6 Tips for Maintaining Your HVAC With Pets

Our furry companions are like our children, and while we love them, they still have an impact on our indoor air quality. Pet hair can spell trouble for your home’s heating and cooling system. Shedding hair and pet dander can make its way into your HVAC system and cause it to run less efficiently.

Keeping your HVAC system clean and in good condition can benefit your whole family, and also save you money on your energy bill. Maintain your HVAC system while reducing pet dander with these six tips.

1. Change Your Air Filters On a Schedule

Changing your air filters regularly will keep your HVAC system in good condition and add more time to your system’s lifespan. We recommend changing filters every three to six months depending on the type of filter the system needs.

If you choose to use a reusable filter, we recommend cleaning it monthly to reduce buildup from pet hair, dust, and dirt— especially if your pet sheds a lot. If your filter isn’t reusable, and you’re not sure when to replace it, check for markings on the filter that identify when it should be replaced.

2. Brush Your Pet

You may not realize it, but brushing your pet helps you in more ways than one. Yes, your fur baby will be cute, but your HVAC system will also thank you. Brushing regularly reduces the chances of hairs accumulating and collecting in your system.

Hair floats around (even when you can’t see it) and gets picked up in your duct system, vents, and carried through your filters. So it’s a good idea to keep your pet groomed and brushed often to save your system.

3. Clean Vents and Air Ducts

We know pet hair can accumulate in vents and ducts, which makes it even more important for you to keep these spaces clean. Clogged ducts and vents can make your home feel stuffy, and for people with allergies, it can trigger symptoms from pet hair, dander, dust, and other debris.

These kinds of environments are perfect for viruses and bacteria to live and thrive in. In some cases, you can easily use your vacuum cleaner to remove buildup from your vents. For extreme cases of buildup, however, we recommend getting your ducts cleaned by a professional for a thorough cleaning.

4. Adjust the Thermostat When Pets are Left Alone

You may have an ideal temperature that you keep your thermostat set to on a regular basis. While there’s nothing wrong with this, when you have pets that you leave at home alone, you should adjust the temperature. This way, they can remain comfortable and you can save money.

Try adjusting your thermostat to 65°F in the winter and 78°F in the summer.

5. Build a Fence Around Your System

If you leave your pet outside and unsupervised, they may decide to have a little fun with your HVAC unit. As much as we love our pets, leaving large pets unattended around your unit can be a recipe for disaster.

You may end up having to foot the bill for unexpected and costly repairs, so we suggest adding a fence around your unit to keep your pet from getting too curious.

6. Get Your HVAC Professionally Maintained

When all else fails, the most convenient solution to keep up your system is to hire a professional HVAC technician to maintain your unit. Our team at Albright's Mechanical Services can maintain your system for you on a schedule of your choice! Just give us a call at (410) 834-0148 to set up an appointment!