Home Improvement DIY

It may not occur to you the importance of having a furnace filter which is functioning effectively, you might not even know what one is.  If you don’t know what it is and want to know why you should have one, then keep reading.

First of all our homes are full of dust.  Dust isn’t just made up on one thing, it’s made up of a huge number of different particles created from different sources.  These particles can include dead skin, plant spores, bacteria, pet dander, mold spores and pollen.  Whenever you dust your house, vacuum, cook, smoke or brush you pet’s coat, the concentration of particles in the air will increase.  You might not realize just quite hoe much dust there is in the air, but if you have a look whilst the sun is shining through your window, you will see plenty of dust floating about the air.  The problem with dust is that many people are allergic to dust along with dust mite droppings.  People who suffer from asthma can find themselves having to deal with an attack simply because they are dusting their homes trying to keep the place clean.

Even if you do get the chance to see dust in the air whilst the sun is shining, this is only 99% of the actual dust.  Dust particles can be so small they have to be measured in microns and often you would need a microscope to be able to see it.  Without realizing it, you are actually inhaling huge quantities of dust everyday.  For those who are sensitive to dust the result is nasal congestion, coughing, wheezing, asthma attacks, cancer, heart attacks and decreased lung function.  So many people suffer from all sorts of allergic reactions and many of them simply don’t know what it causing it.

If you are worried about the health impacts of all this dust in your home, you’re best option is get rid of the dust buy using a high efficiency furnace filter along with air conditioning filters.  There are different types of filter available but one of the best is a HEPA filter which will capture and remove the majority of dust particles and prevent you from having to breathe in these contaminants daily.

With a furnace filter it is very important that you keep them well maintained and replace any filters when needed and to the manufacturers instructions.  If you neglect to look after you furnace filter properly you will find that your filter stops working the way it should, they might even become dangerous because the airflow is restricted and fires can be caused along with carbon monoxide leaks.  Don’t buy a furnace air filter if you aren’t prepared to maintain it the way it should be.  If you allow your filter to become clogged with dust particles you find that the air flow capacity is reduced along with the efficiency.  This means that the rest of the unit has to work even harder to operate.

When you buy a furnace air filter you should make sure that you keep the instructions in a safe place where you can find them easily.  The instructions will allow you to understand how the furnace filter works and how to repair it.  You will also be able to read about where the filters are placed and tell you how frequently they should be changed.  It will also advise you on how often you should have your machinery inspected.

When shopping around for the best home furnace filter you should look for one which has a high MERV rating.  This will give you an indication of how well it functions and the rating will be labelled on the box.  Make sure you buy one with a rating of at least 11 as this will ensure you get the best air quality for your home.

Although you might thing that your home is fairly clean, you’d be surprised at just how polluted it can be.  So many of us live near busy roads, municipal dumps and factories which all put out a huge amount of chemicals.  US Environmental Protection Agency says that the pollution in your home can be as much as five times higher than it is outside.  When you consider just how much time we spend indoors, it’s no wonder that air quality in the home is having such an impact on our health.

When shopping around you will notice that there are disposable fibreglass filters which are pretty cheap.  However this isn’t always the best option because they aren’t as effective.  Generally they are intended to give only a certain amount of protection for the furnace and isn’t designed to filter or clean pollen and mold.

Some of the most popular brands of furnace filter include 3M, Aprilaire, Honeywell, Goodman and Trion.

 

Related Entries:

• HEPA Air Purifier Filters - Do HEPA Air Purifiers Really Work? If you are concerned about the health of your family then buying an air purifier is something that you may want to look at. Air purifiers are used in the home for removing pollen, dust mites, pet dander plus chemicals found in carpets and building materials. There are a number
• Air Ionizers - Removes Particles From The Air and Neutralizes Viruses, Bacteria and Cigarette Smoke Air ionizers work by changing the polarity of particles in the air which in turn causes them to magnetically attach to each other. This causes them to become too heavy to float about in the air so they then
• How to Keep Your Bedroom Allergen-Free - With many people suffering from asthma and other allergies one place to help reduce the problem is the bedroom. It may not be possible to completely remove all allergens from the home however there is still a lot you can do to reduce them. Dust Mites - Household dust is normally the biggest culprit.
• Best Chlorine Shower Filter - None of us particularly like swimming in swimming pools full of chlorinated water.  There’s something just so horrible about it on your skin and it gets into your hair causing it to feel dead.  But the truth is that the shower you take in your own home could contain just as much chlorine, if not
• Saltwater Fishtanks - If the thought of getting up at the crack of dawn to take a dog a walk fills you with horror, then chances are you’re looking for an easier pet in the form of a fish. Good choice, fish are popular pets in millions of homes across the world.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.