Team,
I have two Google Nests, which have been installed for about a year and working fine. One of them has been showing me the "Please remove thermostat from its base, then reattach it" error for a few weeks.
Device details:
Model: Display-3.7
Backplate model: Backplate-5.26 (on Nest app, currently displays "Unknown")
Software: 6.2-27
I have seen other people encounter similar problems, so here are the troubleshooting recommendations they got and my results:
- Make sure that the wires are flat on the base. DONE
- Loosen the screws of the base. Use a screwdriver to loosen the screws of the base by a half or quarter of a (counter clockwise) turn. This should help if the base is screwed too tightly to the wall. DONE
- Make sure the thermostat display is properly seated.
- Check the Nest thermostat from the side. If the white plastic from the thermostat base is visible around any of the edges, the Nest display isn't seated properly. In this case, reseat the display. N/A
- If the display doesn’t go any further, detach it from the base and check for loose wires or other obstructions that could cause the display to push away the base. N/A
- If necessary, take pictures of their thermostat base and wire setup to confirm that there aren’t any obstructions. Previously worked with this wiring. Wiring fully reseated.
- Check the 20-pin connector.
- Inspect the 20-pin connector for any visible damage. Check both the male and female ends on the base and display. DONE
- Make sure the pins are straight and in good condition DONE
- If you have another Nest Learning Thermostat, try swapping the displays then check if the message persists. DONE - the message persists on the problem device with the good base. The good device on the problem base briefly displayed normally, then shut down. On a second attempt it gives the same remove/reattach error.
- Perform a battery disconnect. To do this, press the thermostat ring until the screen turns off (about 10 seconds) then let go. DONE - displays error when the screen comes back.
Further context: this problem occurred in the middle of getting work done on one of my AC units. Initially the fan was stopping, a compressor needed to be replaced, then a fan motor was checked, the compressor, the control board, then finally the control board on the air handler needed to be replaced. The thermostat worked fine before and after the compressor replacement; it also worked while work on the fan motor was being done (I used the app to turn on the fan remotely for testing). After that the power was off for an extended period (a little over a week) and when I went to test the compressor/control board replacements on the AC unit, it was out of batteries.
After charging, the error appeared, and it has not displayed anything else since except the startup animation after a battery reset. There followed an extended period of there being no power to the base, even with all the power turned on, which turned out to be driven by the control board having somehow been cooked in the air handler of the heat pump.
Further notes:
- I confirmed the problem base has power with a multimeter.
- The problem nest never shows the small light (that blinks green when charging for example), and never does the automatic display wakeup, regardless of how much charge it has.
- On my Nest app, it shows the problem nest as being offline as expected, but it also shows the base version as "Unknown" under Technical Info. I took the version info I provided above from the other good nest (it is the same model).
Any help would be appreciated - until I can get this thing back online, my kid's room gets too cold to sleep in overnight.
