The Nest thermostat is one of the most popular smart thermostats on the market today. 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 realize when you’re at your home or out and about and can raise and lower settings to help you save even more.

The Nest works with a full range of 24-volt heating and cooling systems, but it’s always a wise idea to use the Nest thermostat compatibility checker before purchasing one. Don’t forget to contact your energy supplier for valuable rebates, as 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 on your own or call a HVAC professional like Service Max Heating & Air Conditioning. If you’re wiring it on your own, you’ll notice 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 the majority of cases, Nest says this isn’t an issue because the thermostat can pull ample power from other heating and cooling wires.

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

Why Your Nest Keeps Losing Power and Other Malfunctions

The Google Nest Thermostat is better than older programmable thermostats that have a combination of wiring and AA batteries for power. It uses a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and wiring to connect to Wi-Fi, power its digital display and run your heating and cooling system.

8 Common Nest Thermostat Problems

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

  1. Bad battery life.
  2. Thermostat motion sensing won’t work.
  3. Your thermostat occasionally disconnects from Wi-Fi.
  4. Your system abruptly turns on or off, or won’t turn off.
  5. Your system is making 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, such as “heating is delayed for 2:30 minutes.”
  8. The system fan is always running, won’t switch on or turns off and on frequently in a short period of time.

You may worry something is up with your heating and cooling system, but if you just got the Nest, we suggest you start with your thermostat initially. This is especially pertinent if the weather is moderate, and you haven’t been running your heat or air conditioning frequently.

Our Professionals Can Resolve Nest Thermostat Issues

If you’ve attempted Nest thermostat troubleshooting on your own but can’t solve the dilemma, a smart thermostat professional like one from Service Max Heating & Air Conditioning can support you. We can pinpoint the issue and add a C-wire, if required.

Smart thermostats like the Nest are created to make your life simpler, with automatic energy-efficient programming and the ability to keep an eye on temperatures while you’re out. It’s a frustrating experience when yours won’t run properly, but our heating and cooling pros at Service Max Heating & Air Conditioning can resolve the problem in no time.

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