The Nest thermostat is one of the top-selling smart thermostats you can buy. And for good reason. It learns your temperature preferences and develops an energy-efficient schedule to match. And by geofencing with your phone, the Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest E know when you’re at your house or away and can change settings to help you save even more.
The Nest works with a vast range of 24-volt heating and cooling systems, but it’s always a smart idea to use the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before purchasing one. Don’t forget to contact your energy company for valuable rebates, because you may 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 call a HVAC specialist like Rapids Sheet Metal Works Inc. If you’re putting it in yourself, you’ll spot a terminal for the C-wire, or common wire. This wire is just used for powering your thermostat. If your house or HVAC system is older, you might not have one of these wires. Most of the time, Nest says this isn’t an issue as the thermostat can get adequate power from other heating and cooling wires.
In some cases, your heating and cooling system might require that C-wire. And here’s why.
Why Your Nest Keeps Losing Power and Other Issues
The Google Nest Thermostat is an improvement from aging programmable thermostats that have a combination of wiring and AA batteries for power. It has 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 Malfunctions
If it can’t receive enough electricity, Nest says you could run into some of these problems:
- Bad battery life.
- Thermostat motion sensing is disabled.
- Your thermostat sometimes disconnects from Wi-Fi.
- Your system abruptly turns on or off, or won’t turn off.
- Your system is producing odd noises, such as 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 notice on your Nest thermostat’s screen, like “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
- The system fan is always on, won’t switch on or turns off and on repeatedly in a short period of time.
You might think something is up with your heating and cooling system, but if you just started using the Nest, we recommend you start with your thermostat first. This is especially pertinent if the weather is mild, and you haven’t been using your heat or air conditioning much.
Our Specialists Can Fix Nest Thermostat Issues
If you’ve attempted Nest thermostat troubleshooting by yourself but can’t fix the issue, a smart thermostat pro such as one from Rapids Sheet Metal Works Inc can assist you. We can identify the problem and install a C-wire, if needed.
Smart thermostats including the Nest are made to make your life easier, with automatic energy-efficient programming and the opportunity to keep an eye on temperatures while you’re away from home. It’s a frustrating experience when yours won’t operate correctly, but our heating and cooling specialists at Rapids Sheet Metal Works Inc can fix the problem quickly.
If you’re running into strange heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, reach out to us at to book your appointment today.