That might not be from the change of seasons.

It is often, at this time of the year, when homeowners turn on the furnace for the first time.  If so, did you know that all of the accumulated dust, pollen, fungal spores and who-knows-what are blowing into your living space?  If you are coughing, sneezing, or uncomfortable, it may not be the season change, nor the flu!

Best bet for homeowners it to perform regular maintenance to ensure this does not happen:

1) Clean your duct work.  Vacuum in and around all of the registers in your home and down in any accessable area of the ducts, registers, and returns.  If you notice that these areas are dirty, that means the areas you cannot see are dirty too!  If so, consult Service Magic, the local phone directory, or Google and find yourself a duct cleaning company.  Have them professionally clean the ducts.  All the trapped particles of allergens and dust need to be removed occasionally.  Think of it like this: you change out your toothbrush once and a while, right?  Same here.

2) Replace all of the air filters in your heating/ventilation system with new, premium filters and change them monthly.  Doing so will not only help to clean the air being circulated, but it will generally increase the life of the system and will increase the efficiency of operation, that means savings!!!

3) Contact a Mechanical/HVAC contractor and give your system an annual maintenance. Your contractor will professionally maintain and inspect your heating system.  The money you spend is very well justified in the savings to operate the unit over the next year.  Plus, you may avoid a costly repair by having your contractor intervene before it gets REALLY cold and you call to make an emergency appointment!

I hope you all enjoy the fall!  Cabin fever is coming soon!  Wouldn't it be nice to be trapped in a healthy, clean environment for the winter this year?