Why Your Nest Thermostat Isn't Working and How to Fix It

April 13, 2021

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 using geofencing with your phone, the Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest E are aware of when you’re at your home or away and can change temperatures to help you save even more.

The Nest can be used with a vast range of 24-volt heating and cooling systems, but it’s always a wise idea to check the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before installing 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 confirmed it’s compatible, you can either install it without help or contact a HVAC specialist like Halverson Brothers Inc. 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 house or HVAC system is older, you might not have one of these wires. In the majority of cases, Nest says this isn’t an issue as the thermostat can pull enough power from other heating and cooling wires.

In some instances, 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 a step up from aging programmable thermostats that use 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 run your heating and cooling system.

8 Common Nest Thermostat Issues

If it can’t receive adequate juice, Nest says you could run into some of these issues:

  1. Bad battery life.
  2. Thermostat motion sensing is disabled.
  3. Your thermostat occasionally disconnects from Wi-Fi.
  4. Your system abruptly turns on or off, or won’t turn off.
  5. Your system is creating strange noises, including 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 message on your Nest thermostat’s screen, like “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
  8. The system fan is continuously running, won’t run or turns off and on frequently in a short period of time.

You may worry something is wrong with your heating and cooling system, but if you just started using the Nest, we recommend you begin with your thermostat first. This is especially pertinent if the weather is mild, and you haven’t been running your heat or air conditioning consistently.

Our Professionals Can Resolve Nest Thermostat Problems

If you’ve attempted Nest thermostat troubleshooting on your own but can’t repair the problem, a smart thermostat specialist like one from Halverson Brothers Inc can assist you. We can identify the issue and install a C-wire, if necessary.

Smart thermostats such as the Nest are designed to make your life simpler, through automatic energy-efficient programming and the ability to monitor temps while you’re away from home. It’s an annoying experience when yours won’t operate like it should, but our heating and cooling experts at Halverson Brothers Inc can resolve the issue in no time.

If you’re running into unexplained heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, reach out to us at 715-352-4052 to schedule your appointment today.