Why is My Nest Thermostat Not Heating? Quick Fix Guide

If you’re one of the users who have had trouble with the Nest Thermostat not heating, this article will tackle the major and minor troubleshooting methods in detail.

In many cases, you can figure out why a product isn’t working and fix it yourself.

Smart homes, with their ever-growing smart products like the Nest Thermostat, are becoming more and more common.

Nest Thermostat learns your temperature preferences over time and develops an energy-efficient schedule that fits your preferences.

Just like most smart gadgets, the Nest thermostats are also prone to faults.

Your Nest Thermostat is not heating because your wiring setup is incorrect, or it needs to reboot. To solve these issues, you need to restart it then rewire your Nest thermostat accordingly.

Reasons Why Your Nest Thermostat Is Not Heating

Apart from the commonly troubleshooting methods, here are some other issues and solutions when your Nest Thermostat is not heating:

1. Compatibility Issues

If you’re using an older heating system, there is a high chance it simply isn’t compatible with Nest.

If you have a solid fuel system or high voltage system, the Nest thermostat won’t work for you. You’ll have to check online or with your heating system manufacturer to see if it’s compatible or not.

2. Blown Fuse

The Nest thermostat may fail to heat properly because the circuit might not provide power, which happens in the case of a blown a fuse.

If you have a power surge, the fuse inside the HVAC system may also blow, and you will have to replace it. When you get a new fuse, make sure it’s the same model and voltage as the one that blew.

How to Fix Nest Thermostat Not Heating – Steps

Step #1. Restart Nest Thermostat

There are different ways to restart your thermostat. You can cut off power to the Nest or by turning off the fuse another way – it’s essential to be sure it’s completely turned off.

Wait for about ten minutes, then turn the Nest Thermostat back on. After repowering your Nest Thermostat, it will take some time for the device to reboot and connect with your Wi-Fi network.

Another alternative way to restart it is with the manual method.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Locate the thermostat ring on your Nest device.
2. Press it to get the Quick View menu.
3. Go to Settings.
4. Go to Reset, then press Select

Note: If your Nest thermostat freezes and you can’t get the Quick Start menu, press the ring holding it for 10 seconds, then let do a hard restart.

Press the ring again to get the Nest thermostat running again.

If Reset Doesn’t Work?

It’s always worth doing a restart whenever your Nest Thermostat not heating at night. It’s a quick fix with no hassle. If restarting the Nest Thermostat won’t solve the problem, it’s probably because of a wiring issue.

You’ll first need to reinstall the old thermostat to identify the faulty wires, fix the wires then install Nest all over again.

Step #2. Reinstall Old Thermostat

When you reinstall your old thermostat, you’ll get to ensure that the wires are intact and in proper working order.

If the old thermostat isn’t working correctly, your heating system may have faulty wiring, and it’s time to fix the wires.

Here’s how to reinstall the old thermostat:

1. Shut off the circuit breaker.
2. Remove the Nest unit.
3. Label the thermostat wires with masking tape.
4. Remove the base plate.

When replacing your Nest thermostat with the old thermostat, be sure to label the wires connected to the terminals so that you know where to connect them to avoid confusion.

A lot of thermostat malfunctions happen due to bad wiring. If the old thermostat works fine, but the Nest doesn’t, the problem may be defective wiring of Nest.

Step #3. Rewire Nest Thermostat

It’s essential to make sure all your wires are connected securely. If there are any kinks, they could be the cause of the Nest thermostat not heating problem.

You will get wiring information by searching for the device on Google or checking the product manual to know which wire goes where.

Follow these instructions to rewire your Nest thermostat.

1. Rename the wires on your NEST thermostat from the original setup.
2. Get a picture of the appropriate Nest wiring setup that you can reference.
3. Use Google’s free Nest thermostat compatibility checker to enter the wires.
4. Remove the Nest display screen.
5. Connect, disconnect and reconnect the wires based on your picture and compatibility checker diagram.

Once you’re done with your rewiring set up, put the display screen and the circuit breaker back on.

Be patient while your Nest boots up, and when it does reboot, it should be fixed. It’s now time to reset it to get it back up and running again.

Note: Nest thermostats are designed to work with low-voltage wires, which is different from what traditional thermostats use.

Step #4. Reset Nest Thermostat

Note that a Reset and a Restart are two different functions with two different results, which can be a solution for Nest thermostat not heating issue.

A Reset erases the information and allows you to configure Nest with new settings.

A Restart reboots the Nest thermostat without removing any settings or stored data. Resetting your Nest thermostat can erase your custom settings, so it’s essential to write them down before starting the reset process.

Here’s how to reset your Nest thermostat:

1. Open the Quick View menu by pressing the Nest ring.
2. Select settings by turning the ring.
3. Click the ring, then select Reset.
4. Choose your ideal reset function: Away, Schedule, Network, or All Settings.
5. To activate the Reset Function click the ring.

If you reset your Nest thermostat, it will usually also solve other problems, such as the thermostat being stuck on a menu item or functioning slowly.

Check out our helpful guides on Nest Thermostats:

1. Can You Use a Nest Thermostat Without WiFi?
2. Best Settings For Nest Thermostats
3. How to Calibrate Nest Thermostat?

Quick Recap:

The ultimate solution when your Nest Thermostat is not heating is first to restart it and if that doesn’t work, proceed to reinstall the old thermostat to check for any wires issues. Rewire your thermostat, power it on again, then reset it, and the problem will be fixed.  

Conclusion

If you just installed NEST, you shouldn’t be suspicious about your NEST Thermostat not heating to temperature.

If you’re in a moderate climate and don’t regularly use your heating and cooling device, you should check your thermostat right away to make sure it’s installed correctly.