Our furry friends give us companionship, make us feel happier, and their playfulness keeps us active and fit. However, these beloved members of our family can innocently affect your indoor air quality. Your dogs or cats hair and dander can clog your filter, overwork the HVAC unit, and affect its ability to freshen up indoor air.
And if you have allergies, the hair and dander floating around your home can trigger some serious reactions. But this doesn’t mean you have to lock out your pets. Instead, use the following steps to protect your health and your HVAC system while still enjoying the awesome rewards that come with pet ownership.
KEEP THE PETS GROOMED
Our four-legged friends are constantly shedding hair and dander. If not groomed regularly, all that fur will spread all over your house, end up clogging the filter, and overwhelming your HVAC unit. Make it a habit to clean your pet a few times a week. Preferably, use a de-shedding brush to brush the hair off the pet before it can scatter around your house.
CHANGE THE FILTER EVERY 30-60 DAYS
Be proactive in changing the filter since your pets will prematurely clog it. Ideally, replace it every 30-60 days. But if you have several furry pals, you may need to change it more often than that. A clogged filter affects the efficiency of the entire AC unit, driving up your energy bill and hurting indoor air quality.
CLEAN YOUR AIR DUCTS AND VENTS
All the scattered pet hair finally goes through your vents and ducts and creates a buildup over time. Insects and other pests may use the accumulated animal debris to build nests in the ducts, further bogging down your HVAC. When you replace your filter, remember to vacuum your vents. However, duct cleaning should only be done by a professional HVAC technician.
CLEAN YOUR HOME REGULARLY
Don’t leave all the hard work to your HVAC unit. Minimize its burden by cleaning your home frequently. Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter to suck up pet hair and other allergens trapped in your carpets, rugs, floors, upholstery, and other areas your pets lie around.
FENCE OFF YOUR OUTDOOR AC UNIT
There are lots of reasons why you need to protect your outdoor AC unit from pets. First, Fido may like the idea of relieving himself directly on the unit, and when done for several years, it can cause extensive deterioration. Restricting access will also make sure cats don’t claw at the fins or prevent a curious dog from chewing on any component.
PAY ATTENTION TO THE PET DOOR
While a pet door gives your furry friend the freedom to go outside at their own pleasure, it could directly affect the performance of your HVAC system. If it wasn’t designed with the AC in mind, it may let in cold air into your home and let the warm air escape, putting a strain on the HVAC unit.
LOOK FOR EXPOSED HAZARDS
Most dogs and cats playfully chew on anything when they are young. However, others continue destructive chewing even when they are adults due to boredom and separation anxiety. Protect your pet and HVAC unit by enclosing any HVAC system components that can be chewed on.
PARTNER WITH AN EXPERIENCED HVAC SERVICE PROVIDER IN SARASOTA
Even after observing all measures that a pet owner should follow, you need to have a professional tune-up at least once in a while. This is where an HVAC technician cleans sensitive HVAC components, repairs damaged parts, and performs various tests to identify underlying problems.
If you are looking for an HVAC specialist in Sarasota that you can trust, enlist the help of Veteran Air Conditioning. We will help you create the perfect indoor environment for you and your four-legged buddy. Feel free to give us a call anytime.
