If you have a pet, your HVAC system isn’t just keeping you comfortable in your home—it’s also keeping your pet safe and comfortable.
East Texas has a range of weather conditions that sometimes make heating your home with a furnace necessary, and other days, it means cranking the programmable thermostat on your air conditioner to combat the heat and humidity. This range of temperatures impacts both your pets and your HVAC system.
Experienced AC repair companies in Texas know that HVAC system maintenance is important and necessary under any circumstances, especially if you have a pet in the home, even more so if that pet sheds. Here are some tips for pet owners in Texas on how to best maintain your air conditioning and heating systems.
Check, Change, Clean, and Replace the Filter Often
One of the most important details of HVAC maintenance in East Texas and elsewhere is to keep up with your air filter upkeep. This is especially true if you have pets. If you have dogs and/or cats in the household that shed, the pet hair and dander could impact the air filter on your HVAC unit. A dirty air filter means your air conditioner or heater won’t function properly and can cause all sorts of problems, from less airflow to making the unit work harder, to using more electricity to run properly, and to increasing your utility bills.
It’s always a good idea to know when you last replaced your air conditioner filter and to check it often, especially if you have pets. Pet hair, dander, and dust in your home are inevitable when you have a cat or dog that sheds. The hair etc. your animal loses not only gets on household surfaces—it also makes its way into your HVAC unit and especially the air filter.
If you have pets in your household, it’s important to contact your local AC and heating company, have them inspect your unit, and change your filter if needed. If your unit isn’t working properly and you haven’t changed your filter recently, that’s a good place to start looking to fix the issue.
If you don’t want to deal with the hassle of when to contact your HVAC company, businesses like ETR offer professional HVAC maintenance programs so that you don’t have to always keep up with when it’s time to schedule maintenance.
Don’t let your air conditioner break down because of something as simple as cleaning or changing an air filter.
Too often, units need to be replaced because of a problem that could have been easily fixed. Especially if you have a pet, make sure your air conditioner’s air filters are clean and air can flow through unobstructed.
Animal Hair and Your HVAC System
It’s good to take note of your animal’s shedding schedule, which can be different depending on whether it’s a dog or cat and what breed. Some animals shed more inside during winter because they’re indoors more often in the cooler months. All that hair and dander can quickly clog your air filter if not tended to regularly.
Many animals shed more during the hot summer months—they’re shedding their thicker fur coat for a cooler summer version. While that’s a good way to keep themselves more comfortable, it’s also a time when we find a lot more dog or cat hair around the house. This hair can easily end up in the air filter and create a clog.
By knowing your animal’s shedding schedule and checking/cleaning/replacing your HVAC air filter accordingly, you can help keep your HVAC unit functioning in top condition.
How’s the Seal on the Air Ducts?
If you have pets, it’s important to make sure the air ducts in your home are properly sealed and don’t have any cracks in them.
Leaky or cracked air ducts could cause a range of problems for your air conditioning unit, but this is especially true if you have pets. Even small holes or gaps can cause hair and dander to get into your HVAC system. This means that instead of circulating clean air into your household, you’re circulating air that’s full of hair and other allergens.
Especially if you have an older home or unit, it’s a good idea to have a professional HVAC technician come out to inspect the seals on your air ducts so that your pet’s natural shedding doesn’t create problems in your home by circulating hair and other allergens.
Your HVAC unit is there to keep the temperature of your home comfortable. It’s also there to help maintain the air quality.
If you have pets and are concerned about air quality, have a local HVAC tech perform an inspection of your home with state-of-the-art technology and diagnostic equipment so that if your air quality needs addressing, you’ll have all the tools and options to make it happen.
When Was the Last Time Your Dog Went to the Groomer?
Brushing your dog and cat regularly can make a difference in how much pet hair and dander end up inside the unit, and this little action can help keep hair and other debris from ending up in the ducts, vents, filter, etc.
Make sure you brush them outside so that the hair and dander from brushing don’t end up all over your house!
It’s All About Cleaning
One of the biggest factors in successfully maintaining your HVAC unit if you have pets is to keep up with cleaning and regular maintenance from your local HVAC company.
Contact your local HVAC company today and schedule a cleaning so you have peace of mind knowing your unit is in top working order for you and your pet.