Most of today’s air conditioners have a blower mode, which keeps the fan or blower running to maintain air circulation. In today’s post, local heating and air conditioning contractor Air Quality Heating & Air Conditioning answers one of the most common questions about air conditioners: Is it okay to run the air conditioner in this mode?
How Air Blowers Work
The air blower is part of the HVAC system’s air handler, which is located indoors as part of the air conditioner’s evaporator. On a whole-home or central air conditioner, the air handler is connected to the house’s air ducts, which distribute air throughout the house. When the air conditioner is running, coils in the evaporator become supercooled. The blower blows air through these coils, resulting in cooled air.
Switching to fan or blower mode turns the air conditioner off but keeps airflow going without blowing cool air into the room. In theory, this should be a good thing: turning off the air conditioner means lower energy consumption, and the constant flow of air helps keep the room or house cool.
Is It Okay to Keep the Blower Running?
Keeping the blower running presents a few issues:
Higher energy consumption — Turning the air conditioner off and on actually consumes more energy than keeping it running at a low output. HVAC systems consume significantly more energy during and right after starting up because they need to increase output to cool things down.
Increased wear — Frequent shutdowns and startups also increase wear on the HVAC system and increase the likelihood of breakdowns. The air filters will also end up becoming clogged faster. All of these can raise your HVAC system’s maintenance requirements and the corresponding costs.
Lower indoor air quality — The blower may introduce indoor air pollutants into your home, including dust, pollen and mold spores.
What You Should Do Instead
There are, of course, certain conditions that make it ideal to run the blower by itself. If your room or the entire house feels stuffy — which indicates a lack of ventilation — running the blower for about an hour is a good alternative to opening the windows. Otherwise, it’s best to keep the air conditioner running. Setting your desired temperature a few degrees higher shouldn’t feel too uncomfortable and can help reduce strain on your air conditioner.
Call Air Quality Heating & Air Conditioning for Your Heating and Air Conditioning Needs
Air Quality Heating & Air Conditioning is your leading provider of HVAC services and an authorized dealer of Carrier heating and cooling systems. Give us a call at (408) 920-3910. You can also fill out our contact form to schedule an appointment. We serve customers in San Jose and the surrounding communities.