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We had our ducts cleaned a couple weeks ago and he suggested we set the fan on our furnace to run all the time vs. putting it on auto and only kicking in as the temp changes. He said that the furnace fan then runs at a slower speed and it is more economical. I admit it was more comfortable in the house because the air was always moving. I can see the benefits in the summer as well but it seems to me that it would take more electricity to do this as well as the wear and tear on the fan. Any HVAC experts out there that can offer some advice?
If anything mechanical is moving it is getting wear and tear. Plus you will probably have to change the filters more often. Dude might have figured out, he will get to clean the ducts more often.
I would not like the noise all the time either. Would not be a popular idea with me. You probably will use more electricity net in that mode.
One good idea is sew up some booties for your air returns. I use old pillow covers, just put them over the air return registers. That acts like a prefilter and catches any dust / junk that will eventually require duct cleaning. Any looser weave cloth will work. Wool or something knitted is good. Also makes it less often to change out the filters. I get about an entire heating season out of one filter set. Just throw the booties in the washer every so often, good as new.
If it is a variable speed fan and runs at very low speed, might be ok. Just not an idea I like. Am not in love with forced hot air anyway. My next house is going to be forced hot water. Hate that noise, hate the maintenance.
No. Starting and stopping is what kills a motor. When a motor starts it pulls about 7 times the amps (electrical current) as when it is already running. That makes a lot of heat. Heat will damage the insulation on the motor windings. Starting and stopping can lead to more wear and tear on bearings than constant duty. Keep in mind, the motors are engendered to withstand a number of start/stops. (BTW these motors are rated for constant duty, it will not hurt it at all).
Will it use more electricity?
It depends. If you have a ECM motor, also known as a variable speed motor, no. It uses next to no electricity to run during the off cycle at a low speed. A standard motor can use some electricity. In all reality, not a whole lot.
Should you cover returns to avoid cleaning ductwork?
NO. Do not cover returns ever. You will restrict air flow and crack your heat exchanger prematurely. If you want to avoid cleaning your ductwork than rip it out. It is a part of household maintenance. DO NOT COVER RETURNS.
Is a boiler/hot water system less maintenance?
Not at all. A boiler system has a lot of parts that need to be maintained and checked annually. The repairs are much more costly. But, it is much more comfortable!
So, is keeping the fan on all the time good?
Generally, yes. Especially a variable speed motor. It keeps the air cleaner and keeps the house temperatures balanced nicely.
Do not try this in cooling mode either just for future reference.
Mikieo415 I would agree with for the most part.
So if I am understanding you correctly, keep the fan on all winter but not in the summer right?
I have no issue cleaning the ducts once in a while. We bought this house 2 years ago and it has been SO dusty, needing to be dusted daily, we cleaned the ducts and now I need to dust about every 2 weeks. The ducts had never been cleaned--they were still full of drywall dust from when it was built 12 years ago.
While that part about the motors is sort of true, it really applies to the larger motors like you find in industrial applications. For the smaller motors like found in consumer products / houses, the over riding factor is quality of materials and manufacture. If you have a small piece of junk running it all the times probably ain't going to help prolong its life. Most good quality small motors will outlast their useful working life and the system will be replaced based on being obselete.
It probably comes down to a personal preference. Continuous running might make the house feel a wee bit better. With forced hot air, you are either sweating like a pig or freezing, the furniture and internal mass never seems to come up to the proper termperature. If in doubt claim your way is the right way.
Just for the record, my booties are staying on MY returns. Now I suppose I will get a cracked camshaft somewhere. I sure am NOT going to clean them ducts again.
Stay away from junk in all areas of life and things will go so much nicer, that includes heating and cooling. I don't qualify as an expert today. Not 25 miles away from home.
The reason why you don't keep the fan on in cooling mode:
Your HVAC system act's as a dehumidifier first as the coil temp. is below the dew point most of the time during cooling season. This removes humidity which takes much more heat out of the air than simply sensibly cooling the air or what you would think of when you see the temp drop on a thermometer. The humidity is latent heat or heat you really can't record without a special sling type thermometer with a wet bulb dipped in distilled water to get an accurate wet bulb reading this gives you total heat content in air instead of just sensible heat.
Your a/c when it's on for let's just say 20 minutes can remove several pounds of moisture from the air. When it cut's off that moisture is still trapped in the coil as it drips down into the drain pan. With the heat that travels over that wet coil it begins to evaporate back into the air adding latent heat back into the air......not what you wanted because you just paid the power company money to remove it.
If you want to understand latent heat try 70ºF 40%RH vs 70ºF 60%RH .....in that test all you change is latent heat and you will notice quiet a difference with no change in normal dry bulb temps.
Just for the record, my booties are staying on MY returns. Now I suppose I will get a cracked camshaft somewhere. I sure am NOT going to clean them ducts again.
What are booties?
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Naw, I don't like that idea........
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