I was just wondering what people have for a heating and AC source? I
purposely purchased a house with forced hot water due to my allergist's
recommendation. Although in my area now forced hot air, ducts with AC
built in is what builders are putting in. Has anyone lived with both types
of heating sources (forced hot air vs. forced hot water) and noticed a
difference in their sinusitis? Also what about the AC method?
Susan - 09 Dec 2005 21:25 GMT
> I was just wondering what people have for a heating and AC source? I
> purposely purchased a house with forced hot water due to my allergist's
> recommendation. Although in my area now forced hot air, ducts with AC
> built in is what builders are putting in. Has anyone lived with both types
> of heating sources (forced hot air vs. forced hot water) and noticed a
> difference in their sinusitis? Also what about the AC method?
I wish I had forced air so I could put a humidifier on the furnace and
Filtrete filters in the ducts. I live in an older home with steam
heat/radiators.
Susan
Don Brady - 09 Dec 2005 22:29 GMT
>I was just wondering what people have for a heating and AC source? I
>purposely purchased a house with forced hot water due to my allergist's
>recommendation. Although in my area now forced hot air, ducts with AC
>built in is what builders are putting in. Has anyone lived with both types
>of heating sources (forced hot air vs. forced hot water) and noticed a
>difference in their sinusitis? Also what about the AC method?
There are pros and cons of both types.
With forced air, *theoretically* you can filter it but if you still have dust
and mold in your room, it will blow it around and this will raise the level in
the air in actual fact.
In your case, I would stay where you are with what yoy have and try and
optimize it. You should be fine if you have some nearly dust-free rooms,
What I find myself is that in very cold werther, I am fine because the indoor
heat dries (either forced air or radiator) out the mold and dust mites.
I am also ok in very hot weather, because the AC dries out the mold and mites.
It is in the fall and spring that I have problems. This is because indoor
humidity rises and so do mold and mite populations. In those seasons, a lot
of air exchange with the outdoors in needed to keep levels down. An open
windows in an adjacent room is starting point.
If you have active sources of pollution indoors, then you may need more outdoor
air exchange even in mid-winter. This is hard to do but possible. Of course
it will drastically increase heating costs......
You need to experiment to test the effects of various factors......
birdieb - 11 Dec 2005 16:17 GMT
If you have allergy problems you can try a local bee keeper/honey
producer. I have had a very bad asthmatic bronchitis and a genetic
(father family) tendency to asthma and treatment with honey caps (When
the water content is less than18%, workers seal each cell with a cap)
helped me get over it completely. Even though my father and his mother
both had asthma and got treatment, I never got to asthmatic bronchitis
again. It was later found that the caps and the mixture bees produce to
seal the honeycomb has antiallergenic properties.
Alexandra C
Allen L. - 11 Dec 2005 16:35 GMT
> If you have allergy problems you can try a local bee keeper/honey
> producer. I have had a very bad asthmatic bronchitis and a genetic
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
> Alexandra C
So are you suppost to get the cone and consume it, or just the honey? I'm
confused when above you say "...treatment with honey cops..."
birdieb - 13 Dec 2005 09:41 GMT
Only the cap the bee puts on the cone (and the substance it produces to
seal it). The caps are usually thrown away by the producer or used to
make house beverages, because they want the honey to be clean of wax
when they extract it from the honeycomb.
birdieb - 13 Dec 2005 09:49 GMT
My mother used a book written by a Montana doctor called Jarvis.
Unfortunately, I gave it to someone who has never returned it. It was
about the uses of honey and he gave detailed description of the
treatment with honey caps. As I remember (I redo the treatment from
time to time) he indicated not to use a metal teaspoon, to chew the
waxy caps for about 15 mins and not to drink anything after that for at
least 30 mins - this keeps the antiallergic substance in place. I did
it approximately 4 times a day, for a month. After the first 10 days
the allergy started to subside.
sedum41 - 13 Dec 2005 02:15 GMT
Don,
I do have allergies to the outdoor types of mold. For me I have most
allergy problems June-Sept when the weather is hot and humid. Last year we
had a bad summer for outdoor mold. By monitoring a mold/pollen web site for
a town next to mine the outdoor airborne mold levels were highest from
May-October which corresponded closely with my symptoms.
My allergist wasn't too keen on the forced hot air as he stated most of
his patients with the worst allergies had this type of heat/AC. Of course,
I am basing this on conversations we had in the early 90's when I first
went for allergy testing and shots. I'm sure the technology is much better
now as 15 years have passed. I've seen him since then but haven't discussed
heating/AC with him.
For me I now think I would be better with a forced hot air that I could
attach very good HEPA filters, AC, humidifiers etc. The big question is
can you keep the ducts, AC, humidifier free from mold spores or can they
be cleaned effectively? I was just curious if people had lived in houses
with both types of heat as I've only lived in apartments or houses with
either steam heat or forced hot water.
Susan - 13 Dec 2005 02:19 GMT
> Don,
> I do have allergies to the outdoor types of mold. For me I have most
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
> with both types of heat as I've only lived in apartments or houses with
> either steam heat or forced hot water.
Yes, they can and should be cleaned at least a few times a year, with
filters washed and/or replaced each time. My husband's company does
this to protect all their electronic equipment. A side benefit is the
employees get good air, too.
Susan
Don Brady - 13 Dec 2005 04:24 GMT
>Don,
>I do have allergies to the outdoor types of mold. For me I have most
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>now as 15 years have passed. I've seen him since then but haven't discussed
>heating/AC with him.
>For me I now think I would be better with a forced hot air that I could
>attach very good HEPA filters, AC, humidifiers etc. The big question is
>can you keep the ducts, AC, humidifier free from mold spores or can they
>be cleaned effectively? I was just curious if people had lived in houses
>with both types of heat as I've only lived in apartments or houses with
>either steam heat or forced hot water.
Oh I have lived in all of the above but I do not think you will get a
conclusive answer.
Actually I have both right now (baseboard heaters and central forced air) and
switch back and forth. I really cannot stand the forced air except in very
cold weather. In mild weather it seems to blow around irritating mold or
gasses for whatever reason. My place is really not at all dust and mold free
though - things might work better if it were.
I like low-temperature baseboard heaters a lot. They are small closed-off
radiators. Some authorities recommend them over other solutions.. High
temperature heaters cause gasses to be given off from roasting dust.
There is no doubt that well-filtered forced air can work well but I do not
think it is the only solution.
What if the major source of dust is locally-stirred up dust and mold within the
individual rooms? Air filtering is not going to get rid of that. In a
super-clean house, central filters might work well. But presumably you would
have to leave the fan on all the time. Otherwise it would be off all the time
if the temperature indoors and ourdoors matched. The windows would have to be
closed. I prefer to be able to open the windows selectively.
It is just horrendously complicated.....
Woody Long - 16 Dec 2005 04:30 GMT
> I was just wondering what people have for a heating and AC source? I
> purposely purchased a house with forced hot water due to my allergist's
> recommendation. Although in my area now forced hot air, ducts with AC
> built in is what builders are putting in. Has anyone lived with both types
> of heating sources (forced hot air vs. forced hot water) and noticed a
> difference in their sinusitis? Also what about the AC method?
If you live in an apartment, get one on the top floor with the windows
facing south. Then if you live in a warm climate like CA you will
rarely need the heat. If you are buying a house, make sure its at
least 2 story and the bedroom is not on the ground floor, and again
preferably bedroom windows facing south. AC should be OK as long as
the ducts are clean. If they are new, this should not be a problem.
Forced air heat can be a problem regardless, I have found. Radiator is
probably better. When it is especially damp like during rainstorms,
you can first heat the house up to, say, 80F then set the AC to 70F
which should help drive out the humidity - or buy a dehumidifier.
Never ever consider an evap cooler.
Woody
Woody Long - 16 Dec 2005 04:30 GMT
> I was just wondering what people have for a heating and AC source? I
> purposely purchased a house with forced hot water due to my allergist's
> recommendation. Although in my area now forced hot air, ducts with AC
> built in is what builders are putting in. Has anyone lived with both types
> of heating sources (forced hot air vs. forced hot water) and noticed a
> difference in their sinusitis? Also what about the AC method?
If you live in an apartment, get one on the top floor with the windows
facing south. Then if you live in a warm climate like CA you will
rarely need the heat. If you are buying a house, make sure its at
least 2 story and the bedroom is not on the ground floor, and again
preferably bedroom windows facing south. AC should be OK as long as
the ducts are clean. If they are new, this should not be a problem.
Forced air heat can be a problem regardless, I have found. Radiator is
probably better. When it is especially damp like during rainstorms,
you can first heat the house up to, say, 80F then set the AC to 70F
which should help drive out the humidity - or buy a dehumidifier.
Never ever consider an evap cooler.
Woody
Don Brady - 16 Dec 2005 18:26 GMT
>> I was just wondering what people have for a heating and AC source? I
>> purposely purchased a house with forced hot water due to my allergist's
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
>Forced air heat can be a problem regardless, I have found. Radiator is
>probably better.
Yes low temperature portable heaters may be best.
http://www.cadetco.com/show_product.php?prodid=1011
I have 4 of these.
However, I find even these irritating if too close - I put them in adjacent
rooms.
> When it is especially damp like during rainstorms,
>you can first heat the house up to, say, 80F then set the AC to 70F
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
>Woody