Of all the smart thermostats sold, the Nest Learning Thermostat is probably the best known and perhaps the smartest. Can't see the smart devices for the trees? We have listed the best-known Smart products for you in the blog 'Are you getting smart? You can easily buy a Nest thermostat yourself. You can order one online from around €250. The device will then be delivered to your home. But that's only step one. The thermostat then needs to be connected.
If you are a bit handy you can probably do the installation yourself. You don't have to be an electrician, but some knowledge of electricity is required. You can choose to have the installation of your new nest thermostat done by one of our smart home technicians.
Especially for installing a Nest Learning Thermostat, it is not a bad idea to hire a professional. During one of the steps, you have to open the central heating boiler. You don't need a central heating mechanic for that, but you do need to make sure you connect the wires correctly. Otherwise, the thermostat won't work.
Installing the Nest thermostat
Are you going to install the Nest yourself? The package contains everything needed for a successful connection of the thermostat. The Nest is mounted on the round base plate. This includes a Heat Link. This is a small square box and is very important. The Heat Link is connected to the central heating boiler. You only need the USB cable and adapter if you don't want to connect the Nest to the same place as your current thermostat.
The Nest installer - What does he do exactly?
Especially if you don't have a standard central heating boiler but a more complex heating system (or underfloor heating), it is advisable to enlist the help of an installer.
If you choose to have the Nest Learning Thermostat installed, the professional will do this for you in short:
He will check that the Nest Thermostat is compatible with your heating system;
He will test the heating system to make sure everything is working properly before installation;
Attach the heatlink to the boiler correctly;
Removing the old thermostat;
Mounting the Nest Learning Thermostat to the wall;
When everything is connected test that the heating system is working properly;
Connecting the Nest Thermostat to the WiFi network, or explaining how to do it yourself;
Having Nest thermostat installed by a nest installer
Any Nest thermostat installer knows that there are two ways a thermostat communicates with a heating system. One is through an on/off control. This simply turns the boiler's burner on and off.
However, some central heating boilers use a different protocol. This is called modulation which means that the burner intensity is adjusted. In most cases this is the OpenTherm protocol. This makes the installation a bit more complicated.
This is because the Nest thermostat only works based on the on/off control. To get everything working, the professional will connect the thermostat wire for this to two other screw contacts in the boiler. For a smart home installer a breeze. Once that's done, it's time to install the heat link.
The heat link must be installed between the Nest thermostat and the boiler. The thermostat wire should run from the thermostat to the heat link. In addition, a wire runs from the heat link to the boiler.
Note: It is important that you make sure the central heating boiler is no longer connected to the power. Always unplug the heatlink before installing it!
The technician will then open the central heating boiler. He will disconnect the wire from the current thermostat. Instead, he will attach a new wire to the boiler's on/off screw contacts.
The heatlink will be mounted near the boiler. The newly applied wire the installer connects to the two screw contacts of the heatlink. You now connect the thermostat wire that was previously disconnected from the boiler to the contacts T1 and T2.
If done correctly, the Nest thermostat can now make good contact with the central heating boiler through the heatlink. The professional can now start to help you complete the installation via the Nest app. He will connect to WIFI and follow the step-by-step plan in the app.
Always test that everything is really working properly right after the installation and before the technician leaves. Use your phone to set the temperature lower and higher and check if the boiler turns on/off. If this happens, you are assured that your new Nest Learning Thermostat is installed correctly.
