On Tuesday, November 17, 2015 at 8:32:44 PM UTC-5, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 11/17/2015 8:24 AM, TimR wrote:
I don't have a thermostat with a run time tracker and in fact have never seen one. So we need someone to tell us how they are programmed. In theory I don't see any reason why they couldn't track either fan or compressor, or both.


Mine just tracks "on" time. Hours for the day, hours total. There may
be more sophisticated models though.

What does "on" mean?

Burner on (which probably means blower on) or blower on only, i.e. Fan switch set to ON?

On 11/17/2015 9:39 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Tuesday, November 17, 2015 at 8:32:44 PM UTC-5, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 11/17/2015 8:24 AM, TimR wrote:
I don't have a thermostat with a run time tracker and in fact have never seen one. So we need someone to tell us how they are programmed. In theory I don't see any reason why they couldn't track either fan or compressor, or both.


Mine just tracks "on" time. Hours for the day, hours total. There may
be more sophisticated models though.

What does "on" mean?

Burner on (which probably means blower on) or blower on only, i.e. Fan switch set to ON?

On = calling for heat. I have HW so it means the circulator for that
zone is working but the burner cycles as needed. Used on a hot air
system, same thing, just calling for heat.

On 11/17/2015 8:39 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Tuesday, November 17, 2015 at 8:32:44 PM UTC-5, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 11/17/2015 8:24 AM, TimR wrote:
I don't have a thermostat with a run time tracker and in fact have never seen one. So we need someone to tell us how they are programmed. In theory I don't see any reason why they couldn't track either fan or compressor, or both.


Mine just tracks "on" time. Hours for the day, hours total. There may
be more sophisticated models though.

What does "on" mean?

Burner on (which probably means blower on) or blower on only, i.e. Fan switch set to ON?

Suspect that you would want it tracking the run time for the blower
itself since, as long as it's running, it's doing its part to clog the
filter/air cleaner. If he doesn't need something fancy to graph the
use, hours per day, peak hours, etc. a simple hour meter connected to
the motor should do it.

Record the hours when you change out the filter, etc. It ain't classy,
but it works.

On 11/17/2015 9:01 PM, Unquestionably Confused wrote:
On 11/17/2015 8:39 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Tuesday, November 17, 2015 at 8:32:44 PM UTC-5, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 11/17/2015 8:24 AM, TimR wrote:
I don't have a thermostat with a run time tracker and in fact have
never seen one. So we need someone to tell us how they are
programmed. In theory I don't see any reason why they couldn't
track either fan or compressor, or both.


Mine just tracks "on" time. Hours for the day, hours total. There may
be more sophisticated models though.

What does "on" mean?

Burner on (which probably means blower on) or blower on only, i.e. Fan
switch set to ON?

Suspect that you would want it tracking the run time for the blower
itself since, as long as it's running, it's doing its part to clog the
filter/air cleaner. If he doesn't need something fancy to graph the
use, hours per day, peak hours, etc. a simple hour meter connected to
the motor should do it.

Record the hours when you change out the filter, etc. It ain't classy,
but it works.

Forgot to add, that the blower runs longer than the burners in every
system I've ever seen in order to keep the plenum (?) from getting too
hot and warping or whatever. Which is why tracking the blower on state
is going to give you the results desired... or shouldg

On Tuesday, November 17, 2015 at 10:03:33 PM UTC-5, Unquestionably Confused wrote:
On 11/17/2015 9:01 PM, Unquestionably Confused wrote:
On 11/17/2015 8:39 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Tuesday, November 17, 2015 at 8:32:44 PM UTC-5, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On 11/17/2015 8:24 AM, TimR wrote:
I don't have a thermostat with a run time tracker and in fact have
never seen one. So we need someone to tell us how they are
programmed. In theory I don't see any reason why they couldn't
track either fan or compressor, or both.


Mine just tracks "on" time. Hours for the day, hours total. There may
be more sophisticated models though.

What does "on" mean?

Burner on (which probably means blower on) or blower on only, i.e. Fan
switch set to ON?

Suspect that you would want it tracking the run time for the blower
itself since, as long as it's running, it's doing its part to clog the
filter/air cleaner. If he doesn't need something fancy to graph the
use, hours per day, peak hours, etc. a simple hour meter connected to
the motor should do it.

Record the hours when you change out the filter, etc. It ain't classy,
but it works.

Forgot to add, that the blower runs longer than the burners in every
system I've ever seen in order to keep the plenum (?) from getting too
hot and warping or whatever. Which is why tracking the blower on state
is going to give you the results desired... or shouldg

The thermostat I had tracked fan time, it was specifically for tracking
filter replacement.

Chicago Bob wrote:
I don't need a complex programmable thermostat. All I want is to
know how many hours that fan has run so I know when to change the air
filter. The fan runs frequently in the summer and winter, but very
infrequently in the spring and fall. How often the fan runs is
determined by temperature. You can go weeks - or months - without the
fan running at all.

The thermostat probably doesn't know how many hours the FAN has run. You could
just put a running time meter on the fan supply voltage.

Ralph Mowery wrote:
"Tony Hwang" wrote in message
...
You never turn the fan on for like circulating air or freshen up the
stale indoor air specially when cooking, etc.? Filter gets dirty not
only depending on how long fan ran, it also depend how much dust is
generated indoor if there is pets, plants... I'd think under
replacing it may be a bad idea. I'd rather over replace. My filter
size is 16x25x5. I replace twice a year. They don't look too bad
when pulled. But It gives me peace of mind. Programmable saves energy
depending on
how you use it. I use it in my house and out at cabin.

With just me and the wife at home and no pets and we keep the windows
closed there is not much dust and dirt. I use the least expensive
20x20x1 filters and change them every 2 months on my heat pump. Most
of the time they seem to be just about as clean as the new ones. At
less than $ 10 per year it is not worth me worring about. Just
change them on the odd numbered months at the first of the month. Some months
it runs a lot and some not too much, but I just keep on
schedule. Not worth the trouble to keep up with how dirty they get.

The least expensive filters wouldn't be worth the money to me. They only get the
largest particles.

DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Tuesday, November 17, 2015 at 1:03:10 PM UTC-5, Stormin Mormon
wrote:
On 11/17/2015 11:13 AM, bob haller wrote:

they sell a whistle that goes into the filter, when the filter gets
clogged the whistle blows


If you ever find a URL, I'd love to see that. Sounds like a good
idea.

-
.
Christopher A. Young
learn more about Jesus
. www.lds.org
.
.

Micky already posted a few links for items as cheap as $3.99 for
a simple whistle to over $80 for a fancy-a$$ electronic sensor.

Look up thread a few posts.

A properly adjustable vacuum switch in the fan chamber could signal reduction of
air flow into the fan

On Wednesday, November 18, 2015 at 10:47:08 PM UTC-5, Bob F wrote:
Chicago Bob wrote:
I don't need a complex programmable thermostat. All I want is to
know how many hours that fan has run so I know when to change the air
filter. The fan runs frequently in the summer and winter, but very
infrequently in the spring and fall. How often the fan runs is
determined by temperature. You can go weeks - or months - without the
fan running at all.

The thermostat probably doesn't know how many hours the FAN has run. You could
just put a running time meter on the fan supply voltage.

Unless you put the fan on separately a significant amount
of time, which few people do,
the fan run time and the system run time are going to be very close
for the purposes of number of hours to change the filter.

http://www.amazon.com/Simply-Conserv.../dp/B009T7TJWA

amazon has several filter clogged whistles, cheap too

Unquestionably Confused wrote:
On 11/17/2015 8:39 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Tuesday, November 17, 2015 at 8:32:44 PM UTC-5, Ed Pawlowski
wrote:
On 11/17/2015 8:24 AM, TimR wrote:
I don't have a thermostat with a run time tracker and in fact have
never seen one. So we need someone to tell us how they are
programmed. In theory I don't see any reason why they couldn't
track either fan or compressor, or both.

Mine just tracks "on" time. Hours for the day, hours total. There
may be more sophisticated models though.

What does "on" mean?

Burner on (which probably means blower on) or blower on only, i.e.
Fan switch set to ON?

Suspect that you would want it tracking the run time for the blower
itself since, as long as it's running, it's doing its part to clog the
filter/air cleaner. If he doesn't need something fancy to graph the
use, hours per day, peak hours, etc. a simple hour meter connected to
the motor should do it.

Record the hours when you change out the filter, etc. It ain't
classy, but it works.

Write the current hours on the visable edge of the filter when you install it?

On Tuesday, November 17, 2015 at 7:40:33 AM UTC-6, trader_4 wrote:
On Monday, November 16, 2015 at 5:56:20 PM UTC-5, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Monday, November 16, 2015 at 8:18:21 AM UTC-5, TimR wrote:
On Monday, November 16, 2015 at 7:45:13 AM UTC-5, trader_4 wrote:
I see your point, but the OP isn't the only one that thinks
fan run time is relevant. I've seen thermostats from major
manufacturers that have a filter indicator that goes on
based on hours of fan run time. I've never bothered with it
though. Like you, I just check and/or change based on length
of use and past experience.

I'm one who thinks run time is a useful measurement. It gives you the best indication whether your equipment is sized properly, and that will let you be sure of the right size when it comes time to replace.

What does a thermostat's run time tracker actually measure? If all it measures is *fan* run
time, it will tell me nothing about whether my furnace is sized correctly or not.

I often run my fan 24 x 7 to keep the air circulating.

Well, seems he's talking about people who don't run it 24/7, which
would be most of us. Or people who at least don't run the fan
separately while doing the test. You don't need to do this for
months. You just need to do it one day when it's one of the coldest
or hottest days. But I can get a general feel for it without
the thermostat having an hour timer, just from observing how long
the furnace is running for an hour, without even using a watch.
Beyond some general observation,
probably not much value in more refined data because IDK from
that how you're going to pin down that it's oversized by XX BTU anyway.
But it could be useful so that if you have say a 100BTU, you know that
you can go down one size. It also assumes that the existing furnace
is working at it's rated efficiency, etc.

Some years ago, me and my friend were servicing a new HVAC system that had the new variable speed solid state drive air handler motor. I noticed that the blower was running at a very low speed when the thermostat was turned "Off". It was silent and I just happened to feel air coming out of a register. When I opened the unit, I saw that the blower motor was indeed spinning slowly. I contacted to the rep at the supplier and was told that the air handler was supposed to do that. The reason was to help keep the temperature constant throughout the home. Of course that blower motor was a lot more expensive than a standard split phase capacitor motor.¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[8~{} Uncle Blower Monster

On 11/20/2015 01:33 AM, Uncle Monster wrote:
Some years ago, me and my friend were servicing a new HVAC system that had the new variable speed solid state drive air handler motor. I noticed that the blower was running at a very low speed when the thermostat was turned "Off". It was silent and I just happened to feel air coming out of a register. When I opened the unit, I saw that the blower motor was indeed spinning slowly. I contacted to the rep at the supplier and was told that the air handler was supposed to do that. The reason was to help keep the temperature constant throughout the home. Of course that blower motor was a lot more expensive than a standard split phase capacitor motor.¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[8~{} Uncle Blower Monster

Uncle HVAC Hack-

I hope you didn't charge the customer for the service call. You obviously didn't know WTF you were doing.

On Friday, November 20, 2015 at 5:41:01 AM UTC-6, yankee wrote:
On 11/20/2015 01:33 AM, Uncle Monster wrote:
Some years ago, me and my friend were servicing a new HVAC system that had the new variable speed solid state drive air handler motor. I noticed that the blower was running at a very low speed when the thermostat was turned "Off". It was silent and I just happened to feel air coming out of a register. When I opened the unit, I saw that the blower motor was indeed spinning slowly. I contacted to the rep at the supplier and was told that the air handler was supposed to do that. The reason was to help keep the temperature constant throughout the home. Of course that blower motor was a lot more expensive than a standard split phase capacitor motor.¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[8~{} Uncle Blower Monster

Uncle HVAC Hack-

I hope you didn't charge the customer for the service call. You obviously didn't know WTF you were doing.

The service call was for another problem with a brand new unit that I didn't install you slimy turd muncher. ^__^

[8~{} Uncle AC Monster

Chicago Bob wrote:
I don't need a complex programmable thermostat. All I want is to know how
many hours that fan has run so I know when to change the air filter. The
fan runs frequently in the summer and winter, but very infrequently in
the spring and fall. How often the fan runs is determined by temperature.
You can go weeks - or months - without the fan running at all.


Visual inspection is too bothersome for you? I just replace twice a
year. Seems to be doing fine. Filter is 16x2x5 pleated filter at MERV 10.

On Thursday, January 7, 2016 at 9:05:32 PM UTC-5, Tony Hwang wrote:
Chicago Bob wrote:
I don't need a complex programmable thermostat. All I want is to know how
many hours that fan has run so I know when to change the air filter. The
fan runs frequently in the summer and winter, but very infrequently in
the spring and fall. How often the fan runs is determined by temperature.
You can go weeks - or months - without the fan running at all.


Visual inspection is too bothersome for you? I just replace twice a
year. Seems to be doing fine. Filter is 16x2x5 pleated filter at MERV 10.

Tony,

What's up? You responded to this thread back in November when it was started.
Why the repeat response?

The other day you asked about snow tires in a thread related to a washing
machine drain.

You OK? Rough start to the new year? ;-)