Since the fan uses much less power than the outdoor unit, you save money in the end. Yes, this is a good feature for individuals who do not want to run the fan constantly, but still want to have some air circulation. Are you in Central Kentucky? As a result, the fan will continue to run. If homeowners find this is beneficial, it is generally suggested to only run … There are a few instances where if your furnace fan keeps running it is not a good idea. I live in an area with some hot summer days , with unhealthy wildfire smoke. No pockets of hot and cold. on some of my upcoming projects. And as another example here is a Goodman Amana Furnace Fan Relay B1370751 B13707-51. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Actually, the opposite is true. I have a single story home with vaulted ceilings and a new furnace in the attic. Hi I live in New England and it’s summertime I have a brand new HVAC with an HRV if I continuously run the fan in my home during the cooling season it just drives the humidity up in the home from the condensation in the evap coil drip pan doesn’t make sense to keep it off in my case? Second, having a fan run constantly leads to higher dust levels in a home, even with expensive furnace filters. The heating needs of the fan will always override the constant fan setting. Turning your thermostat to fan on mode helps even out the temperatures by a few degrees by pulling some of the ho… Good karma to you bud. We just moved into our new house. You won’t have to worry about the fan wearing out or breaking. When you leave the fan on continuous mode, it will constantly recirculate the air through the house. Hi, can you advise if you can operate the automatic fan on an oil fired furnace at the same time turning up the thermostat to bring heat on through via the fan? The auto setting turns the fan on only when the air conditioning or furnace is actively running. If you are in a condo you might want to run your furnace fan only during peak heating and cooling hours. If you have an efficient filter and a UV light, you are constantly filtering and cleaning the air. OK, thanks again for the advice. Hello all, I live in Nebraska. “On” means that your furnace fan will be continuously running, while “auto” means that it will run in order to match the temperature in your house to what you’ve set your thermostat to. Thank you. Better Air Circulation. Then two minutes later it comes on again. By running the furnace fan all the time, you are also running air through your furnace filter constantly. If it’s cloudy and relatively cool outside but feeling stuffy in your home, running the fan for an hour or so can certainly help. This is beneficial because it can reduce cold and warm spots in the house. Your thermostat fan setting should be set to AUTO, not ON. What is Radon & Why Should My Home Be Tested? My question is, how do we know if we have duct leakage if our condo is built on a slab? The house is well insulated and the windows are protected from solar heating, so even when it is hot, the house stays cool, so I rarely need the air conditioner. What is the best way to use the fan so I can clean the air without drawing heat into the ducting from the attic, and not using the air conditioner? By running the furnace fan all the time, you are also running air through your furnace filter constantly. 801 Winchester Rd. Keeping the fan running also means heating is more evenly distributed throughout your home. Additionally, this feature is especially beneficial in multi-story homes, where rising hot air can cause the upper floors to be uncomfortably warm. You should only run the humidifier when it calls for heat. If you have an efficient filter and a UV light, you are constantly filtering and cleaning the air. In fact, according to a study by the Kentucky Department of Energy (DEDI) homes with ductwork in the attic or crawl space in Kentucky had an average of 44 percent leakage! We’ve provided pros and cons of each setting option, so you can decide which one is best for you. A heating system works by distributing warm around your home. We’re here to help! Running the furnace fan on continuous low speed is a good idea to improve air movement within your home, but it only makes sense in the heating and cooling seasons. The most stressful part of any motor’s life is that when it starts. Finally someone who knows what they’re talking about! If you hear the fan running constantly, you might start to wonder why. That means over 20 percent of the air in your home is passing through your attic or crawl space before it gets to you — YUCK! Without me knowing the exact set up of your system, it would be hard to say why you are seeing increased humidity. If the filter is dirty, it restricts airflow across the heat exchanger, which causes it to overheat! The house retains heat and is fairly winterized but the furnace seems to be always running. A typical AC fan motor uses about 500 watts when it’s running. If your fan is set to auto, it should only run if your furnace is in the heating cycle. This helps circulate the air and maintain a more balanced temperature without having to run the fan continuously. The fan will start about 40 seconds after the burners light and go off about one minute after the temperature is satisfied. When the furnace fan is constantly on, air is continuously cycling throughout the home. These fan systems were designed to run all the time and, assuming your system is properly installed with the correct size ductwork, it may even extend the life of the fan. But I’m not 100% sure what speed it should be at. Here is a simple checklist to troubleshoot a furnace fan that is constantly blowing: Check your thermostat. If your fan is set to ON, it will run continuously, regardless of whether your furnace is heating or not. In milder months, it may only run for a few minutes every hour. No, we do not recommend constantly running the furnace fan in the heat of the summer, as you will draw attic temperatures into the living space. It’s not a very expensive upgrade and it makes both heating and cooling more efficient. Some HVAC technicians also state that it is better for the fan motor to run continuously instead of turning on and off with the furnace. If your heating and cooling equipment is more than 12 years old, it probably came with a one-speed blower motor that cycles between ‘on’ and ‘off.’ These units have conventional split-capacitor electric motors that do not make speed adjustments. You see, ON forces the blower to run 24/7 whereas the AUTO setting only runs the blower when your furnace is on a heating cycle. However, the increase is minimal, and with high efficiency motors you may not even notice a difference in your bill. I turned it up to 45% but according to the sensor, it never gets there and 43% is the highest and the fan is constantly running, trying to get the humidity to 45%. What can I do? The most obvious benefit to keeping the furnace fan on the “on” setting is more even heating and cooling distribution. In my opinion, the government should mandate all new furnaces have a variable speed motor. I have a nice dehumidifer I will run also. Also adding indoor air quality products like high-efficiency filters or ultraviolet light systems will greatly improve the air in your home while running the furnace fan, so that you can turn your furnace into a whole-house air cleaner! The result is better air quality, since particles are constantly being removed from your air. Many people are under the assumption that running their furnace fan all the time will cause it to fail prematurely. If your fan is set to ON, the fan will constantly blow. There is an option to use the cold air from the basement to temper the air upstairs. Keeping your thermostat fan setting to ON will also cause cold air to blow out of your air vents. Yes, the higher MERV rated filter will capture more particulate matter, helping to improve your air quality. Should I Run My Furnace Fan All the Time? In milder months, it may only run for a few minutes every hour. Running your fan on AUTO or ON is a personal preference. He said the air would be healthier, less dust and easier on the ac. Auto helps distribute air in the beginning of the cooling or heating cycle and then cuts off when the set temperature is reached. Our furnace has the humidity module on it. Synergy Home Tips > Blog Posts & Articles. This results in healthier indoor air quality for your family and less dust on your furniture. Or could the circulating air help the window units work more efficiently? The air filter captures dust, pet hair, and debris that could damage the furnace and keeps it from getting to the heat exchanger. Yes. By running the furnace fan all the time, you are also running air through your furnace filter constantly, ... Is it OK to run AC fan all the time? Running a furnace fan constantly also has drawbacks. Is there an air intake anywhere that I should be closing, or anything else I should be doing? The evening sun will do the reverse in the afternoon. If you have a newer ENERGY STAR rated furnace it will have a variable speed motor that is designed to run all the time. The exhaust fan turns on first, a second limit switch senses the fan is on the sends a signal to … Therefore, if you run the fan continuously for a 30-day month (720 hours), you would use 360,000 watt hours (720 x 500) or 360 kilowatt hours (kWh). It has moisture but is always around 55°. Is It OK to Continuously Run Your Furnace Fan. However, if the laptop does not run any software at all, and your laptop fan always on, that may be caused by the system set up. ON means that the fan is constantly on and blowing air when your HVAC system is not heating or cooling air. 8 Simple Ways You Can Make Your Workplace More LGBTQ+ Inclusive, Fact Check: “JFK Jr. Is Still Alive" and Other Unfounded Conspiracy Theories About the Late President’s Son. If your ductwork is in the attic is one example. Reader Question: Furnace fan keeps running with no heat coming from the furnace. Not sure if the furnace fan will do ok without an A/C unit. I constantly get this question from homeowners in the greater Lexington, KY, area, and the answer is almost always. Continuous fan operation will constantly recirculate the air throughout the house which will help even out temperatures from room to room or floor to floor. Exhaust fan should only run when the furnace is on. A fan running continuously will pull that hot air back through the HVAC system to keep the temperature even. This results in healthier indoor air quality for your family and less dust on your furniture. Would that just suck out all the cool air? Should I run the furnace fan all the time? This can also happen when certain parts in your furnace is broken or damaged. If homeowners find this is beneficial, it is generally suggested to only run the furnace fan constantly during the cold heating season. Homeowners should experiment to see if it works best for their home to have the furnace fan running continuously or not. Even if you have a single story home, you should still run your furnace fan. Required fields are marked *. Normally I would say yes it should help but I’d suggest trying it for a couple of weeks and see if you like the results. If you do have equipment replaced, make sure your contractor adds duct sealing to the job. Even if you have a single story home, you should still run your furnace fan. I would like to use the fan with a high quality air filter and mix the cool basement air with the warm air of the second story bedrooms and hallway. There are a couple of reasons why you may not want to run your fan. If your fan is running constantly, the heat exchanger never gets a chance to cool down either which can cause serious issues. The greater question is if you have duct work running through the concrete slab, you should have a radon test completed to ensure it is not pulling radon from the ground. Running the fan continuously does have several benefits. Running the furnace fan all the time can help by constantly pulling the cold air from the lower level and warmer air from the upper level, blending the two, and then redistributing a more stable, even temperature throughout the home. I have a Hepa filter. It is considered OK to continuously run a furnace fan. When the temperature of the laptop rises, the fan will start to rotate. Will definitely make use of a few of these techniques Running your furnace fan will blend the air throughout the day keeping the air in your home from having noticeable hot and cold spots. Thank you. In addition, it provides extra air filtration which may be helpful if health risks are a concern. THe problem is it seems to be running constantly. We can calculate the correct size furnace for your home. It is much easier on the motor to run constantly than to start and stop all the time. During your tune-ups, we’ll inspect your system for any problems like a malfunctioning limit switch that might cause your furnace fan to always be on. We’re sorry to hear you are impacted by the wildfires – if you need a recommendation for a local HVAC company to service your system, let us know. Laptop fan is an important component of the laptop cooling system. Also, I have a HUGE air register in the middle of the living room floor. There are several benefits and some drawbacks to running a furnace fan constantly. Compared it to city miles vs highway miles on a car. MERV-13 is the highest rated filter for residential use, so you’ve made a great choice. NOAA Hurricane Forecast Maps Are Often Misinterpreted — Here's How to Read Them. CEO Compensation and America's Growing Economic Divide. If you have an older home with a lot of duct leakage it may not be a good idea to run the fan all the time as it may draw in dirty air from places you don’t want. On 2019-07-06 1 by (mod) - Supco relay used as an A/C fan relay switch. The gas furnace is under five years old and heats up the house quite well. If you have a builder’s grade or older system then it may cost you as much as $10-$12 a month. Continuous mode – which allows the fan to run all the time, even when the furnace is not engaged – has only one minor drawback. On the other hand, the ECM technology in a variable-speed unit allows the blower t… The circulate feature on some thermostats will automatically run the fan for around 20 minutes out of every hour. Run furnace fan 24/7? This can easily be fixed by having a good air conditioning contractor come in and seal your ductwork — it’s not very expensive and is usually done in less than a day. Is that the right thing to do? Your home’s heating and cooling system will help to balance these issues, but it does not run all the time. If you feel any drafts under your doors/windows, use a towel to block outside air from coming in. Your home’s heating and cooling system will help to balance these issues, but it does not run all the time. However, it should not blow nonstop. But if the furnace fan runs continuously, regardless of whether the furnace is heating or not, your furnace fan limit switch is either: Set incorrectly to Manual or Faulty and needs to be repaired/replaced Now that you’ve located your fan limit switch, let’s look at how you can determine whether it’s set correctly or not. Lexington, KY 40505. In a closed space like your home this process is called the “stack effect” — it is the same process that allows your fireplace to draw smoke out of the chimney. Unless you have areas in your home that are problematic for condensation and poor air circulation, seasonal use of this and the HRV should be sufficient. Our home is currently 43% humidity. Pros to setting your thermostat fan setting to AUTO. Perfect sense⚡️. In multi-story houses or town homes, hot air can rise up the stairs and overheat the upper floors. So generally speaking, it makes sense to run the fan constantly, or use the circulate option on a thermostat, if there is minimal heating/cooling taking place and you aren’t opening the windows for ventilation or air movement. If your furnace is not running constantly, it’s more likely that you notice how cold some areas of your home get compared to others. Modern furnaces are designed to do this using very low energy, however your older oil furnace may use more energy, so it may be more trouble than it’s worth. We’d be happy to provide a free estimate on a modern furnace that would be dramatically more efficient than what you have. Second, troubleshoot for fan limit switch problems On cooling, the fan will run only when the air conditioner is running. The U.S. Supreme Court: Who Are the Nine Justices on the Bench Today? What if I have a single story home — should I still run my fan? I'll move forward with ordering a new board. This first step is the simplest. My older oil furnace does not have A/C . Your email address will not be published. If you believe you may have leaky ductwork give us a call today or contact us here for service. I run my furnace fan continuously at LOW speed. On the other hand, if you notice that your furnace is still running after it reached your desired temperature, it means the furnace is not getting the message that it’s already accomplished its goal. Tip: Avoid setting your fan to ON, it wastes money because it forces the fan motor to run constantly. With the fan constantly on, it’ll recirculate the air throughout your home which will help even out temperatures from different parts of your house. So far we are feeling more even heat in the rooms. Is a single speed or variable speed fan better? We have an older oil furnace without AC. Running your home’s furnace fan all the time is not a bad thing. With electricity rates in central Kentucky, it will cost the average homeowner less than $3 per month to run the fan 24 hours a day. If you have an efficient filter and a UV light, you are constantly filtering and cleaning the air. Pros to Running Fan on Air Conditioner Continuously: Keeping the fan on creates a more even distribution of heating and cooling, circulating the air if you have cold or hot spots in your house, like a bedroom above a garage. Contrary to what you might think, a bigger furnace may not necessarily mean more heating power for your home. This is why in some houses the basement is always cold and the upstairs is always warmer. Here’s a quick look at the benefits of running the furnace fan at each setting — and how you can decide which setting is better for your home. 2015/10/22 Anonymous said: My fan keeps running with no heat on furnace. Another is if you have leaky ductwork since this can damage your system. Posted on 18 November 2019 If you notice that your fan is running all the time, you will want to know that this is not how your furnace should be operating. Cheers for the great share. If you have an older home you should have your ducts sealed even if you are not planning to replace any equipment anytime soon. On 2019-07-06 by (mod) - Goodman Amana Furnace Fan Relay B1370751 B13707-51. That’s because the fan is not working all the time. There is a simple explanation for this. The truth is, it varies which is the better choice for you. The furnace and fan will come on for a while and then shut off. It’s actually designed to run continuously. If your furnace fan is set to AUTO and is still running, then move on to the next section. Here are 4 common reasons your furnace is running constantly. This is because different parts of your home will experience different external temperatures throughout the day. If you are located near Lexington, KY, and you’d like us to do a free site visit to give you advice, we’re happy to do so. Having an ENERGY STAR rated furnace with a variable speed motor is ideal. The fan only runs when the furnace tells it to. Same advice? It uses electricity to keep the fan running and therefore causes slightly higher electric bills. Running the fan all the time can also help keep allergens out of the air, pulling air thro… Thanks for the question, Kay! Send us an email at info@mysynergyhome.com, or use our contact form, and we’ll respond within one business day. Running the fan will provide for better air circulation throughout the entire home, … The number of BTUs, or British Thermal Units, needed to heat your home is dependent on a number of variables. In multi-story houses or town homes, warm air can rise up to upper floors and overheat those rooms. There are several problems that this can indicate. To be safe – unless you have a specific reason to keep the fan running constantly, just place your central air or furnace fan setting on auto. Very informative. Of course, there are a few circumstances in which it might be a good idea to run the whole-home fan for a while in order to maintain your comfort level. My forced air gas furnace is in the crawl space. “On” option––Air is always being cycled through your furnace filtration system when your fan is continually running. Therefore, the fan uses about 360 kWh per month in the ON mode. Very informative, thank you for all the information! We are having heavy wildfire smoke right now and have replaced our filter with a MERV 13 filter and are running the fan continuously, trying to make the inside air safer. Suite 200 Because hot air is lighter than cold air, hot air will naturally rise and cold air will naturally fall. Whenever a cold snap hits – lower than 25 degrees here in Atlanta Metro – your furnace or heat pump may seem to run constantly, leading you to believe that perhaps your unit is too small and unable to keep up. We have many friends on the west coast. This results in healthier indoor air quality for your family and less dust on your furniture.In the cooling season running the furnace fan can help lower humidity in your home by running air through your air conditioner’s evaporator more consistently which allows the system to pull out even more moisture over time. Running your furnace fan all the time could save you money each month because having more even temperatures in the home results in the heat or air conditioner running less. Please do no keep my email for solicitations, or give to any 3rd parties. I constantly get this question from homeowners in the greater Lexington, KY, area, and the answer is almost always, “Yes!” Almost — but more about that later. Call us at 859-687-0553 – we’d love to chat with you about your furnace needs. Keeping your fan on AUTO is the most energy-efficient option. Crawlspace systems can be tricky, especially if the ducts are leaky. My ducting goes in the attic to the heat vents in the ceiling. Pros to Keeping Fan Continuously Running: Less frequent starts and stops of the fan can reduce the stress from startup, and potentially help extend its lifespan. Pros I have an old stone wall basement with a drylock sealed cement floor. The ductwork is not vented in the attic and we do have a high efficiency electronic air filter on the furnace. Why Is My Furnace Fan Running Constantly? We just had a furnace contractor tell us to leave our furnace fan on continuously to even out the heat in the house. Don’t run the fan in the heat of the summer? Newer motors called ECM motors are more energy efficient than older AC motors. Turn it to AUTO and see if that solves the problem. If you want to keep your furnace’s fan running properly, it’s important to schedule annual tune-ups for your furnace. If you have noticed that your furnace is constantly running, even as the cold weather is starting to ease up, it might be a sign that something’s lurking in your heating system. The rest of they year, you should be fine, but please use your best judgement. There is either an electronic or a vacuum limit switch that turns the exhaust fan on when there is a call for heat. This helps keep the temperatures in each individual room even. This is because. The auto setting is energy efficient and may be enough for most typical-use homeowners. During heating, the fan is controlled by either a timer circuit or a limit circuit in the unit. First of all, depending on the type of motor the furnace has, having the fan on continuously may add several hundred dollars to the home's electric bill. By running the furnace fan all the time, you are also running air through your furnace filter constantly. The main thing is to ensure you try to keep the outside air out as much as possible – double check all windows are shut/locked and fireplace dampers are closed. When running your fan continuously, we recommend doing so on the low speed setting. Homeowners should experiment to see if it works best for their home to have the furnace fan running continuously or not. Personally, I prefer “auto,” but let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each now: As hvac guy was leaving he told me to leave the furnace fan running continuously. Every unit is installed with a “set point”. It is considered OK to continuously run a furnace fan. The circulate feature on some thermostats will automatically run the fan for around 20 minutes out of every hour. The furnace goes into “cool down” mode and runs the fan constantly. Very cold winters and hot and humid summers. Reply: 6 steps to getting heat on when the fan runs but the furnace does not. These fan systems were designed to run all the time and, assuming your system is properly installed with the correct size ductwork, it may even extend the life of the fan.