[02SmithA]

I have severe allergies/asthma and my wife and I just moved into a new place a few months ago. A neighbor burns a wood fireplace often in the winter and the smell was coming into our home badly. I invested in a 3M Filtrete 1900 Ultimate Allergen Reduction filter to go onto the York furnace installed in our new home. The air filter has helped the problem a ton. On the worst nights (where it's foggy and smoke sits still outside) it still smells inside some, but not nearly as bad as before. I have a local contractor who I asked about reducing smoke smell and just allergies in general who recommended a whole house cleaner to be installed on the furnace.

The recommended whole house cleaner is a York Affinity Media Filter (MERV 13). It costs $450 to install. My question for you is: how much more effective at stopping smoke smells and reducing allergens would the whole house cleaner be vs. just keeping the 3M Filtrete 1900 filter that is now on the furnace? Trying to decide if it is worth my money to put the whole house cleaner on. If it will help allergies/asthma I'm willing to pay for it, just want to be sure it's a big upgrade. Thanks for your input in advance!

Aaron

 

[TarheelTerp]

my wife and I just moved into a new place a few months ago.
A neighbor burns a wood fireplace often
...the smell was coming into our home badly.

Do you make some sort of association between allergies and smoke odor?

Before the annoying smoke odor issue presented itself...
what plans did you have for the house regarding your allergies?

 

[02SmithA]

Yeah I have asthma caused by the allergies.. and the single biggest trigger to my asthma is the smoke odor.

The home is brand new so it is very tightly built, but we have three air purifiers running at all times (bedroom, office, and living room) they definitely help, but I'm trying to improve the air quality even more.

Do you make some sort of association between allergies and smoke odor?

Before the annoying smoke odor issue presented itself...
what plans did you have for the house regarding your allergies?

 

[TarheelTerp]

The home is brand new so it is very tightly built...

Does this tightly built home have an EXTERIOR fresh air intake for the hvac?

 

[jagans]

I feel for you, as I have the same type of reaction to wood smoke. There is nothing worse than someone who knows nothing about the proper way to age and burn wood. I had a neighbor that did the same thing. He loaded up his stove with unseasoned wood at night and turned the air way down. I told him he was asking for a chimney fire, and he was destroying the air quality in the whole neighborhood. He laughed, and said he has been doing it for years.

About a month later he burned about half his house down. Chimney fire got so hot it blew brick out of the chimney in the attic. The chimney looked like an afterburner on a jet fighter.

Poetic Justice.

 

[02SmithA]

Yes, it has an exterior fresh air return system that vents into the basement. I close the vent when the smoke smell is strong outside. Still seems like more of the smell comes inside than I would think though. Not sure what other ways the smell would get in when the furnace isn't even running?

Does this tightly built home have an EXTERIOR fresh air intake for the hvac?

 

[02SmithA]

Jagans,

Wow, yeah there are so many people who burn that don't burn properly. They ruin it for those who actually do burn properly. I can always tell when the neighbors use unseasoned wood.

I feel for you, as I have the same type of reaction to wood smoke. There is nothing worse than someone who knows nothing about the proper way to age and burn wood. I had a neighbor that did the same thing. He loaded up his stove with unseasoned wood at night and turned the air way down. I told him he was asking for a chimney fire, and he was destroying the air quality in the whole neighborhood. He laughed, and said he has been doing it for years.

About a month later he burned about half his house down. Chimney fire got so hot it blew brick out of the chimney in the attic. The chimney looked like an afterburner on a jet fighter.

Poetic Justice.

 

[AirstarFilters]

A 1" filter will mainly keep your coil clean, carbon filters help but can only absorb it's weight in VOCs , go with a whole house filter or air purifier and run 24/7