Electric heat question

[EL]

Hello all, happy holidays!

I'm in south FL, and have a Rheem central A/C system ~3 years old with electric coils in the air handler.

This AM, for the first time this year, I had occasion to turn on the heat. Set 'stat to "heat", fan was on "auto", house was 60 degrees and setpoint was 70, and... nothing. In particular, no fan (I can hear the fan from where the thermostat is located).

Not wanting to set anything on fire, I shut it off after ~5 seconds. Switched fan to "on", mode back to "heat", hot air comes out the vents.

So my question: when the thermostat calls for heat and the fan's set to "auto", the fan is supposed to come on immediately, isn't it? There isn't a time-delay relay in there or anything, right?

Just FYI it worked fine last year and nothing's changed since then. Really!

Eric Law

[Charles Spitzer]

electric coils in the air handler.

Set 'stat to "heat", fan was on "auto", house was 60

hear the fan from where the thermostat is located).

Switched fan to "on", mode back to "heat", hot air comes out

"auto", the fan is supposed to come on immediately, isn't

how did it work last year?

there might be a delay. no sense pushing all that cold air in the heater into the house until the heater has heated the air inside it hot enough.

[TimS]

Many heat systems have a controller that allows fan only between say 140 and

190F

electric coils in the air handler.

Set 'stat to "heat", fan was on "auto", house was 60

hear the fan from where the thermostat is located).

Switched fan to "on", mode back to "heat", hot air comes out

"auto", the fan is supposed to come on immediately, isn't

[Ron Hardin]

My Lennox electric furnace fan comes on when the first heating element does, but that's delayed by a thermal relay for about a half minute.

The fan is controlled by a current sensing loop to the elements, so if any element is on, the fan is on. It matters because when the thing turns off, one element turns off at a time, the reverse of the thermal staging on turning on; and you want the fan on all that time.

[CBhvac]

Name ONE electric one.

[CBhvac]

electric coils in the air handler.

Set 'stat to "heat", fan was on "auto", house was 60

hear the fan from where the thermostat is located).

Switched fan to "on", mode back to "heat", hot air comes out

"auto", the fan is supposed to come on immediately, isn't

Digital Stat? What model air handler? If its on a sequencer, stack, its going to take a couple of seconds to come on. Not all units, even electric models will start the fan RIGHT away when there is a call for heat. Rheem-Rudd in particular used to use on the older models a stack sequencer for the heat elements, and depending on the size of the elements there may be more than one.

[GeoMan]

the air handler.

"heat", fan was on "auto", house was 60

from where the thermostat is located).

"on", mode back to "heat", hot air comes out

is supposed to come on immediately, isn't

You have a problem, all electric furnaces turn the fan on immediately with a call for heat. Leave the unit on fan on while you have it set on "heat". What brand is that thermostat anyway? If you leave this unit as it is you will eventually buy more parts due to overheating, and you may end up buying a new house! Call a pro

Rich'

[Ron Hardin]

more parts due

Lennox doesn't. The fan is controlled by current to any heating element, not by the thermostat. The current to the first heating element is delayed by a thermal time delay relay about 30 sec from what the thermostat calls for, and so therefore is the fan.

[Tony Hwang]

more parts due

is the fan.

[CBhvac]

Sigh...

An ELECTRIC furnace does not have a flame....

buy more parts due

therefore is the fan.

>

[CBhvac]

buy more parts due

Not to disagree with a fellow..but...

Goodmans wont....AR series comes to mind right off...with the TE #600000C0C0-27 relay... #15 on the parts list BTW, Listed as a Texas Instruments Time Delay Blower Relay..its a stack sequencer, and the elements will normally not fire until after the blower has been on for about 45 seconds, and it wont come on after a call for heat for up to a full 60 seconds.

[Tony Hwang]

[CBhvac]

LOL..not a prob man...I wanted to laugh, but thought better of it..:)

[George E. Cawthon]

more parts due

therefore is the fan.

[Joe]

Then why are you giving advice on electric furnaces?

Steve B.