Time to Check Your Heating Ducts
Those coughing, sneezing, watery eye symptoms you get this fall may not herald the onset of cold and flu season after all. There’s another possible culprit, but it isn’t contagious and it’s easily managed, once you know what it is.
You see, school children aren’t the only ones who take the summers off; your heating system also gets to take a break. However, while you’re out enjoying the beautiful weather, trouble-makers are taking up residence in your duct work during the time your heater stands idle. We’re talking about a build-up of dust, mold and other allergens that accumulate during your heating system’s down-time. There’s an easy solution to tackling the problem at the beginning of cold weather season, and keeping it under control for the duration.
English: flexible ducting (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Before you crank up the heat, have the duct work cleaned by a professional, like those at duct cleaning Oakville. Make certain that you arrange this cleaning during a time when you and your family can vacate the house for a little while, as the process releases a large amount of allergens into the air at first.
After the cleaning process is finished, you can have the furnace fitted with a filtration system. There are disposable filters that you can change once a month, or a permanent HEPA filter can be installed. Make sure you remove it and clean it periodically to get rid of dust build-up and eliminate blockages that reduce the efficiency of your heating system. Apartment dwellers who don’t have access to their building’s furnace can find small filters that fit right over their heating vents.
