
The Nest thermostat is one of the most popular smart thermostats you can get. 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 know when you’re at your home or out and about and can change temps to help you save even more.
The Nest works with a full range of 24-volt heating and cooling systems, but it’s always a smart idea to check the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before purchasing one. Don’t forget to contact your energy provider for valuable rebates, as you might be able to get a Nest for free or close to it.
Once you’ve checked it’s compatible, you can either hook it up on your own or contact a HVAC professional like Precision Mechanical. If you’re installing it yourself, you’ll see 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 most cases, Nest says this isn’t a setback since the thermostat can draw enough power from other heating and cooling wires.
In some cases, your heating and cooling system could require that C-wire. And here’s why.
Why Your Nest Keeps Losing Power and Other Problems
The Google Nest Thermostat is an improvement from older programmable thermostats that have a combination of wiring and AA batteries for power. It relies on 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 adequate electricity, Nest says you could have some of these issues:
- Poor battery life.
- Thermostat motion sensing won’t operate.
- Your thermostat sometimes disconnects from Wi-Fi.
- Your system suddenly turns on or off, or won’t stop running.
- Your system is making strange noises, such as chattering, stuttering, clicking or thumping.
- Heating or cooling is short cycling, or repeatedly turning on and off in a short period of time.
- There is a delay notification on your Nest thermostat’s screen, like “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
- The system fan is continuously on, won’t switch 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 started using the Nest, we advise you check your thermostat initially. This is especially pertinent if the weather is temperate, and you haven’t been using your heat or air conditioning much.
Our Professionals Can Resolve Nest Thermostat Issues
If you’ve gone through Nest thermostat troubleshooting on your own but can’t solve the dilemma, a smart thermostat professional like one from Precision Mechanical can support you. We can pinpoint the malfunction and install a C-wire, if required.
Smart thermostats including the Nest are created to make your life simpler, with automatic energy-efficient programming and the opportunity to keep an eye on temps while you’re out. It’s a frustrating experience when yours won’t work properly, but our heating and cooling pros at Precision Mechanical can fix the problem quickly.
If you’re going through unexplained heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, call us at to schedule your appointment now.