On getting up from bad night sleep, did you noticed your air condition can’t blend in with your home temperature? Due to the inactiveness of your Nest thermostat. Walking towards the device, you must be frightened thinking something is off as you only see the red blinking light while it refuses to turn on.
Seeing this for the first time and there’s no power outage during the night, I am sure it will probably leave you in a confused state with lots of questions like: Why does my Nest thermostat keep blinking red? What drains off my Nest thermostat battery? Why won’t my Nest thermostat turn on? How to troubleshoot the red blinking light on my Nest thermostat.
Regardless of the Nest thermostat model you possess, either you own the First-gen Nest Thermostat, Second-gen Nest Thermostat, Third-gen Nest Thermostat, Google Nest Thermostat E, or the Google Nest Learning Thermostat. The red blinking light is a core attribute that holds for all Nest thermostats.
In this guide post, you’ll learn what the Nest thermostat red blinking light means, as well as other kinds of light signals on your Nest thermostat. We have put up informative tips, including a few proven fixes for troubleshooting the issue whenever your Nest thermostat acts up.
What Does the Nest Thermostat Red Blinking Light Means?
Apparently, the Nest thermostat red blinking light turns out to be its charging indicator that comes up when the device battery is extremely low and receiving a charge from its base system. The Nest thermostat red blinking light may continue for some time while the device refuses to turn on due to its battery level; which requires a high degree of charge before it can power the thermostat.
Literally, you may likely find your Nest thermostat in this state when it recently runs on its battery power till it drains off completely. Actually, this can happen as a result of a number of actions such as power outage, wrong or loose wiring, slacken connection of the thermostat with the base, or damaged circuit breaker.
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Although, the Nest thermostat battery is expected to last for up-to 10 hours of continuous usage depending on the device battery age, which is determined by how long you’ve been using your thermostat. In case you’ve been using the device for a year or two, the battery may not stay up for a longer time.
However, as the Nest thermostat continues blinking the red indicator, it’s expected of the device to power on automatically if the battery charge reaches some degree.
Most of the time, things tend to go straightforward as the Nest thermostat will turn on itself. The red blinking light will vanish after some minutes or hours of continuous charge from its base system.
Besides, if the device refuses to turn on after flickering the red light for some time, this means something is wrong somewhere else and needs attention before the thermostat functions properly.
Other Light indicators on Nest thermostat
Basically, the Nest thermostat light indicator isn’t limited to the red light that appears suddenly on the head of your smart thermostat. The device also features other types of light that serves as a LED indicator when a process that needs an action is going on in the thermostat system.
The other indicators include the Green light indicator, Orange light indicator, and the White light indicator. As aforementioned, the Nest thermostat red blinking light indicates the device battery is extremely low and receiving charge from the base system.
However, the flickering green light on your Nest thermostat indicates the device is currently in the updating process, which is either in starting or restarting state before it successfully optimizes the recently installed update. In most cases, the starting up, or restarting process always takes some minutes or half an hour before it powers up after flaring the green light.
Furthermore, you may notice a blinking orange light on your Nest thermostat as it’s powered on and currently working. The Nest thermostat orange blinking light indicates the device is receiving constant charge while it’s placed on its base station.
And also, the white light indicator. This flashes when the device is unable to connect to a wireless network, or the network is currently out of range. This requires you to try establishing a secure wireless connection before the flickering white light will disappear.
What to Do if Your Nest Thermostat Keeps Blinking Red Light Persistently?
Check the Thermostat Base Wiring
To begin with, as your Nest thermostat refuses to turn on after blinking the red light for hours, the first thing to look into is the thermostat base wiring. Every now then, a wrong connection on the base system happens to cause the charging issue, since the device won’t receive appropriate energy to recharge its battery and power up on time.
To check on the thermostat base wiring, you’ll have to get closer to the device to have a closer look at the wiring. Before that, ensure your circuit breaker is turned off to avoid an electrical accident. Make sure each wire is fitted to its appropriate location, and tighten every loosely connection before placing the thermostat back to place.
While returning the thermostat, ensure the device is aligned with the base. In various cases, some wires may be preventing the thermostat from sitting properly to its place, just pull in the wire and place the thermostat aligning with the base. Push it till you hear a click to confirm it is properly seated.
In some instances, your Nest thermostat red blinking light may still continue as the device is powered on. Just as it involves the device battery and incoming power from the connected base system. The flaring red light when the device is working means there’s error in system wiring.
Seeing that the device is currently working, you can easily diagnose the issue from the device settings by requesting the wiring test report. To do this;
- Navigate to your Nest thermostat Settings.
- Scroll and select Equipment.
- Choose Wiring Info from the list.
- The wiring report will be displayed on your screen.
Basically, all wires that are connected appropriately will be colored indicating those categories are currently active, while the inappropriate ones will just be grayed out from the wiring image. You can take a picture of the wiring report with your smartphone to know what to fix when you remove the thermostat to rectify the issue on its base.
Charge the Thermostat Manually With a USB Cable
Charging your Nest thermostat directly with a USB Cable and Power adapter will probably boost its charging speed. This will shorten the time taken for the device battery to power up when it drains completely.
Apparently, fast tracking the charging process only involves a working USB cable and a standard power adapter. It’s recommended to use a power adapter rather than using semi powered ports, like your computer USB port or ports on your laptop. Using those sources isn’t advisable because of the thermostat battery health.
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Plug in the cable into the device charging port and plug the other end to a working wall outlet then switch it on. Wait for a couple of minutes depending on the voltage output of the charger you’re using.
When the device turns on, you’ll be prompted with a message to attach the thermostat to its base for full function. Reattach the Nest thermostat while it starts managing your home temperature.
Check and Replace Damaged Battery
Occasionally, your Nest thermostat battery health can also cause the continuous red blinking light. In case the battery is weak and can’t store any charge for a longer time. Depending on the device age and usage cycle, Nest thermostat battery is expected to last for like 12 to 24 months.
However, there chances that your Nest thermostat battery needs replacement if you’ve been using it for years. Either you own the older generation that uses inbuilt battery or the newer models that uses two standard 1.5 V AAA alkaline batteries. You can visit a local electronics store to get a new one or place an order from online stores.
And also, you can also try reconnecting your Nest thermostat battery to see if it’ll fix the red blinking light issue before going for a battery replacement which will cost a few bucks. To access your battery compartment in case you’re opening it for replacement or reconnecting.
Flip the device over to access the down part. For older models, you’ll need a Phillip head screwdriver to remove the battery compartment cover before you can access the battery. For newer models, pull out the old batteries from the device and insert the two new AAA alkaline batteries.
Contact Local Technicians
Did the issue persist after trying the above affixes, you can get in touch with Nest thermostat customer service for full support on your experience with the Nest thermostat. In case your warranty period is still active, you can request for a replacement instead of stressing yourself out.
Schedule an appointment or visit a local technicians store for a proper look into what could be the issue with your device that makes it keep blinking red light.
Bottom Line
I hope you found this post helpful. In closing, using a smart thermostat makes controlling of home temperature easy since you can schedule its performance for a start till it later adapts to your home temperature and gives you the best out of your air condition.
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Oftentimes, Google Nest thermostat users always experience the red blinking light, which is largely caused by a wiring issue or a damaged thermostat battery. Firstly, you can check on the thermostat base wiring, then check for damaged battery, or charge your thermostat with a direct USB cable and power adapter.
Am sure you should have got the issue fixed following the above proven fixes. In case the issue persists after trying out the steps mentioned, you can resort to Nest thermostat customer support to help you out with solutions for rectifying the issue.
And also, your Nest thermostat may seem dead as it won’t respond or turn on after hours of charging at the base station. You can utilize the few proven troubleshooting steps mentioned in our detailed guide on how to fix Nest thermostat won’t turn on.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Does the Nest Thermostat work without a battery?
No, the Nest thermostat has an inbuilt battery that serves as the backup battery supply. This keeps the device active when there’s a major outage or natural disaster like a storm or a hurricane. Apparently, the thermostat backup battery always recharges itself once it’s connected to the base, which doesn’t require charging the device separately unless you’re troubleshooting a problem.
However, the Nest thermostat uses its battery power when there’s an outage to keep the device in action before the power is restored. And if the battery is low, it shuts down, then recharges itself from the base when the power is restored. Although the device battery is anticipated to last for 12 hours without any power source.
How long do Nest Thermostat batteries last?
The Google Nest thermostat can run on its battery power for up-to 12 hours without interruption when it’s not receiving any power from the base or power source.
How do I know if my Nest Thermostat battery is low?
In case your Nest thermostat powers itself with its battery power for some time due to power or wiring issues. The battery state will be provided on the thermostat screen once it’s closer to running out. The Nest Thermostat will let you know with a low battery message in the device home display.
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If the power is restored, the device will then start flickering the red light indicating the thermostat is recharging its battery, which will stop once it charges to some extent.
What happens when Nest thermostat battery dies?
When the Nest thermostat battery runs out, the device will shut down to come up again when the power from the base has been restored. It’ll blink the red indicator for some minutes or hour before it powers on automatically.
How do you reset Nest Thermostat battery?
Actually, you can easily reset your Nest thermostat battery if you own the newer models that use two standard 1.5 V AAA alkaline batteries. To do this; get closer to the Nest thermostat and put it off its base. Flip the thermostat over to access it on the other side, you’ll notice the battery compartment. Pull out the battery, and wait for several minutes before reconnecting the battery, by placing it to its place.
