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

April 13, 2021

The Nest thermostat is one of the top-selling smart thermostats you can get. And for good reason. It picks up on your temperature preferences and makes 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 gone and can raise and lower settings to help you save even more.

The Nest works with a wide range of 24-volt heating and cooling systems, but it’s always a smart idea to use the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before purchasing one. Don’t forget to check with your energy provider for valuable rebates, since you could be able to get a Nest for free or close to it.

Once you’ve checked it’s compatible, you can either wire it without help or call a HVAC pro like Knoechel Heating Company. If you’re installing it without help, you’ll spot a terminal for the C-wire, or common wire. This wire is solely used for powering your thermostat. If your home 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 get adequate power from other heating and cooling wires.

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

Why Your Nest Keeps Losing Power and Other Problems

The Google Nest Thermostat is better than older programmable thermostats that have 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 operate your heating and cooling system.

8 Common Nest Thermostat Problems

If it can’t get adequate electricity, Nest says you may encounter some of these problems:

  1. Short battery life.
  2. Thermostat motion sensing won’t work.
  3. Your thermostat every now and then disconnects from Wi-Fi.
  4. Your system unexpectedly turns on or off, or won’t shut off.
  5. Your system is producing strange 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 message on your Nest thermostat’s screen, such as “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
  8. The system fan is always on, 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 check your thermostat initially. This is especially pertinent if the weather is temperate, and you haven’t been running your heat or air conditioning much.

Our Professionals Can Solve Nest Thermostat Issues

If you’ve gone through Nest thermostat troubleshooting on your own but can’t solve the dilemma, a smart thermostat specialist including one from Knoechel Heating Company can help. We can determine the malfunction and put in 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 settings while you’re out. It’s an annoying experience when yours won’t operate correctly, but our heating and cooling experts at Knoechel Heating Company can fix the trouble fast.

If you’re running into strange heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, call us at 724-425-5852 to set up your appointment right away.