Top 5 Must-Know HVAC Maintenance Tips for Pet Owners
Pets are adorable creatures. They not only bring us comfort and fits of laughter but they also provide us with companionship. Instead of their loving nature, they could add a little stress to your life by contributing to certain problems with your Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems.
That’s why as a pet owner, you must take some steps to ensure the safety of HVAC systems. In this article, we are going to share with you some practical tips to enhance the lifespan of your HVAC systems without compromising your love for your pets.
Protect HVAC’s Outdoor Units
HVAC’s outdoor units play a vital role in maintaining the healthy indoor quality of air as other units. But at the same time, they are more exposed to pets as compared to other units. So, you neither want your pets to consider these units as their bathroom nor you want these units to prove hazardous for your pets. Therefore, you can cover them differently to serve the purpose;
You can cover these units by installing a solid fence around the units. This way, they will remain safe from pets as well as kids. But you need to make sure that the fence must be installed 3 feet away from units as they need proper ventilation to ensure a steady flow.
If your backyard looks like a garden full of nature, you can cover these units with greenery. But one thing to keep in mind is plants shed leaves, flowers, and other debris that could clog these units. So there must be appropriate distance as well as pruning of surrounding plants to ensure the safety of these units.
Keep Carpets Vacuumed
If you have pets in your home, you may find hair and shedding fur on your carpets occasionally. This fur can get into the filters and then air ducts of your HVAC system. This way not only your systems work stressed but the quality of air is also compromised.
So, it is recommended to keep your carpets and other indoor things like couches, etc. vacuumed. In this way, you will keep your HVAC system clean from fur, dander, and hair that will increase its lifespan.
Invest in Pets Grooming
Grooming not only makes your pets look better and smell better but also proves to be less stressful on your HVAC system. Groomed pets have no dead skin dander and shedding fur. On the other hand, pets who are not groomed tend to shed fur and dander which clogs the filters and air ducts of the HVAC system, ultimately affecting the efficiency and the quality of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning of your home.
That’s why getting your pets grooming occasionally is a pro tip to enhance the life span of your HVAC system
Change HVAC Filters
As the name suggests, the filter acts as a wall between the external environment and the HVAC system. They filter out dust particles along with pollens that cause allergies to improve the indoor quality of air. That’s why these filters need to be changed regularly and it depends on different factors like the type of filters, the extent of usage, presence of pets, etc.
The presence of pets in a home can clog filters faster due to shedding fur and pets’ dander. That’s why it is recommended to change filters on regular basis. Keeping this HVAC tips in practice will not only have ease on the system efficiency and utility bills but it will also maintain the comfort level of your home by proper airflow.
Keep Air Ducts Cleaned
Air ducts are considered to be arteries for HVAC systems. When arteries are clean, blood is transferred to every organ correctly and in this way, all organs remain healthy. In the same way, when air ducts of an HVAC system are cleaned then clean, healthy, and fresh air circulates through the house and keeps that house cool or heated depending on how it is set.
In the presence of pets, filters can get clogged due to fur shedding and dander, the same way air ducts can also get clogged. When air ducts are clogged with pet fur and other dust particles, the HVAC system works harder than usual resulting in shut down after some time. On the other hand, when air contaminated with pet’s fur circulates through house, it can cause allergic reactions if any member in your home is allergic to pet’s fur and hair and can cause sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, difficulty in breathing etc.
To cope with all these issues, it is recommended to clean air ducts every 3 years to ensure that your HVAC system works efficiently and smoothly.
Bottom Line
To minimize the stress as a pet owner, talk to professionals in this industry for HVAC maintenance so that you can live a peaceful and healthy life with your furry friends in an indoor environment full of fresh and healthy air.