The Nest thermostat is one of the most popular smart thermostats you can buy. And for good reason. It learns your temperature preferences and makes 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 gone and can change temperatures to help you save even more.
The Nest can be used with a wide range of 24-volt heating and cooling systems, but it’s always a smart idea to use the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before getting one. Don’t forget to check with your energy company for valuable rebates, because you may 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 contact a HVAC specialist like Kapaun & Brown. If you’re putting it in yourself, you’ll notice a terminal for the C-wire, or common wire. This wire is just 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 problem since the thermostat can pull ample power from other heating and cooling wires.
In some cases, your heating and cooling system could require 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 aging programmable thermostats that rely on a combination of wiring and AA batteries for power. It relies on a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and wiring to connect to Wi-Fi, power its digital display and run your heating and cooling system.
8 Common Nest Thermostat Problems
If it can’t receive ample electricity, Nest says you could have some of these problems:
- Poor 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 creating 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 notice on your Nest thermostat’s screen, such as “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
- The system fan is continuously working, won’t turn on or turns off and on rapidly in a short period of time.
You might think something is wrong with your heating and cooling system, but if you just installed the Nest, we advise you start with your thermostat right away. This is especially pertinent if the weather is mild, and you haven’t been running your heat or air conditioning consistently.
Our Specialists Can Solve Nest Thermostat Troubles
If you’ve gone through Nest thermostat troubleshooting by yourself but can’t repair the issue, a smart thermostat specialist like one from Kapaun & Brown can provide support. We can determine the issue and put in a C-wire, if needed.
Smart thermostats like the Nest are created to make your life more convenient, by automatic energy-efficient programming and the option to check temps while you’re on the go. It’s an annoying experience when yours won’t operate correctly, but our heating and cooling experts at Kapaun & Brown can resolve the problem quickly.
If you’re going through atypical heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, call us at to schedule your appointment now.