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Found 46 results for the keyword(s) ‘Air Quality’

  • Article

    What are the options in furnace air filters?

    A minimum filter is designed to protect the furnace fan from large dust balls -- not to protect your health.   ONE INCH FILTERS You can start upgrading from there. One of the best of the 1 inch filters is called Filtrete from 3M. It's an electrostatic filter that becomes charged as the air pas...
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    WHAT IS AN AIR-TO-AIR HEAT EXCHANGER, HRV and ERV?

    Air-change ventilation systems exist that take stale air out and bring fresh air in so as to not rely on cold air drafts for the entry of fresh air to the house. They are simply a box with two fans. In a few of the warm spots of Canada these are legitimate systems on their own. In most of Canada ...
  • Article

    Cleaning Electronic Air Filters

    When clean, electronic air filters are the most efficient furnace filters on the market - according to research at the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. When dirty, they don't filter much at all. When in-between they can give off ozone. If you're a lazy homeowner, they probably won't do m...
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    Radiant Heating Systems for Homes

    Radiant Heating and Convection Heating are the two primary types of ways we heat our houses. FORCED AIR HEATINGConvection heating means moving hot air -- what we usually call a forced air heating system simply heats air and moves it around the house through a system of fans and ducts.  Forced air...
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    Living with Dust

    (This entry was originally submitted as an article to Chatelaine Magazine. The heavily edited version which appeared in September 2008 was a fine little article, but missed some critical points like exhausting central vacs outdoors, not making the critical distinction between the bad ozone air c...
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    OVERVIEW: Portable Air Conditioners - single or double ducts?

    All air conditioners have a passage for room air to flow into the unit, flow over the cold side of the compressor coil and return to the room. This both cools the air and condenses some of the moisture out of the room air, which makes the room dryer, more comfortable and easier to cool. Wit...
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    Central Vacs -- Indoor or Outdoor exhaust?

    Health officials all recommend that central vacuum systems should exhaust outdoors while most installers do not put in an outdoor exhaust pipe.A few conflicting facts:The cost of piping the exhaust air outdoors is about $75 installed.Central vacs are noisy and a few municipalities have begun to...
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    Testing and developing furnace filters

    We visited the development facilities at Cimatec Environmental Engineering in Toronto, Ontario where I actually managed to get into the middle of a 65 foot ducting test system to see just what life looks like when you happen to be a furnace filter. Emanuel Mouratidis showed us how they clean the...
  • Article

    The best of breathing protection

    The first photo shows a respirator. If you have ever used a respirator you will really love this new one. It has a quick latch release that allows you to drop it down off of your face without loosing any of the adjustments of the straps on your head, and quick latch it right back. When using...
  • Article

    SAD -- Seasonal Affective Disorder -- it can be cured

    Feeling down, particularly in the Fall as the days get shorter? Sometimes it feels like the flue or it can even go to severe depression. This glum feeling in the Fall of every year has been tagged SAD or Seasonal Affective Disorder.It is attributed primarily to decreasing light exposure, but I ...
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