When it comes to your air conditioner, keeping its fan on auto or leaving it switched “On” the whole time is one of the most commonly asked questions. Ultimately, it’s better, for many reasons, to have your AC fan switched to auto.
Of course, different homeowners can think differently about the suggested settings, however, there are many benefits to having your air conditioner’s fan changed to this setting. In this article, we will explain more in detail the settings your AC should be set at, and the benefits of the correct choice.
What Is the Difference Between the Auto Setting and the On Setting?
There is a vast difference between keeping your unit on and keeping your unit on auto. When your air conditioner is turned on, it is constantly running even if you are comfortable with the temperature it holds. When your unit is on auto the fan and air conditioning unit will run as seen fit.
This means, that in turn, when your setting is turned on auto less electricity is used. When your fan and air conditioner are running all the time, more electricity is produced. All in all, it is better to leave your air conditioner’s fan on auto, instead of “On” at all times.
However, even though it’s recommended to leave your home’s AC on auto, there are some beneficial times to keep it switched on. In these following situations, it may be best to have your AC switched on.
- If you are cleaning your home, sometimes it’s better to keep your unit turned on, because of the air circulation in your home. When your unit is turned on while you are cleaning, all the dust particles and dirt from your home can be sucked in and eliminated throughout the home.
- When you are having multiple guests over at the home, sometimes it’s recommended to turn the unit on instead of on auto. Again, similar to the situation listed above, air circulation is a positive thing when having multiple people over.
Pros of Leaving Your AC on Auto
As we stated in a few sections above, it’s very important to keep your air conditioner’s fan on the auto setting. Some of the reasons behind this choice include:
- Lowered energy consumption: When your air conditioner’s fan is set on auto, it will only run as needed. This, in turn, will cut down on your system’s electricity usage. This then will decrease your monthly utility bills by a decent amount of money.
- Increased lifespan of your air conditioning unit: Because your air conditioner isn’t running its fan all day, every day, there is not as much wear and tear on your machine. In some cases, when your fan is running all the time, other parts of the unit can be damaged or overworked. Because of this, you will find that the lifespan of your unit can be decreased, meaning that if your fan isn’t running at all times, your air conditioner can last longer.
- A quieter home environment: If you can hear your air conditioner’s fan running, there is a slight chance of background noise occurring or rattling from the air conditioner. When your fans are on auto, there won’t be a noise that you constantly hear, it will only be slight at times.
- Easy distribution of hot air and cooler air: No matter the time of year, cooler air or warmer air need to circulate the home. Any temperature you choose, your air conditioner will need to fulfill this task. By saving your air conditioner’s fan, it will easily be able to hit target temperatures in a shorter amount of time because of the decreased fan usage.
Cons of Leaving Your AC on Auto
However, with any benefits that leaving your ACs fan on auto can bring, there are a few downsides that you must think about. Some of these downsides include:
- Not as much cooler air: Of course, this should be a very obvious downside of keeping your fan set to auto. If your fan is only blowing sometimes, you won’t have a constant stream of cooler air into your home. When your home reaches the temperature that you have set your conditioner at, the fan will stop blowing the cooler air into your home or circulating the air around.
- Some wear and tear may occur: Even though running your fan on the auto setting won’t cause as much wear and tear, your unit can still experience some of this. With the frequent starts and stops of your air conditioner’s fan, there may be some frequent maintenance that will need to be done. However, smaller repairs are nothing compared to the costs of a full unit reinstall.
Reach Out to Our Professional Team for Any AC Need!
At the end of the day, only you can choose what setting to switch your air conditioner’s fan to. However, we would recommend that you are using Auto at all times so that you can reap the benefits of this setting.
For any questions you may have about your air conditioner or your air conditioner’s fan setting, don’t hesitate to contact us. We are here for all your service needs and are willing to repair all your home’s equipment if need be.