Ecobee Fan Not Turning On

Your Ecobee smart thermostat is responsible for communicating with your HVAC system, but sometimes there can be issues with that communication, such as the fan not turning on when it’s supposed to.

If your Ecobee fan is not turning on, you should try power cycling your Ecobee thermostat and HVAC system by flipping their corresponding breakers. If that does not work, you may need to tighten the thermostat’s wires or change the fan settings.

A lot of troubleshooting is trial and error, so below, we have provided detailed instructions for each of these possible solutions. It’s recommended that you go in order of the tips as they are listed for the most efficient troubleshooting. However, if you suspect a particular cause of your Ecobee fan problem, feel free to pick and try out what makes the most sense for your specific issue.

Ecobee Fan Won’t Turn On: Troubleshooting Steps

There are three things you can try to fix the issue of Ecobee not turning on your HVAC fan. They are:

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

Note: This guide is specifically for fan issues. If your A/C isn’t turning on at all, check out this post instead.

Try Restarting Ecobee

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

There are two ways you can power cycle your Ecobee:

1. Flip the breaker switches that power your thermostat.
2. Remove the Ecobee thermostat from the wall, and then put it back.

You can also try power cycling your HVAC unit by flipping that breaker as well.

Check the Wiring

If restarting Ecobee doesn’t work, check your Ecobee thermostat’s wiring to make sure they’re securely connected.

The G wire, often a green wire, is what runs the fan. The R wire provides power to turn on the fan, so both G and R wires must be securely attached for Ecobee to turn on the fan.

Note: The R wire may be R_C or R_H, or you may have both R wires. Check all G and R wire connections.

If you are using a Power Extender Kit, the wires will be connected to the kit instead of directly to the HVAC control board. Check the connection of the G and R wires on the kit. You will also want to make sure the five white wires from the kit are securely connected to the control board.

Check the Fan’s Minimum On Time Setting

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

To run the fan outside of the heating and cooling cycles, you can increase the Fan Minimum On Time setting. Here are the steps to do this:

1. Under 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. If the time is set to 15 minutes or less, there will be two segments. 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 when you have the system in heat mode, you can try changing fan control from the HVAC system to the thermostat using the steps below:

4. Under the main menu, select “Settings.”
5. Select “Installation Settings.”
6. Select “Equipment.”
7. Select “Furnace.”
8. Select “Fan Control in Heat Mode.”
9. Choose “Ecobee thermostat.”

With fan control given to the thermostat, anytime heat mode is on, the fan will run, even if the system is not actively heating.

Is your fan turning on but not your heat? Use this article to guide you through additional troubleshooting steps for your device.  

Check the Heat/Cool Dissipation Time Settings

Another setting that can increase the fan run time in both heating and cooling mode is the Heat/Cool Dissipation Time. This is the amount of time after the heating or cooling cycle stops that the fan will keep running.

You can adjust the heat and cool dissipation times separately. Under “Installation Settings,” select “Thresholds” followed by “Heat/Cool Dissipation Time.” Choose the amount of time you want the fan to run in seconds.

For even more details about Ecobee’s fan settings, check out this Ecobee support article.

In Conclusion

Ecobee thermostats have many benefits, such as built-in Alexa voice commands and remote control with the Ecobee app. However, when your basic HVAC functions, like the fan running, isn’t turning on with Ecobee, it can be frustrating. Hopefully, this guide helps you resolve the issue quickly!