The Nest thermostat is one of the best-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 house or away and can change 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 good idea to use the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before getting one. Don’t forget to check with your energy supplier for valuable rebates, because you might be able to get a Nest for free or close to it.
Once you’ve checked it’s compatible, you can either wire it yourself or call a HVAC pro like Forster Heating. If you’re wiring it without help, you’ll notice a terminal for the C-wire, or common wire. This wire is solely used for powering your thermostat. If your residence or HVAC system is older, you might not have one of these wires. Most of the time, Nest says this isn’t a problem since the thermostat can pull enough power from other heating and cooling wires.
In some cases, your heating and cooling system could require that C-wire. And here’s why.
Why Your Nest Keeps Losing Power and Other Problems
The Google Nest Thermostat is better than aging programmable thermostats that rely on a combination of wiring and AA batteries for power. It uses a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and wiring to connect to Wi-Fi, power its digital display and operate your heating and cooling system.
8 Common Nest Thermostat Issues
If it can’t get adequate power, Nest says you could run into some of these troubles:
- Poor 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 shut off.
- Your system is creating odd 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, like “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
- The system fan is constantly running, won’t switch on or turns off and on repeatedly in a short period of time.
You may think something is wrong with your heating and cooling system, but if you just installed the Nest, we advise you begin with your thermostat first. This is especially timely if the weather is moderate, and you haven’t been relying on your heat or air conditioning frequently.
Our Professionals Can Resolve Nest Thermostat Problems
If you’ve attempted Nest thermostat troubleshooting on your own but can’t fix the problem, a smart thermostat specialist like one from Forster Heating can assist you. We can diagnose the problem and add a C-wire, if needed.
Smart thermostats including the Nest are made to make your life simpler, with automatic energy-efficient programming and the option to monitor temperatures while you’re away from home. It’s an annoying experience when yours won’t work properly, but our heating and cooling pros at Forster Heating can resolve the issue fast.
If you’re running into odd heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, reach out to us at to book your appointment today.
