The Nest thermostat is one of the most popular smart thermostats you can buy. And for good reason. It learns your temperature preferences and creates an energy-efficient schedule to match. And through geofencing with your phone, the Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest E realize when you’re at your residence or gone and can adjust temperatures to help you save even more.

The Nest is compatible with a full range of 24-volt heating and cooling systems, but it’s always a good idea to check the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before getting one. Don’t forget to check with your energy provider for valuable rebates, as you might be able to get a Nest for free or close to it.

Once you’ve confirmed it’s compatible, you can either install it yourself or call a HVAC specialist like Anderson Heating & A/C. If you’re installing it on your own, you’ll see 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. Most of the time, Nest says this isn’t a problem as the thermostat can draw ample power from other heating and cooling wires.

In some instances, your heating and cooling system might have to have that C-wire. And here’s why.

Why Your Nest Keeps Losing Power and Other Malfunctions

The Google Nest Thermostat is an improvement from outdated programmable thermostats that rely on a combination of wiring and AA batteries for power. It has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and wiring to sync with Wi-Fi, power its digital display and turn on your heating and cooling system.

8 Common Nest Thermostat Problems

If it can’t draw enough electricity, Nest says you may encounter some of these issues:

  1. Poor battery life.
  2. Thermostat motion sensing won’t work.
  3. Your thermostat every now and then disconnects from Wi-Fi.
  4. Your system abruptly turns on or off, or won’t turn off.
  5. Your system is making odd noises, such as 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, along the lines of “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
  8. The system fan is always working, won’t turn on or turns off and on repeatedly in a short period of time.

You may think something is wrong with your heating and cooling system, but if you just started using the Nest, we suggest you check your thermostat right away. This is especially true if the weather is temperate, and you haven’t been relying on your heat or air conditioning frequently.

Our Specialists Can Solve Nest Thermostat Problems

If you’ve gone through Nest thermostat troubleshooting on your own but can’t solve the issue, a smart thermostat professional such as one from Anderson Heating & A/C can assist you. We can determine the malfunction and put in a C-wire, if needed.

Smart thermostats such as the Nest are made to make your life simpler, through automatic energy-efficient programming and the ability to keep an eye on temperatures while you’re away from home. It’s a frustrating experience when yours won’t run properly, but our heating and cooling specialists at Anderson Heating & A/C can take care of the problem fast.

If you’re running into unexplained heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, call us at 775-230-7628 to schedule your appointment right away.