Your Furnace Could Be Making Your Allergies Worse

Have you ever felt when you start your heating for the first time in the fall, you’re sniffling more often? While spring allergies usually get a worse reputation, fall allergies are still very typical and many people are affected by them. For some, fall allergies can be even worse than spring because of brisk temps affecting our immune systems and from winding up our heating. This could leave you wondering, can furnaces make allergies worse in Edmonton, or even trigger them?

While furnaces can’t create allergies, they could aggravate them. How? During the hotter months, dust, dander and other pollutants can build up in heating ducts. When the cold temps begin and we flip our furnaces on for the first time, all those allergens are now pushed out of the ventilation and travel through our homes. Thankfully, there are things you can do to stop your furnace from aggravating your allergies.

How to Keep Your Furnace from Affecting Your Allergies

1. Get a New HVAC Filter. Routinely replacing your filters is one of the best chores you can complete to alleviate your allergies at any time of the year. Fresh filters are superior when snagging the allergens in your house’s air, helping to keep you healthier.
2. Clean Your Air Ducts. Not only do particulates harbor in your HVAC filters, but in your vents as well. An air duct cleaning might help reduce allergy symptoms and help your HVAC system perform more efficiently. When you request an air duct cleaning, our experts check and clean components including your supply/return ducts and registers, grilles and diffusers.
3. Keep Your Furnace in Good Working Condition. Quality HVAC maintenance and routine tune-ups are another good way to both enhance your home’s air quality and keep your heater performing as effectively as possible. In advance of switching your heat on for the first time, it could help to have an HVAC technician complete a maintenance checkup to ensure your filters and air ducts are clean and everything else is in great shape.

Allergies and continuous illness can be irritating, and it can be tough to discover what’s causing or triggering them. Here are some common FAQs, including answers and suggestions that can help.

Is Forced Air Harmful for Allergies?

Allergy sufferers are typically told that forced air heating can affect your allergies even more. Forced air systems can carry allergens through the air, causing you to breathe them in more frequently than if you used a radiant heating system. While it’s accurate forced air systems may make your allergies not so good, that is only if you avoid appropriate maintenance of your heating equipment. Other than the tasks we listed above, you can also:

• Dust and vacuum your house often. If there aren’t dust, dander or mold spore particles to collect in your air ducts, your air system can’t carry them into the air, and you can’t inhale them. Some extra cleaning tips involve:
  • Make sure your vacuum has a HEPA filter.
  • Dust in advance of vacuuming.
  • Clean your curtains routinely, as they are a frequent collector of allergens.
  • Don’t forget to clean behind and under furniture.
• Check your house’s moisture levels. High humidity levels can also result in aggravating your allergies. Humidity enables mold growth and dust mites. Installing a dehumidifier with your HVAC system keeps moisture levels balanced and your indoor air quality much fresher.

What is the Top Furnace Filter for Allergies?

Usually, HEPA filters are a great fit if you or someone in your household deals with allergies. HEPA filters are rated to remove 99.97 to 99.99% of particles, such as dust, pollen and dirt. These filters have a MERV rating of 17-21, depending on the brand or filter material. This rating reveals how well a filter can clean pollutants from the air. Due to their high-efficiency filtration materials, HEPA filters are dense and can reduce airflow. It’s wise to contact Rob's Albertan Service Experts to confirm your heating and cooling system can run correctly with these high efficiency filters.

Can Dirty Filters or Air Ducts Make Me Sick?

Dirty filters can hold on to particles and allow poor quality air to recirculate. The same goes for dirty vents. If you inhale these particles it can cause sneezing, coughing or other asthma-related issues, depending on your sensitivity.

It’s smart to switch out your HVAC filter after 30-60 days, but here are some indications you could need to more frequently:

• It’s taking a longer amount of time for your system to cool or heat your residence.
• You come across more dust in your residence.
• Energy expenses are going up with no obvious reason.
• Your allergies are acting up.

Clues your air ducts need cleaning include:

• The metal is coated in dust.
• Dusty supply and return vents.
• Mold in your furnace, air conditioner, heat pump or air handler.
• Dust emitting from your vents when your HVAC system is starting.
• Your residence is often dusty, in spite of constant cleaning.

Your health and comfort are our greatest priority at Rob's Albertan Service Experts. Whether it’s furnace repair today.