For many people, pets are family.
However, keeping them is not easy. Pets can get mischievous and destroy your belongings. There are many cases of dogs chewing AC wires and cats using your sofas as a scratching post.
Pets also shed fur which wreck havoc on your furniture, clothing and indoor air quality. The shed hair and dander can also trigger allergies and respiratory diseases and clog up your HVAC system.
Here’s how pet owners can maintain and keep their HVAC system running efficiently.
1. Keep your home clean
If your house is full of pet hair and dander, it will be unsafe for you and your loved ones to live in.
Pet hairs and dander can also find their way into your HVAC system and clog it.
Cleaning your home regularly by vacuuming all areas will keep your HVAC system functioning optimally.
2. Groom your pets
You can reduce the amount of hair that your pets shed by bathing and grooming them regularly.
Grooming your pets often will cut down on shedding and save your HVAC system from damage. You also won’t have to keep changing your air filters too often, which will save you money.
A clogged ventilation system is also unlikely to work efficiently and will increase your energy costs.
3. Hide HVAC wires
Instead of leaving your wires exposed where pets can chew or play with them, hide them behind furniture.
You could also lift the wires to places the pets can’t reach and secure them with cable brackets.
To make it harder for your pets to chew on wires when you can’t hide them or keep them beyond reach, enclose them in braided sleeving. This will also protect them from abrasion or damage from liquids and reduce accidents from tripping.
4. Caulk your pet door
Although you want to give your pets the freedom to come and go through their pet door, if it’s letting in a draft, you can be sure it’s hiking your energy bills.
To keep a draft from coming in through your pet door, caulk it to keep heat from escaping or cold from coming in. You could also install a weatherproof pet door that is adequately insulated all around, including at the door flaps.
5. Clean out your air vents and ducts
Your HVAC system air ducts and vents need regular cleaning, this is especially true if you have pets.
Pet hair and dander, over time, will clog up your ducts which can harbor viruses and bacteria. Clogged vents and ducts will also prevent your HVAC system from working efficiently.
Try to clean out your ducts often by vacuuming them.
It’s also essential to repair any leaks in the ducts as well. An HVAC expert can test your ducts for leaks and repair them. If cleaning them is too much of a hassle, they can also do it for you.
6. Protect your AC condenser
Most air conditioner condensers are kept outside the home in places that are easily accessible to pets.
If your pet urinates on your condenser, it can destroy it. Dogs and cats can also chew on cables and scratch the machinery.
Fence in your condenser to keep your pets, neighbourhood pets and local wildlife from interfering with it in any way.
7. Use a good quality HVAC filter
You should choose a strong HVAC filter that will trap hairs and dander efficiently. Choose one with a MERV rating of over 8 to ensure it gets everything
Remember, no matter how strong your air filter is, it will need to be changed after some time. Ideally, you should change your filters every 6 months but for pet owners, change every 3 months.
8. Get an air purifier
A HEPA air purifier will purify the air before circulation. It will also cut down on the amount of work that your air conditioner needs to do, ensuring it stays in good condition for longer.
Although air conditioners filter out dirt from the air, they do not clean it as well as air purifiers. With pets in the home, an air purifier is an excellent investment.
Maintain your HVAC system
Even if you do all these things to keep your HVAC system in good condition, it will need servicing, eventually. Eastern Shore Heating & Air Conditioning experts can do it for you. They can also advise you on things to do to cut down on your cooling and heating costs. Regular servicing will extend the life of your HVAC equipment.
Author: Margaret Rowland
