Ways To Banish The Stuffy Air During Summer

What does it mean when your house feels stuffy and stale during the shifting seasons? It might be down to a single cause or a mix of things. Allergies often play a role, and low humidity does not help; stuffiness may also show a need for maintenance of your heating and cooling system or cleaning of the duct. Although homeowners have a choice to work on some essential steps to banish the stuffy air during the summer for good.

When does your house start feeling stuffy?

Here are some general reasons that prompt the stuffiness in your home.
1. For the first time in months, you switched on your Air Conditioner.

2. When plants release pollen and leaves start fluttering to the ground.

3. You close the windows and until spring you keep them shut.

4. Closed windows with issues in furnace and ventilation system can also result in staler air.

These issues when combined together can worsen allergy symptoms. Therefore, it’s better to take appropriate precautions in advance to avoid any inconvenience in the future. Below are the points discussed that trigger the stuffiness and stale air in our homes.

1. Indoor humidity is high

It is probably one of the major reasons why your home feels stuffy during the summer. Humidity often makes the summer environment unbearable whenever it exceeds from 45-65%. The high level of humidity makes the place muggy and sticky inside. The low humidity also has worse impacts on homeowners. Air with low humidity can dry out the nasal cavity he and we become more vulnerable to the viral diseases. 

2. Air leaks:

Leaking or damaged ductwork can make the situation of stuffiness even worse. The leaks allow the air loss resulting in reducing the supply of cold air to the home. With a compromised supply of conditioned air, the indoor gives the stuffy feel.

3. Dirty Air ducts:

When the air conditioner is turned on for the first time in months, it ultimately stirs ups all the mites and microbes that were residing in the air ducts. Therefore, contaminated air ducts often initiate sneezing and other symptoms and make the air feel staler. Cleaning air ducts timely will reduce many potential problems for your home.

Once you decide to clean the air ducts, make sure to hire a professional and certified HVAC team; who has expertise in using the appropriate steps and right air cleaning equipment and ensures the problem will not elevate in future.

4. Issues in Ventilation System:

Stuffiness in homes is often due to the poor ventilation system. The poor air flow makes hard for the stale air to circulate out of our living space. The problem is more common for homeowners who don’t check up their heating and cooling system for years. The right care and maintenance make your air conditioner to deliver the desired result for the extended period of time and also increases its lifespan.

Spring 2019 in Canada – when will it start

Every Canadian is desperate for the cold and persistent heavy snowy weather of winter 2019 to reach an end. Toronto experienced the coldest January with a temperature of -23c and snow accumulation in different provinces of Canada has doubled over a year ago. Snowshoeing and skating outdoor just became the dream since we continued hibernating in order to avoid the wind chill into the -30. In the meantime, the snowy winter also brought an extra strain to the heating system. To keep your Furnace running effectively, scheduled maintenance should be the prime concern. The timely maintenance keeps your heating system up and avoids all the risks that may lead to the emergency furnace breakdown.

Groundhog Day 

According to some legends, the fate of forecasting the coming of spring depends on the shoulders of some furry groundhogs every year on February 2—a day we call as Groundhog Day. The groundhogs of North America are in the agreement that in Feb-2- 2019 they are not observing their shadow. Hence, predicting an early spring. You better not warm your heart with the news as Farmer's Almanac is envisioning differently.

Farmer's Almanac

This time you have to prepare for the long winter than the usual one. As per Farmer’s Almanac prediction, Canada will witness continuing snow and cold temperature. The early march is more likely to bring snow showers to the various part of the country. The winter will linger throughout the April and early May.

How can you avoid the overworking of a Furnace in the long heating season?

You would like to ensure that your heating system runs optimally throughout the course and it can only be done with the regular Furnace maintenance. In the long heating season, you might sense some unusual noises coming out of your furnace. Don’t ignore such signs as they are the indication that something is wrong with the system.  Mind that a non-repaired furnace not only puts your family at a risk but can make water pipes to freeze costing you hundreds of dollars for repairing.

Read on to know how you can keep at arm's length from the furnace overworking.

·         In case you have a drafty home that lets the cold air in and results in furnace overworking while also spikes your electrical bill, make sure to add insulation to the walls so that the warm air can be trapped inside.

·         Don’t close the vents in an unoccupied room. You feel you are saving energy but you are paying for extra heat since closing the vents create more work for the system.

·         Whenever we feel cold, it is natural to turn up a thermostat few degrees high so the furnace can pump out the hot air speedily and we get warm quickly. You need to fight against such instincts, Moreover, changing the old thermostat with a smart or programmable thermostat is also worth considering.

Neglecting to the timely change of air filter should be a big deal to you – especially if you have active allergies. A dirty filter also disturbs the functionality of a furnace as it blocks the proper flow of air through the entire system.