The next time you have a heater or air conditioner maintenance service scheduled, take a look at the settings on your furnace. You’ll find that most modern furnace systems have two fan modes: on and off. Keeping the fan on is the default setting, but this can often make homeowners wonder if it’s good to have the furnace fans blowing continuously throughout the heating season. Should you occasionally turn it off to either save more energy or give your furnace a rest?
The answers to these questions are a little more complicated than a simple yes or no. Whether or not your furnace fans should run continuously depends on your situation, so it’s best to weigh the pros and cons of keeping it on and then decide whether or not it’s a good idea. Here our experts at Home Air Services point out the advantages and disadvantages of running your fans continuously.
Fans help circulate air better in your home. Combine this with regular service from local duct cleaning companies, and your indoor air quality levels will greatly improve. Keeping the fans on can also provide efficiency benefits. Because warm air naturally rises, the floors upstairs can be a bit warmer than the rooms below. Fans keep the air circulating so all floors in your house are kept warm. Of course, this benefit is more noticeable in homes with two or more levels.
Higher circulation also means your filter will be working double-time to keep the air in your home free of any contaminants. This can clog up the filter fairly quickly, which means you’ll need to regularly check your filter and replace or clean it frequently.
Most home heating companies actually recommend just turning it on and forgetting about it. Furnace fans are designed to blow air continuously, so there’s no problem when it comes to continuous, extended operation. However, this might also increase your energy bill slightly.
Weigh these options carefully with the help of our professionals at Home Air Services. Give us a call at (301) 585-8100 or fill out our contact form to schedule a service visit or request a free estimate on new furnace installations today.
Dear Customers,
We here at Home Air Services hope that you and your families are well in these difficult and unprecedented times. We are pleased to confirm that we are currently operating for both new equipment installations and service / maintenance work. We are here to support you during these trying times. Our office hours are Monday – Friday 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM. Our phones and website are fully operational. If calling outside of our normal working hours, you will have the option to forward your call to our emergency duty technician.
With regard to COVID-19 our technicians are taking all possible precautions (temperature, booties, masks, etc.) but please let us know if you have any specific requests. In the case of an air-conditioning maintenance, the primary work can be done to the outside unit only. (at your request) Another option is to leave access available to the indoor HVAC portion, so the technician doesn’t need to come in contact with anyone in your household. (basement door unlocked for example) This will allow you to keep your distance and still care for your HVAC system. Our hope is that everyone stays safe and well, and we will get through this together.
For those that are interested, please ask us about the various Indoor Air Quality accessory specials, such as Ultraviolet Germicidal lights, Lennox Air Cleaners, etc.