Google Nest is a leading brand in the smart home arena. From their security cameras and video doorbells to energy-saving thermostats, they have it all! If you are using one of their Nest Thermostats, every once in a while you may encounter puzzling blinking lights.
Don’t despair! We break down what these lights mean and how to fix them.
Whether you have the first, second, or third generation of Nest thermostats, the Google Nest Thermostat E, or the latest Google Nest Learning Thermostat, this guide will help you fix all the Nest Thermostat blinking lights errors you may encounter. Read on!
Nest Thermostat Blinking Red Light
The Red blinking light might be the most frightening of all. But when you know why it is flashing red, you’ll realize there is no need to panic. Along with flashing a red light, the screen on your Nest thermostat can also go completely blank. You might see a house icon blinking green in the middle of the screen.
When the Red light is blinking, most often it is trying to tell you that the battery on your Nest thermostat is running low.
- Wait for the Nest Thermostat to fully recharge.
- Once the recharge is done, your device will start back again.
- It can take anywhere between 10 minutes to an entire hour for the recharge to complete.
- If your Nest Thermostat fails to recharge, use a USB cable directly.
Nest Thermostat Flashing Green Light
Nest Thermostats receive software updates regularly from Google. If you see a blinking green light at the top of your Nest Thermostat’s screen, it means your thermostat is updating the software, installing an update, restarting, or starting up.
This should only last for a minute or two and then the flashing light will stop.
On the other hand, if you see a steady green light, it means your Nest Thermostat has frozen. This can happen while doing a software update!
- If your Nest has frozen, firstly take the display off the base and place it back on to ensure the pins are correctly lined up.
- If the installation is done correctly, you should hear a click sound.
- If the screen doesn’t light up, press down the display for 10 seconds before releasing it.
- Your thermostat will restart now and the steady green light should be gone.
Nest Thermostat Blinking Orange Light
The blinking orange light might be the most confusing one because it appears when the thermostat is working smoothly. You will see the thermostat is working, and the heat is on, but still, you will get this annoying orange blinking light.
The solution to the blinking orange light is pretty easy.
- You need to charge your thermostat using the USB cable at its back.
- To reach it, you first need to pull off the display.
- Check which USB cable is compatible with your Nest thermostat.
- Depending on your model, you will either need a mini or micro USB.
- Avoid using computer USB ports or unpowered USB for charging your Nest Thermostat.
- Once the charging is ongoing, the screen will light up.
- You will see a message asking you to connect it back to its base.
- Place the thermostat on the base.
- Gently press the thermostat until you hear a click sound.
Nest Thermostat Flashing Yellow Light
Is your Nest Thermostat failing to heat your house, and warm water for you? The yellow blinking light is a status indicator that means that the connection between your Nest Thermostat and the Heat Link is broken. This is specific to the European version of Nest Thermostat as the US version does not have a Heat Link.
To stop the yellow blinking light, you need to re-establish the connection. Depending on the model you have, the steps involved to fix the issue will vary.
- For Nest Thermostat E, check the button on the Heat Link to check its status.
- If you get a blinking yellow light, check the display of your Thermostat, or the App for any error codes.
- For Nest Learning Thermostat, blinking yellow light means the connection with Heat Link is disrupted.
- Check the Thermostat Error codes to troubleshoot the issue.
- Call for expert support, if you fail to fix the error all by yourself.
- If you need to heat your home even when the Heat Link is disconnected, press the large button in the middle of the heat link to manually activate the heating system.
Nest Thermostat Blinking White Light
If you are getting the blinking white light error, chances are you are also finding it hard to start up your Nest Thermostat. Users get the blinking white light after a reconnection with the router, a software update, or a manual restart.
- Check if the cooling and heating wires are placed correctly into the connectors within the Nest Thermostat.
- Make sure the thermostat is placed properly on the base.
- If taking off the display and placing it back again, as well as inserting the cooling and heating cables back, didn’t help, the last resort is a restart.
- Press and hold the Nest Thermostat Ring until the displays go blank. (About 10 seconds)
- You should now be able to configure your device
Nest Thermostat Flashing Blue Light
The blue blinking light is most common on Nest Learning thermostats. Users usually get the blue blinking light during startup. The light should go away after a minute or two. If it doesn’t, you need to manually fix it.
- First, check if the heating and cooling cables are inserted into the Nest Thermostat correctly.
- Make sure they aren’t sticking out or bent. The entire cable must be fully inside the connectors.
- If this doesn’t work, take the display off your Nest Thermostat.
- Gently place it back, and push it back.
- Make sure the pins align inside properly.
- Wait until you hear the clicking sound.
- Press and hold the Nest Thermostat Ring until the displays go blank. (About 10 seconds)
- You should now be able to configure your device
No Light On My Nest Thermostat
Has your Nest Thermostat gone completely blank? Don’t panic. It hasn’t broken down. It can be fixed with simple easy steps.
When the display goes completely blank, it usually means the battery has drained out completely. Once you recharge your device, the screen will light up again.
Along with battery drainage, improper installation of the display on the base, faulty wiring, or a blown fuse can also lead to a blank screen.
- Reset the Thermostat display on the base.
- Check if the power button is pushed completely to the On position.
- Make sure your Nest thermostat is connected to compatible devices.
- Check if the wiring on the thermostat is done correctly.
- Check if you have a blown fuse on your mains control board.
- Check your Nest Thermostat to see if it is working.
- If the above does not work, you may need to seek professional assistance.
Combination of Blinking Green and Orange Lights
Along with solo blinking lights, you might encounter a combination of colors, the most common of which is the blinking Yellow, and Green lights.
If you are getting the Yellow and Green blinking light, chances are your fan might start to act crazy. It might turn on, only to shut off automatically.
If this fits the case with your Nest Thermostat, there is no need to worry. Follow the below steps to fix it.
- Pull off the Nest Display from the base.
- Depending on the model, it can either be a mini, or a micro USB cable.
- Leave the Nest charging for 2-3 hours.
- Reseat the display on top of the base.
- Make sure you firmly reseat the base, wait until you hear the clicking sound.
- Check the power reading from the app.
- Launch the Google Nest App and navigate to Settings > Technical Info > Power
- If the power is full, your Nest Thermostat should work fine now.
Combination of Blinking Yellow and Green Lights
Other than the Green and Orange combined lights, you might also get the Yellow, and Green combined lights on your Nest thermostat.
- Take off the display, and charge it.
- Depending on the current battery stat, it can take up to two hours until your Nest is fully charged.
- After charging is complete, reseat the display back on top of the base.
- Make sure you have placed the display firmly on the base.
Conclusion
So, there you go. So far you have seen how to solve problems regarding blinking lights on your Nest Thermostat. Starting from red, green, orange, yellow, white, blue, no light, you also saw solutions for combined green & orange, and green & yellow blinking lights.
If none of our instructions worked, we recommend you call in the cavalry and get a professional involved.
We hope you found this article helpful. If you have any further queries, please leave a comment below.