Nest Thermostat Troubleshooting: 12 Everyday Problems Solved!
Nest thermostat is a Google product. This means that it is made using latest technology and tools. Purchasing a Nest thermostat is a good option instead of investing in other thermostats. But, with pros there are cons as well. No smart device is perfect, so if you are thinking that you will not face any issue with your Nest thermostat then you might be wrong here.
Common Nest thermostat issues include battery issues, sensor issues or wiring issues. Solving these issues will definitely take your stress away.
In this article, we will guide you through all the possible Nest troubleshooting methods so that if you find yourself encountering any issue you can solve it easily.
TROUBLESHOOTING THE NEST THERMOSTAT:
Using various online forums and taking help from personal experiences we have made a compilation of all the Nest thermostat problems along with their solutions.
LOW BATTERY:
If your Nest thermostat is going through low battery issue then chances are that you might end up in one of the following situations.
- Your thermostat will start blinking red light
- You will witness a low battery message on the screen
- Sometimes your thermostat will go all blank
- Presence of a home symbol on the screen
The HVAC systemβs wiring is responsible to charge your thermostat. But if your system has a C-wire installed then you wouldnβt have to worry about this problem.
However, if your Nest is working without C-wire then the charging scenario will be changed. It will consume power for charging as long as the cooling and heating units are functional.
GREEN LIGHT FLASHING:
Nest thermostat flashing green light is nothing to worry about. This green light indicates that the thermostat is receiving a software update. Issue occurs when you witness a steady light instead of a flashing one. If this light doesnβt disappear even after several minutes then there might be an issue.
STEPS TO FOLLOW β FIX
Solving flashing green light issue requires you to perform the following steps.
STEP 1 β Remove your thermostat from the wall base
STEP 2 β Adjust the pin connector and place back the thermostat on its base
STEP 3 β Wait for the thermostat to restart again
You will see that the steady green light will be gone by now.
BATTERY ISSUE:
Nest thermostat not working issue could be due to its battery. Your thermostatβs battery wonβt charge due to multiple reasons. Before going into this detail, we first want you to know that there are only two ways that Nest can charge itself.
The first way includes the help from a C-wire while the other one takes help from the HVAC system. The latter case is useful when your system has no C-wire installed.
CHECKING THE C-WIRE INSTALLATION:
If you donβt know whether your thermostat has a C-wire installed or not, follow the below-mentioned steps to find out.
STEPS TO FOLLOW:
STEP 1 β Take your thermostat OFF the wall
STEP 2 β You will see a terminal with a labelling βCβ. Check if any blue wire is attached to it or not
STEP 3 β If the wire is attached then it means it is a C-wire. Check for its proper connectivity
STEP 4 β Place back the thermostat
A loose C-wire connection can cause several issues so it is better if you tighten the connection. Give some time to your thermostat for charging and then proceed further.
MANUAL CHARGING:
In case of absence of a C-wire you will have to charge the thermostat manually. For this you will be needing a USB cable.
STEPS TO FOLLOW:
STEP 1 β Take off your thermostat from the wall
STEP 2 β Check for the charging ports at the back of your thermostat
STEP 3 β Now it is time that you connect the cable into the wall charger
STEP 4 β Your Nest will take about 2 hours to charge
STEP 5 β After this time duration remove the cable and place back the thermostat into the wall
ABSENCE OF A C-WIRE:
It is not a compulsion to have a C-wire installed. If you donβt have a C-wire installed even then you can charge your Nest thermostat perfectly.
If your thermostat doesnβt have any charging issues then you can continue to charge it with the help of AC and heating units. But if the battery gets drained quick enough then you need to install a C-wire.
Another possibility is that you can even replace your current Nest thermostat with an Ecobee thermostat. Ecobee thermostat will solve this C-wire issue but this replacement process can be pretty expensive.
DELAYED ISSUE:
Nest thermostat delayed issue is one of the indications that your thermostat is underpowered. This will happen if your Nest is operating without a C-wire. However, in case of any issue you need to check the connections and you will be good to go.
HOW TO REMOVE DELAY ON NEST THERMOSTAT?
Removing delay on Nest thermostat is easy. You just need to charge your thermostat using an appropriate charging cable and then check whether the issue still exists or not.
NEST CYCLING ISSUE:
If your thermostat is going through short-cycling issue then this could be due to various reasons such as:
- Change in the room temperature
- Loose wire connections
- An unmaintained HVAC system
Other than this, the absence of a C-wire might also become a reason for the short-cycling. If this is the case then you need to install the common wire as soon as possible.
PRESENCE OF AN ORANGE LIGHT:
Seeing an orange light on your Nest means that the thermostat is currently running low on the battery. To resolve this issue, allow your thermostat to self-charge or you can do the charging manually as well by following the above-mentioned steps.
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PRESENCE OF A YELLOW LIGHT:
If your Nest is showing yellow light then it means that your thermostat is unable to connect to the Heat Link. Heat link is a device that is used to connect Nest thermostat (European models) to the heating system.
If you own a Nest thermostat E model then you can simply press βHeat Linkβ option to check the status. Then check if any error message has occurred or not on the display screen. If you want to activate the heat then you will have to press the Heat Link option for the second time. Usually heat link issues are resolved by the thermostat itself, you just need to press βTry Againβ option to begin the process.
NO POWER TO RH WIRE:
Coming across an E74 error means that there is no power to RH wire of your Nest thermostat. This issue will restrict your thermostat from getting powered ON.
Some common reasons for the occurrence of this issue are:
- Presence of a tripped circuit breaker
- Loose wire connections of RH and RC wires
- Presence of a blown fuse
To check whether there is a tripped circuit breaker or not, flip the breaker from OFF to ON position and you will get an answer.
Make sure that the wire connections of RH and RC wires are properly secured in place. For this you will have to take off the thermostat from the wall and look into the wiring section. If the connections are loose then make sure to tighten them.
Checking if the fuse is blown or not you will need to access the control unit. You will see a white wire attached to the fuse. If this white wire is broken then it means you have a blown fuse.
WI-FI CONNECTIVITY ISSUES:
Smart thermostats like Nest require a stable Wi-Fi connection for their working. If you see a connectivity error message then it means that the issue is either in your thermostat or Wi-Fi. To solve this issue follow the below steps.
Restart Your Thermostat:Β You can do this by visiting the βSettingsβ option and then selecting the βRestartβ option.
Reset Network Settings: You can do this by going to the βSettingsβ and then βResetβ. From there choose the option of βNetworkβ.
Restarting The Router: Unplug the Wi-Fi router for about 20-30 seconds and then plug back in the router again.
The last fix is to move the router close to your thermostat. Doing this will improve the connectivity and will help you to resolve the issue.
WRONG THERMOSTAT TEMPERATURE:
There might be a possibility that the temperature of your thermostat is different from the actual temperature of your house. For your information, there are two temperatures present on the display.
The first temperature is present in the middle of the display which is actually the set target temperature. While the room temperature is present on the edge of thermostat.
Your thermostat is responsible for showing you the temperature of only that area where it is located currently. The other parts might have slightly different temperatures. An additional sensor could solve the issue.
But the few common reasons for the occurrence of this issue are given below.
- Sudden temperature change
- Unresponsiveness to a minor temperature change
- Difference of temperature in thermostat and temperature sensor
Solving these issues will solve this temperature problem.
COOLING ISSUE:
Having a cooling issue means that your thermostat is blowing hot air when it is set to cool mode. This issue occurs when the wiring has certain connectivity issues. Make sure that the wires have been connected to their respective terminals and there arenβt any loose connections present.
ENDING WORDS:
In this article we have guided you through all Google Nest Thermostat Troubleshooting Methods. By reading these methods you will be able to identify various issues along with their solutions. So it is a wise approach to go through some informative stuff like this.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Q β Why Does My Nest Say Delayed For 5 Minutes?
A β Nest says delayed for 5 minutes because it is indicating that your thermostat has been underpowered. Solve this issue by installing a C-wire into your system.
Q β What Is A Common Problem With Nest Thermostat?
A β The common problems with Nest thermostats include faulty wiring, sensor issues, connectivity issues, and clogged air filters etc.
Q β How Long Do Nest Thermostats Last?
A β Nest thermostats will last for about two whole years.
