Asthma and Allergies: Furnace Air Filters, HRVs, & Duct Cleaning
When the leaves have all fallen from the trees and the cool weather begins, it becomes time to start up your home furnace. Some people find themselves sneezing, coughing or have difficulty breathing the first few weeks that the furnace has been started again. There can be a connection between a dirty furnace and asthma or allergies.
Connection between a dirty furnace and asthma or allergies
With forced air gas furnaces, the hot air fills your home to keep you warm. It’s important to make sure your furnace isn’t making you or family’s asthma and allergies worse because of the unit. These are some important ways to keep your family healthy while the colder weather is upon us.
1). Air Filter
Change your air filter – It is extremely important that you change your furnace filter every fall season. Some filters need to be washed or cleaned more than once since they are more efficient and collect more dust. There’s plenty of dust that we don’t see which sneaks into the vents and ducts of your home. The filter is what helps to keep us from breathing in all those particles which can trigger asthma and allergy attacks. Now there are a lot of different types of filters out there. If you or anyone in your family has any type of breathing problems or suffer from allergies, it’s very important that you use a higher end filter to help reduce the risks. We recommend using an electrostatic filter. Our electrostatic filters are washable, saving you money and time with replacing filters every season and also come with a lifetime warranty.
To find out which filter is best for your furnace, just give our office a call at 604-293-3770 or email us and we can help!
2). Heat Recovery Ventilators
Air Quality Improvements – There’s nothing nicer when the warm weather comes, than opening your windows and letting the fresh air in! During the winter months, opening windows is wasting hot air and money. There are ways to freshen the air in your home, without losing either. You can use a home purifying unit to help remove some of the bacteria, dust and recycled air from your home. They do help somewhat and are convenient. Keep in mind, that you can only cleanse the air in one room at a time. You’d have to have a unit in every room to efficiently work. The best solution to keep every room in your home filled with fresh air and not the stale warm air being recycled, is to have an HRV – Heat Recovery Ventilator installed.
Today, most new homes are built with a HRV. Heat Recovery Ventilators are highly recommended by experts in the respiratory field to help improve air quality for people with allergies, asthma, chronic bronchial problems and even help reduce headaches for those sufferers.
How do they work? Simply put, they suck out the stale warm air from your home, pull in fresh air from outside, while filtering out allergens like pollen, dust and chemicals. Our HRV units keep your air quality clean, fresh, free of odours and improves the overall way your family breaths!
3). Vents and Duct Cleaning
Keep Vents and ducts Clean – Keeping your vents free from dust and dirt regularly, helps to keep the air clean. Before turning on your furnace for the first time each season, you should always check all the vents for any debris. If you have pets in your home, then you know how much hair they can lose when their coat changes with the seasons. All that cat or dog hair from the spring often builds up in spots we don’t see. Like the vents and ducts.
You can use a household vacuum to get the surface dirt away but it’s also recommended that you have your ductwork professionally cleaned and pressurized every 2 years. There’s a lot of space between the furnace and the vents where dirt, debris and pet hair can build up. A household vacuum won’t get deep into these areas. There’s more than just dust and pet hair which can build up over time.
Some homes have too much humidity in the summer months and mold or fungus can be lurking in your home’s ducts. Having your system serviced regularly can save you money from losing hot air if not checked, keep air quality high and your family healthy and safe all year long!
See our current deals on air duct cleaning for the Vancouver area.
Vancouver Area HVAC Maintenance
Pro Ace Heating & Cooling Ltd. can help your air quality problems, we can even a be at your doorstep in minutes or at a convenient time to offer diagnostic tests and any necessary repairs.
We also want to remind you to take advantage of our VIP Rewards Program, to enroll or to more about it, give our offices a call at 604-293-3770.
Contact Pro Ace today at 604-293-3770!