We have our furnace/AC fan set to run constantly - Bad idea?

[brigden]

Our house has central air/forced heat. The fan is set to run constantly, whether it's pushing cold, hot, or just air. Is leaving it on a bad idea? I assume setting it to auto would make it come on when there's heat or AC to push, correct?

 

[FoBoT]

why do you have it "on" instead of "auto" ?

your blower might wear out faster, but blowers are pretty rugged

i think most people use "auto"

was it set to "on" when you bought the house and you just left it that way?

 

[brigden]

We rent. It never occured to me that the fan was constantly on until I took a closer look at the thermostat. We're just putting the heat on now.

 

[Yzzim]

Originally posted by: brigden
We rent. It never occured to me that the fan was constantly on until I took a closer look at the thermostat. We're just putting the heat on now.

Having the fan on (and only the fan, no heat or cooling) will just give you air movement through the house. Nothing wrong with it, but I think it's a waste to have it going 24/7.

 

[brigden]

I wonder if it would reduce our energy costs to turn it off.

 

[FoBoT]

Originally posted by: brigden
I wonder if it would reduce our energy costs to turn it off.

a little, but a 1/4 HP blower or whatever it is doesn't take much electricity.

 

[Yzzim]

Originally posted by: FoBoT

Originally posted by: brigden
I wonder if it would reduce our energy costs to turn it off.

a little, but a 1/4 HP blower or whatever it is doesn't take much electricity.

definitely not going to increase them

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

It will probably make the fan die quicker, but it won't kill the whole unit.

 

[Yzzim]

Originally posted by: DeathByAnts
It will probably make the fan die quicker, but it won't kill the whole unit.

plus you'll have to replace the air filter more often.

 

[EyeMWing]

Originally posted by: Yzzim

Originally posted by: DeathByAnts
It will probably make the fan die quicker, but it won't kill the whole unit.

plus you'll have to replace the air filter more often.

For a whopping thirty cents. Or do people actually buy those retarded expensive ones?

 

[Kelemvor]

Having it run continuously is a great idea for filtering the air more. Just be sure to keep the vents clean and the filters changed on a regular basis. However this obviously uses more electricity since the fan is always on. But you can get furnaces that are specifically made to have the fan run constantly and they run on DC to make it cost less, but it's doubtful you have that in a rental.

SHort answer, costs more but filters better. Not a high change the fan will wear out...

 

[squirrel dog]

auto.the other way is asking for a repair bill.

 

[RU482]

Originally posted by: FoBoT

Originally posted by: brigden
I wonder if it would reduce our energy costs to turn it off.

a little, but a 1/4 HP blower or whatever it is doesn't take much electricity.

1/4 HP = 186.425 Watts