The Nest thermostat is one of the best-selling smart thermostats you can buy. And for good reason. It figures out your temperature preferences and makes an energy-efficient schedule to match. And through geofencing with your phone, the Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest E are aware of when you’re at your home or out and about and can change 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 smart idea to use 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 checked it’s compatible, you can either wire it without help or call a HVAC pro like Select Comfort Systems. If you’re installing it yourself, you’ll notice 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 setback since the thermostat can draw 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The Google Nest Thermostat is better than outdated programmable thermostats that use a combination of wiring and AA batteries for power.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 Malfunctions

If it can’t draw adequate electricity, Nest says you could have some of these troubles:

  1. Poor battery life.
  2. Thermostat motion sensing won’t work.
  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 producing strange noises, like chattering, stuttering, clicking or thumping.
  6. Heating or cooling is short cycling, or repeatedly 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 constantly running, won’t turn on or turns off and on frequently in a short period of time.

You could believe something is suspect with your heating and cooling system, but if you just installed the Nest, we suggest you start with your thermostat right away. This is especially pertinent if the weather is temperate, and you haven’t been running your heat or air conditioning much.

Our Pros Can Resolve Nest Thermostat Issues

If you’ve gone through Nest thermostat troubleshooting without help but can’t solve the problem, a smart thermostat pro like one from Select Comfort Systems can support you. We can identify the issue and add a C-wire, if needed.

Smart thermostats such as the Nest are created to make your life easier, through automatic energy-efficient programming and the option to keep an eye on temperatures while you’re on the go. It’s a time-consuming experience when yours won’t operate properly, but our heating and cooling experts at Select Comfort Systems can resolve the problem in no time.

If you’re running into unexplained heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, reach out to us at 801-305-4777 to request your appointment right away.