Our furry friends are beloved family members that bring a lot of joy into our daily lives, but they can also adversely affect your indoor air quality. Pet dander and loose hair can make your HVAC system work harder to keep your home comfortable.
You can alleviate some of the pet-induced stress on your system with the following maintenance suggestions from Hey Neighbor Heating & Cooling.
Show your filter some love too
Air filters in homes with dogs or cats tend to get clogged more frequently than homes with no pets. So if you’re a pet owner, make sure you clean or change your heating and cooling system’s air filters monthly. A clean air filter will enable better airflow throughout your home and trap unwanted airborne particles more effectively.
If any member of your family is an allergy sufferer, consider investing in a premium air filter with a high MERV rating that’s more efficient and will trap more allergens and particles.
Brush your pets often
To ensure that pet hair and dander don’t get sucked into your HVAC system, give your pets a good brushing regularly. Even better, when you brush them often, their hair won’t shed as much, getting caught in the brush instead of in your air filters or carpet!
Neighborly Tip: Brush your pet on a tile or vinyl floor to make clean-up a breeze.
Vacuum frequently
Your home’s indoor air quality and your HVAC unit’s efficiency can both be significantly enhanced by regularly vacuuming and disposing of the dander and dust trapped in your carpet. This simple task helps prevent debris from getting cycled through your system.
Furthermore, when you’re cleaning your home, take a few minutes to dust off the vent covers on supply registers and air returns. It’s also a good idea to remove the register covers periodically and vacuum as much hair and dirt out of the exposed duct as you can.
Keep Farfel away from your outdoor AC unit
If your AC condenser is located in your backyard, there’s a strong chance that fur will get caught in the unit and lower its efficiency. Worse than that, animals will mark their territory by relieving themselves on your outdoor AC unit, causing other issues. Nobody wants that, so strategically place plant life or a small fence so your pets can’t get near it. Just make sure the unit still has room around it for adequate airflow.
Consider a professional duct cleaning
Over time, dirt, dander, and other allergens from your pets become trapped in your home’s air ducts. The debris continuously cycles throughout your home when this happens, reducing your indoor air quality and aggravating allergies.
Proper system maintenance
This tip is essential. Schedule a tune-up for your HVAC system at least twice a year – once before cooling season in the spring and once before it’s time to turn the thermostat back to heat in the fall. An expert technician from Hey Neighbor Heating & Cooling will perform a thorough inspection and maintenance routine on your unit to detect minor problems and resolve them before they become a bigger – and more expensive – issue.
Don’t skip routine maintenance, especially if you have pets. Animal hair and dander can wreak havoc on an HVAC system if your air filters aren’t changed and if professional preventative maintenance isn’t performed on your heating and air conditioning system.
Never fear, homeowner! We’ll maintain your HVAC system so it runs smoothly, efficiently, and worry-free year-round. Call us today to schedule a tune-up, for 24/7 service, or to have a new system expertly installed – 844-HEY-NEIGHBOR. We’re here for you!
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