Ecobee Fan Not Turning On

Your Ecobee smart thermostat works with your HVAC system to keep your home comfortable. But sometimes, there can be issues with communication between them, resulting in the fan not turning on when it’s supposed to. 

Below are common troubleshooting steps for an Ecobee fan not turning on when it should. Try to go through these tips in the order they are listed for the most efficient troubleshooting. But feel free to jump to whichever option makes the most sense for your issue.

Ecobee Fan Won’t Turn On: Troubleshooting Steps

You can take three approaches to fix the issue of an Ecobee not turning on your HVAC fan. They are:

1. Change the fan settings on the thermostat.
2. Power-cycle your Ecobee thermostat.
3. Check the wires that go between your thermostat and the HVAC control board.

Note: This guide is specifically for fan issues. Different troubleshooting will be needed if your A/C isn’t turning on.

Deciding which troubleshooting options will depend on whether your Ecobee unit is new or has worked for a while. If you are starting up your Ecobee for the first time or if the fan was turning on before but now won’t. For example:

• If you are starting up your Ecobee for the first time, you may want to jump to the wiring tips immediately.
• If your Ecobee fan was turning on but now doesn’t, you can try power cycling your unit and checking the settings. There may also be an electrical or mechanical issue that is causing your problem.

Check Your Ecobee’s Fan Settings

If your Ecobee fan is not turning on, another thing to consider is that the fan settings must be adjusted. In particular, pay attention to the following:

Fan’s Minimum On Time Setting

In the Ecobee thermostat settings, you can control how the fan works in heat, cool, and without heating or cooling. (Running the fan outside the heating and cooling cycles helps provide good air ventilation in your home.)

If your Ecobee fan is not turning, try running the fan outside the heating and cooling cycles. Do this by increasing the Fan Minimum On Time setting. Here are the steps:

1. From the Main Menu, select System.
2. Select Fan.
3. Choose the minimum fan run time you want per hour.

Ecobee automatically divides this fan running time into segments within each hour. There will be two segments if the time is set to 15 minutes or less. For more than 15 minutes, the run time will be divided into four segments every hour.

Fan Settings in Heat Mode

If the fan is not turning on in heat mode, the issue may be related to fan control. Try changing this setting so that the Ecobee unit, not the HVAC system, controls the fan. This adjustment can only be made from the Ecobee device itself. Follow these steps:

1. Go to the Main Menu and select Settings.
2. Select Installation Settings followed by Equipment.
3. Choose Furnace.
4. Select Fan Control in Heat Mode.
5. Choose Ecobee Thermostat.

When you assign fan control to the Ecobee, the thermostat will activate the fan whenever the heat mode is on.

Is your fan turning on but not your heat? We’ve got your troubleshooting needs covered.  

Check the Heat/Cool Dissipation Time Settings

Another setting that can increase the fan run time in both heating and cooling modes is the Heat/Cool Dissipation Time. This is how long the fan continues to run after the heating or cooling cycle stops.

You can adjust the heat and cool dissipation times separately. Here’s how:

1. Go to Settings from the Main Menu.
2. Select Installation Settings followed by Thresholds.
3. Choose Heat/Cool Dissipation Time and set the time (in seconds) you want the fan to run.

Try Restarting Ecobee

If your Ecobee thermostat isn’t turning on your HVAC system’s fan, the first step you should try is power cycling it. This simple troubleshooting tip can solve many common issues with Ecobee.

Power Cycle Your Ecobee and HVAC Units

You can power cycle your Ecobee unit in two ways:

1. Flip the breaker switches that power your thermostat off and then on again.
2. Remove the Ecobee thermostat from the wall for two minutes, and then put it back. When putting your Ecobee back in place, make sure it is properly seated in its support bracket.

You can also power cycle your HVAC unit by flipping that breaker off and on. If your HVAC unit breaker has tripped, your Ecobee may indicate that the fan is running when it is not.

Reset Your Ecobee

Restarting your Ecobee and HVAC units should help restore the operation of the fan. If neither of these steps resolves your issue, try resetting your Ecobee to its original factory settings. Follow these steps:

1. From the Ecobee thermostat, go to the Main Menu.
2. Select Settings followed by Reset.
3. Choose Reset All. Note that all your stored schedules, programs, and preferences will be erased.

Check the Ecobee’s Wiring

All Ecobee thermostats are hard-wired to your home’s electrical system. If restarting Ecobee doesn’t work, check your Ecobee thermostat’s wiring to make sure every connection is securely in place. 

Here’s a rundown of the wires related to the Ecobee thermostat unit and fan:

WIRE LABEL	FUNCTION	CONNECTION
G (sometimes labeled G1)	Often green, this wire runs the Ecobee fan	G terminal
R (usually labeled R/Rc/Rh)	Provides power to turn on the Ecobee fan	Rc terminal
C	Provides power to the Ecobee thermostat unit	C terminal

The G and R wires specifically relate to the operation of the Ecobee fan. Confirm that both wires are securely connected if your fan is not turning on. Make sure each is fully inserted into its terminal and that the corresponding locking tab is in the down position.

Notable Wiring Exceptions

Depending on your particular Ecobee model, your thermostat’s wiring may be different. For instance, if you have an Ecobee 3 Lite, Ecobee 4, or Ecobee Smart Thermostat with Voice Control, a Power Extender Kit (PEK) may be needed during hookup.

If you use a Power Extender Kit, the five white wires from the kit will connect directly to the HVAC control board. Match the PEK wire labels to their corresponding HVAC terminals. The PEK also connects to your Ecobee thermostat.

From the PEK, connect the wires to your Ecobee unit as follows:

• The R wire connects to the Rc terminal
• The G wire connects to the C terminal
• The W wire connects to the W1 terminal
• The Y wire connects to the PEK terminal