The Nest thermostat is one of the most popular smart thermostats on the market today. 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 residence or away and can change 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 getting one. Don’t forget to check with your energy company 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 without help or hire a HVAC professional like Lakeside Heating & Air. If you’re installing it on your own, you’ll spot a terminal for the C-wire, or common wire. This wire is just 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 a setback as the thermostat can get enough power from other heating and cooling wires.
In some cases, your heating and cooling system may need that C-wire. And here’s why.
Why Your Nest Keeps Losing Power and Other Problems
The Google Nest Thermostat is an improvement from older programmable thermostats that have 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 run your heating and cooling system.
8 Common Nest Thermostat Problems
If it can’t draw adequate electricity, Nest says you may run into some of these troubles:
- Poor battery life.
- Thermostat motion sensing won’t work.
- Your thermostat sometimes disconnects from Wi-Fi.
- Your system abruptly turns on or off, or won’t shut off.
- Your system is producing weird 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 constantly on, won’t turn on or turns off and on rapidly in a short period of time.
You could think 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 timely if the weather is mild, and you haven’t been running your heat or air conditioning frequently.
Our Pros Can Resolve Nest Thermostat Problems
If you’ve gone through Nest thermostat troubleshooting by yourself but can’t fix the problem, a smart thermostat specialist like one from Lakeside Heating & Air can provide support. We can diagnose the malfunction and put in a C-wire, if necessary.
Smart thermostats like the Nest are created 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 an annoying experience when yours won’t operate like it should, but our heating and cooling pros at Lakeside Heating & Air can fix the problem quickly.
If you’re running into weird heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, call us at to book your appointment today.