Air conditioner running all the time - normal?

[jkbstingray]

Hi everyone, quick question about the air conditioner on our GT-3. When the thermostat Mode is set to Cool, and the Fan is set to Auto, the fan runs continuously, even when it has reached the desired temperature. I can hear the compressor cycling on/off, but the fan never turns off like a home unit does. Is this normal, or do I need a new thermostat?

[larry2c]

Different model than ours but ours works the same way. On auto it will keep the fan on after it reaches set temp but the AC compressor will cycle on & off to maintain the set point.

[BriaBeck]

In most cases, the "Auto" setting will cycle the fan and the compressor. That is the way it works with my Coleman-Mach.

[jkbstingray]

Larry,
Ok, well I guess maybe it's supposed to be like that. Just seems to be a lot of unnecessary running for the fan. But good to know that I'm not the only one, thanks!
Jeff

[jkbstingray]

Brian,
That's what I would have expected. I guess this one is just set up differently. Thanks for the response!
Jeff

[Flybob]

In some units, the fan runs all the time but the compressor cycles. This circulates the air and keeps an even temp through the unit and avoids hot spots. It theoretically is more energy efficient.

[tomkatb]

The way it is set up?

Generally, running the fan constantly better distributes the air.

Normal folks can turn the thermostat up a bit with the fan always on. Ours is noisy. And we have the quiet cool option.

My home Unit runs the house fan on a low setting constantly. Higher on heat or cool.

Most systems have a place to turn the fan like this somewhere. Our thermostat has so many controls we can barely make it run at all much less worry about the fan. Getting replaced soon with the micro air one!

[jkbstingray]

Flybob,
Thanks, sounds like that's what is happening here!

[Cyote61]

On ours, when on auto, the fan stays on all the time but changes speeds when it needs to as the compressor comes on. When the compressor goes off the fan then drops to low speed so its much quieter.

[campers302]

Originally Posted by jkbstingray

Larry,
Ok, well I guess maybe it's supposed to be like that. Just seems to be a lot of unnecessary running for the fan. But good to know that I'm not the only one, thanks!
Jeff

I would look at that as a plus. The reason being is that it keeps the air circulated in the whole unit and would avoid hot/cold spots. A compressor, fan etc works hardest on a startup.

Just my opinion.

[SLU2]

Our Dometic A/C unit shuts off when the desired temp is reached. Also we noticed on extremely hot days, the circuit breaker would trip on first turning the unit on. After we reset the breaker, it runs fine. I see they sell a startup kit to fix this but have yet to buy it since it only happens on really hot days and resetting the breaker is not a hassle..

[BriaBeck]

Originally Posted by SLU2

Our Dometic A/C unit shuts off when the desired temp is reached. Also we noticed on extremely hot days, the circuit breaker would trip on first turning the unit on. After we reset the breaker, it runs fine. I see they sell a startup kit to fix this but have yet to buy it since it only happens on really hot days and resetting the breaker is not a hassle..

You might want to get that checked out... that is not normal operation. You have a problem with your AC unit, or a weak circuit breaker. One of the two. One is bad, the other is not good.

[campers302]

Our was similar. The cause was a starting capacitor. Very inexpensive to replace.