Maintaining a comfortable home environment year-round can be challenging. There are a lot of factors to consider, from weather to insulation to energy usage. In your attempts to beat the summer heat and winter chill, you may have considered leaving your furnace fan on all the time, even when you’re not actively heating or cooling your home.
At Genuine Comfort, we want you to have everything you need to make informed decisions about your home’s heating, cooling, and ventilation. When you understand how your HVAC system works, you can make the right choices about how and when to use certain features.
In this blog post, we’ll discuss how running the furnace fan continuously can impact your home’s comfort and air quality, the benefits of this practice, some things to consider, and practical tips for optimizing fan operation.
What Does a Furnace Fan Do?
Before we can answer the question of whether you should let your furnace fan run continuously, let’s explore what a furnace fan actually does.
The primary role of the furnace fan is to circulate air throughout the home. Most fans have two settings: “Auto” and “On”. When it’s set to “Auto”, the fan will only run when heating or cooling is active, pushing heated or cooled air through the ducts and throughout your home. When the fan is set to “On”, it runs continuously, independent of heating or cooling cycles.
Benefits of Running Your Furnace Fan Continuously
So, why would you want to keep your furnace fan on all the time, even when you’re not using the heater or AC? Maintaining the continuous flow of air throughout your home can provide many benefits that make your home more comfortable, including:
- Temperature balance: This practice helps maintain even temperatures across different floors, from the basement to the upstairs. By reducing hot or cold spots, it improves overall comfort.
- Improved air quality: Constant air circulation helps filter out dust, allergens, and other particles that can cause respiratory problems. This is especially beneficial for those with allergies or asthma.
- Health benefits: Finally, continuous fan operation reduces stagnant air, creating a fresher and healthier indoor environment.
Potential Drawbacks to Consider
However, there are some potential drawbacks to consider, as well. Running the fan all the time may increase energy consumption, raising your monthly utility bills. Newer furnaces with more efficient motors may be able to mitigate this issue, though.
If your home is older and has an outdated HVAC system or poor insulation, continuous furnace fan operation could create the feeling of cold drafts in the wintertime. Because of this, it may be best to only use the fan while actively using the heater or air conditioner.
Finally, depending on your HVAc system, constantly running the fan may produce noticeable background noise. Some people don’t mind it, while others may find it bothersome.
How to Determine If Running Your Fan Continuously Is Right for You
If you’re not an HVAC expert, it can be hard to determine if leaving your furnace fan on all the time is right for your home. Luckily, there are a few steps you can take to help you make the best decision.
First, assess your furnace. Some models — especially older ones — don’t even have the option for continuous fan operation. If you find it doesn’t, consider upgrading your furnace to a newer, more energy efficient model. Not only will you be able to run the fan continuously, but you’ll also likely enjoy greater overall furnace performance.
Older homes with drafts or insulation issues may not benefit as much from continuous furnace fan operation. You can try running the fan for a day or two, and if it doesn’t improve your home’s comfort, it’s best to just leave it on the “Auto” setting.
Speaking of settings, some thermostats allow you to set a timer for the furnace fan, such as 15, 20, or 30 minutes per cycle. This tells the fan to stay on for a while after the cycle has ended. Taking advantage of this feature allows you to find a middle ground between 24/7 operation and only using the fan during heating or cooling cycles.
Expert HVAC Advice from Genuine Comfort
We encourage you to experiment with your furnace fan settings and find the option that works best for you. If you need personalized advice, effective repairs, or seasonal tune-ups, trust the talented technicians at Genuine Comfort to keep your furnace running smoothly. Contact us today to get started.
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