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

April 13, 2021

The Nest thermostat is one of the best-selling smart thermostats on the market today. And for good reason. It learns your temperature preferences and develops an energy-efficient schedule to match. And using geofencing with your phone, the Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest E know when you’re at your home or away and can adjust 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 visit the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before installing one. Don’t forget to contact your energy company for valuable rebates, since you may 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 without help or call a HVAC pro like J & J Air Conditioning. If you’re putting it in without help, 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 the majority of cases, Nest says this isn’t a setback because the thermostat can draw ample 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 Problems

The Google Nest Thermostat is better than outdated programmable thermostats that rely on a combination of wiring and AA batteries for power. It relies on 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 Malfunctions

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

  1. Bad battery life.
  2. Thermostat motion sensing is disabled.
  3. Your thermostat sometimes disconnects from Wi-Fi.
  4. Your system unexpectedly turns on or off, or won’t turn off.
  5. Your system is producing strange noises, such as 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 always on, won’t turn on or turns off and on frequently in a short period of time.

You could think something is wrong with your heating and cooling system, but if you just started using the Nest, we suggest you start with your thermostat first. This is especially pertinent if the weather is moderate, and you haven’t been running your heat or air conditioning much.

Our Specialists Can Resolve Nest Thermostat Issues

If you’ve attempted Nest thermostat troubleshooting by yourself but can’t solve the problem, a smart thermostat professional such as one from J & J Air Conditioning can assist you. We can identify the malfunction and add a C-wire, if needed.

Smart thermostats including the Nest are created to make your life simpler, with automatic energy-efficient programming and the opportunity to monitor temps while you’re on the go. It’s an annoying experience when yours won’t operate properly, but our heating and cooling professionals at J & J Air Conditioning can resolve the issue quickly.

If you’re running into atypical heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, call us at 254-355-3833 to request your appointment right away.