The Nest thermostat is one of the top-selling smart thermostats you can get. 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 house or gone 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 good idea to use the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before installing one. Don’t forget to talk with your energy supplier for valuable rebates, as you may 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 pro like Three Rivers Heating & Cooling. If you’re putting it in on your own, you’ll spot 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. In the majority of cases, Nest says this isn’t an issue since the thermostat can draw enough power from other heating and cooling wires.
In some cases, your heating and cooling system might have to have that C-wire. And here’s why.
Why Your Nest Keeps Losing Power and Other Issues
The Google Nest Thermostat is an improvement from older 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 connect to Wi-Fi, power its digital display and run your heating and cooling system.
8 Common Nest Thermostat Problems
If it can’t draw adequate power, Nest says you might run into some of these issues:
- Poor battery life.
- Thermostat motion sensing won’t operate.
- Your thermostat every now and then disconnects from Wi-Fi.
- Your system abruptly turns on or off, or won’t stop running.
- Your system is making weird noises, like 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 message on your Nest thermostat’s screen, along the lines of “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
- The system fan is continuously on, won’t run or turns off and on frequently in a short period of time.
You may worry something is up with your heating and cooling system, but if you just installed the Nest, it’s best to check your thermostat right away. This is especially pertinent if the weather is temperate, and you haven’t been relying on your heat or air conditioning frequently.
Our Professionals Can Fix Nest Thermostat Troubles
If you’ve gone through Nest thermostat troubleshooting without help but can’t fix the problem, a smart thermostat specialist including one from Three Rivers Heating & Cooling can assist you. We can diagnose the problem and install a C-wire, if needed.
Smart thermostats including the Nest are made to make your life simpler, with automatic energy-efficient programming and the ability to keep an eye on temperatures while you’re away from home. It’s a frustrating experience when yours won’t run like it should, but our heating and cooling specialists at Three Rivers Heating & Cooling can fix the problem fast.
If you’re running into weird heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, call us at to request your appointment right away.
