Air Conditioner Fan Vs. Auto
If you've ever wondered why your central air conditioning unit has different fan settings at the thermostat, you aren't alone. In addition to levers, buttons or switches that control the heating and cooling or the desired temperature in your home, there is generally an option for "auto" and "fan." What the exact functions of these two settings are may not be what you think, and there are times when either of the settings may be appropriate to use. Does this Spark an idea?
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The Fan Setting
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The fan setting on your air conditioner may be simply labeled "fan," or it could be labeled "on." This is because the switch will turn the fan on, regardless of the temperature in the house. If you have your thermostat set at 72 degrees Fahrenheit and the cooling system chills the air to below 72, the fan will not turn off automatically when this happens. The system should stop cooling when the temperature reaches the desired level, but the fan will continue to turn and circulate the air through the house indefinitely.
Auto Settings
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The "auto" setting on your air conditioner is the most common setting in residential systems. This setting means that the fan will only blow when the system is cooling. When the desired temperature in the home is reached, the automatic setting will tell the fan to stop simultaneously when the cooling system stops. This setting will save energy because the fan will not be in use when it is not essential to maintain the temperature setting. Most likely this is the setting you will want to select on your air conditioner most of the time.
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Air Quality
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One of the primary reasons why someone would leave the fan running constantly is for improved air quality in the home. As the fan turns, it not only blows air through the ducts and out through the registers, but it also sucks air in through an intake and air filter. The filter catches particles of dust and other debris in the air and traps it in the filter, preventing it from re-circulating through the house. When the fan stops, dust is allowed to settle and may not be filtered out of the interior environment of the home. Leaving the air conditioner on "fan" or "on" will continuously filter the air and improve its quality while spinning at a low speed. When cooling, the fan will kick into a higher speed.
Potential Motor Problems
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Unless you have an air conditioning system that is designed to operate in "fan" mode, you may not want to use the setting very often. In addition to using additional electricity, fan motors not built to withstand constant use will wear out prematurely, and you will have to replace them more frequently.
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References
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Comments
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I went to A/C school many years ago. They told me to leave the fan on because stopping and starting the fan mortor uses more eletricity and causes more wear and tear on the motor. Is this wrong now?
