Owning a pet has many perks. Furry friends provide us with companionship and keep us active with their exuberance. However, buying a pet also comes with having to take care of its impact on air quality. Pet fur has dramatic consequences for the air you breathe in your home. This is especially the case for those with allergies, but even if you have no allergies you can feel the impact of poor air. With all of the shedding and natural dander that comes from a pet, the practice of consistent vacuuming by itself can't keep up. Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) maintenance is essential to help control your home's air quality, and our team at Quality Air Experts can help. Below are four tips to help you preserve the effectiveness of your heating and cooling system in an environment with pets. Contact us today to optimize your system's performance with HVAC maintenance.
HVAC Maintenance Tips for Pet Owners
HVAC Maintenance Tips for Pet Owners
Regularly Schedule HVAC Maintenance
Shedding pets can cause your indoor comfort to deteriorate because the loose fur and dander they leave behind can accumulate and cause complications for your heating and cooling unit. Professional HVAC maintenance can help keep your system running effectively and efficiently despite the presence of furry friends around the house. With a comprehensive approach that treats all components of your HVAC unit, you can feel confident in the functionality of your air conditioning.
At Quality Air Experts, our preventative HVAC maintenance services can improve the overall performance of your system. Our team will work with you to maintain and repair your heating and cooling system so you can enjoy a comfortable living environment.
Pair this heating maintenance with healthy grooming habits such as routinely brushing and bathing your pet, and you should experience a completely renewed environment within your home. While we maintain your air conditioning, you can maintain the coat of your furry friend. Getting into healthy grooming habits will cause less fur to float around the house and get into your HVAC filters. If the weather is nice out, take your pet outside and brush the fur so any shedding particles blow away rather than entering your air conditioning unit.
Routinely Change Your Air Filters
Staying on top of the condition of your air filters is a necessity when you have pets at home. With all of the filter-clogging materials (such as loose hair and dander) that pets can spread throughout the day, your HVAC filters will most likely fill faster than a pet-free home. This makes it crucial to swap out your clogged filters with new ones early and on a regular basis. For instance, if you purchase filters that are listed as durable for three months, then consider replacing them every two months due to all the pet debris that often finds itself stuck in HVAC filters. These new air purifiers will help keep your surroundings from getting too much dust and allergens in the air. Cleaning these filters can help prevent this buildup, but it's best to have a professional examine the system every year to make sure everything is running smoothly and efficiently.
Our team at Quality Air Experts can help you with this process as a part of our preventative HVAC maintenance routine. Air filters and routine inspections should be a part of your home maintenance plan, so don't forget to ask us about these services when considering how to combat loose pet fur and improve your home's air quality. We can recommend air filters that are built to catch lightweight pests such as pet dander. Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) ratings provide us with a guide for a filter's efficiency. We can point you towards filters that have higher MERV ratings (between 10 and 12) and can better trap small air particles to prevent allergens from infiltrating your home's air stream.
Minimize Pet Dander With House Cleaning
Microscopic skin flakes can accumulate around your home with haste. This can lead to problems such as allergy triggers, smelly carpets and upholstery, and dust mites or allergens that cause asthma attacks. Regular house cleaning can help prevent the buildup of dander by keeping your home properly ventilated. Practice dusting, mopping, and vacuuming throughout your home. This will remove any resting dander that can get picked up by any rush of air and get clogged in your HVAC system. Cleaning is particularly important in the rooms where your pet spends most of its day, such as the living room.
With HVAC maintenance from a trusted, Top-Rated Local® team like the Quality Air Experts, a clean house can be easier to sustain. Conversely, your heating and cooling system can experience a longer lifespan due to a controlled shedding and dander living space. Vacuuming twice a week can also remove the shedding that has settled into your home and lengthen the cycle of your air filters. By combining effective cleaning practices with preventative HVAC maintenance, the air quality in your home will transform and become fresher.
Block Off Your HVAC Unit
Stay proactive and construct a barrier around your HVAC system. Natural barriers or small fences are often useful protective tools when it comes to pet owners' outdoor heating and cooling units. Cats may be drawn to the edges of your condenser and brush against it, while dogs may be inclined to chew on cables or urinate on the unit. Due to the strong suction of a condenser, these habits can cause trouble and expensive HVAC repairs. When your cat rubs its coat on the HVAC system, it is directly transporting its fur and dander into the home's air stream. Likewise, when your pet uses the outdoor unit as a potty, the acidic urine can dismantle the condenser. Installing a surrounding barricade around the unit can help you extend the life of your heating and cooling fixture.
The best way to keep animals away from the HVAC unit is by using natural barriers around your property. Installing temporary fencing around the unit before you construct a permanent one is also effective at keeping them out of harm's way. Some blockades to consider are:
Fencing or a string of an electric fence
Brick or wood blocks
A net or a tarp
These all block off access to the HVAC system while simultaneously allowing the passage of air.
If you have noticed a considerable drop in your home's air quality since bringing a furry friend into your life, then it is time to take action. With consistent cleaning and preventative measures in place, scheduling regular HVAC maintenance can be the finishing touch on a renewed living environment. To ensure that your system is performing at its best, schedule an appointment with the team at Quality Air Experts. Learn more about what our HVAC services can do for you and your home by contacting us today!