The Nest thermostat is one of the most popular smart thermostats you can buy. And for good reason. It picks up on 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 gone and can change temperatures to help you save even more.

The Nest can be used with a full range of 24-volt heating and cooling systems, but it’s always a smart idea to use the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before getting one. Don’t forget to contact your energy supplier for valuable rebates, since you might 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 call a HVAC professional like Western Mechanical, Inc.. 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 residence or HVAC system is older, you might not have one of these wires. Most of the time, Nest says this isn’t a setback because the thermostat can get adequate power from other heating and cooling wires.

Sometimes, your heating and cooling system may need that C-wire. And here’s why.

Why Your Nest Keeps Losing Power and Other Issues

The Google Nest Thermostat is an improvement 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 turn on your heating and cooling system.

8 Common Nest Thermostat Issues

If it can’t get adequate electricity, Nest says you could run into some of these troubles:

  1. Poor battery life.
  2. Thermostat motion sensing won’t operate.
  3. Your thermostat occasionally disconnects from Wi-Fi.
  4. Your system abruptly turns on or off, or won’t stop running.
  5. Your system is creating strange noises, like chattering, stuttering, clicking or thumping.
  6. Heating or cooling is short cycling, or frequently 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 run or turns off and on frequently in a short period of time.

You might worry something is suspect with your heating and cooling system, but if you just started using the Nest, we suggest you check your thermostat first. This is especially timely if the weather is moderate, and you haven’t been relying on your heat or air conditioning much.

Our Specialists Can Resolve Nest Thermostat Problems

If you’ve gone through Nest thermostat troubleshooting on your own but can’t fix the issue, a smart thermostat professional including one from Western Mechanical, Inc. can support you. We can determine the problem and install a C-wire, if necessary.

Smart thermostats such as the Nest are designed to make your life easier, with automatic energy-efficient programming and the opportunity to check temps while you’re out. It’s an annoying experience when yours won’t operate like it should, but our heating and cooling experts at Western Mechanical, Inc. can resolve the issue in no time.

If you’re running into weird heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, call us at 435-753-5515 to set up your appointment now.