The Nest thermostat is one of the top-selling smart thermostats you can buy. And for good reason. It figures out your temperature preferences and develops an energy-efficient schedule to match. And through geofencing with your phone, the Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest E realize when you’re at your home or away and can change temperatures 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 smart idea to check the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before installing one. Don’t forget to check with your energy provider 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 wire it on your own or call a HVAC specialist like Farris Heating & Air. If you’re installing it without help, you’ll see 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 most cases, Nest says this isn’t a setback since the thermostat can draw adequate power from other heating and cooling wires.
In some instances, your heating and cooling system could need that C-wire. And here’s why.
Why Your Nest Keeps Losing Power and Other Malfunctions
The Google Nest Thermostat is an improvement from older programmable thermostats that rely on 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 operate your heating and cooling system.
8 Common Nest Thermostat Problems
If it can’t receive enough electricity, Nest says you might have some of these problems:
- Short battery life.
- Thermostat motion sensing won’t work.
- Your thermostat sometimes disconnects from Wi-Fi.
- Your system unexpectedly turns on or off, or won’t stop running.
- Your system is producing strange noises, like 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 notice on your Nest thermostat’s screen, along the lines of “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
- The system fan is always on, won’t switch on or turns off and on frequently in a short period of time.
You could think something is suspect with your heating and cooling system, but if you just started using the Nest, we recommend you begin with your thermostat initially. This is especially pertinent if the weather is temperate, and you haven’t been using your heat or air conditioning frequently.
Our Pros Can Solve Nest Thermostat Problems
If you’ve gone through Nest thermostat troubleshooting on your own but can’t solve the dilemma, a smart thermostat pro like one from Farris Heating & Air can support you. We can pinpoint the issue and add a C-wire, if necessary.
Smart thermostats like the Nest are created to make your life easier, through automatic energy-efficient programming and the ability to keep an eye on temperatures while you’re on the go. It’s a time-consuming experience when yours won’t work correctly, but our heating and cooling experts at Farris Heating & Air can resolve the trouble in no time.
If you’re running into atypical heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, give us a call at to schedule your appointment right away.