How Your Furnace Can Trigger Your Allergies

Have you ever felt when you turn on your furnace for the first time in the fall, you’re sneezing more often? While spring allergies often get a more severe reputation, fall allergies are still very common and many people struggle with them. For some, fall allergies can be even worse than spring colder temps weakening our immune systems and from winding up our furnaces. This could leave you considering, can furnaces make allergies worse in the U.S., or even lead to them?

While furnaces can’t lead to allergies, they could intensify them. How? During the hotter months, dust, dander and other pollutants can build up in heating ducts. When the winter temps begin and we turn our furnaces on for the first time, all those allergens are now circulated through the ductwork and move throughout our houses. Luckily, there are things you can do to keep your furnace from irritating your allergies.

How to Keep Your Furnace from Triggering Your Allergies

1. 1. Get a New HVAC Filter. Routinely replacing your filters is one of the best tasks you can perform to minimize 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 breathing easy.

2. 2. Dust Your Air Ducts. Not only do small particles gather in your HVAC filters, but in your vents as well. An air duct cleaning could help reduce allergy symptoms and help your HVAC system run more efficiently. When you schedule an air duct cleaning, our experts survey and clean components including your supply/return ducts and registers, grilles and diffusers.

3. 3. Keep Your Furnace Well Maintained. Adequate HVAC maintenance and regular tune-ups are another excellent way to both boost your residence’s air quality and keep your system working as smoothly as possible. In advance of flipping your heat on for the first time, it can help to have an HVAC technician run through a maintenance inspection to confirm your filters and air ducts are clean and everything else is in tip-top condition.

Allergies and continual illness can be annoying, and it can be tough to learn what’s causing or worsening them. Here are some additional FAQs, complete with answers and suggestions that might help.

Is Forced Air Harmful for Allergies?

Allergy sufferers are often told that forced air heating can affect your allergies even more. Forced air systems can circulate allergens through the air, leading you to breathing them in more regularly than if you owned a radiant heating system. While it’s accurate forced air systems may make your allergies more severe, that is only if you don’t take appropriate care of your furnace. Other than the things we included above, you can also:

• • Dust and vacuum your home regularly. If there aren’t dust, dander or mold spore particles to collect in your air ducts, your air system can’t circulate them into the air, and you can’t inhale them. Some additional cleaning tips are:

• • Check your vacuum has a HEPA filter.

• • Dust in advance of vacuuming.

• • Clean your curtains routinely, as they are a common hiding place of allergens.

• • Make sure to clean behind and under furniture.

• • Check your residence’s moisture levels. Higher humidity levels can also result in more severe allergies. Humidity enables mold growth and dust mites. Adding a dehumidifier to your HVAC system keeps moisture levels in check and your indoor air quality much healthier.

H2: What is the Top Furnace Filter for Allergies?

Most often, HEPA filters are the best if you or someone in your family suffers from allergies. HEPA filters are rated to take out 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 kind. This rating illustrates how successfully a filter can take pollutants from the air. Due to their high-efficiency filtration construction, HEPA filters are dense and can restrict airflow. It’s smart to talk to Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing to make sure your heating and cooling system can perform correctly with these high efficiency filters.

Can Dusty Filters or Air Ducts Make Me Sick?

Worn filters can harbor particles and allow poor quality air to move throughout your home. This also applies to dusty air ducts. If you inhale these particles it can cause sneezing, coughing or other asthma-related problems, depending on your sensitivity.

It’s smart to swap out your HVAC filter every 30-60 days, but here are some indications you might need to more regularly:

• • It’s taking a longer amount of time for your system to cool or heat your house.

• • You find more dust in your residence.

• • Utility expenses are going up with no apparent reason.

• • Your allergies are acting up.

• • Clues your air ducts need cleaning include:

• • The metal is sitting in dust.

• • Filthy 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 working.

• • Your house is frequently dusty, regardless of frequent cleaning.

Your health and comfort are our greatest priority at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing. Whether it’s furnace repair today.