Nest Thermostat V1.4 Low Battery

[Fraskell]

I am getting low battery alerts.  Replaced supplied AAA with new AAA alkaline.  No change.  Old batteries tested good, as well  C wire is present, connected, and showing 28 volts.  SW ver is 1.1-11.  "Equipment" info shows V 2.528, 1364 m ohms, Vin 36.134, lin 385, PS C-385.  Since the system is working, I am not too concerned, though this first showed-up while we were away so I had a minor panic attack then.  I.e., wifi is connected, schedule is followed, and presence sensing works.

I agree with another poster that re-using the name makes it very difficult to find support for this model.  The touch interface is a little weird.  Not sure I will want to trust it to renters. 

[Fraskell]

Just replaced those new batteries.  Battery tester shows they are pretty rundown.  This indicates that the internal battery (non-replaceable -- boo!) is not charging.  Heating system runs a lot.  Best guess now is that internal battery charging is so slow when heat is off that it never gets fully charged.  Does this make sense?

(More house insulation is in the works.  1963 was not a good year for 3" attic fiberglass batts.)  Heating system will be upgraded soon which will require different thermostat.  Will assess performance of this one then.

[Markjosephp]

Hello Fraskell,

I'm sorry to hear that you're having an issue with your Nest Thermostat that keeps showing low battery, and I appreciate you replacing it. I'd love to help.

Could you please check its power readouts again after changing its batteries? Also, performing a factory reset might help ensure that the software is up-to-date. Please note that resetting it would bring it back to its default settings, and then proceed by adding it again in the Google Home app.

Once done, observe its behavior and let me know if the same issue persists.

Regards,

Mark

[Fraskell]

The only change was that V went up to 3.2.  I will do a reset at some convenient time soon.

[Markjosephp]

Hi there,

Gotcha! I appreciate your effort. Please keep me posted, as I would be glad to know what the result would be.

Thanks,

Mark

[Jake]

Hey Fraskell,

I wanted to check in and see if you are still in need of any help. Please let me know, as I would be happy to assist, and answer any questions you may have.

Best regards,
Jake

[Fraskell]

Just did a reset using the option on the device.  It says batteries are good.  V is now 2.89 volts.  And followed-up with removing the device from Google Home and redoing the whole setup-your-device procedure.

[Jake]

Hi Fraskell,

I am glad to hear you are no longer seeing the low battery message after doing the reset. With the issue being resolved, I am going to go ahead and leave the thread open for 24 hours in case you have any further up questions. Please let me know if anything changes, as I want to ensure you are good to go from here.

Best regards,

Jake

[Fraskell]

I did see a 'no power' warning across the device screen during setup.  Somewhere I read that some heating systems shutoff power to the thermostat when running.  As I asked before, if the system runs a lot does that mean that maybe the internal battery doesn't get charged.  At this point I am thinking that the internal battery on my Nest is junk because my AAA are being drained.

[Markjosephp]

Hi there,

Thanks for the help here, Jake.

@Fraskell, It's me again. I would like to ensure that everything is covered here. Could you please share with us a photo of your thermostat's wiring? Also, go to your thermostat's Equipment settings and let us know the Power Info and Wiring Info status.

I'll look forward to your response.

Regards,

Mark

[Fraskell]

Standard four colors:  red, white, blue, green.

[Fraskell]

Wiring: C W R are blue, G is white, and *OB are yellow.

Power:  Vin:  36.169, lin: 385, PS:  C-385

From Home app:  Battery state:  OK; Battery voltage:  2.93

[Markjosephp]

Hello Fraskell,

Thanks for sharing. We'd like to take a look at this for you.

Could you please fill out this form with the needed information and let me know once you're done? A member of our support team will be in touch over email to help.

Regards,
Mark

[Fraskell]

Done -- some sort of synopsis of this thread.

[Markjosephp]

Hi Fraskell,

Thanks! We got your form and have sent it over to our team for review. Please check your inbox from time to time, as someone will be reaching out to you. Also, continue the conversation there, as this thread will be locked within 24 hours.

Regards,

Mark