Regular Guest
I have a question about the fan on or in auto mode.
The bearing in the blower motor went out and the service tech that replaced it suggested I leave my fan in the on position instead of auto, I have always thought the auto was more efficient than the constant on and thus have always set in the auto position. Which is reccomended or more efficient for the life of the system?
Professional Member
Auto position is cheaper to operate. On position will be better because of air is always being filtered and circulating but the cost to run blower will be much greater unless you have a variable speed unit which you dont. I don't think the life of the motor is affected that much by the cycling.
Professional Member*
depending on furnace model and layout of registers fan on could make house feel cold and dafty in winter.
Professional Member
If his system is balanced then leaving the fan on will bring more equal circulation to the entire house. If the returns are located high then it could save on the gas bill b/c the fan will circulate the air more equally throughout the house.Originally Posted by t527ed
Don't settle for mediocrity, set higher standards for yourself than the rest.
Regular Guest
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and then again , having the fan "on" could also make the house feel very comfy.,and perhaps save a few burner cycles over a short period of time.
try it ,you may like it.
Professional Member*
Depends on the season I guess, I know you sure don't want to leave in the "on" position during the summer your humidity control will not be as good.
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Banned
the bearing will wear out quicker if its running the whole time i would think!
(would not matter much on v.s motor)
.
Professional Member
"on" or "auto" is just personal preference, with "auto" being less costly to run. The bearing saving position is "off".
If everything was always done "by the book"....the book would never change.
Professional Member
Notation on Fan Auto / On
IAQ - you will have improved IAQ with the fan ON
Seasonality - You will have a more comfortable home for most heating applications w/ fan ON. Note also on newer systems a fan ON call results in a 35% - 50% low speed default when heat / cool is satisfied.
With exception to intermittent ventilation needs, IE:a party in the home - the fan must be in the AUTO position for cooling. The only exception to this rule will be IF you've invested in whole house dehumidification.
On bearing life --- I seriously doubt any measurable difference exist between life expectancy of ON vs Auto.
Professional Member
In heating climates the constant fan can even out the temperatures, however can feel drafty if there is a fresh air intake open.
In cooling, constant fan will drive up RH. If you are not that humid of a climate it may not be a big deal.
The way we build has a greater impact on our comfort, energy consumption and IAQ than any HVAC system we install.
http://www.ductstrap.com/
Professional Member
well put
Work smarter... not harder.
Regular Guest
This has been my personal experience. I find there is much less temp differential between floors when I leave it on all the time.
Professional Member
If you have leaky ductwork, the ON position will drop the efficiency of your system. However, the proper fix would be to seal your ductwork.
In a properly sealed system, there is very little efficiency or bearing wear difference with the two positions. Try it both ways, and run it the way you like it.
Professional Member*
the biggest complaint with winter "fan on" ,is the cooling affect with 68-74 degree air swirling around a 98.6 degree body.having said that, fan on tends to equilize room to room temps, but insummer increases the humidity after t-stat has satisfied by evaporating the water left in the drain pan under the cooling coil. some newer coils claim a positive flow by downhill construction.I turn my fan on in late spring and off in early fall except those extremely humid days, because my coil's pan holds water.as previosly stated, personal preferrence and some electricity.
remember, with electronics; when its brown,its cooking and when its black, its done!!!
Banned
lets break that down,you have a serious doubt that a motor that runs
all the time will have the same bearing wear as a motor that does not run
all the time,i seriously doubt that that makes any sense whatsoever!
.
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