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 through geofencing with your phone, the Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest E know when you’re at your residence or out and about and can adjust settings 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 visit the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before getting one. Don’t forget to contact your energy company for valuable rebates, since you could be able to get a Nest for free or close to it.
Once you’ve made sure it’s compatible, you can either hook it up yourself or hire a HVAC professional like Ambient Air. If you’re putting it in on your own, you’ll spot 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 setback as the thermostat can get ample power from other heating and cooling wires.
In some instances, your heating and cooling system could have to have that C-wire. And here’s why.
Why Your Nest Keeps Losing Power and Other Problems
The Google Nest Thermostat is a step up from older programmable thermostats that have a combination of wiring and AA batteries for power. It uses 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 Malfunctions
If it can’t draw ample juice, Nest says you might have some of these troubles:
- Bad battery life.
- Thermostat motion sensing won’t operate.
- Your thermostat sometimes disconnects from Wi-Fi.
- Your system abruptly turns on or off, or won’t shut off.
- Your system is producing weird noises, like 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, along the lines of “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
- The system fan is continuously running, won’t run or turns off and on frequently in a short period of time.
You could think something is wrong with your heating and cooling system, but if you just installed the Nest, we advise you check your thermostat initially. This is especially timely if the weather is temperate, and you haven’t been running your heat or air conditioning much.
Our Specialists Can Resolve Nest Thermostat Problems
If you’ve attempted Nest thermostat troubleshooting by yourself but can’t solve the problem, a smart thermostat specialist such as one from Ambient Air can support you. We can pinpoint the malfunction and put in a C-wire, if necessary.
Smart thermostats such as the Nest are made to make your life simpler, by automatic energy-efficient programming and the ability to monitor temperatures while you’re out. It’s an annoying experience when yours won’t operate correctly, but our heating and cooling pros at Ambient Air can fix the problem quickly.
If you’re running into odd heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, give us a call at to set up your appointment today.