Is Using Just The Fan On Your AC Unit Okay?

With our nights, here in the Phoenix Metro area cooling off nicely you may wonder if it is OK to use just the blower fan to circulate air just for the night.  If you have a very well insulated home it may do little good as the air you will be moving will be from the inside of your home.

You could open a window or two and draw in the cooler night air.  The windows you open, however, could be a threat to your security.  So if you can open a window just a crack and lock it in that position then you can safely get the benefit from the cool night air.

If you have a multilevel home where you draw air in is an important consideration and there is no hard and fast rule as the placement of the bedrooms, hallways and many other factors will affect the overall airflow patterns.  While hot air rises you are forcing the circulation based on the AC’s fan unit and vent placement and not the air movement just by convection.

For those who have been puzzled by your thermostat having a fan switch, here's an explanation: If the AC is off, then turning the fan on will simply recirculate the inside air without cooling it. (It draws in through the intake (where your filter is) and blows out through the ceiling vents as it normally does.) There's not much advantage to this, because it doesn't make the house any cooler, but it can help keep the air "fresh" since it's being drawn through the filter and it's being moved around a lot.  When the AC is on, the air's already being circulated, so in that case there's no difference whether the fan switch is on or off.

At night for using just your fan to cool off your rooms you must introduce cool night-time air to enter your home through some means.  

The electricity used to move the cool night air will be just a fraction of that of running the air conditioning compressor to cool the air.

Consider that opening a window (just a crack and locking it in that position) and then using a ceiling fan or area task fan can be just as effective  in cooling your home as using your HVAC system blower fan.

Remember opening a window to allow cool night air changes (lowers) the security of your home.  That may be the most important consideration in night time cooling off.  If you not careful you could forget the open window during the day while you may be at work.  That will cause a loss of air conditioning efficiency, not to mention a different type of security issue.

Looking for a fast and fair company to work with for your HVAC system repair or replacement needs?  Give Aaron’s Mechanical Services a call and let us help you get comfortable – day or night! Call 623-388-4436

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Aaron’s Mechanical Service
623-388-4436
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