The Nest thermostat is one of the best-selling smart thermostats you can get. And for good reason. It learns your temperature preferences and makes 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 gone and can raise and lower temperatures 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 smart idea to visit the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before getting one. Don’t forget to talk with your energy provider for valuable rebates, since 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 without help or hire a HVAC pro like TopTec. If you’re wiring it without help, you’ll see 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. In most cases, Nest says this isn’t a setback since the thermostat can draw enough power from other heating and cooling wires.
In some instances, your heating and cooling system may have to have that C-wire. And here’s why.
Why Your Nest Keeps Losing Power and Other Issues
The Google Nest Thermostat is a step up 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 connect to Wi-Fi, power its digital display and turn on your heating and cooling system.
8 Common Nest Thermostat Problems
If it can’t get ample power, Nest says you might have some of these problems:
- Short battery life.
- Thermostat motion sensing won’t work.
- Your thermostat occasionally disconnects from Wi-Fi.
- Your system suddenly turns on or off, or won’t stop running.
- Your system is making weird 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 notification on your Nest thermostat’s screen, such as “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
- The system fan is always running, won’t run or turns off and on frequently in a short period of time.
You might believe something is up with your heating and cooling system, but if you just installed the Nest, it’s best to begin with your thermostat initially. This is especially timely if the weather is moderate, and you haven’t been using your heat or air conditioning much.
Our Specialists Can Solve Nest Thermostat Problems
If you’ve gone through Nest thermostat troubleshooting by yourself but can’t repair the problem, a smart thermostat specialist like one from TopTec can provide support. We can pinpoint the issue and add a C-wire, if required.
Smart thermostats such as the Nest are designed to make your life more convenient, by automatic energy-efficient programming and the ability to keep an eye on temperatures while you’re out. It’s a frustrating experience when yours won’t work properly, but our heating and cooling experts at TopTec can take care of the trouble in no time.
If you’re going through strange heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, reach out to us at to request your appointment now.