The Nest thermostat is one of the best-selling smart thermostats you can get. And for good reason. It figures out your temperature preferences and creates 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 temps 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 wise idea to visit the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before getting one. Don’t forget to check with your energy provider 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 hook it up without help or contact a HVAC professional like McFadden Heating & Cooling. If you’re putting it in on your own, you’ll notice 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 an issue because the thermostat can draw enough power from other heating and cooling wires.
In some instances, your heating and cooling system may need that C-wire. And here’s why.
Why Your Nest Keeps Losing Power and Other Malfunctions
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 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 draw enough electricity, Nest says you might run into some of these issues:
- Bad battery life.
- Thermostat motion sensing won’t operate.
- Your thermostat occasionally disconnects from Wi-Fi.
- Your system abruptly turns on or off, or won’t turn off.
- Your system is producing odd 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 message on your Nest thermostat’s screen, such as “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
- The system fan is always on, won’t turn on or turns off and on frequently in a short period of time.
You might believe something is wrong with your heating and cooling system, but if you just installed the Nest, we recommend you begin with your thermostat right away. This is especially true if the weather is mild, and you haven’t been relying on your heat or air conditioning frequently.
Our Pros Can Resolve Nest Thermostat Problems
If you’ve attempted Nest thermostat troubleshooting without help but can’t fix the issue, a smart thermostat pro such as one from McFadden Heating & Cooling can assist you. We can diagnose the malfunction and add a C-wire, if necessary.
Smart thermostats including the Nest are created to make your life easier, through automatic energy-efficient programming and the ability to monitor temperatures while you’re away from home. It’s a time-consuming experience when yours won’t run correctly, but our heating and cooling specialists at McFadden Heating & Cooling can take care of the problem in no time.
If you’re experiencing weird heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, give us a call at to schedule your appointment right away.
