The short answer
A Google Nest works on most Goodman, Amana and Daikin systems in Northern Virginia. The three brands come from the same company, and a regular furnace, air conditioner or heat pump from any of them runs on a Nest once a C wire gives it steady power. Goodman’s newer ComfortBridge equipment works too: Goodman says ComfortBridge works with any single-stage thermostat, smart ones included. The one to watch is a communicating system wired on terminals marked 1 and 2, an older Goodman or Amana ComfortNet or a Daikin on its own Daikin One+ control. A Nest can’t use those data wires. Keep that control, or have the system rewired the regular way first.
Which do you have?
Turn the system off, pull the thermostat off its wall plate, and look at the terminals. Take a photo before you unhook anything.
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| What you see | What you have | Will a Nest run it? |
|---|---|---|
| Five to eight wires on letters like R, W, Y, G, C and O | A regular 24 volt system, ComfortBridge equipment included | Yes, with a C wire |
| Four wires on R, C, 1 and 2 | A communicating system: ComfortNet on an older Goodman or Amana, or a Daikin on its Daikin One+ | Not as wired. Keep that control, or have it rewired |
| Letters, but no C and no spare wire in the bundle | A regular system that will run a Nest short on power | Yes, once a C wire is run |
On ComfortBridge equipment, the furnace or air handler and the outdoor unit do their fine tuning between themselves, so the thermostat only has to call for heat or cooling. Older ComfortNet systems are different: the thermostat is the brain, on data wires 1 and 2. Goodman’s ComfortNet install manual also lets that equipment be wired as a legacy system on a standard 24 volt thermostat, so a tech can rewire it for a Nest. It then runs as a regular system, without the communicating control’s settings.
Nest on a regular Goodman: the good and the catch
The good: the Nest Learning Thermostat learns when you’re home and sets the schedule itself. On a heat pump, Heat Pump Balance decides how much to lean on the backup heat.
The catch is power. Lots of Goodman and Amana furnaces in Northern Virginia went in with a thin wire bundle and no C wire, because the old thermostat ran on batteries. Without it, the Nest borrows power through the heat and cool wires, and Google lists what that looks like:
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| What you notice | What’s going on | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| A low battery warning, a dark screen, or Wi-Fi dropping | Not enough power without a C wire | Connect a spare wire as C at both ends |
| Delayed or Starts in, again and again | The Nest is waiting on power before it runs the system | The same C wire. Once it has power, the waits stop |
| Clicking, the system cycling on its own, or the fan running nonstop | The Nest is pulling power through the heat or cool wire | A C wire, then set the fan to Auto |
| E1, E297, N260 or N261 | Google’s codes for a missing or weak C wire | A spare wire, Google’s Nest Power Connector, or a new wire pulled |
Nest codes on a Goodman or Amana, and what’s usually behind them
The Nest code tells you which wire lost power. The whole list is in our Nest error code guide.
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| Nest code | Google says | On a Goodman or Amana, usually |
|---|---|---|
| E2, E22, E72 | No power wires, Rc or Rh required | Power is off at the furnace or air handler, or the R wire came loose |
| E4, E24, E74 | No power to Rh | The furnace switch or breaker is off, the blower door isn’t latched, the board’s fuse blew, or the condensate float switch tripped |
| E5, E25, E75 | No heating or cooling detected | W1 or Y1 isn’t connected, or a wire broke in the wall |
| E9, E29, E79 | No power to C | The C wire isn’t landed at the furnace board, or the spare wire in the bundle was never hooked up |
| E52 to E58 | Overcurrent on HVAC equipment | A shorted wire or a failing part. Stop resetting it. More in the Nest overcurrent error |
Before you reset anything, look at the furnace. A Goodman or Amana furnace blinks its code on the control board. Write the pattern down first, because cutting the power can clear it. Our Goodman furnace codes and Amana furnace codes guides read them, and Goodman heat pump error codes covers the outdoor unit.
Heat pump trouble that comes from the setup
- Heat blows cold and the AC blows warm. The reversing valve setting is backwards. A Nest starts on O. The diagram in the outdoor unit’s panel shows which one yours uses, and the setting is in the Google Home app under Settings, Thermostat, Heat pump.
- Heat strips run all the time, or never. The AUX wire isn’t where the Nest expects it, or Heat Pump Balance is set to save the most and the house falls behind. See aux heat vs emergency heat.
- Dual fuel. A heat pump with a gas furnace as backup needs a Nest that lists dual fuel. Check Google’s compatibility checker before you buy.
Nest, Daikin One+, Honeywell or ecobee
Is Google Nest the best thermostat? On this brand family, it usually is a good fit.
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| Thermostat | Good at | Watch for | Best on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Nest Learning Thermostat | Learns your schedule, Heat Pump Balance, Google Home | Needs steady power. Can’t use the 1 and 2 data wires | Regular and ComfortBridge systems |
| Daikin One+ | Daikin’s own control, wired on 1, 2, C and R | Made for Daikin equipment | A Daikin communicating system |
| Honeywell Home smart thermostat | Room sensors on some models, lots of wiring options | Most smart models want a C wire | Regular systems, a house with one cold bedroom |
| ecobee | Room sensors, works with Google, Alexa and Apple Home | Needs a C wire or its adapter. Can’t use the data wires | Regular and ComfortBridge systems. We install it for a flat price |
What we’d put on your wall
- A regular or ComfortBridge Goodman or Amana: any of them. Live in Google Home? A Nest, with a C wire run. One bedroom always cold? An ecobee or a Honeywell Home with a room sensor.
- A Goodman heat pump: a Nest Learning Thermostat or an ecobee, with the AUX wire landed right and the reversing valve checked on the first cold night.
- An older ComfortNet system: keep the ComfortNet control while it works. If it fails, ask us about rewiring the system the regular way, which Goodman’s manual allows, and then any of them fits.
- A Daikin communicating system: keep the Daikin One+. It runs from your phone already.
When to call us
Call when a Nest code keeps coming back, when the furnace light is blinking, or when the house won’t hold temperature. We work on Goodman, Amana and Daikin furnaces, ACs and heat pumps across Northern Virginia, and we check the furnace code and the thermostat wiring on the same visit. A repair visit starts with a flat $99 diagnostic, and you get the price of the fix before we start.
Want the smart thermostat done for you? Our ecobee install is a flat $549 for the thermostat and the install: wired, mounted and set up on your phone before we leave. Heading into winter, our heating check is $67 per system, through December 31: furnace, heat pump or boiler.
Have a different brand?
- Google Nest on a Trane system
- Google Nest on a Carrier system
- Google Nest on a Lennox system
- Google Nest on a Rheem or Ruud system
- Google Nest on a Bryant system
The system we put in first
Built to take a beating. Put in by our crew.
Heat lamps, snow and rain on one outdoor unit: that’s Trane’s own film. We’re a Trane Comfort Specialist, on Trane’s own dealer locator, and when you pick a Trane, our crew puts it in.
Films: Trane’s own.
Book it
Rated 5.0 stars across 1,138 reviews on Google, Angi, Yelp, the BBB and Facebook. Virginia Class A license 2705192276. Book a visit online or call (703) 997-9757. Book from goswiftpro.com/cookiesoffer and a box of warm cookies comes with the visit.
Questions people ask
Does Google Nest work with Goodman?
Yes on regular 24 volt Goodman furnaces, air conditioners and heat pumps once there’s a C wire, and Goodman says its ComfortBridge equipment works with any single-stage thermostat. An older ComfortNet system on wires 1 and 2 needs its own control or a rewire.
Does a Nest work with ComfortBridge?
Yes. Goodman’s ComfortBridge brochure says it works with any single-stage basic or smart thermostat, because the equipment does its fine tuning itself.
Can I put a Nest on a Goodman ComfortNet system?
Not on the 1 and 2 data wires. Goodman’s manual lets ComfortNet equipment be wired as a legacy system on a standard 24 volt thermostat, so a tech can rewire it, and then a Nest runs it as a regular system.
Does Google Nest work with Amana?
Amana is built by the same company as Goodman, so the answer is the same: yes on regular systems with a C wire, not on a communicating system’s data wires.
Should I replace my Daikin One+ with a Nest?
Not on a Daikin communicating system wired on 1, 2, C and R. The Daikin One+ is the control built for it, and it already runs from your phone.
