Air Conditioning - Basic A/C Operation Question?
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tgbjr1973
06-07-06, 08:46 PM
Is it best to set the thermostat to run the fan on "Auto" or to "On"?
Which is more energy efficient? Which cools or heats a home the best? Thanks for your opinions!!
Which is more energy efficient? Which cools or heats a home the best? Thanks for your opinions!!
Rob61
06-07-06, 09:12 PM
Is it best to set the thermostat to run the fan on "Auto" or to "On"?
Which is more energy efficient? Which cools or heats a home the best? Thanks for your opinions!!
What I have told my customers in the past was on hot muggy days set your temp and move the fan switch to the ON position.
This way the house feeels cooler (with air movement) and the condenser cycles as needed.
I happen to be in the north east so I do not know what people do in the south or west, I waould have to assume they would say the same.
Which is more energy efficient? Which cools or heats a home the best? Thanks for your opinions!!
What I have told my customers in the past was on hot muggy days set your temp and move the fan switch to the ON position.
This way the house feeels cooler (with air movement) and the condenser cycles as needed.
I happen to be in the north east so I do not know what people do in the south or west, I waould have to assume they would say the same.
mattison
06-08-06, 05:26 AM
What ever feels best. Running the blower 24/7 will cost you a little to run each month.
jim-connor
06-08-06, 06:42 AM
I would like to add..... It depends where the ducts are located. If they are in a hot attic, then you would be picking up some of that heat through the duct insulation and moving it into the living areas. In such cases, you would probably want to limit the blower to operate only when the compressor is on.
Jay11J
06-08-06, 03:40 PM
The fan "ON" will have to be your call.
in my own home, I run the fan 24/7 in the winter to move air around and does keep the temp pretty even in all rooms of my split level home.
In the summer, I put it in "AUTO", and maybe... maybe on "CIRC" in the evening.
I have a variable speed blower, so it runs at a slower speed than a normal system would. So, in the winter, I don't get the cool draft feel.
Why don't I run the fan in the summer? When the outdoor unit shuts off, the coil inside is wet, and was cool, slowly warming up.. What happens to the water on the coil? It may/will throw it back into the home. A good test is in your car. You run your A/C for a while, then you switch it from A/C to Vent. How does the air feel coming out of the vent when you do that?
My parents home, they are able to run the fan 24/7 in thier home, and see no changes in humidity, where mine, I do. so that's where you have to be the Judge of your own home.
My advise, if you got fresh air vent tied into your return, you are now gonig to be pulling all that heat/humdity in the summer, and cold air in the winter. When the system isn't running, you are going to feel the outdoor temp if you run the fan ON.
in my own home, I run the fan 24/7 in the winter to move air around and does keep the temp pretty even in all rooms of my split level home.
In the summer, I put it in "AUTO", and maybe... maybe on "CIRC" in the evening.
I have a variable speed blower, so it runs at a slower speed than a normal system would. So, in the winter, I don't get the cool draft feel.
Why don't I run the fan in the summer? When the outdoor unit shuts off, the coil inside is wet, and was cool, slowly warming up.. What happens to the water on the coil? It may/will throw it back into the home. A good test is in your car. You run your A/C for a while, then you switch it from A/C to Vent. How does the air feel coming out of the vent when you do that?
My parents home, they are able to run the fan 24/7 in thier home, and see no changes in humidity, where mine, I do. so that's where you have to be the Judge of your own home.
My advise, if you got fresh air vent tied into your return, you are now gonig to be pulling all that heat/humdity in the summer, and cold air in the winter. When the system isn't running, you are going to feel the outdoor temp if you run the fan ON.
Former Member
06-08-06, 05:03 PM
Buy your self a good humidity meter and do a bit of testing to see if your system adds humidity if fan runs continuosly. Lots of other factors that can affect whether you want run the fan continuosly or not, in my case my two story single zone system cools the upstairs much better in the summer with the fan on the humidity level does not vary by much, my returns are both on the first floor so the unit is pushing cooler air from first floor returns continuosly to the upstairs vents, it makes a big difference but the temp difference can still be as much as 8f on extra hot summer days thats when the kids attack the thermostat and turn the 1st floor into a virtual icebox LOL. I have plans to dual zone the house when unit replacement time comes around.