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 develops an energy-efficient schedule to match. And through geofencing with your phone, the Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest E are aware of when you’re at your house or away and can raise and lower temperatures 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 supplier for valuable rebates, as 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 hire a HVAC pro like Smyth Air Conditioning. If you’re installing it yourself, 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 since the thermostat can pull enough power from other heating and cooling wires.

In some cases, 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 rely on a combination of wiring and AA batteries for power. It has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and wiring to connect to Wi-Fi, power its digital display and operate your heating and cooling system.

8 Common Nest Thermostat Issues

If it can’t draw adequate power, Nest says you might have some of these issues:

  1. Short battery life.
  2. Thermostat motion sensing won’t work.
  3. Your thermostat occasionally disconnects from Wi-Fi.
  4. Your system abruptly turns on or off, or won’t shut off.
  5. Your system is creating odd noises, like chattering, stuttering, clicking or thumping.
  6. Heating or cooling is short cycling, or repeatedly turning on and off in a short period of time.
  7. There is a delay notification on your Nest thermostat’s screen, such as “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
  8. The system fan is constantly working, 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 start with your thermostat first. This is especially pertinent if the weather is mild, and you haven’t been running your heat or air conditioning frequently.

Our Pros Can Resolve Nest Thermostat Issues

If you’ve gone through Nest thermostat troubleshooting by yourself but can’t solve the issue, a smart thermostat professional including one from Smyth Air Conditioning can provide support. We can determine the problem and add a C-wire, if needed.

Smart thermostats such as the Nest are designed to make your life easier, by automatic energy-efficient programming and the opportunity to keep an eye on temps while you’re away from home. It’s a frustrating experience when yours won’t operate properly, but our heating and cooling experts at Smyth Air Conditioning can resolve the issue in no time.

If you’re experiencing atypical heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, give us a call at 561-533-6066 to set up your appointment now.