- The dust in your home is more than dust. It is composed of pollen, mold spores, plant spores, lint, bacteria, pet dander, skin cells and many other contaminants. Dusting, vacuuming, smoking or cooking indoors, can actually increase particulate concentrations. Can you imagine how much dust is currently flying about around you, without you even knowing it? This is what makes having an effective furnace filter so important.

- Dust particles are measured in microns, and range drastically in size from microscopic, to relatively large. The tiniest dust particles make up more than 99% of the debris floating around in the air inside your home. You can be inhaling a large amount of these particles on a daily basis, as they often bypass your respiratory system’s defense mechanisms with little trouble. Learn more about how to keep your furnace filter clean at http://www.creativehomemaking.com/cleaning/furnace-air-filters.shtml.

- Breathing these particles can create a number of health effects, including coughing, asthma attacks, wheezing, cancer, decreased lung function, heart attacks and even premature death. This is all in addition to a wide variety of different allergic reactions.

- The best way to limit the source of these dust particles it to eliminate them, and one great way to accomplish that involves installing high efficiency furnace filters and air conditioning filters. High efficiency filters, like HEPA filters for example, are excellent for capturing a large amount of these particles, keeping them from contaminating the air that you are breathing on a constant basis.

- Proper filtration is the best way to remove dust, dirt and mold particles from the air. There are a number of different types of furnace filters that you can use to accomplish this. Many furnace filters are disposable but there are also variations that are reusable or refillable in nature. Furnace filters also come in a variety of different materials, including natural fibers, manmade fibers, metal and fiberglass. Get more information about furnace filters at http://energyboomer.typepad.com/energyboomer/2007/07/a-clean-filter-.html.

- The purpose of a furnace filter is to protect air-handling equipment, meaning that it is important that they are maintained or replaced exactly how the manufacturer recommends. If you do not maintain or replace them as recommended by the manufacturer then they can become dangerous by restricting airflow and causing fires, carbon monoxide leaks, or worse. Maintenance truly is key when it comes to getting the most out of your furnace filter. When filters become loaded with particles, there is less air flow capacity which cuts down on the efficiency of the filter and causes the rest of the machinery to work extra hard to operate.

- Make sure to keep the manufacturer’s instructions handy so you always know how to maintain and repair your furnace filter and other important furnace equipment. These instructions will also show you where the furnace filter is located and will indicate how often you should have your furnace inspected by a licensed contractor.

- Look for the highest available efficiency filter that will work with your furnace. The best way to do this is to choose a furnace filter with a high MERV rating. The MERV rating will be listed on the packaging. A MERV rating of 11 or higher is recommended for the healthiest air quality in your home.

- If you have a family member with asthma or other respiratory problems, you may want to replace or maintain your furnace filter even more often to keep the air clean. There is no harm in over-maintaining or replacing more often than necessary.

Wood furnace usually sits outdoor. It looks much like a small utility building is firewood, water coated stove. The water in the covering is heated and pumped underground through insulated pipes to the building that needs to be heated and at this point the heat from the water is extracted. This process is cheap and it can adapt easily to all heating system. The outdoor wood furnace is very simple, effective, and safe and cost efficient.

And as a bonus, it also takes cares of all your domestic hot water needs; the element in your hot heater never kicks in. There are also some wood furnace models that fit inside the shop or woodshed. The basic components of a wood furnace included the cabinet or jacket, firebox, blower, access doors for stroking and cleaning and small blower to fan the fire when more heat is needed. Electric air cleaner, air performance media filter, humidifier, evaporator coil for central air and a coil to make domestic water are some of the accessories used in wood furnace.

Sometimes you might need a condensate pump that you will used to dispose of the water produced by the dehumidifying action of air conditioning. Extra precautions must be taken with regards to air conditioning, evaporating coil as well as duct works clearance from combustibles due to high temperature in the supply plenum. You should always be sure to check the manufacturer’s recommendation. A combination of wood furnace will contain an oil or gas burner as a backup.

The proper sizing of a wood furnace is very important for comfort and performance but the output and blower size should not be guessed at but it should be professionally calculated. The air distribution is also critical and just as involved as any central heating system, if not more so because of building code requirements. If your system is not correct, the accessories will not work properly either. The humidifier, air filter, air purifier and central cooling should match the system and will not accomplish their task if the furnace is too big.

Wood furnaces is used to save a home and business owner valuable money in heating cost because wood furnaces is a great heating method if they are use in a safe way. Outdoor wood furnace is safer than an in home wood heater. It has been also distinguished that outdoor wood furnace is likely to burn more efficiently than indoor wood stoves. There are still many individuals who are happier with the money they are saving in their indoor wood stove, however with more efficient burning an outdoor wood furnace could conserve even more money and efficient burning also means that you will not have to feed wood into the fire many times a day.

It depends on the type of wood furnace model you have, the exact amount you have to put in it but many outdoor wood furnace models only need wood once a day. Using an outdoor wood furnace is more convenient because you can put it beside the wood file, less worries of bringing woods inside your home which eliminates the mess of bugs; ash, saw dust, and dirt in the house. Outdoor wood furnace is cost savings too; there is no more need to use gas or electricity to heat domestic water, hot tubs because it will do it better at a lower cost compare in using an indoor wood furnaces.

Examine first the type of attic insulation you have. Many older houses have what is referred to as batt insulation. That’s the kind that comes in large rolls, and is typically colored pink or yellow. The insulation is spread out in the attic, generally between the wooden beams.

The other kind of insulation is called blow-in insulation. Blow-in insulation is typically installed by professional contractors, as they have the correct equipment to do the work. Small bits of insulation are mechanically wind blown into the attic, creating the blanket across the attic floor. You will generally find this kind of insulation in new houses.

There are of course good and bad with either batt insulation or blow-in insulation. Batt insulation, when installed properly provides an equal R-Factor through the attic. The R-factor is the measurement of the overall performance of the insulation, and is also called the thermal performance. It measures the resistance of the flow of heat. Batt attic insulation that is properly installed will give you a uniform R-Factor through the entire attic.

Alternatively, blow-in insulation is propelled into the attic with a machine. While it is very difficult to blow it in uniformly through the whole attic, the result is a variable R-factor in that space. As long as the installation is done thoroughly, and the necessary minimum number of inches sits on the flooring of the attic, the insulation will do the trick. This makes the issue of a non-uniform R-factor a non-factor overall.

The money involved with batt and blow-in insulation is of course another factor to consider. Usually batt insulation costs less to buy, but your time is something to consider as well. Lots of time is needed to correctly add insulation, or replace the existing insulation. When adding attic insulation, you of course have to have the right equipment, including proper clothes, lots of time, and plenty of patience.

Alternatively, you can always contract the job out for a little more money, and have a blow-in insulation job completed in just a few hours without as much trouble.

Stay tuned as next I will cover more on the differences between batt and blow in attic insulation, and consider other energy saving tips for your attic.

One option is mineral wool insulation. This can be man-made or natural, and fiberglass is a man-made mineral wool. So is a ceramic fibre insulation. A natural mineral wool insulation is made of basalt and slag, basalt being volcanic rock, and slag being a mix of metal oxides. The major advantage of this insulation is its extreme natural fire resistance. It will only melt at temperatures of 1,832 degrees Fahrenheit, and even that will take about two hours. Compared to fiberglass insulation which melts at1,472 degrees Fahrenheit within 20 minutes, that’s an amazing advantage. What this means is that natural mineral wool requires no extra fire retardants, making it that much healthier for your home environment.

Another option gaining popularity is polystyrene and polyurethane foams. Polystyrene is better known by the trademark name of styrofoam, and is available in a number of forms for a variety of insulation purposes. It can be used to insulate pipes, reducing heat loss and reducing energy bills. A method of building involving layering the foam under concrete foundation is highly effective at insulating floors.

Polyurethane is most commonly used as a spray-in insulation, and is useful for filling in cracks or applying insulation to hard-to-reach crevices.

If you desire to move away from man-made insulations, there are a variety of natural insulations that are also highly affective. Wool batting is made of sheep’s wool that is mechanically bonded. It can also be formed into ropes for insulating between the logs in a log home. The major environmental advantage is it is renewable and recyclable. It has an R-value of between 3.5-3.8 per inch of thickness. Wool insulation is naturally fire resistant, though it will burn at temperatures of 1040 Fahrenheit. However, when it does burn, it’s smoke does not contain any dangerous toxins, unlike most of the other insulations mentioned here. In addition, wool particles are too big to become a health hazard if inhaled. Wool insulation is also biodegradable.

Finally, another natural alternative is insulation made from recycled denim and other cotton scraps. This cotton insulation is sold in bats and is quite non-toxic. It uses minimal energy to produce, and takes a product otherwise destined for the landfill and makes it into a healthy insulation alternative. Most cotton batting insulation is treated with a natural fire retardant that also keeps pests and mold at bay. It is not irritating to the skin and is easy to install. It is also an excellent acoustic insulator.

There are a lot of insulation options out there for the ecologically-minded builder or homeowner, and depending on your budget, health concerns and insulation needs, it shouldn’t be hard to find the right one for you.

What is really the attic in your building?

Attic is defined as the space enclosed by the building wall and is located directly under the roof. As this is an area generally not occupied continuously by anybody (except in special designs and home modifications) it is unheated. Some components of utilities such as water heaters, hot water storages, air conditioning and heating air ducts and also goods storages may be located here depending on the volume of space available. Generally the roof and the floor are insulated though more often than not inadequately.

Areas of heat loss in an attic

Some major points of heat loss have been identified by researchers. For example;

Roof Attic floor Air vents Attic access Poorly erected hot/cold air distribution ducts

and,

Poor insulation in hot water tanks and plumbing

The silver lining in the whole issue is that of all insulations of an old or new building attic insulation is the easiest to tackle. And in most cases can be carried out by semiskilled amateurs as a DIY project perhaps during a weekend!

Types of attic insulation

Commonly used attic insulations are as follows;

Cellulose Insulation ? loose fill Cellulose Insulation ? Stabilized Insulation Fibreglass and mineral wool Insulation- loose fill Fibreglass and mineral wool insulation- batts Expanded Polystyrene or Phenolic foam insulation- rigid boards Cellular Foam Insulation ? sheets of Butyle and Nitrile rubber foam etc.

Tips for DIY enthusiasts

The use of cellulose insulation is currently gaining grounds over fiberglass and mineral wool insulation. The reasons being none other than economy! The thermal resistance value ?R? per unit material cost for cellulose fill is the lowest for any attic insulation.

Further the modernized material does not require a vapor barrier (subject to local building codes permitting it)

The cellulose loose fill can be filled in between timber joists. This may raise dust posing a health hazard. Adequate precautions are advised. These fibres may settle about 20 % over the time. An overfill of at least this amount is therefore recommended. On the other hand stabilized cellulose material does not show this weakness and is therefore better suited for the job in spite of the higher price. On the other hand the EPS, PF and cellular foam slabs can be easily cut to exact size between joist spacing and also can be fitted over them completely eliminating any thermal bridges unlike fiberglass, cellulose material etc. Handling of Fibreglass or mineral wool insulation should be done with care. Protective clothing and masks need to be worn. Check all hot water plumbing insulation and renew if necessary. Continuous insulation through out is essential. Check near the storage tanks for weak insulation and rectify as needed. Hot/cold air ducts are easily neglected items in an unconditioned attic. Poor seals between flanged joints, weak insulation in these places and elsewhere, non continuity in insulation etc. may cause high thermal energy losses. Another cause of heat loss from conditioned areas to the attic is the recessed light fittings. Caution should be exercised when insulating the fitting as this will also entrap the heat emitted by the lamp leading to disastrous fires. Seeking manufacturer’s instruction is therefore essential in this matter. Vent grilles to and unheated attic is essential for proper ventilation of the occupied areas. Special care need to be taken to prevent obstruction of these grilles (generally located at the periphery of the attic floor).

Styrofoam insulation is a rigid polystyrene foam material. It is waterproof, efficient and lightweight in preventing the transfer of heat. For production of styrene seventy five percent benzene is used. The polystyrene is a monomer of Styrofoam. Styrofoam has unique capacity of maintaining the temperature of things as it is. The Styrofoam is used in form of pipe insulation, sheeted wall insulation, ground flake insulation etc.

Styrofoam has great R-value, thermal efficiency. R-value defined ?a measure a substance?s insulating value or resistance to heat flow, the insulating ability?. Styrofoam has cavity insulation between the studs. It provides rigid insulation of entire wall and energy efficiency. Styrofoam insulation has highest moisture resistance than any foam plastic insulation. It provides long term insulating systems. Other insulations has many drawbacks for example, polysiocyanuarate provides nutrient source for molds. This is not the case with Styrofoam insulation. It has a high compressive strength and unparallel resistance for water penetration.

Styrofoam insulation is done using Styrofoam sheets. These Styrofoam insulation sheets are available in many different shapes. Common dimensions of these Styrofoam insulation sheets are 48 inches in width, 50 feet length and have thickness of 3 inches. .