Why Isn’t the Ecobee Fan Turning Off?
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An Ecobee Thermostat allows you to control the climate of your indoor space from a smart device. On occasion, things can go awry with your heating and cooling system. One situation of note is when the fan is continuously running.
You don’t need an expensive technician to troubleshoot your Ecobee Thermostat. There are things you can do to fix problems where the fan will not turn off. Best of all, many of these situations can be resolved by yourself. Here’s how.
Check if Your Fan is Set to “On” Instead of “Auto”
Even smart thermostats can malfunction and require human intervention to get back on track. To fix an Ecobee fan that won’t turn off, ensure the fan mode is set to “Auto” instead of “On.”
Your HVAC fan usually runs as heated or cooled air circulates throughout your home. But many homeowners don’t realize the fan can run even if the A/C or heat is off.
Setting Your Ecobee Fan Through the App and Thermostat
Setting the fan option on your Ecobee Thermostat is a simple matter of toggling it between “Auto” and “On.”
- Switching the Ecobee Thermostat setting to “Auto” means your fan will only turn on while your A/C or heater runs.
- Moving this setting to “On” means the fan will always run.
Here’s how to change the fan setting on your Ecobee Thermostat from the app:
- Navigate to the “Quick Settings” menu on the Ecobee app.
- Tap “Fan.”
- Set the fan to “Auto.”
The benefit of always having the fan on is that you can improve the air circulation in your home. But the drawbacks are higher energy bills and the additional background noise.
If your Ecobee Thermostat fan is still running even though it is set to “Auto,” you may need to take further troubleshooting steps.
Setting Your Ecobee Fan Through the Thermostat
You can also control how your Ecobee fan runs from the thermostat itself. Rather than toggling between “On” and “Auto,” you can put the fan into timed cycles.
These Fan Holds can vary in duration from 15 minutes to all day. Here’s how it works:
- From the main display, open the Menu and select “Settings.”
- Select the “System” option at the top of the list.
- Tap “Fan.”
- Use the scrolling selector to choose the length of time you want the fan to run.
- Your Ecobee Thermostat will confirm when it will turn off.
If your fan won’t turn on after this, we have another guide for you.
Check Your Minimum Fan Runtime
Another reason your Ecobee Thermostat fan won’t turn off is the runtime setting.
The runtime feature allows you to set the time each hour your home’s fan will run. This is useful to circulate the air inside your living space.
The minimum fan runtime only applies when the fan setting is on Auto. The amount of fan running time can be set from 0 to 55 minutes every hour. Once set, the fan will run whether or not your Ecobee thermostat is programmed for a heating or cooling cycle.
To program the runtime, follow these instructions:
- Go to your Ecobee’s “Main Menu.”
- Select “System” > “Fan.”
- Set the minimum runtime value as you see fit.
When setting the runtime for your Ecobee fan, there are a few things to know:
- Runtime settings of 15 minutes or less: The Ecobee Thermostat will divide the time into two equal sessions of fan running time per hour.
- Runtime settings of 20 minutes or greater: The Ecobee Thermostat will split the running time into four sessions per hour.
- Runtime as 0: The fan will only run while your heating or cooling is running. If this setting is longer than your heating or cooling time, then the fan will run no matter what.
Check the Heat Dissipation Time
Heat Dissipation Time is another Ecobee Thermostat setting that may run your fan more than you’d like. The heat dissipation setting pushes out any remaining hot air once a heating cycle has finished by running the fan.
The default Heat Dissipation Time for Ecobee is 30 to 45 seconds. The maximum setting is 900 seconds (15 minutes).
This can seem like a long time if you’re not expecting it.
Follow these steps on your thermostat to adjust the heat dissipation time:
- Go to the “Main Menu.”
- Tap “Settings” > “Installation Settings” > “Thresholds.”
- Tap “Heat/Cool Dissipation Time” to set how long you want the fan to run.
Setting the dissipation time to less than 30 seconds will shut off the fan almost immediately after a heating cycle ends.
Check the Smart Recovery Settings
Smart Recovery is an Ecobee feature that learns your home temperature preferences and plans ahead. This learning technology factors climate conditions and your activity schedule to anticipate heating and cooling cycles.
While your Ecobee thermostat figures out how to heat and cool your home, the fan may appear to run when it’s not supposed to. Here’s how to disable Smart Recovery:
- Go to the Ecobee’s “Main Menu.”
- Select “Settings” > “Preferences.”
- Select “Heating Smart Recovery” or “Cooling Smart Recovery.”
- Toggle the switch to “Disable.” Smart Recovery will no longer run.
How Do I Stop My Ecobee Fan From Running? Other Things To Check
If your Ecobee fan still won’t turn off when it’s supposed to, there are other things to check.
Check and Reset the Ecobee Sensors
Check the status of your Ecobee sensors to confirm they are operational and not causing your thermostat fan to run unnecessarily. An Ecobee Thermostat can support up to 32 sensors, so it is important to make sure that they are all working properly.
You can view the status of sensors on the device face or in the app. Simply go to the “Main Menu” and tap “Sensors.” There are three icons indicating sensor status:
| Solid sensor icon | The Ecobee sensor is functioning normally |
| Sensor icon is an outline with wavy lines | The Ecobee sensor is inactive |
| Sensor icon is an outline without wavy lines | The Ecobee sensor is not connected at all |
To reset an Ecobee sensor, take off the back cover and remove the batteries. Re-insert the batteries after two minutes.
Review Your Comfort Settings
Another Ecobee feature that may result in your fan running unexpectedly is the Comfort Settings option. Comfort Settings are personalized temperature settings for different circumstances, including:
- When you are away from home (e.g., at work or school).
- While you are asleep.
- When you are home during waking hours.
Programming any of the Comfort Settings the wrong way can cause your Ecobee fan to run longer or more frequently than intended. Here’s how to access these settings:
- On your Ecobee Thermostat or app, go to “Main Menu” and “Comfort Settings.”
- Select the activity setting you want to adjust: Away, Home, Sleep, or Awake.
- Set your target heating and cooling temperatures.
- Tap Save when finished.
How To Rule Out If It’s the HVAC or Your Ecobee
If you’ve gone through the entire checklist of reasons why your Ecobee fan isn’t turning off, and you’re still having problems, don’t panic. There is a way to rule out if it’s the HVAC or your Ecobee Thermostat.
Using your Ecobee Smart Thermostat’s built-in diagnostic program can alert you to a problem with your HVAC system. This feature can only be accessed through the Ecobee interface. To run a self-test:
- Go to “Menu” and “Settings.”
- Next, tap on “Installation Settings” > “Test Equipment.”
- Tap “OK.”
You may see different options from here depending on the equipment you use to heat your home.
You can test things like your A/C, furnace, or heat pump to see if they respond to the Ecobee’s call for heating or cooling.
FAQ: Ecobee Fan Won’t Turn Off
What is “Fan Hold” on Ecobee?
The Fan Hold feature on an Ecobee Thermostat keeps the fan running for a preset duration. There are six options to choose from:
- 15 minutes
- 30 minutes
- 45 minutes
- 1 hour
- 2 hours
- Indefinitely (until you cancel the Fan Hold)
Why won’t the air conditioner turn off on Ecobee?
The same factors that can cause an Ecobee fan to keep running when heating can also apply to your air conditioner. As we have seen, these include:
- The fan being set to On instead of Auto.
- Improperly set minimum fan runtime.
- Comfort settings that need to be adjusted.
Another possibility is that the Ecobee needs to be recalibrated to engage the air conditioner as it should.
What is the minimum fan runtime for an Ecobee?
Five to 20 minutes, depending on your personal preferences and the climate where you live. For instance, if you live in a hot and humid area, the minimum fan runtime will be higher to circulate the air in your home properly.
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