Do heaters/heating systems/space heaters tank metabolism ? Should it be combined with an air filter for use ?

[JamesGatz]

I noticed that when I enter an apartment with a heating system - it is extremely hard to breathe - being inside a place with a radiator/heater feels warmer in a good way but feels significantly harder to breathe - it is definitely not placebo - it feels like bad asthma like if I just entered a hardware store and breathed in all their toxic material floating around and I feel my metabolic rate tank - I'm thinking how dangerous these things can be - is it always better to instead use incandescent light bulbs for Heat along with heavier clothes during the winter time - I find that incandescent bulbs do a very good job of keeping me warm

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I've recently come across this

How Radiators Are Damaging Our Health

Radiators remain the first-choice emitter within the UK new build arena – accounting for 90% of all installations of the 26.3 million homes in the UK 23.6 million have radiators. Radiators are notoriously tricky objects to clean behind effectively and the build-up of debris, dust or even pet...

rotarad.com

"Central heating radiators create the ideal conditions for dust mites and mould spores plus microbiological infections to flourish resulting in a higher level of allergens, that is then circulated via heat convection, plus contributes to poorer indoor air quality that we breathe in."

"
When air is heated it becomes less dense and rises: natural convection occurs.

But convection (air movement) circulates dust and (carpet) mites. This is seen on walls as dirty smudges above radiators.

Cleaning the wall is easy but this low quality air will also be in your wind pipes and lungs.

Dust mite is known to cause breathing allergies such as Asthma and other lung problems, sneezing fits, and more.

While dust mite allergy sufferers may go to some lengths (e.g. laminate flooring and ceramic tiles) to avoid obvious dust traps, unless internal air circulation is avoided the benefits will be limited."


I've been doing some experimentation and I noticed I instinctively feel like turning on many air filters when the central heating is on - it feels a lot easier to breathe when I do this and I feel significantly better - but still the heating system is still a slight bother to my breathing


I'm wondering if there is some other reason radiators and heating systems make it harder to breathe - it seems like based on my experimentation if one lives in a building with a central heating system an air filter can be a really good investment

 

[Kayaker]

I'm skeptical of HEPA filters. They contain fiberglass and could shed. They reduce levels of detectable pollutants, but fiberglass is undetectable because it's too small.

Radiators accumulate dust and heat it, leading to them being in the air, so then you breathe that. I think if a heating tool could be cleaned, that it wouldn't have that problem.

I'm also skeptical of vent heating and cooling in modern buildings. The vents probably get dirty as well. They do use filters, but again, HEPA.

Another problem with indoor air is lack of negative ions. They bind to dust and cause it to fall. I had a couple, but there was weird dust that fell onto them that's impossible to clean off. Potentially some sort of microorganisms. To think that I was breathing that at one point.

I like incandescent bulbs as well. Some hardware stores still sell them for refridgerators. There are red halogens, as well as the very hot red heating bulbs. They are all good ways of heating since you can clean them.

 

[RealNeat]

I'm skeptical of HEPA filters. They contain fiberglass and could shed. They reduce levels of detectable pollutants, but fiberglass is undetectable because it's too small.

Radiators accumulate dust and heat it, leading to them being in the air, so then you breathe that. I think if a heating tool could be cleaned, that it wouldn't have that problem.

I'm also skeptical of vent heating and cooling in modern buildings. The vents probably get dirty as well. They do use filters, but again, HEPA.

Another problem with indoor air is lack of negative ions. They bind to dust and cause it to fall. I had a couple, but there was weird dust that fell onto them that's impossible to clean off. Potentially some sort of microorganisms. To think that I was breathing that at one point.

I like incandescent bulbs as well. Some hardware stores still sell them for refridgerators. There are red halogens, as well as the very hot red heating bulbs. They are all good ways of heating since you can clean them.

These are good insights but I think an even simpler phenomenon is how dry they can make the air. Which can make it hard to breathe.

 

[JamesGatz]

I'm skeptical of HEPA filters. They contain fiberglass and could shed. They reduce levels of detectable pollutants, but fiberglass is undetectable because it's too small.

Radiators accumulate dust and heat it, leading to them being in the air, so then you breathe that. I think if a heating tool could be cleaned, that it wouldn't have that problem.

I'm also skeptical of vent heating and cooling in modern buildings. The vents probably get dirty as well. They do use filters, but again, HEPA.

Another problem with indoor air is lack of negative ions. They bind to dust and cause it to fall. I had a couple, but there was weird dust that fell onto them that's impossible to clean off. Potentially some sort of microorganisms. To think that I was breathing that at one point.

I like incandescent bulbs as well. Some hardware stores still sell them for refridgerators. There are red halogens, as well as the very hot red heating bulbs. They are all good ways of heating since you can clean them.

These are good insights but I think an even simpler phenomenon is how dry they can make the air. Which can make it hard to breathe.

Interesting - so then maybe a humidifier can completely resolve the issue ? I notice that I have previously needed humidifiers back when I lived in places with central heating systems. I notice that during the winter the air feels very dry outside I was not aware that heaters makes the air dry as well but it makes sense maybe it makes the water droplets in the air completely evaporate

 

[Kayaker]

Interesting - so then maybe a humidifier can completely resolve the issue ? I notice that I have previously needed humidifiers back when I lived in places with central heating systems. I notice that during the winter the air feels very dry outside I was not aware that heaters makes the air dry as well but it makes sense maybe it makes the water droplets in the air completely evaporate

Air conditioners have built-in dehumidifiers by using cold to attract water and get rid of it outside.

I'm not sure why cold attracts humidity and heat gets rid of it. Maybe cold causes the water molecules to settle down into droplets or even freeze, whereas heat causes them to turn into gas or evaporate, increasing their movement, which makes the water end up on or in places that are cold, like a window during the winter or a room that isn't heated.

I'm not a fan of humidity since it impedes sweating. A lot of people note dry hands, but I've never had that before. Maybe it's because they use soap. The only negative effect I remember from dry air is nosebleeds, daily during the worst times.