Furnace Filter As A Holiday Gift

We use furnaces when the weather calls for it. It seems obvious that we follow a seasonal pattern when looking for furnaces and related services. In general this is true, but Google reveals a few interesting details within this seasonal pattern that are anything but obvious.

Google can show search trends throughout the year for each furnace-related key word and the month when the search peaked. That peak is what we are after in this article. Unfortunately, this article's format does not us allow to insert pictures. Please follow the link at bottom of this article to see the page with all the charts and details.

At the time it was written, the available Google report covered the months from August 2006 through July 2007, so we are starting from the month of August.

There isn't a single furnace-related search peak in August, which is no surprise - everybody is still enjoying summer.

September does bring a surprise. There are search peaks for furnaces, but not gas, oil, or electric ones. Instead, people are looking for all kinds of wood and corn furnaces.

Most of the keywords peak in October. People search for the following:

•Furnace, best furnace, and new furnace

•Furnace ratings, furnace reviews, and furnace comparison

•Furnace sales, furnace installation, gas furnace, and gas furnace prices

•Gas furnace parts, gas furnace repair, gas furnace troubleshooting, furnace service, furnace maintenance, furnace repair, furnace parts

November has nothing to brag about. There isn't a single furnace-related search peak in this month.

December is a month of partying and gift buying. Only three searches peaked in this month, but all three are worth mentioning. Two of them - furnace filters and furnace humidifiers - we will return to in February. For now, just remember these two plurals.

The last search is for “THE furnace.” When does “furnace” become “THE furnace”? When it breaks in the last week of December?

By January, furnaces have been working hard, and the focus of queries shifts toward repairs. Numerous part names peak in searches, as well as words like "furnace troubleshooting" and "furnace problem(s)." It’s understandable - the longer furnaces run, the more of them are in need of repair. This trend will continue in February.

February is a month of several interesting queries.

Do you remember “furnace filters” and “furnace humidifiers” in December? Well, now they've turned singular. February maxed-out searches for “furnace air filter,” “furnace filter,” and “furnace humidifier.” Is it just a coincidence, or were people buying multiple furnace filters for Holiday gifts and Google just uncovered it? It may have something to do with New Year's resolutions as well.

On a serious note. All of a sudden, searches on “furnace efficiency” and “high-efficiency furnace” peak. Have high winter gas bills started coming?

The last, but not the least interesting, search for the keywords “out of this furnace” peaks in February, but before that also spikes in October. What information are these people searching for? Perhaps:

Do I get another winter “out of this furnace”?-- in October.

Do I get another month “out of this furnace”? -- in February.

How can Google be sure?

Nothing special happens between March and August. The only peak is in July in searches for “furnace prices.” Not much furnace buying goes in July, but everybody wants to know the price. Could be some tug of war going on between the vacation budget and the renovation budget.

And in August we are back to our starting point, with the same seasonal pattern.

A link to the web page with charts.Boris Sherman is a heating and air conditioning contractor His company Cozy World installs furnaces, air conditioners and heat pumps in the Greater Toronto Area

Furnace Humidifiers - What Are the Benefits

One of the most common health issues that plague our society is dehydration. Most of the tissue in the body is composed of water. If it loses the water, the tissue dries up. It's elasticity goes, and with it function declines. Besides dry skin, the symptoms of dehydration include chronic joint and muscle pain, raspy throat, sore eyes and lack of mental concentration.

There are two ways to combat dehydration, and both are essential; drink a lot of water, and maintain the relative humidity in the home and office at comfortable levels with the use of a furnace humidifier.

How does humidity AFFECT our health?

Conditioning the amount of moisture in the air with a furnace humidifier is necessary for your family's health. Dry air in your home can make your throat feel dry, and cause or aggravate respiratory ailments.

Inadequate humidification during cold weather is one of the major causes of respiratory infections. The heating seasons causes people to begin having repeated attacks of winter colds. Winter is blamed for these problems, but the actual cause is dryness, which develops in the membranes of the nose, throat and bronchial tubes. Relative humidity also has a significant effect on controlling the occurrence of airborne infections.

The one thing we can do about alleviating some of the discomfort of colds, dry noses and dehydrated skin is to install a humdifier in the home, where we spend most of our time. Actually, for many, dry air is an air-quality issue. Dry air promotes the growth of some bacteria, viruses and respiratory irritants that in sensitive individuals cause conditions worse than dry skin. Adequate moisture enables the body's immune system to defend better against indoor respiratory pollutants and irritants.

How will a furnace humidifier affect your comfort?

Humidity in the home will affect your comfort. Since the air in your home is always trying to reach its saturation point, it will absorb water wherever it's found, that means it is stealing moisture from the bodies of you and your children, your pets, your furniture and even your house plants. By giving up moisture to the air, your skin, throat and nasal passages dry out and crack leading to various physical discomfort. That's why many doctors recommend furnace humidifiers for allergy and asthma sufferers.

How does humidity AFFECT my house?

Virtually everything in your home made from wood contains some moisture. As dry air sucks that moisture out, the wood shrinks and cracks. Hardwood floors separate at the seams, furniture shrinks and cracks, and doors warp and no longer fit their frames as the moisture is drawn off.

Also, perhaps the most annoying effect of dry indoor air is static shock. How many times have you shuffled across the carpet, only to be rudely surprised by the crackle of static as you reach for the light switch! It's no fun when it happens to you, and even less so when you reach out and "zap" a loved one. With the capacity to hold a static charge up to 20,000 volts, your body can also wreak havoc on home computers and other sensitive electronic devices. By maintaining indoor relative humidity at 35 percent or higher with the use of a humidifier, static shocks are greatly reduced.

Are there any other BENEFITS to installimg a furnace humidifier in the home?

Yes! Proper relative humidity helps you save energy costs. Warm, humid summer air feels hotter than it actually is because of the moisture it contains. That same principle applies to your home in the winter. By keeping the relative humidity inside your home at an ideal level, you can turn your thermostat down a few degrees and still feel comfortable. Dialing down your thermostat just three degrees can reduce your heating bill by as much as 5%.

Pat Johnson - President of Enviro-Pure Air Care Duct Cleaning and Furnace Humidifier installations, located in Ottawa

Visit their humdifier page at: Furnace Humidifiers Ottawa

Pat has many years experience in the Duct Cleaning Industry and has written numerous articles about Duct Cleaning and the importance of proper humidity levels.