Why Your Nest Thermostat Isn't Operating Right and How to Solve the Problem

April 13, 2021

The Nest thermostat is one of the best-selling smart thermostats you can get. And for good reason. It picks up on your temperature preferences and develops 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 house or gone and can change temperatures 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 visit the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before installing one. Don’t forget to talk with your energy company 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 wire it without help or contact a HVAC professional like Custom Air Systems Inc. If you’re putting it in on your own, you’ll notice a terminal for the C-wire, or common wire. This wire is solely 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 because the thermostat can draw adequate power from other heating and cooling wires.

Sometimes, your heating and cooling system could have to have 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 uses 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 Malfunctions

If it can’t receive ample juice, Nest says you could have some of these troubles:

  1. Bad battery life.
  2. Thermostat motion sensing won’t operate.
  3. Your thermostat occasionally disconnects from Wi-Fi.
  4. Your system unexpectedly turns on or off, or won’t stop running.
  5. Your system is creating strange noises, such as chattering, stuttering, clicking or thumping.
  6. Heating or cooling is short cycling, or constantly turning on and off in a short period of time.
  7. There is a delay notice on your Nest thermostat’s screen, like “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
  8. The system fan is constantly working, won’t turn on or turns off and on repeatedly in a short period of time.

You may believe something is up with your heating and cooling system, but if you just installed the Nest, we advise you start with your thermostat first. This is especially timely if the weather is mild, and you haven’t been using your heat or air conditioning much.

Our Specialists Can Solve Nest Thermostat Problems

If you’ve attempted Nest thermostat troubleshooting on your own but can’t fix the issue, a smart thermostat pro like one from Custom Air Systems Inc can provide assistance. We can narrow down the issue and install a C-wire, if needed.

Smart thermostats such as the Nest are made to make your life easier, through automatic energy-efficient programming and the option to keep an eye on settings while you’re away from home. It’s a time-consuming experience when yours won’t run correctly, but our heating and cooling specialists at Custom Air Systems Inc can resolve the problem in no time.

If you’re running into weird heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, reach out to us at 772-247-2283 to schedule your appointment today.