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

April 13, 2021

The Nest thermostat is one of the best-selling smart thermostats you can get. And for good reason. It learns your temperature preferences and develops an energy-efficient schedule to match. And by geofencing with your phone, the Nest Learning Thermostat and Nest E are aware of when you’re at your residence or out and about and can change temps 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 wise idea to use the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before getting one. Don’t forget to check with your energy supplier for valuable rebates, as you may be able to get a Nest for free or close to it.

Once you’ve confirmed it’s compatible, you can either install it yourself or hire a HVAC pro like Dave's Diversified Services. If you’re installing it yourself, 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 since the thermostat can get 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 Malfunctions

The Google Nest Thermostat is a step up from older programmable thermostats that rely on a combination of wiring and AA batteries for power. It has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and wiring to link to Wi-Fi, power its digital display and operate your heating and cooling system.

8 Common Nest Thermostat Issues

If it can’t draw ample juice, Nest says you might encounter some of these problems:

  1. Poor battery life.
  2. Thermostat motion sensing won’t work.
  3. Your thermostat every now and then disconnects from Wi-Fi.
  4. Your system abruptly turns on or off, or won’t stop running.
  5. Your system is making odd noises, including 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, like “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
  8. The system fan is constantly working, won’t turn on or turns off and on repeatedly in a short period of time.

You may believe something is suspect with your heating and cooling system, but if you just installed the Nest, we advise you begin with your thermostat initially. This is especially pertinent if the weather is temperate, and you haven’t been running your heat or air conditioning consistently.

Our Specialists Can Solve Nest Thermostat Problems

If you’ve gone through Nest thermostat troubleshooting on your own but can’t repair the problem, a smart thermostat specialist including one from Dave's Diversified Services can help. We can identify the issue and put in a C-wire, if necessary.

Smart thermostats including the Nest are made to make your life more convenient, with automatic energy-efficient programming and the opportunity to check temperatures while you’re out. It’s a frustrating experience when yours won’t run like it should, but our heating and cooling experts at Dave's Diversified Services can take care of the issue fast.

If you’re experiencing atypical heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, call us at 540-636-3396 to request your appointment today.