The Nest thermostat is one of the top-selling smart thermostats you can get. 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 are aware of when you’re at your house or out and about and can raise and lower 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 good idea to use the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before getting one. Don’t forget to check with your energy provider for valuable rebates, since you may be able to get a Nest for free or close to it.
Once you’ve checked it’s compatible, you can either hook it up on your own or hire a HVAC pro like McFadden Heating & Cooling. If you’re wiring it on your own, you’ll notice 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. In most cases, Nest says this isn’t a problem since 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 uses a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and wiring to link to Wi-Fi, power its digital display and turn on your heating and cooling system.
8 Common Nest Thermostat Malfunctions
If it can’t get adequate power, Nest says you might run into some of these problems:
- Bad battery life.
- Thermostat motion sensing won’t operate.
- Your thermostat occasionally disconnects from Wi-Fi.
- Your system suddenly turns on or off, or won’t shut off.
- Your system is creating weird noises, such as chattering, stuttering, clicking or thumping.
- Heating or cooling is short cycling, or repeatedly 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 constantly running, won’t turn on or turns off and on repeatedly in a short period of time.
You might worry something is up with your heating and cooling system, but if you just got the Nest, we advise you start with your thermostat first. This is especially pertinent if the weather is temperate, and you haven’t been running your heat or air conditioning frequently.
Our Professionals Can Resolve Nest Thermostat Problems
If you’ve tried Nest thermostat troubleshooting on your own but can’t solve the dilemma, a smart thermostat specialist including one from McFadden Heating & Cooling can assist you. We can determine the malfunction and put in a C-wire, if necessary.
Smart thermostats like the Nest are made to make your life simpler, with automatic energy-efficient programming and the ability to check temps 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 McFadden Heating & Cooling can resolve the problem fast.
If you’re going through unexplained heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, reach out to us at to book your appointment now.
