The Nest thermostat is one of the top-selling smart thermostats you can buy. And for good reason. It learns your temperature preferences and creates 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 residence or away and can change temps to help you save even more.
The Nest is compatible with a vast range of 24-volt heating and cooling systems, but it’s always a wise idea to use the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before purchasing one. Don’t forget to talk 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 wire it on your own or hire a HVAC specialist like Kilbourne Heating & AC. If you’re putting it in on your own, 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 the majority of cases, Nest says this isn’t a setback since the thermostat can pull enough power from other heating and cooling wires.
In some cases, 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The Google Nest Thermostat is an improvement from outdated programmable thermostats that have a combination of wiring and AA batteries for power. It relies on a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and wiring to sync with Wi-Fi, power its digital display and operate your heating and cooling system.
8 Common Nest Thermostat Malfunctions
If it can’t receive adequate juice, Nest says you might encounter some of these issues:
- Short battery life.
- Thermostat motion sensing won’t work.
- Your thermostat sometimes disconnects from Wi-Fi.
- Your system abruptly 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 message on your Nest thermostat’s screen, like “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
- The system fan is always running, won’t switch on or turns off and on rapidly in a short period of time.
You could believe something is wrong with your heating and cooling system, but if you just got the Nest, we advise you begin with your thermostat right away. This is especially true if the weather is temperate, and you haven’t been relying on your heat or air conditioning consistently.
Our Pros Can Fix Nest Thermostat Issues
If you’ve gone through Nest thermostat troubleshooting by yourself but can’t solve the problem, a smart thermostat specialist like one from Kilbourne Heating & AC can support you. We can diagnose the malfunction and put in a C-wire, if necessary.
Smart thermostats such as the Nest are created to make your life simpler, with automatic energy-efficient programming and the option to check temperatures while you’re away from home. It’s an annoying experience when yours won’t work correctly, but our heating and cooling pros at Kilbourne Heating & AC can resolve the trouble fast.
If you’re running into weird heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, call us at to schedule your appointment now.