A furnace burns either gas or oil, and that creates pollutants. The problem is not necessarily the furnace itself. It is just burning fuel to warm your home, and that can have varying levels of efficiency. The filtration and ventilation systems are what needs the most attention.
Good filtration and ventilation gets the bad air out of your home while your furnace does its job of producing heat.
We tend to seal up homes in winter time, and that does save on heating bills, but it can cause problems from a ventilation standpoint. The furnace is going to raise the level of humidity, and that helps create mold and bacteria. There is also carbon monoxide that can be released by your furnace. All of these things are natural products of the furnace as it heats the home. Good ventilation and filtration systems are what keeps the air in your home from becoming contaminated.
While you do want an efficient furnace to heat your home as economically as possible, it is perhaps even more important to make sure your ventilation and filtration systems are going their jobs. Without them, a buildup of carbon monoxide can cause serious illness or even be fatal. They can also allow bacteria and mold to develop which can cause allergy symptoms, or be breeding ground for germs that can cause colds or other respiratory problems such as asthma.
The difference may be one of semantics, but a furnace produces contaminants by its very nature if it is working at all. The key is to have good ventilation and filtration to keep those contaminants at a level that is safe.
If you need furnace maintenance services and your have it properly inspected by an HVAC professional, contact All Heating & Cooling today.