Your furnace will run as needed to keep your home the set temperature, but whether you keep the fan set to ON or AUTO is a choice of cost vs. comfort. Below we go over some of the more common causes why this might be happening. This redistributes the heated air and thus warms the entire room. Should the furnace fan always be ON—constantly circulating air? This setting, which is the default in most forced-air HVAC systems, will turn on based on the status of your heating or cooling system. The “Auto” setting means your system will turn the fan on when it needs to circulate heated air, and “On” will force your fan to run nonstop. If You Have a Fireplace or Wood-Burning or Pellet-Burning Furnace… First, if you also have forced air, turn the fan on to help circulate … The AUTO setting. The fan’s “AUTO” setting works with your heating + cooling system, so your fan is running the least amount of time needed, at the slowest speed. Whether your furnace fan is set to Auto or ON at the thermostat has nothing to do with the HRV. My older thermostat only had on and auto, and I can’t figure out what circ is for. The big advantage of using the AUTO setting is that you are conserving energy – and for the environmentally conscious person, emitting less greenhouse gases is always a good thing. The pros of leaving the thermostat fan on auto are: Less expense upfront in the form of power consumption and fewer filter replacements. Should it be set to AUTO so that the fan only turns on when there’s a call for heat? The claimed benefits are reduced stratification and improved AQ (more trips through the filter). Example: If you set the circulating fan to 50%, and your furnace runs for a total of 15 minutes during that hour, the fan will only run independently for 15 minutes at the end of the hour. This is the setting that most fans use automatically. 1. 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. When the fan is running in "continuous " mode the fan speed is the same as when blowing heated air. Tap the Fan Mode icon. The furnace may continue to run the fan for several minutes after a call for heating or cooling to expel any hot or cold air remaining in the ducts. Circulating Air with Furnace Fan. What is the difference between circ and auto settings for the fan on my HVAC thermostat when the heat is on, when the a/c is on, and when both of those are off? Most thermostats today come with an option to keep the furnace blower fan running continuously. Some people will run their furnace fan all the time to help circulate the air throughout the home. Without air circulation, particles settle in your home. It has moisture but is always around 55°. The pros of leaving the thermostat are: Keeping the heat rounded up more evenly throughout the house. I use auto most of the time. If you don’t want to make personal lifestyle changes, here are some things you can do to make sure your home stays warm and comfortable during fall and winter: 1. 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. If homeowners find this is beneficial, it is generally suggested to only run the furnace fan … In the summer, this gives the evap coil time to drain before the fan comes on. Energy-Efficient Thermostat Recommendations for Heating. it means the blower will run when the furnace/air cond kicks in, but not at other times. In fact, running your furnace fan constantly may even save you money since having more even temperatures in your home may result in the heat or air conditioner running less. Most HVACs have an option for the fan in ‘auto’ or ‘on’ positions. How to Use a Ceiling Fan in the Winter Generally, the auto setting will start the furnace fan about half a minute after the burner is lit. These systems are usually “closed loop systems,” which circulate conditioned air (heat or AC) throughout the home via ductwork and vents in … My older oil furnace does not have A/C . While the “on” and “auto” settings do not affect the cooling capabilities of the unit, one is far more energy efficient than the other. With the ‘Auto’ setting, your furnace fan runs when it receives a signal from your thermostat. That’s a significant savings! Cleaner air quality. Can be noisy to have the fan running 24/7 “Auto” setting. When I want to recirculate the air (say the basement is cold in the summer, but its not cold enough to justify running the ac, I put it on to "on" which makes the blower run constantly. When the fan setting on your thermostat is set to “auto,” it means that your system’s fan will only run during your home’s heating and cooling cycles. You can adjust the temperature by changing the setting on the thermostat and the air movement by setting the fan to ‘auto… On Mode "On" means on, the furnace fan runs continuously unless you shut it off or go back to "Auto" mode. Auto is ideal for maximizing energy savings because the system will cycle off when the desired temperature has been reached. Advantages of AUTO on your Thermostat. Or even a furnace replacement if it’s left for too long. The fan is turned off about a minute after the desired temperature is reached. Unless you have areas in your home that are problematic for condensation and poor air circulation, seasonal … When the heat is on, the fan will only turn on as your home heats up. People often have questions about the proper furnace fan setting for winter. It uses electricity to keep the fan running and therefore causes slightly higher electric bills. If you need to, switch the fan to run in the clockwise direction to enhance heating. Last time I replaced a thermostat, I got an Aprilaire that has a ‘circulate’ timer. However, a furnace fan that won’t stop running can also be a byproduct of a faulty fan limit switch or one that is set to manual override. Avoiding The Chill running the fan only on the furnace helps even out temps in the house. This is set to Auto by default, meaning that the furnace will decide when to disengage the fan after a heating or cooling call. It is considered OK to continuously run a furnace fan. Better dehumidification. The fan can be controlled through a timer circuit inside the unit. Whether you like to keep it extra chilly or adjust the thermostat to save on your utility bills, there's another important choice besides your desired temperature. ON mode = Fan is on all the time; Let’s also assume we’re talking about a central air system with a blower motor (fan) located inside the home. But is it a good option for circulating air in a house and can it help redistribute air and reduce reliance on a furnace or A/C system?. Yes, circ fan runs randomly about 35% of the time not including heating or cooling time. When your fan is set to auto in cooling mode, your fan will come on with the air conditioner until the thermostat gets to the desired temperature and then shut off. The heating equipment can operate with either an on or auto setting. If heat or AC has not been used for an hour, the stat will run the fan for 15 minutes and then restart its timer. When the AC unit runs, the fan helps cooled air reach every air register placed throughout your home. Some studies have shown that simply reversing your ceiling fan in the winter can lower heating costs by as much as 15%! 1 - Low Airflow. Test your fan by turning it on and identifying the fan’s direction. I have a nice dehumidifer I will run also. Let me know if … and have seperate wall controls allowing for "continuous" or "auto" fan. The nice thing abotu the circ fan mode on some fo the White Rodgers, it won't circulate the fan for the first 60 minutes after the equipment has run. 3. Both are about 1 yr old. Thermostat fan on or Auto in winter Furnace fan on auto or circulate. Once the desired indoor temperature is reached, the fan shuts off until the next cycle.. The fan will keep running even when there’s no heat being produced, which at times causes cold air to circulate − a no-go during frigid Toronto winters! Your HVAC fan setting can have big implications for your indoor air quality, comfort and energy efficiency. Reply Proper Fan Settings Put You in Control of Indoor Air Quality. Air circulation keeps them moving, so he recommends this for the next few weeks: Change your fan from auto to on. 2. my returns are mounted next to the ceiling, so they are actually ideal for this. Thermostat fan “on” or “auto” setting: what’s the difference between the two? Your HVAC has a component that creates cool or heated air and another that moves that conditioned air. Setting the Circulating Fan in the Sensi app. Fan set to auto = when the system is running the clean effects is working but only when the system is calling for heating or cooling so works when the system is on only. The fan setting either auto, on or circulate all do different things. Your furnace filter will last longer. Circulate is Auto plus a random On when the fan would normally be off for a total of 20 minutes per hour, Follow shedule appears to be some magically derived random quotient, either on, auto, or circulate depending where in the schedule the system is at Confound these new fandangled appliances and gizmo's! Tap on the thermostat you want to adjust. i am just trying to run the furnace fan occasionally as the front rooms warm up and not 24/7. When your furnace is cycling on and off, it's called furnace short cycling. Continuous mode – which allows the fan to run all the time, even when the furnace is not engaged – has only one minor drawback. Homeowners should experiment to see if it works best for their home to have the furnace fan running continuously or not. What Does the ‘Auto’ Setting Do? In the summer, to get the wind-chill effect, the blades need to run in a counterclockwise fashion. Not sure if the furnace fan will do ok without an A/C unit. my wood insert is on one end of my 2400sq ft cape cod style house, so back rooms are obviously going to be cooler. If you don't have a control board in the furnace, you will need to look for a fan/limit switch on the unit. The ‘Auto’ thermostat function will make the fan run according to your specified settings. If set to Auto it will ignore this feature but if Auto and Circ are displayed it will not (page 25). If your furnace keeps shutting off, it could be due to low airflow. I know that “on” turns the fan on so that it runs continuously whether the heat is on, the a/c, or nothing is on. If you have only Auto showing and the fan still operates you may have a defective thermostat. When using the auto setting, your fan will kick in either when a timer or limit circuit tells it to. thanks for the quick responses. There is no one right answer. 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