Thermostat E45 Error (1st Gen E Device)

[ptrainor]

I've seen other posts about this error, but my device seems to be getting power. 

I was temporarily away for 6 months (the wifi was disconnected during my time away, and the thermostat set at a fixed temp).  I returned last week and connected the Thermostat to the new wifi.  After restart, I get the E45 error.

I've a 2-wire system, and have checked the connections:
Wiring Connections
When I connect the unit, I get the following error:

When I select the Tech Info/Power option, this is what I see: 

The Tech Info/Equipment option shows the following: 

The power values seem to be within recommended range unless I am mistaken. 
Can anybody give me some help/advice on this?

Thanks

[Patrick_Caezza]

@ptrainor 

The battery voltage is barely above the minimum required to operate. Try plugging it in using a USB cable over night.

Two-wire heat-only systems are known to cause power problems when no C wire is installed. I strongly recommend that you install a C wire. The easiest way to add one is if there is a spare wire that you can connect to the C terminal on each end.

If there is no spare wire and/or C terminal, you can use the Google Nest Power Connector and wire it like this.

[ptrainor]

Many thanks @Patrick_Caezza - this is very helpful.

I tried charging the device overnight using a cable.  Battery voltage is not much higher than earlier picture - Battery level is now around 3.816V.   (Voc: 37.34, Vin: 29.46, Lin 20mA(i))

When I plug it back in, it works fine for about 5 minutes, and then it throws the E45 error again. However, the levels seem to be in range of recommended specs.

I'll purchase and install the Power Connector.  It seems strange that it worked fine with the two-wire for several years, and it is only started doing this sometime in the last 6 months.  

[Jake]

Hey ptrainor,

Thanks for the help Patrick_Caezza.

I wanted to follow up with you. Were you able to get the Nest Power Connector installed? Please let me know if you are still having any trouble from here, as I would be happy to take a closer look and assist you further. 

Best regards,
Jake

[ptrainor]

Thank you, @Jake - the task of installing the power connector is a bit daunting, but I haven't given up yet. 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/9Jz6gySdrgtLY73J8 

[Jake]

Hi ptrainor,

Apologies for the late reply. I wanted to follow back up with you. Were you able to install the Nest Power Connector? Let me know if you are still having trouble, as I would be happy to take a closer look.

Best regards,

Jake

[Jenelyn_O]

Hi there,

Checking if you still need help. Please let us know, as we'll be willing to assist you further. 

Thanks for your help, Jake.

Cheers,

Jenelyn

[Jenelyn_O]

Hey ptrainor,

Just one quick final check in here since activity has slowed down. We'll be locking the thread in the next 24 hours, but if you still need help, I would be happy to keep it open. If there's more we can do, just let me know. 

Regards,

Jenelyn

[ptrainor]

It's not fixed yet. But I see that quite a few folks have a responsibility to go round closing tickets. So close or lock if you wish. 

The E device worked fine for a couple of years on two wires. Its odd that it suddenly doesn't work, as the power to the device meets the specs. Unless some firmware update is causing this. The power connector install is not simple as you will see from photos I posted. I attached a cheap analog thermostat while I consider options

[zoeuvre]

Hello there, 

We're sad to see you go. We hope we can make it up to you in the future. We're always here to help if you ever change your mind. 

I'm going to lock this thread and mark it as complete. Feel free to create a new one if you have more questions or have other concerns in the future.

Thanks for all your help, @Patrick_Caezza, Jake, and Jenelyn. 
 

All the best,

Zoe