Sunday, August 06, 2006

Clean Air Distribution Systems are Important

A very important factor in the quality of the air in your home or workplace is the air distribution system. They also provide the building with comfort. Below is a great article on air distribution systems, how they function, and what can go wrong.

Air distribution systems are central to the comfort and safety of your home. The air you breathe must be clean, and frequently circulated free of impurities, or else it can cause illness and discomfort. I worked as an Heating and cooling technician, so I know! There are so many things that can go wrong with an air distribution system. One of the most common is improperly sealed air ducts. These can come apart at the seems, or can be inadvertantly damaged during installation. This means that they will pull in dirt and dust and circulate them in your house. Insects can get into them and leave dirt and pollutants which you will then be breathing in. These can be especially dangerous if your furnace is down in the basement, or in a crawlspace where they often are located. Then contaminants from these spaces are constantly leaking into your own air supply.

Improperly sealed vents is an even more common problem with air distribution with even more severe results. The problem is the same – a bad seal causes polutants to leak in, however, the types of pollutants and the quantities are worse, since they are leaking in from under the floor where there can be insects, mold, insulation, and all other manner of things which you really do not want to breathe in. A professional can easily fix either of these problems, and you can do the same yourself.

A lot of really common problem occur with the heater itself, the center of the air distribution system. It may strike you as hard to believe, and it is incredibly dishonest, but the fact is, with your $1300 dollar furnace, there will be included a flimsy, 5 cent cardboard air filter worth almost nothing in terms of cleaning power. It will not stop dust and dirt from being pulled into the intake of the furnace, and this can cause all sorts of problems. Not only will some of this dust be pulled into your house, and build up in your ducts, but it will also choke up your blower motor, cover the burners in the furnace, and all and all, decrease the life expectancy of the whole unit greatly while compromising the health of those who live in your house.

The most dangerous problem which can occur with a furnace air distribution system is carbon monoxide poisoning. This is potentially lethal, and certainly can not be ignored. It happens when there is a crack in the ventillation system of the furnace causing gasses to be leaked into the air supply of the house, or for some reason it becomes backed up, and fails to adequately remove combusted gasses. If this happens, the furnace must be shut down immediately, and a new one be installed.

So, be careful when using air distribution systems. Though they are necessary to most people, you must exercise caution when installing and checking them out.

An Air Purification System is a Good Idea

If you are suffering from polluting agents in your home, you may want to consider an air purification system. This are becoming increasingly popular throughout the United States. In the article below, you will find out everything you need to know about purchasing air purification systems.

Do you suffer from allergies? I know I do. I sneeze in summer, cough in winter, gasp in spring and choke in fall. All year long, they bother me. I tried everything. Allergy shots helped a little, improving my diet helped a little, but nothing did much until I got my air purification system.

There are several types of air purification systems. Mine is of the type called a hepa. A Hepa filter system has a high efficiency filter that traps particles which are blown through the system by a powerful fan. On top of this, it has an activated carbon pre-filter, which filters out molds, and odors. In most tests done by scientific organizations, this type of filter has rated the best of all of them. There's just no comparison. If you turn it on before you go to sleep, you'll be breathing clearly in the morning and be happy and healthy all day.

Another popular type of air purification system is the ionizer. This is a high tech solution, but people don't think it actually works that well. Basically, it takes all the air that goes through it and electrically charges it. This makes it cling to surfaces – carpets, furniture, bedding. Practically anything. It gets the dust out of the air, but does it by just making it settle in the room. Then you have to dust and vacuum, as well as frequently washing your bedding, or else the allergens are just as bad or even worse.

A washable filter air purification system is supposed to be a good choice, although I have never used one personally. In most respects it is like a hepa, running air through its filter and trapping dirt and dust inside. The problem with hepas is that you have to replaice the filter about every six months and the pre filter even more frequently – maybe every month or two. This can add up to a lot of money! But with a washable filter air purifier system, you never or almost never have to replace the filter. Just wash it, and it will be as good as new!

It is a good idea to read scientific reports and studies before buying an air purification system. There are so many on the market, and some are much better than others. They tend to be rated in several ways: how much space they can clean at once and, on average, how much they improve the air quality. So, if you have a small room, a small air purification system will work, but if your room is big, you might need a larger and potentially much more expensive one.

Well, good luck on your quest to buy an air purification system! I hope you found this article to be very helpful. If you need additional information, please read my other articles as well!

Need an Effective Air Cleaner?

We all love a home with clean air. It just makes living that much more comfortable. Air cleaners help purify the air of bacteria, dust, and other undesirable dirty air agents. The article below discusses the uses of air cleaners, as well as what to look for in one for your home.

Air cleaners are gaining popularity in America’s homes. The air purifiers are designed to cleanse the air of unwanted elements like smoke, bacteria and other invasive particles. Many people are attracted to the cleaners because they want to avoid illnesses and they want to curb the symptoms of conditions like asthma. There are many air purifiers on the market, but new studies suggest that with all of the good air cleaners provide, there is a risk of increasing global warming.

The problem is that air cleaners take these aerosols out of the environment as they cleanse the air of impurities. The impurities help our climate maintain itself. In effect, we are adding to the climate’s acceleration of heat as we eliminate the aerosols. Scientists now predict that the climate will warm faster than they estimated earlier. The projected increase in temperature ranges between 2.7 and 7.9 degrees Fahrenheit. The range depends on other elements that contribute to global warming.

An air cleaner is designed to purify, but the efforts may increase global warming even more than projected. A group of scientists from Britain in collaboration with a group of scientists from the United States found that aerosols affect the world’s general climate. Aerosols are tiny particles in the atmosphere. These tiny particles cool the air in the atmosphere and they are extremely effective.

Aerosols are natural. They are put into the air through dust in deserts, smoke from volcanoes, salt from the seas and from fossil fuels that are burned. Research is still relatively new on the subject of aerosols and global warming, but scientists are sure that the tiny particles help to cool the atmosphere. They are not certain of the specific role the tiny particles play in the big picture in regards to climate control.

Aerosols occur naturally as dust blown from deserts, wind-whipped sea salt, and emission from volcanoes. They also come from burning fossil fuels. But scientists have had a tough time discerning aerosols' precise role in affecting climate. Scientists use computer models to gain an understanding about the effect aerosols have on the climate. They also take measurements of aerosols in the atmosphere by using satellites and aircrafts. These measurements give scientists a range of the particles’ properties, size and density.

Scientists are finding that as we use air purifiers to cleanse the air of impurities, we may be interfering with the natural function of those particles. There needs to be a balance. Air cleaners are a great tool for keeping homes fresh and they are a great tool for improving air quality in some homes. However, they may be used best in places that have an excessive amount of pollutants in the air rather than in the average home.

I hope you found this article to be very informative. Air cleaners, while very effective, should not be abused. If you have other questions about cleaning your air, please visit my other articles as well.