If you have a pet of any kind, you know that having a furry companion is an experience like no other! The companionship of an animal brings joy and happiness. However, it is not all cupcakes and rainbows! Being a pet owner also brings with it certain challenges. One of those challenges is that pet hair and dander can cause indoor air pollution. It doesn't matter how often you vacuum; the hair and dander will get into the air. Your HVAC can help filter out this unwanted debris, but it is essential that you set up some regular HVAC maintenance on the machine to keep it working in excellent condition and stop it from getting too clogged by pet hair. You can make the most of good indoor air quality when your HVAC works correctly.

Let's look at some maintenance tips every pet owner needs to know.

1 - Groom Your Pets Regularly

The best way to keep your pet's hair out of your HVAC system is to make sure you stick to a regular grooming routine. The more hair you can collect through brushing their fur, the less there is to float around, negatively impacting indoor air quality. Brush your pet somewhere with a hard floor, such as your back porch, to make it much easier to gather up clumps of their hair before it gets pulled into the air vents.

2 - Change Your Air Filters Often

When you know that you have something in your home that is likely to clog your air filters, such as pet hair and dander, you need to remember that the filters are likely to get blocked much faster than usual. That means you need to change your files more often as part of your HVAC maintenance. Instead of changing the filters every three months, consider increasing changing them every two months or even every six weeks. Check on your filters to monitor the build-up of hair. If it seems clogged, you may need to reduce the time between changing filters.

PRO TIP! Try to match your filter changes to your pet's shed rates. In Spring, fluffy dogs will shed their Winter coat, so filters need to be switched out more often than they will in Summer and Winter when the shedding is not as rapid.

3 - Choose High-Quality Air Filters

Did you know that pet dander is one of the most common allergens in the world? Up to 20% of the population has an allergy to pet dander. If you have a pet at home, you should consider choosing a better air filter to help with your HVAC maintenance. Air filters all have a MERV Rating. This stands for 'Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value.' The higher the MERV rating, the more efficient the filter is. The standard air filter in most homes will have a 5 to 8 MERV rating. However, if you have allergies, especially to pet dander, you will want to upgrade to a 10 to 12 MERV rating filter to help improve indoor air quality.

4 - Keep Pets Away From Your HVAC Unit

One thing many pet owners don't consider when it comes to HVAC maintenance is protecting the unit itself from their furry friends! There are two main ways that pets can damage your outdoor HVAC unit. The first is that they may clog it with fur if they get too close to the unit - perhaps rubbing up against it. This can clog up the HVAC unit and send pet dander into your home via the HVAC system. The second issue is that they may engage in territorial urinating! Animals like dogs tend to urinate on upright objects like trees, fences, and HVAC units! If your dogs spend a lot of time in the yard where your HVAC unit is located, it is a good idea to add a fence or other barrier around the unit to keep your pets and your HVAC unit safe!

5 - Vacuum Regularly

Your intake acts as a suction device and will pull any dust, hair, dander, and other debris into the HVAC system's filter to improve the quality of the air you breathe. You can reduce the strain on your filters by minimizing the debris they have to handle. With pets at home, that might be easier said than done. Still, you can help by vacuuming at least twice per week to pick up as much of that hair and dander as possible, paying particular attention to the edges and corners of the rooms where the hair is most likely to settle. This will reduce how much your HVAC system has to handle each month and how much HVAC maintenance may be required.

6 - Book HVAC Maintenance Visits

As you can see, having pets in your home can add to the strain on your HVAC system. You can help alleviate this by following the tips mentioned above, but the most important thing you can do is schedule regular HVAC maintenance. Getting a tune-up twice a year can help your HVAC system continue to run efficiently. Regular maintenance can help extend the life of your HVAC system and help pick up on potential problems before they develop into more significant, more expensive repairs later.

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Gent Heating and Cooling provide heating and air conditioning for residential and commercial clients in Knoxville, Knox County, and the surrounding East Tennessee area. Over 20 Years experience. Customer Service is Our Top Priority. We strive to be on time, provide accurate estimates, and have most replacement products on our service vehicles.

Call 865-213-9202 or email office@genthvac.com

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