The Nest thermostat is one of the most popular smart thermostats you can get. And for good reason. It figures out your temperature preferences and makes 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 out and about and can raise and lower settings to help you save even more.
The Nest works with a vast 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 contact your energy company for valuable rebates, as you might 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 yourself or call a HVAC specialist like Alpine Summit Heating & Cooling. If you’re putting it in without help, you’ll see a terminal for the C-wire, or common wire. This wire is solely used for powering your thermostat. If your house 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 as the thermostat can get adequate power from other heating and cooling wires.
Sometimes, your heating and cooling system might need 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 have 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 operate your heating and cooling system.
8 Common Nest Thermostat Malfunctions
If it can’t get adequate power, Nest says you might have some of these troubles:
- Poor battery life.
- Thermostat motion sensing won’t operate.
- Your thermostat every now and then 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 notification on your Nest thermostat’s screen, such as “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
- The system fan is always on, won’t switch on or turns off and on rapidly in a short period of time.
You could think something is wrong with your heating and cooling system, but if you just got the Nest, we suggest 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 consistently.
Our Professionals Can Resolve Nest Thermostat Problems
If you’ve gone through Nest thermostat troubleshooting by yourself but can’t repair the dilemma, a smart thermostat specialist like one from Alpine Summit Heating & Cooling can assist you. We can identify the malfunction and install a C-wire, if required.
Smart thermostats such as the Nest are created to make your life simpler, through automatic energy-efficient programming and the option to monitor settings while you’re away from home. It’s a time-consuming experience when yours won’t operate correctly, but our heating and cooling pros at Alpine Summit Heating & Cooling can take care of the issue in no time.
If you’re running into weird heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, call us at 208-561-1226 to book your appointment today.
