While we love our furry friends here at Frank Gay Services, their hair and dander can significantly impact our home’s air quality. No matter how much you vacuum, pet dander, and fur will get into the air, thus circulating through your HVAC system.
Follow the following tips from our HVAC pros to take care of your air quality, your HVAC system, and your pet all at once! Let’s dive in.
#1. Change Air Filters
Pet dander is tiny particles of dead skin that fall off of your pet and become airborne in your home. Yuck! Eventually, after getting stuck in the air filters, the dander can block your system’s airflow and can eventually make it stop working.
Air filters in homes with fluffy family members get dirty faster than in fur-free homes, so if your HVAC filters are rated for a new filter every three months, you’ll more than likely need to change them every 30-60 days instead.
#2. Consider a Better Quality Air Filter
Pet dander is the cause of many allergy-related problems for roughly 20% of the population, even though there are hundreds of different types of allergens. This is a compelling argument on its own to buy higher-quality air filters.
Air filters are measured with what is called the Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value or MERV, which measures the efficiency of each kind of filter.
Lower MERV ratings filter fewer allergens, while higher
MERV ratings can filter out even the smallest particles.
We recommend choosing an air filter with a MERV rating of 5-8 for most homes. If you’d like to reduce allergens even further, look for filters with a MERV of 10 to 12. These filters can trap smaller particles like pet dander and prevent them from circulating through your home.
A caveat—higher MERV-rated filters can put more strain on your HVAC system as it tries to blow air through a tighter woven filter, keep this in mind when buying a higher-rated MERV filter.
#3. Groom Your Pet Regularly
This is likely obvious to you, but your pets should be groomed and brushed regularly. Their hair will get trapped in the brush, rather than floating in the air or on your furniture.
Weather permitting, it’s even better to groom and brush pets outside since any loose fur can fly away in the wind instead of getting circulated in your HVAC system.
#4. Vacuum Regularly
Hair and dander are suctioned up by the HVAC system’s intake. Intakes are designed to work this way because they pull dust and other allergens from the air and into the filter so that air quality is improved with each cycle.
For this reason, in addition to giving your pet regular brushing and combing, be sure to vacuum your home at least twice a week to remove all the shedding hair and dander that has found its way into the carpets, rugs, and furniture.
#5. Build a Fence Around Your Outdoor Unit
The outdoor unit is the system’s condenser which is also like a giant suction unit. As part of the interior air-cycling process, its vents draw outside air inside. Cats and dogs can occasionally rub against the condenser, sending their dander and fur right into the device. Over time, this could block up your condenser.
If your larger pets spend time outside in the backyard,
be sure to protect your outdoor air conditioner unit with a
fence or enclosure.
The condenser is additionally vulnerable if you have a pet like a dog that urinates on vertical objects like trees. Because urine is acidic, you will see that the outside condenser unit’s fins have been worn away in yards where a dog has been constantly urinating on it.
#6. Schedule Seasonal HVAC Maintenance
Finally, it is crucial to keep up with seasonal HVAC maintenance. A house full of pets is full of love, but it is also full of dander and fur, which can put extra stress on your HVAC system.
We recommend having your HVAC system inspected and tuned up at least twice a year, once in the Spring and again in the Fall.
Let your technician know that you have pets and want to make sure that the system is running efficiently. Our technicians will take a close look at both indoor and outdoor units, perform maintenance, and make suggestions on how to improve the system’s overall efficiency.
Learn More > How to Properly Dispose of a Dirty HVAC Air Filter
Orlando HVAC Maintenance
We couldn’t imagine our homes without our pets, and we bet you can’t either! Make sure to follow the above tips to ensure that your home’s air quality and your system’s efficiency are at their highest levels year-round. And don’t forget to call us for your seasonal HVAC tune-up!
Schedule HVAC repair or maintenance with our 5-star rated team at Frank Gay Services today; (407) 329-5145!
