The Nest thermostat is one of the top-selling smart thermostats on the market today. And for good reason. It figures out your temperature preferences and creates 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 residence or out and about and can adjust 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 visit the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before getting one. Don’t forget to talk with your energy company for valuable rebates, because you could 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 without help or hire a HVAC specialist like Dave's Diversified Services. If you’re wiring it yourself, you’ll see a terminal for the C-wire, or common wire. This wire is just 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 ample power from other heating and cooling wires.

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

Why Your Nest Keeps Losing Power and Other Problems

The Google Nest Thermostat is an improvement 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 receive ample electricity, Nest says you may encounter some of these problems:

  1. Short battery life.
  2. Thermostat motion sensing is disabled.
  3. Your thermostat sometimes disconnects from Wi-Fi.
  4. Your system abruptly turns on or off, or won’t shut off.
  5. Your system is making weird 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 message on your Nest thermostat’s screen, along the lines of “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
  8. The system fan is always running, won’t run or turns off and on rapidly in a short period of time.

You may worry something is wrong with your heating and cooling system, but if you just started using the Nest, it’s best to begin with your thermostat initially. This is especially true if the weather is moderate, and you haven’t been running your heat or air conditioning consistently.

Our Specialists Can Fix Nest Thermostat Problems

If you’ve tried Nest thermostat troubleshooting without help but can’t solve the problem, a smart thermostat pro like one from Dave's Diversified Services can support you. We can diagnose the malfunction and put in a C-wire, if necessary.

Smart thermostats including the Nest are made to make your life simpler, through automatic energy-efficient programming and the opportunity to keep an eye on temps while you’re out. It’s a time-consuming experience when yours won’t operate correctly, but our heating and cooling experts at Dave's Diversified Services can fix the issue in no time.

If you’re running into atypical heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, reach out to us at to set up your appointment right away.