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

April 13, 2021

The Nest thermostat is one of the best-selling 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 using geofencing with your phone, the Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest E are aware of when you’re at your home 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 wise idea to visit the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before purchasing one. Don’t forget to talk with your energy company for valuable rebates, because you might be able to get a Nest for free or close to it.

Once you’ve confirmed it’s compatible, you can either hook it up on your own or hire a HVAC professional like Gopher Heating and Air Conditioning. If you’re installing it on your own, you’ll see 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. Most of the time, Nest says this isn’t a problem because the thermostat can get ample power from other heating and cooling wires.

In some instances, your heating and cooling system could require 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 has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and wiring to connect to Wi-Fi, power its digital display and run your heating and cooling system.

8 Common Nest Thermostat Issues

If it can’t get adequate power, Nest says you might experience some of these troubles:

  1. Bad battery life.
  2. Thermostat motion sensing won’t work.
  3. Your thermostat occasionally disconnects from Wi-Fi.
  4. Your system suddenly turns on or off, or won’t stop running.
  5. Your system is making weird noises, like 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, such as “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
  8. The system fan is continuously on, won’t run or turns off and on repeatedly in a short period of time.

You may think something is wrong with your heating and cooling system, but if you just got the Nest, it’s best to start with your thermostat first. This is especially true if the weather is mild, and you haven’t been using your heat or air conditioning much.

Our Professionals Can Fix Nest Thermostat Issues

If you’ve attempted Nest thermostat troubleshooting by yourself but can’t fix the dilemma, a smart thermostat professional including one from Gopher Heating and Air Conditioning can provide support. We can narrow down the malfunction and install a C-wire, if needed.

Smart thermostats including the Nest are designed to make your life more convenient, by automatic energy-efficient programming and the ability to check temperatures while you’re out. It’s an annoying experience when yours won’t work properly, but our heating and cooling experts at Gopher Heating and Air Conditioning can fix the trouble fast.

If you’re going through odd heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, give us a call at 952-373-0377 to request your appointment today.