change primary heat source to gas furnace instead of electric heat pump

[NLK]

The other night my nest thermostat would not power down when we tried to lower the temperature when going to bed from 66 to 60. Just kept running and running even when we turned it to off.  So I turned the gas furnace off all night. So it was very cold this morning but when I turned it back on, the heat source is the heat pump which blows cooler air and I want it to blow hot air from the gas furnace as the main source of heat. Can anyone help me!? And also, how does one telephone or even chat with Google nest support? I cannot find a phone number that works. I feel they could help me fairly easily if I could get someone to talk to!

[Markjosephp]

Hello NLK,

Thank you for taking the time to let us know about your inquiry.

By default, your thermostat will use your heat pump as a main source of heat, and your furnace or auxiliary heating is the backup method that many heat pumps use when the weather outside is too cold for the heat pump to work efficiently. You can adjust your heat pump balance settings to Max Comfort, which will help your system blow enough warm air.

Please take a look at this article and let us know if you need more help.

Regards,

Mark

[NLK]

No, it did not help because when I read about it, this is what I read (see below).  I followed steps 1, 2 and 3, but do not see a descriptor/link that says select a heat pump Setting in 4. 

With the Nest app

1. Tap Settings .
2. Select your thermostat.
3. Tap Heat Pump Balance.
4. Select a Heat Pump Balance setting

[Markjosephp]

Hi there,

Thanks for the update. To be sure, could you please share with us a photo of your thermostat's wiring? This is to confirm how it was being labeled and what options we should see.

I'll look forward to your response.

Regards,

Mark

[NLK]

I can’t upload a photo. This forum wont let me do so. Another thought?  Do you have an email address I could send it to?

[Markjosephp]

Hey there,

Thanks for trying, NLK. You can tell us here how your thermostat's wiring is labeled by terminals and the color of its wires.

Best,

Mark

[NLK]

First, I have a case # which was from the last time I had the same issue with my thermostat.  It is 6-929300003900 dated 12.29.22.  Second, in the email received I was given a phone # to call which was:  855-469-6378. That # worked on 12.29 but NOT in March of 2023.  Said no longer a viable #.  So what IS a number to call for Google Nest Learning Thermostat support????  My wires are: Y1 Yellow; G Black; OB Red; W1 Gray; C Black; RH Red.  

[NLK]

Also, I have set on the thermostat to "dual fuel" as I have an AirSource heat pump (outside) and a gas furnace (inside).  I do NOT want the AirSource Heat Pump to warm/heat the house unless the temperature OUTSIDE is above 45-50.  Otherwise, I does not warm the 2nd and lower floors efficiently.  Just the main floor seems warm.  Thus why I do not like the AirSource Heat Pump as main source of heating.

[Markjosephp]

Hi NLK,

Thanks for letting me know, and I understand your thoughts about this. By default, the heat pump would be the main source of heat, and your furnace would only act as a backup heat source when the heat pump was not sufficient to maintain the heat. Making the furnace the main source of heat is not an option, but you can set a lockout temperature manually in the Nest Thermostat's Equipment menu.

Feel free to let us know if you have more questions.

Regards,

Mark

[NLK]

Well, I figured that out on my own because I could never get anyone to answer me via a phone call to Google Nest support or a chat. What I did was change it to dual source and also that the alternative heat, which is the gas furnace, will turn on when the outside temperature is below 50°. My main question now is why is there no one you can call or chat LIVE with when you have an issue like I have been having, which is the thermostat and the furnace do not always connect as in I can set it to off and it will keep running; I can set the temperature to 66 and it will keep running and running and running and won’t shut off until it’s so hot in here that I have to do a restart of the thermostat. Which helps for a while, but then it all happens again a couple months down the road.  Please provide some way to get some sort of help WHEN YOU NEED IT, not weeks down the road. Also, how do you get a new thermostat if the one you have has already been serviced three times and it was installed in December 2022 and it’s got a two-year warranty. Please answer those questions. Thanks 

[Markjosephp]

Hello NLK,

I appreciate your effort in finding a fix, and I'm sorry for the inconvenience. You can still get in touch with our team via our phone and chat support channels here. Also, the 3rd generation of the Nest Learning Thermostat's warranty period lasts for 2 years, but if you would like to check its eligibility, you can fill out this form well.

If there’s anything else I can help you with, please let me know.

Regards,

Mark

[NLK]

Well, unfortunately, I am no expert on maneuvering the Google Nest Support but I have never been able to find a viable phone number to call on there, nor is there a button to push that says chat live. If you could provide me the phone number so I would not have to sift through pages and pages again, which I have already done for hour, I would appreciate it. I realize you probably cannot give me advice on how to find the live chat button, but if you can, that would be appreciated too. I already know as I’ve looked and I have a two year warranty so it is still under warranty. How do I go about getting a different one? Can you please answer the questions above so we can stop this back-and-forth. Thank you.

[Markjosephp]

Hi there,

You can reach out to our phone and chat support teams via the hyperlink I shared above, but here's the form. So please fill out the needed information so our team has an initial idea of your inquiry.

Feel free to let us know if you have more questions. Otherwise, this thread will be locked within 24 hours.

Regards,

Mark

[NLK]

Maybe you and I are not able to communicate because ALL I want now from you is an actual PHONE NUMBER so I can TELEPHONE someone when I need to when my thermostat and furnace are not "communicating"--just like you and I don't seem to be.  I don't want a form to fill out, etc.  I want from you  PHONE NUMBER I can put in my contacts and PHONE when I need to.  I had that ONCE in December, 2022.  Now I seem to have to go through hoops and forms to even get you.  I need help IN REAL TIME.  AS NEEDED.  

[Markjosephp]

Hi NLK,

I totally understand why you would want to easily dial us to get in touch with our team. But the phone number is no longer active as we integrated it directly with our Help Center. You can still get in touch with our live support via phone or our chat channels by filling out the form.

Thanks,

Mark

[NLK]

Yes, it's ridiculous that when you need help NOW filling out that darn form is of NO help.  I know I can get "in touch" that way, and if you need general info that might be fine, but when you need help NOW, it is of NOOOOO help whatsoever.  

[NLK]

OK so I’ve determined there’s no way to talk to anyone in real time which is what one needs. So let’s proceed with my problems and see if you can answer since this is the only way to get an answer. Twice since December 2022 my Nest learning thermostat has malfunctioned. Both times at the thermostat it was set for 66 and he had gotten up past 71°. On the thermostat I tried setting it to OFF to just shut down the furnace. That would not work. It kept running and running. I turned temp way down at the thermostat to the 50s thinking that would shut it down/off it did not. Since I cannot talk to someone in real time when it happens tell me hear what I am supposed to do. Do not send me to a link that tells me what I’m supposed to do because it doesn’t work. Please you tell me what you would do if it was YOU. I have spent over $400 for people to come and look at the thermostat/furnace only to tell me it’s operating correctly because eventually it does — after 2 to 3 days of running down the basement and shutting the furnace off and on, off and on, to keep from burning up. That gets very old and tiring. We are senior citizens. Do you have any sort of empathy for us in this regard?

[zoeuvre]

Hey there,

@NLK, thanks for posting here in the Community. How's it going with your Nest Thermostat? In case you have an update, let us know and we'll be happy to help.

I appreciate the help, @Markjosephp.

Best,

Zoe

[NLK]

As always, it works fine until it decides to not operate as it is supposed to.  I had one malfunction two weeks after the initial installation toward the end of Dec., 2022 and then another in mid-March, 2023.  Both of which by the time I got someone from my HVAC firm to stop by and check the furnace (which both times the furnace was operating fine), the problem had resolved AFTER I turned off the furnace and reset the thermostat and left the furnace on OFF for almost one whole day.  Who knows what the problem was, why it occurs and exactly WHAT I am to do when it does happen.  I DID get a phone call from a NEST thermostat support person who showed me how I could get a phone call back from a NEST expert the next time it happens so I can get help in "real time" instead of two weeks later.

[zoeuvre]

Hi NLK,

I'm sorry to hear about what you've gone through about the situation — that is not what we want you to feel. Please be assured that our product team is working non-stop with different partners to bring the best to the Google Nest devices and services. So, please let our product team know about it by sending feedback.

In the meantime, I'll go ahead and lock this thread after 24 hours. If you run into any more issues in the future, please feel free to create a new thread.

Thanks,

Zoe

[NLK]

That’s fine, but in actuality you should leave the thread open, because I have every reason to believe the thermostat will malfunction again. Because, as I said, I could never talk to anyone at Google nest thermostat in “real time,” they have never helped me figure out why it malfunctioned.  And it wasn’t the furnace because the HVAC repair person checked it both times the thermostat malfunctioned and indicated the furnace was working perfectly. 

[Jenelyn_O]

Hi there,

I hope your Nest Thermostat is still doing fine, but in case I just want to check if there's anything that comes up. Please let us know if the issue persists so we can further assist you. 

I appreciate your help, Zoe and Mark.

Regards,
Jenelyn

[NLK]

Thank you for checking in. I haven’t really use the thermostat lately because we are having weather that is such that we haven’t needed heat nor air. So the thermostat has not really come in to play. We shall see how it does when I turn on the air conditioning because the two problems I had were with the heat/furnace and I don’t know if that makes a difference or not. All I know is I am $360 poorer due to the two HVAC repair calls I had to make when the thermostat malfunctioned and the HVAC repair person couldn’t help me because the furnace was operating fine. It was a disconnect apparently between the Nest thermostat and the furnace and he is not an expert in Google Nest thermostats. But I had to call him because I could not get ahold of anybody at Google Nest in “real time” to help me. If I had the money, which I do not, I would get an entirely new thermostat and ditch this Google nest thermostat.