I was told to always set my air conditioner fan to "on" and "cool" for the best air circulation. Right now I have the air conditioner fan setting set to "on" and the temp setting set to "cool" as a few people have told me to try it out. Its seems to be working for the hotter rooms upstairs but will this drive my electric bill up or damage the blower motor if it runs 24/7? I just replaced that motor and that’s how I heard of this method.
4 different people told me they do this during the summer and I've never heard of doing that. I always set mine in the past to "auto" and "cool". Will I save money by leaving it on all the time? What’s the best?
2007-09-06 17:45:40 · 8 answers · asked by FERG 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
So far nobody has given you the true correct answer.
If you do decide to circulate the air continuosly then here is your truly correct answer.
It's best to jump out the low speed fan motor control. That way your low speed fan will run all of the time saving you energy and keeping a steady temperature in the house. The high speed fan will drive up your bill. The high speed will be energized when your AC comes on and the relay will cut out the low speed.
There are several ways to do this considering that some furnaces do not have a fan relay, but rather have an electronic control board. A relay can be added for just a few dollars if you know how to do it. If you already have a fan station and a relay, just jump across the fan control. That will keep a steady temperature in your house for pennies a day.
That's the correct answer so all of these other guys should stuff a sock in it.
2007-09-07 04:29:32 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
The advantage of keeping the fan in the on position is that the air will continue to circulate throughout the house even if the thermostat has satisfied (reached its set-point). Since most residential installations have the return air grille in a central location (commonly the hallway) and the thermostat near the return, unless the fan is in the on position the thermostat will not sense the heat that is collecting in the outlying rooms. By running the fan constantly, you are giving the thermostat a sense of the average temperature in the house since all of the air mixes as it goes back to the return. Therefore the cooling will tend to cycle on more often because it better senses the heat. As far as what is better, it depends on your priorities. If you want to keep the house at a fairly constant temperature throughout the house and throughout the day, then the on position will provide the best result. The trade off is that you will increase your energy consumption both from the constant fan operation as well as the more frequent cycling of the compressor. There will be minimal blower motor damage from constant operation as start-up is harder on a motor than continuous use, however you need to pay more attention to the filters as they will plug up faster.
2007-09-07 02:12:08 · answer #2 · answered by Just wonderin' 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Wow, I have sold hundreds of AC units over the years and I have never heard anyone recommend setting them ON for 24/7. To me that sounds senseless. Why run the motor and use all the power when you don't need to. Simply set the unit on auto on the temp you desire and let the thermostat run it when it needs to run.
Yes, if the motor and blower run 24/7 that will logically consume more power and put more wear and tear on the motor.
2007-09-07 00:56:06 · answer #3 · answered by r0cky74 4 · 4⤊ 1⤋
To automatically cool the house set the fan to AUTO/COOL. Once the house is cool you could set the fan to ON, this will just run the fan to circulate the air.
Putting the AC to ON/COOL will cool continuously which will be very expensive. Also, the AC will not know when to turn off, getting the house colder and colder.
2007-09-07 11:26:39 · answer #4 · answered by big_mustache 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
"this " question was just asked/answered in a national handyman column.
You certainly will drive up the cost of the electric bill with the fan operating all the time.
Set to automatic.
The fan is used to draw the air through the evaporator coils and to distribute it once the heat is removed by the refrigerant.
It serves no purpose to run it at any other time.
Use ceiling or desk fans if you're uncomfortable within a room.
If 20 people tell you the incorrect answer then it doesn't make it right.
Attribute their anecdotes to the power of suggestion.
2007-09-07 01:04:22 · answer #5 · answered by B C 4 · 2⤊ 2⤋
auto is the best way it will control the air better and when it reaches the drsired temp it will shut off.... it is best to set it and leave it alone and not be shuting it off and on like when you leave for the day dont turn it off just turn the themostat up so the house will not get hot but still if you turn it off then the house will be hot and that will make the air work hard for a few hours to get back to where you want it and that will save you money and save the air
2007-09-07 00:52:31 · answer #6 · answered by infoman89032 6 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Rollin_West is right, this is sort of how a variable speed unit works.
2007-09-07 12:23:08 · answer #7 · answered by mike b 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
use "auto"
2007-09-07 01:13:59 · answer #8 · answered by reynwater 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋