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

April 13, 2021

The Nest thermostat is one of the most popular smart thermostats you can buy. And for good reason. It figures out 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 home or away and can change temps 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 good idea to visit the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before getting one. Don’t forget to check with your energy provider for valuable rebates, because you might 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 call a HVAC specialist like Mayeuxs AC & Heating. If you’re wiring it without help, you’ll spot 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. In most cases, Nest says this isn’t an issue as the thermostat can draw adequate power from other heating and cooling wires.

In some cases, your heating and cooling system could need that C-wire. And here’s why.

Why Your Nest Keeps Losing Power and Other Issues

The Google Nest Thermostat is an improvement from older programmable thermostats that have 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 Problems

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

  1. Poor battery life.
  2. Thermostat motion sensing won’t work.
  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 odd noises, including chattering, stuttering, clicking or thumping.
  6. Heating or cooling is short cycling, or frequently turning on and off in a short period of time.
  7. There is a delay notification on your Nest thermostat’s screen, such as “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
  8. The system fan is continuously running, won’t run or turns off and on frequently in a short period of time.

You could think something is up with your heating and cooling system, but if you just installed the Nest, we recommend you begin with your thermostat initially. This is especially pertinent if the weather is temperate, and you haven’t been using your heat or air conditioning much.

Our Pros Can Resolve Nest Thermostat Issues

If you’ve gone through Nest thermostat troubleshooting by yourself but can’t repair the issue, a smart thermostat professional like one from Mayeuxs AC & Heating can provide support. We can diagnose the issue and add a C-wire, if necessary.

Smart thermostats including the Nest are created to make your life more convenient, by automatic energy-efficient programming and the option to keep an eye on settings while you’re out. It’s a time-consuming experience when yours won’t work like it should, but our heating and cooling professionals at Mayeuxs AC & Heating can fix the problem quickly.

If you’re going through weird heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, call us at (985) 764-2426 to schedule your appointment today.