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Most people are blissfully unaware of what it means to have an effective furnace filter or what a furnace filter even does. Here is a small handful of tips which should not only explain what furnace filters are and how they work, but also how to best maintain your furnace filter for improved air quality and safety.

- 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.

Tags: Seasonal maintenance by Jerry
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I am building a house and I have 2″ x 4″ exterior walls. What kind of insulation should I use and what kind of insulation will give me the highest R value? I am in North East Ohio.

Tags: Seasonal maintenance by Jerry
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Wood furnace is also known as a coal fired furnace that burns wood or coal in a sealed firebox to heat an exchanger.

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.

Tags: Seasonal maintenance by Jerry
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