I recently had some A/C service done, and the tech recommended that I leave
the furnace blower running constantly, letting the heat and cooling come on
as needed. The theory is that is would "even out" the air temperatures
throughout the house (I have a 2-story house with basement, dual zone
system). Makes sense to me, but wanted to know what the smart folks in this
ng thought?

"DesignGuy" wrote in message
news:kOWoc.44624$z06.6541018@attbi_s01...
I recently had some A/C service done, and the tech recommended that I
leave
the furnace blower running constantly, letting the heat and cooling come
on
as needed. The theory is that is would "even out" the air temperatures
throughout the house (I have a 2-story house with basement, dual zone
system). Makes sense to me, but wanted to know what the smart folks in
this
ng thought?




Last year my tech told me the same thing in the winter I do not have a
heating problem but in the
summer its harder to cool evenly. My down stairs was comfortable and
upstairs too warm. I have vents
on the wall floor level. I purchased angled plastic to shoot the cold air
up and re adjusted all the vents
to have less cold air down and keep the vents upstairs open all the way.
The ac runs a little longer but
its more comfortable all over. PLUS I KEEP THE FAN RUNNING 24/7 it helps a
lot try and
see what you think.

mike

It will keep you more even and clean your air better , but figure the
cost. I pay 0.12 KWH my fan pulls apx 400 watts or 9600 a day , at
0.12 thats 1.152 a day or 34.56 a month. Well my entire electric bill
last month was 15. I think I like the savings of 350 a year, but you
may enjoy the comfort Also fan motors only last just so long.

m Ransley wrote:

...my fan pulls apx 400 watts or 9600 a day...

That's 9600 watt-hours or 9.6 kWh per day.

Nick

Learn the difference between power and energy...

Join solar guru Steve Baer and PE Drew Gillett and PhD Rich Komp and
me for an all-day workshop on solar house heating and natural cooling
strategies ("HVAC Nonsense") on July 9 in Portland, OR--see page 25 of
http://www.ases.org/conferences/2004...im_program.pdf

Fan motors, like other types of motors and light bulbs are stressed the most
on starting up. Run the motor 24/7/360, and it will last a long time. I run
mine continuously and it is now 18 years old.

"m Ransley" wrote in message
...
It will keep you more even and clean your air better , but figure the
cost. I pay 0.12 KWH my fan pulls apx 400 watts or 9600 a day , at
0.12 thats 1.152 a day or 34.56 a month. Well my entire electric bill
last month was 15. I think I like the savings of 350 a year, but you
may enjoy the comfort Also fan motors only last just so long.

"DesignGuy" wrote in message
news:kOWoc.44624$z06.6541018@attbi_s01...
I recently had some A/C service done, and the tech recommended that I
leave
the furnace blower running constantly, letting the heat and cooling come
on
as needed. The theory is that is would "even out" the air temperatures
throughout the house (I have a 2-story house with basement, dual zone
system). Makes sense to me, but wanted to know what the smart folks in
this
ng thought?



If you want to, run it all the time.

With a good filter installed, it will also help get a lot of the dust out of
the air.

In my previous house, I ran mine all the time during the summer to de-ice
the a/c coils between cooling cycles. Compared to the power used by the
compressor, the cost of running the fan was nothing.

Bob

"HeatMan" wrote in message
ink.net...

"DesignGuy" wrote in message
news:kOWoc.44624$z06.6541018@attbi_s01...
I recently had some A/C service done, and the tech recommended that I
leave
the furnace blower running constantly, letting the heat and cooling come
on
as needed. The theory is that is would "even out" the air temperatures
throughout the house (I have a 2-story house with basement, dual zone
system). Makes sense to me, but wanted to know what the smart folks in
this
ng thought?



If you want to, run it all the time.

With a good filter installed, it will also help get a lot of the dust out
of
the air.

On Fri, 14 May 2004 03:12:16 GMT, "DesignGuy"
wrote:

I recently had some A/C service done, and the tech recommended that I leave
the furnace blower running constantly, letting the heat and cooling come on
as needed. The theory is that is would "even out" the air temperatures
throughout the house (I have a 2-story house with basement, dual zone
system). Makes sense to me, but wanted to know what the smart folks in this
ng thought?




I also would like to hear what others have to say about this.I have
been keeping my AC in the fan position but keep it on auto during the
heating season. I did some un-scientific testing after having my
Central AC installed a few years ago.I found that the AC compressor
ran only a little more than half as often if the FAN was allowed to
run all of the time. Also the house comfort level seems better with
the air constantly moving.

Eric Tonks wrote:
Fan motors, like other types of motors and light bulbs are stressed
the most on starting up. Run the motor 24/7/360, and it will last a
long time. I run mine continuously and it is now 18 years old.

I've been here 13 years and just last month replaced a fan motor that had
been running 24/7.

Of course the motor was the original from the '60's, so the life expectancy
of a 24/7 motor is somewhere between 13 and 40 years.

"rck" wrote in message
. net...
In my previous house, I ran mine all the time during the summer to de-ice
the a/c coils between cooling cycles. Compared to the power used by the
compressor, the cost of running the fan was nothing.

Bob

If you had a problem with icing, you had a real problem. Icing up with
central air is not normal.



"HeatMan" wrote in message
ink.net...

"DesignGuy" wrote in message
news:kOWoc.44624$z06.6541018@attbi_s01...
I recently had some A/C service done, and the tech recommended that I
leave
the furnace blower running constantly, letting the heat and cooling
come
on
as needed. The theory is that is would "even out" the air temperatures
throughout the house (I have a 2-story house with basement, dual zone
system). Makes sense to me, but wanted to know what the smart folks in
this
ng thought?



If you want to, run it all the time.

With a good filter installed, it will also help get a lot of the dust
out
of
the air.

It was a new Clayton trailer home. Clayton used ducts that were too small
and airflow was inadequate as far as I was concerned. Clayton said it was
adequate. Trailer homes are built to minimum specs. I agree it shouldn't
have been like that, but it was. A local heating contractor told me the only
solution would have been to put in larger ductwork to get adequate airflow.
Clayton, by the way, is bottom of the line. I learned a lot when I bought
that home. Now I live in a site built home. No more trailer homes for me.

Bob

"HeatMan" wrote in message
ink.net...

"rck" wrote in message
. net...
In my previous house, I ran mine all the time during the summer to
de-ice
the a/c coils between cooling cycles. Compared to the power used by the
compressor, the cost of running the fan was nothing.

Bob

If you had a problem with icing, you had a real problem. Icing up with
central air is not normal.



"HeatMan" wrote in message
ink.net...

"DesignGuy" wrote in message
news:kOWoc.44624$z06.6541018@attbi_s01...
I recently had some A/C service done, and the tech recommended that
I
leave
the furnace blower running constantly, letting the heat and cooling
come
on
as needed. The theory is that is would "even out" the air
temperatures
throughout the house (I have a 2-story house with basement, dual
zone
system). Makes sense to me, but wanted to know what the smart folks
in
this
ng thought?



If you want to, run it all the time.

With a good filter installed, it will also help get a lot of the dust
out
of
the air.

my only thought is that if you do this, dont get some super hepa filter for
the thing. those things add a lot of work to the motor. if you want a true
filtration system get one. but just for your stated purpose, i dont see a
problem.

randy

"DesignGuy" wrote in message
news:kOWoc.44624$z06.6541018@attbi_s01...
I recently had some A/C service done, and the tech recommended that I
leave
the furnace blower running constantly, letting the heat and cooling come
on
as needed. The theory is that is would "even out" the air temperatures
throughout the house (I have a 2-story house with basement, dual zone
system). Makes sense to me, but wanted to know what the smart folks in
this
ng thought?

Gotcha....

"rck" wrote in message
k.net...
It was a new Clayton trailer home. Clayton used ducts that were too small
and airflow was inadequate as far as I was concerned. Clayton said it was
adequate. Trailer homes are built to minimum specs. I agree it shouldn't
have been like that, but it was. A local heating contractor told me the
only
solution would have been to put in larger ductwork to get adequate
airflow.
Clayton, by the way, is bottom of the line. I learned a lot when I bought
that home. Now I live in a site built home. No more trailer homes for me.

Bob

"HeatMan" wrote in message
ink.net...

"rck" wrote in message
. net...
In my previous house, I ran mine all the time during the summer to
de-ice
the a/c coils between cooling cycles. Compared to the power used by
the
compressor, the cost of running the fan was nothing.

Bob

If you had a problem with icing, you had a real problem. Icing up with
central air is not normal.



"HeatMan" wrote in message
ink.net...

"DesignGuy" wrote in message
news:kOWoc.44624$z06.6541018@attbi_s01...
I recently had some A/C service done, and the tech recommended
that
I
leave
the furnace blower running constantly, letting the heat and
cooling
come
on
as needed. The theory is that is would "even out" the air
temperatures
throughout the house (I have a 2-story house with basement, dual
zone
system). Makes sense to me, but wanted to know what the smart
folks
in
this
ng thought?



If you want to, run it all the time.

With a good filter installed, it will also help get a lot of the
dust
out
of
the air.

Sure run it 24x7 to save the motor , and heat - cool more evenly or
just do what is smart . get a better thermostat or adjust your
anticipator for less swing , or get the proper equipment with a DC
motor . Or get a better tech.

My last motor was original, 40 yrs old and consumed apx 550 watts.
The furnace never runs more than 8 hrs a day in winter at -10f and avg
over the whole summer 1 hr a day. So say in winter for 6 months I
would be adding 16 hrs and in summer for 6 months 23 hrs running. So
in winter I would add 8.8 kwh daily, 264 kwh mo. 1584 kwh - 6 mo x
0.12 kwh for an increase $ 190.00 . In summer 12.65 kwh daily
379.5 mo. 2277 - 6 mo x .012 kwh = $273.24 or $463.24 a year or
9264.80 over 20 yrs or an axp 40000.00 -50000.00 with compounded
interest . Sure everybodys run time is different but many of you have
much bigger unefficient motors pulling Double this amount or more.

So how many motors and doughnuts can you buy for $ 40 - 50000.00
thousand thousand thousand. And for what , better air flow?

Go buy a new furnace with a DC motor that consumes 50% less and a
Cadillac first.

"xrongor" wrote in message
...
my only thought is that if you do this, dont get some super hepa filter
for
the thing. those things add a lot of work to the motor. if you want a
true
filtration system get one. but just for your stated purpose, i dont see a
problem.

I generally buy the better quality filters that run $3-5 each, not the $0.50
blue fiberglass ones. Since we have a dog, better filtration is required.
I'd considered electrostatic, but won't go Hepa due to cost and it's
probably not necessary either. I hadn't figured on the motor working harder
trying to pull air through the Hepa filter, but good point there.

DesignGuy, or anyone:

The red Filtrete (3M) filter (MERV=11; $9.xx at Lowe's) was what was in
place when we moved into this house six months ago, and we have bought a
couple more. A local store had the purple Filtrete on sale (MERV=12;
sale price approx. $10 instead of the usual $15+) a while back. and we
bought a couple of those but haven't used one yet.

Other family members have severe allergy problems, so we've continued
buying comparatively expensive filters.

Are we wasting our money?

MB


On 05/15/04 10:26 am DesignGuy put fingers to keyboard and launched the
following message into cyberspace:

my only thought is that if you do this, dont get some super hepa filter

for

the thing. those things add a lot of work to the motor. if you want a

true

filtration system get one. but just for your stated purpose, i dont see a
problem.

I generally buy the better quality filters that run $3-5 each, not the $0.50
blue fiberglass ones. Since we have a dog, better filtration is required.
I'd considered electrostatic, but won't go Hepa due to cost and it's
probably not necessary either. I hadn't figured on the motor working harder
trying to pull air through the Hepa filter, but good point there.

"Minnie Bannister" wrote in message
...
DesignGuy, or anyone:

The red Filtrete (3M) filter (MERV=11; $9.xx at Lowe's) was what was in
place when we moved into this house six months ago, and we have bought a
couple more. A local store had the purple Filtrete on sale (MERV=12;
sale price approx. $10 instead of the usual $15+) a while back. and we
bought a couple of those but haven't used one yet.

Other family members have severe allergy problems, so we've continued
buying comparatively expensive filters.

Are we wasting our money?

MB

imho the 10$ filters is the best price range to be in. they actually seem
to do a decent job of getting rid of some stuff from the air. the el
cheapos are only good for keeping the cat out of the furnace should it
somehow get in the duct. the expensive ones seem to me like a waste because
if you really need a good air filtration system, you need to add a seperate
unit to your current system or get a dedicated standalone unit.

i had one of those washable 'electrostatic' type ones in a house i lived in
a while back. cost about 16$ i think with a plastic frame. when i need to
replace what i have thats probably what ill go with. washed it about once a
month and you wouldnt believe what came out of it.

randy

"rck" wrote in message
. net...
In my previous house, I ran mine all the time during the summer to de-ice
the a/c coils between cooling cycles. Compared to the power used by the
compressor, the cost of running the fan was nothing.



If your coils were iced, AT ALL, the unit was not running right and you had
other issues...

Just for the record.

Bob

"HeatMan" wrote in message
ink.net...

"DesignGuy" wrote in message
news:kOWoc.44624$z06.6541018@attbi_s01...
I recently had some A/C service done, and the tech recommended that I
leave
the furnace blower running constantly, letting the heat and cooling
come
on
as needed. The theory is that is would "even out" the air temperatures
throughout the house (I have a 2-story house with basement, dual zone
system). Makes sense to me, but wanted to know what the smart folks in
this
ng thought?



If you want to, run it all the time.

With a good filter installed, it will also help get a lot of the dust
out
of
the air.

replying to m Ransley, Batjo wrote:
ransley wrote:

It will keep you more even and clean your air better , but figure the
cost. I pay 0.12 KWH my fan pulls apx 400 watts or 9600 a day , at
0.12 thats 1.152 a day or 34.56 a month. Well my entire electric bill
last month was 15. I think I like the savings of 350 a year, but you
may enjoy the comfort Also fan motors only last just so long.


Running constant fan is not going to hurt your equipment, but if the
ducting is leaking to the exterior; it will amplify any losses you may
already have. As air leaves the building through leaks in the ducting, it
is replaced by air infiltrating through crawl space, attic etc.



--

Batjo wrote:
replying to m Ransley, Batjo wrote:
ransley wrote:

It will keep you more even and clean your air better , but figure the
cost. I pay 0.12 KWH my fan pulls apx 400 watts or 9600 a day , at
0.12 thats 1.152 a day or 34.56 a month. Well my entire electric bill
last month was 15. I think I like the savings of 350 a year, but you
may enjoy the comfort Also fan motors only last just so long.


Running constant fan is not going to hurt your equipment, but if the
ducting is leaking to the exterior; it will amplify any losses you may
already have. As air leaves the building through leaks in the ducting, it
is replaced by air infiltrating through crawl space, attic etc.



Hi,
Also run it at lower speed if wanted. My electric power costs 8
cents/KWh fixed for next 4 years. Monthly average usage is 1200KWh.
High efficieency blower motors are DC driven which has higher efficiency.

On Wednesday, February 5, 2014 8:44:01 PM UTC-5, Batjo wrote:
replying to m Ransley, Batjo wrote:

ransley wrote:



It will keep you more even and clean your air better , but figure the

cost. I pay 0.12 KWH my fan pulls apx 400 watts or 9600 a day , at

0.12 thats 1.152 a day or 34.56 a month. Well my entire electric bill

last month was 15. I think I like the savings of 350 a year, but you

may enjoy the comfort Also fan motors only last just so long.





Running constant fan is not going to hurt your equipment, but if the

ducting is leaking to the exterior; it will amplify any losses you may

already have. As air leaves the building through leaks in the ducting, it

is replaced by air infiltrating through crawl space, attic etc.


I'd add to that, it's very dependent on how the system is
actually installed. If all the ducting runs only in heated parts
of the building, then the potential for heat loss is little.
If the furnace is in an unheated basement or even worse, an attic,
some ducts run through outside walls, etc, then it's going to be
a losing proposition for sure. Plus, I don't see the need. All
the houses I've lived in with furnaces it was comfortable
with the fan just running when the furnace was on.

On Friday, May 14, 2004 8:34:15 AM UTC-4, rck wrote:
In my previous house, I ran mine all the time during the summer to de-ice
the a/c coils between cooling cycles. Compared to the power used by the
compressor, the cost of running the fan was nothing.

Bob

"HeatMan" wrote in message
ink.net...

"DesignGuy" wrote in message
news:kOWoc.44624$z06.6541018@attbi_s01...
I recently had some A/C service done, and the tech recommended that I
leave
the furnace blower running constantly, letting the heat and cooling come
on
as needed. The theory is that is would "even out" the air temperatures
throughout the house (I have a 2-story house with basement, dual zone
system). Makes sense to me, but wanted to know what the smart folks in
this
ng thought?



If you want to, run it all the time.

With a good filter installed, it will also help get a lot of the dust out
of
the air.



If you coils were icing up your system needed charging.

wrote:
On Wednesday, February 5, 2014 8:44:01 PM UTC-5, Batjo wrote:
replying to m Ransley, Batjo wrote:

ransley wrote:



It will keep you more even and clean your air better , but figure the

cost. I pay 0.12 KWH my fan pulls apx 400 watts or 9600 a day , at

0.12 thats 1.152 a day or 34.56 a month. Well my entire electric bill

last month was 15. I think I like the savings of 350 a year, but you

may enjoy the comfort Also fan motors only last just so long.





Running constant fan is not going to hurt your equipment, but if the

ducting is leaking to the exterior; it will amplify any losses you may

already have. As air leaves the building through leaks in the ducting, it

is replaced by air infiltrating through crawl space, attic etc.


I'd add to that, it's very dependent on how the system is
actually installed. If all the ducting runs only in heated parts
of the building, then the potential for heat loss is little.
If the furnace is in an unheated basement or even worse, an attic,
some ducts run through outside walls, etc, then it's going to be
a losing proposition for sure. Plus, I don't see the need. All
the houses I've lived in with furnaces it was comfortable
with the fan just running when the furnace was on.

Hi,
It is not just comfort, indoor air quality may improve.

On 2/6/2014 10:10 AM, jamesgang wrote:
On Friday, May 14, 2004 8:34:15 AM UTC-4, rck wrote:
In my previous house, I ran mine all the time during the summer to de-ice
the a/c coils between cooling cycles. Compared to the power used by the
compressor, the cost of running the fan was nothing.

Bob

If you coils were icing up your system needed charging.


That's one of several things that can
cause evaporator icing.

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..