The Nest thermostat is one of the most popular smart thermostats you can get. And for good reason. It learns your temperature preferences and makes 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 residence or out and about and can adjust temperatures to help you save even more.

The Nest is compatible 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 getting one. Don’t forget to contact your energy company for valuable rebates, since you might be able to get a Nest for free or close to it.

Once you’ve confirmed it’s compatible, you can either wire it yourself or hire a HVAC professional like Kohles & Bach Heating & Cooling. If you’re installing it without help, you’ll spot a terminal for the C-wire, or common wire. This wire is only used for powering your thermostat. If your home or HVAC system is older, you might not have one of these wires. In most cases, Nest says this isn’t an issue as the thermostat can get adequate power from other heating and cooling wires.

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

Why Your Nest Keeps Losing Power and Other Issues

The Google Nest Thermostat is an improvement from outdated programmable thermostats that rely on a combination of wiring and AA batteries for power.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 operate your heating and cooling system.

8 Common Nest Thermostat Problems

If it can’t receive enough juice, Nest says you could have some of these problems:

  1. Bad battery life.
  2. Thermostat motion sensing is disabled.
  3. Your thermostat every now and then disconnects from Wi-Fi.
  4. Your system unexpectedly turns on or off, or won’t stop running.
  5. Your system is producing weird noises, including 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 message on your Nest thermostat’s screen, along the lines of “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 up with your heating and cooling system, but if you just installed the Nest, we advise you check your thermostat initially. This is especially true if the weather is temperate, and you haven’t been running your heat or air conditioning consistently.

Our Professionals Can Fix Nest Thermostat Problems

If you’ve tried Nest thermostat troubleshooting on your own but can’t repair the problem, a smart thermostat pro such as one from Kohles & Bach Heating & Cooling can support you. We can determine the problem and add a C-wire, if necessary.

Smart thermostats such as the Nest are made to make your life more convenient, by automatic energy-efficient programming and the ability to keep an eye on temperatures while you’re out. It’s an annoying experience when yours won’t operate correctly, but our heating and cooling specialists at Kohles & Bach Heating & Cooling can take care of the problem in no time.

If you’re running into unexplained heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, reach out to us at 515-278-2900 to set up your appointment today.