HVAC Maintenance for Pet Owners
We love our pets! They bring so much joy and love into our lives but they also bring allergens and pet dander into our house, things that can lower the indoor air quality and put an extra strain on our HVAC systems. With shedding hair and dander floating through the air, your HVAC system now has many more particles that it must work to filter out in addition to all the standard dirt and dust. While frequent vacuuming and dusting certainly help in keeping the intake vents from sucking up all the hair and dander, there are a few additional steps you should take to protect your HVAC investment and keep your family and pets healthy.
Groom Your Pets More Frequently
More frequent grooming will not only keep your pet healthy and comfortable, but you and your family can also benefit from bathing your pet more to help control odors and bacteria. How often you groom your pet will depend on a variety of factors like the type of animal and fur your pet has but a good rule of thumb is to always go for sooner rather than later.
Even simply brushing your pet can help to minimize allergens. It will help to promote healthy hair growth but it’s also great for removing dirt, dust, pollen, excess hair, and small creatures that may be clinging to your pet’s hair. Being just a little bit more diligent in keeping your pet groomed and healthy can make a huge difference.
Check and Change Your Filters Often
Dirty filters reduce airflow and can put your indoor air quality at risk. Some HVAC systems will shut off automatically if the air filter becomes too clogged.
Not only does cleaning or changing your air filters frequently improve indoor health and prevent dirt and allergens from compiling inside your system, but it will also lower your HVAC costs and prevent your system from breaking down prematurely.
Make a point of checking your air filter every 30 days and replacing or cleaning it as necessary. For some homeowners, this means changing out your filter every month while for others, changing the air filters can be as infrequent as every 90 days. Again, it is dependent on the type of pet you have.
Take Care of Your HVAC Equipment
Pets are great but they also have a way of destroying things and these tendencies can spell trouble for your HVAC system. One of the more common ways we’ve seen this occur is when a dog ruins an air conditioner by urinating on the outdoor condenser unit. If this occurs regularly enough, the corrosive impact of dog urine can lead to costly damage and repairs. Instead of letting it get to that point, we recommend taking proactive steps to prevent it from happening.
You can build a barrier around the outdoor unit but you want to be careful and make sure you build it with a minimum 3-foot clearance on all sides of the unit. Building a barrier to close to the unit can restrict airflow and block access.
Dogs may also chew through HVAC wiring so make sure to hide any exposed wires.
Even after taking these steps to keep your pet and home clean, you should still schedule regular professional tune-ups. We recommend scheduling maintenance twice a year with Peninsula Heating & Air. Contact us today for more information.
