We all love our furry little friends, but sometimes they make it harder to keep our homes nice and tidy. Their hair gets all over the furniture, they track mud onto the carpet, and sometimes, they have accidents. But hey, at least they’re cute!

You probably didn’t know that your animal can not only put a strain on the cleanliness of your home, but also affect your HVAC system. Here’s how…

Their tendency to track the outdoors, inside. Most pets love the outdoors, which means they usually enjoy part of each day outside. Unfortunately, when they come back inside, they typically drag in some of the outdoors right along with them.

Debris, dirt, twigs, and dust are all things that can get stuck in your pet’s fur while they’re enjoying the outdoors. Once it all makes it way indoors, it can block your vents and clog your air filters, which will cause damage to your HVAC system.

Their shedding. Most pets, even hypoallergenic dogs, shed at least a little bit. As pet owners, this is something we learn to live with. Although it’s irritating when hair gets all over your clothes, your furniture, and your carpet, there’s a bigger issue at stake. All of this shedding can actually damage your HVAC system by clogging your filters and ventilation.

….and their dander. Along with shedding comes dander. Dander is comprised of tiny particles of hair and skin that shed from your pet. Like pet hair, it can clog your air filter. Because duct work is metal, it attracts pet hair and dander.

This attraction creates a stream of dander and hair that blows through the furnace when your system is turned on, which means you end up breathing it in once the air is dispersed through your vents.

Their love to chew. Many pets love to chew, and unfortunately it’s not always their toys. If they find any exposed wires connected to your HVAC system, they might decide to make them their new chew toy. Obviously, this can do quite a bit of damage.

What You Can Do…

Wash, rinse, and repeat. The first step is to minimize the debris, dander, and hair that creeps into the vents in the first place. Be sure to regularly bathe and groom your pet; this will help tame the shedding and dander.

In addition to keeping your pet clean, keep your home clean. When you have a pet, you have to go the extra mile to keep your home spotless. Make sure that you wash furniture covers and vacuum frequently, and remember to pay attention to those hard-to-reach nooks and crannies that can hoard lots of pet hair.

Regularly swap out your air filter. Clogged air filters are common in homes with pets. A faulty air filter will cost you more money in your utility bill, and will also cut down on your HVAC system’s efficiency.
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You should regularly change your air filter, even more frequently than a home without pets. Be sure to inspect your filter once each month, ensuring it’s clean and unclogged with pet hair or dander.

Enclose wires and outdoor condenser units. Make sure that all wires connected to your HVAC system are enclosed in conduits. If you have an outdoor unit, be sure to create some sort of barrier so that your pet can’t tamper with it (or mark its territory on it!).

As always, a quality air purifier and monitor will help you better manage overall indoor air quality in your home! The majority of air filters will remove pet dander from the air, helping you catch what you missed while cleaning. There’s no better way to ensure your health and to keep your home’s air as clean as possible.

We’ll Help Protect Your HVAC System

All of the pros here at TMS want to make sure that your HVAC system is working as efficiently as possible and that you and your pets can breathe easy by having the best indoor air quality.

If you’re having an issue with your system, would like to schedule a regular maintenance visit, or would like to learn more about the best air purification system for your home, (we install systems that even inactivate 99.9% of the COVID-19 virus!) don’t be afraid to pick up the phone. Call the experts at TMS today at 860-314-1518 to ensure that your home is as comfortable and safe as possible!

Sources:
https://medium.com/@hellowynd/your-pets-may-affect-your-indoor-air-quality-85b77b2a7962