Heat Pump Outdoor Temp Sensor Google Nest Learning Thermostat 4th Gen

[abcoolah]

Hello, I recently had a heat pump installed and cant seem to get the system to work for both heat and cool using the new 4th gen Nest Learning thermostat. Something seems to be off with the wiring and my installer can't figure it out.

I have different people telling me that the thermostat should be able to determine the outside temperature and kick in the gas furnace if it gets too cold, and another installer telling me that an outdoor temperature sensor is necessary. Is an outdoor sensor needed for this smart thermostat? My suspicion is that this might be contributing to why the thermostat is not working correctly. 

[aperezdeleon]

Hi abcoolah,

Thanks for reaching out to our community.

Configuring your Nest Thermostat 4th generation to get the most out of your system can get complicated at times. Don't worry, though; I'm here to help.

Just to get things clear, I wanted to ask: Can your thermostat turn on your heat pump? I'd also love to know which wires you have connected to the thermostat so I can take a closer look at what type of system you have.

If you have a heat pump with a gas furnace as the auxiliary heating, you can determine when your furnace will kick in by changing the heat pump balance settings in your thermostat. Aux heating will turn on based on these settings and what temperature the thermostat knows your area is at based on the information it gathers by being connected to the internet.

You can change when your auxiliary heating will turn on by:

1. Opening the Google Home app.
2. Selecting your thermostat tile.
3. Opening temperature preferences.
4. Selecting a heat pump balance setting.

Let me know what you find out.

Regards,
Angel.