises, like chattering, stuttering, clicking or thumping.
- Heating or cooling is short cycling, or constantly turning on and off in a short period of time.
- There is a delay notification 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 run or turns off and on rapidly in a short period of time.
You might worry something is wrong with your heating and cooling system, but if you just started using the Nest, it’s best to start with your thermostat initially. This is especially pertinent if the weather is moderate, and you haven’t been relying on your heat or air conditioning frequently.
Our Specialists Can Fix Nest Thermostat Issues
If you’ve tried Nest thermostat troubleshooting on your own but can’t solve the problem, a smart thermostat specialist such as one from HCE Systems can support you. We can identify the malfunction and add a C-wire, if required.
Smart thermostats like the Nest are made to make your life simpler, with automatic energy-efficient programming and the option to keep an eye on settings 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 HCE Systems can take care of the trouble fast.
If you’re experiencing weird heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, reach out to us at to request your appointment now.