The Nest thermostat is one of the top-selling smart thermostats you can get. And for good reason. It learns your temperature preferences and develops 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 away and can adjust 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 good idea to visit the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before installing one. Don’t forget to contact your energy supplier 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 call a HVAC pro like Appalachian Heating. 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 residence 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 pull adequate power from other heating and cooling wires.
In some cases, your heating and cooling system may require that C-wire. And here’s why.
Why Your Nest Keeps Losing Power and Other Issues
The Google Nest Thermostat is better than older programmable thermostats that rely on 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 operate your heating and cooling system.
8 Common Nest Thermostat Malfunctions
If it can’t receive ample power, Nest says you may have some of these troubles:
- Short battery life.
- Thermostat motion sensing is disabled.
- Your thermostat occasionally disconnects from Wi-Fi.
- Your system unexpectedly turns on or off, or won’t stop running.
- Your system is producing odd noises, including 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, along the lines of “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
- The system fan is continuously on, won’t run or turns off and on frequently in a short period of time.
You might worry something is wrong with your heating and cooling system, but if you just got the Nest, it’s best to check your thermostat initially. This is especially true if the weather is mild, and you haven’t been relying on your heat or air conditioning frequently.
Our Professionals Can Fix Nest Thermostat Troubles
If you’ve gone through Nest thermostat troubleshooting on your own but can’t solve the problem, a smart thermostat professional like one from Appalachian Heating can support you. We can determine the issue and put in a C-wire, if needed.
Smart thermostats including the Nest are designed to make your life more convenient, through automatic energy-efficient programming and the ability to monitor settings while you’re on the go. It’s an annoying experience when yours won’t operate correctly, but our heating and cooling pros at Appalachian Heating can take care of the trouble in no time.
If you’re running into atypical heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, call us at to book your appointment today.