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

April 13, 2021

The Nest thermostat is one of the best-selling smart thermostats you can buy. And for good reason. It learns your temperature preferences and creates an energy-efficient schedule to match. And by geofencing with your phone, the Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest E realize when you’re at your home or gone and can change 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 check the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before purchasing one. Don’t forget to check with your energy supplier for valuable rebates, as you could be able to get a Nest for free or close to it.

Once you’ve made sure it’s compatible, you can either wire it on your own or contact a HVAC specialist like Air Temperature Control. If you’re installing it yourself, you’ll spot a terminal for the C-wire, or common wire. This wire is solely 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 since the thermostat can get adequate power from other heating and cooling wires.

Sometimes, your heating and cooling system might need 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The Google Nest Thermostat is a step up from outdated programmable thermostats that use a combination of wiring and AA batteries for power.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 run your heating and cooling system.

8 Common Nest Thermostat Problems

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

  1. Short battery life.
  2. Thermostat motion sensing won’t work.
  3. Your thermostat sometimes 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 constantly 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 constantly on, won’t switch on or turns off and on repeatedly in a short period of time.

You could worry something is wrong with your heating and cooling system, but if you just got the Nest, we advise you start with your thermostat right away. This is especially timely if the weather is mild, and you haven’t been running your heat or air conditioning much.

Our Specialists Can Resolve Nest Thermostat Problems

If you’ve attempted Nest thermostat troubleshooting on your own but can’t fix the dilemma, a smart thermostat professional including one from Air Temperature Control can help. We can pinpoint the problem and add a C-wire, if needed.

Smart thermostats such as the Nest are designed to make your life easier, through automatic energy-efficient programming and the option to keep an eye on temps while you’re out. It’s a time-consuming experience when yours won’t work properly, but our heating and cooling experts at Air Temperature Control can fix the issue in no time.

If you’re experiencing strange heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, give us a call at 478-202-3170 to book your appointment now.