Different Issues with two Nest Thermostats

[brianmcnest]

Hello,

I have a Gen 3 Nest Learning Thermostat, and I bought my dad two new ones, for both floors. I installed them, and everything seemed fine, except for a few things...

Downstairs Thermostat Photos


Downstairs Thermostat

1. Never actually fully charges. I have tried charging with multiple charges, letting it charged on the wall, waited 24 hours, even swapped it with the other thermostat, but it doesn't have enough charge to connect to WiFi or be seen by my dad's app.
2. While there is a common wire, I left that off. I tried it with the common wire, but that didn't fix the charging issue.
3. These are builder installed thermostats. I did not include the loop in the nest.
4. The schematic in the Nest App does not show any connection issues.

Upstairs Thermostat Photos

1. Charges just fine
2. Builder grade/builder installed, has mercury in the front
3. Seemed to work, but my dad said that it cuts off after 1 minute (I turned all the "smart" settings off)
4. Claims that the HVAC now makes a grinding noise while shutting down. I didn't hear it while I was there, and my dad's hearing isn't the best, so take that with a grain of salt.

Can anyone helps? I tried to contact support during the install, without any luck.

[luciaaa]

Hi, @brianmcnest,

Thank you for reaching out to the community. I'm sorry to hear that one thermostat isn't holding a charge and the other makes a grinding noise when shutting down. I’m glad to help you.

For the downstairs thermostat: 
 

• When did the issue start? 
• Does the thermostat charge with a USB cable?
• Are you receiving any power error codes? 

In the meantime, you can try the following:

• Remove the thermostat display from its base and check if any connector pins are bent.
• Check if the thermostat wires are secured in their terminals and all the buttons are down.
• Charge the thermostat via a micro-USB cable and check.

For the upstairs thermostat

• Is your HVAC system a conventional or a heat pump system? 
• When was the last maintenance check for your HVAC system?
• Have there been any recent changes or upgrades to your HVAC system?
• Does the issue happen with heating only, cooling only, or both?
• Do you have a common ground wire, or C wire?

In the meantime, you can check if your air filter is dirty. If so, replacing it might help.

Please let me know how it goes.

Best regards,

Ana. 

[brianmcnest]

Hi @luciaaa, thank you for responding. I'll put my responses in bold.

For the downstairs thermostat: 
 

• When did the issue start? On initial installation
• Does the thermostat charge with a USB cable? Unfortunately, no. We tried multiple chargers.
• Are you receiving any power error codes? No error codes.

In the meantime, you can try the following:

• Remove the thermostat display from its base and check if any connector pins are bent. None are bent, these are still brand new.
• Check if the thermostat wires are secured in their terminals and all the buttons are down. All are down.
• Charge the thermostat via a micro-USB cable and check. Done, with no change in behavior.

For the upstairs thermostat

• Is your HVAC system a conventional or a heat pump system? Conventional? I know it is forced air.
• When was the last maintenance check for your HVAC system? Unsure, I'll ask my dad and update this.
• Have there been any recent changes or upgrades to your HVAC system? I think the upper one froze and required a repair a few months ago.
• Does the issue happen with heating only, cooling only, or both? As it is summer, we only tried cool air.
• Do you have a common ground wire, or C wire? There is no common wire upstairs, but there is one downstairs. I tried connecting that to C. I didn't notice a difference.
  
  If I can get the one unit fully charged, that might help resolve the issue.

[luciaaa]

Hi, brianmcnest,

Thank you so much for your quick response. I appreciate all the efforts. I’m truly sorry that after following all the troubleshooting steps, the thermostat is still not charging.

To receive further assistance for the downstairs thermostat, please fill out this form with all the necessary information. Once you've completed the form, let me know.

Keep me posted,

Best regards,

Ana. 

[brianmcnest]

Hello @luciaaa, my dad says the HVAC units were recently serviced and filters recently replaced.

I noticed a link to a support form.

Support won't help me, unless I'm actively at my dad's house. Please advise. Should I just give them his contact information?

[luciaaa]

Hi. @brianmcnest,

Thank you so much for your response. 

In this case I kindly suggest you to fill out the form when you are with the thermostat or if it's easier for your father you can fill out the form with his information.

Keep me posted.

Best regards,
Ana.