The Nest thermostat is one of the top-selling smart thermostats you can buy. And for good reason. It picks up on your temperature preferences and creates 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 vast range of 24-volt heating and cooling systems, but it’s always a wise idea to visit the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before purchasing one. Don’t forget to check with your energy supplier for valuable rebates, because you could be able to get a Nest for free or close to it.

Once you’ve checked it’s compatible, you can either wire it without help or contact a HVAC professional like Bishop Heating & Air Conditioning. If you’re installing it on your own, you’ll see a terminal for the C-wire, or common wire. This wire is only used for powering your thermostat. If your residence or HVAC system is older, you might not have one of these wires. Most of the time, Nest says this isn’t an issue because the thermostat can pull adequate 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 Malfunctions

The Google Nest Thermostat is a step up from aging programmable thermostats that use 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 turn on your heating and cooling system.

8 Common Nest Thermostat Malfunctions

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

  1. Short 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 turn off.
  5. Your system is creating strange noises, such as 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, along the lines of “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
  8. The system fan is constantly working, won’t turn on 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 got the Nest, we recommend you start 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 Professionals Can Solve Nest Thermostat Troubles

If you’ve tried Nest thermostat troubleshooting by yourself but can’t fix the issue, a smart thermostat professional including one from Bishop Heating & Air Conditioning can support you. We can determine the issue and add a C-wire, if required.

Smart thermostats like the Nest are made to make your life easier, through automatic energy-efficient programming and the option to check temps while you’re on the go. It’s a time-consuming experience when yours won’t work correctly, but our heating and cooling experts at Bishop Heating & Air Conditioning can resolve the problem quickly.

If you’re running into atypical heating and cooling behavior with your new Nest, call us at 760-784-9034 to book your appointment today.