How Your Furnace Can Worsen Your Allergies

Have you ever noticed when you turn on your heat for the first time in the fall, you’re wheezing more often? While spring allergies often get a worse reputation, fall allergies are still very prominent and affect many. For some, fall allergies can be even worse than spring thanks to temps affecting our immune systems and from cranking up our equipment. This could leave you considering, can furnaces make allergies worse in Calgary, or even trigger them? 

While furnaces can’t create allergies, they can aggravate them. How? During the warmer months, dust, dander and other debris can collect in heating ducts. When the cold conditions arrive and we flip our furnaces on for the first time, all those allergens are now distributed through the ductwork and travel through our residences. Luckily, there are things you can do to stop your furnace from worsening your allergies. 

How to Keep Your Furnace from Affecting Your Allergies

1. Get a New HVAC Filter. Frequently replacing your filters is one of the best tasks you can do to alleviate your allergies at any time of the year. New filters are better at snagging the allergens in your house’s air, helping to keep you in better health. 

2. Clean Your Air Ducts. Not only do pollutants gather in your HVAC filters, but in your ductwork as well. An air duct cleaning can help reduce allergy symptoms and help your HVAC system work more efficiently. When you call for an air duct cleaning, our experts inspect and clean components such as your supply/return ducts and registers, grilles and diffusers. 

3. Keep Your Furnace in Good Working Condition. Proper HVAC maintenance and regular tune-ups are another good way to both boost your house’s air quality and keep your furnace working as efficiently as possible. Prior to flipping your furnace on for the first time, it can help to have an HVAC tech run through a maintenance inspection to ensure your filters and air ducts are clean and everything else is in working working order. 

Allergies and continual illness can be frustrating, and it can be difficult to figure out what’s causing or aggravating them. Here are some additional FAQs, along with answers and ideas that might help.  

Is Forced Air Harmful for Allergies?

Allergy sufferers are usually told that forced air heating can aggravate your allergies even more. Forced air systems can carry allergens through the air, leading you to breathing them in more often than if you used a radiant heating system. While it’s correct forced air systems may make your allergies more severe, that is only if you put off appropriate maintenance of your furnace. Other than the things we mentioned above, you can also: 

• Dust and vacuum your house frequently. If there aren’t dust, dander or mold spore particles to accumulate in your air ducts, your air system can’t circulate them into the air, and you can’t inhale them. Some additional cleaning ideas involve: 

• Ensure your vacuum has a HEPA filter. 
• Dust ahead of vacuuming. 
• Clean your curtains regularly, as they are a frequent harbor of allergens. 

• Remember to clean behind and under furniture. 

• Check your house’s moisture levels. Higher humidity levels can also result in more severe allergies. Humidity causes mold growth and dust mites. Adding a dehumidifier to your HVAC system keeps moisture levels under control and your indoor air quality much fresher. 

H2: What is the Best Furnace Filter for Allergies? 

Generally, HEPA filters are a strong option if you or someone in your household suffers from allergies. HEPA filters are rated to take out 99.97 to 99.99% of particles, like dust, pollen and dirt. These filters have a MERV rating of 17-21, depending on the brand or filter material. This rating demonstrates how well a filter can take pollutants from the air. Because of their high-efficiency filtration performance, HEPA filters are dense and can limit airflow. It’s helpful to contact A1 Chesney Service Experts to make sure your heating and cooling system can operate properly with these high efficiency filters. 

Can Clogged Filters or Air Ducts Make Me Sick? 

Worn filters can hold on to particles and allow poor quality air to recirculate. This is also applicable for dusty air ducts. If you inhale these particles it can trigger sneezing, coughing or other asthma-related symptoms, depending on your sensitivity. 

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

• It’s taking longer for your system to cool or heat your house. 

• You discover more dust in your home. 
• Heating and cooling costs are going up with no apparent reason. 
• Your allergies are popping up more often. 
• Symptoms your air ducts could use cleaning include: 
• The metal is coated in dust. 

• Dirty supply and return vents. 
• Mold in your furnace, air conditioner, heat pump or air handler. 
• Dust coming from your vents when your HVAC system is working. 
• Your residence is often dusty, in spite of continuous cleaning. 

Your health and comfort are our highest priority at A1 Chesney Service Experts. Whether it’s furnace repair today.