HVAC Maintenance Tips For Pet Owners

Having a pet is a blessing and a curse in because all the joy you get from them comes along with many chores. Keeping up with these chores can help protect your clothes, furniture, floors, and HVAC system from damage and messes. That’s why we assembled an essential list of HVAC maintenance tips for pet owners.

As a pet owner, you must brush your pets and discard the loose hair at least once weekly. Otherwise, the hair will land in your air ducts and clog them, which can restrict airflow and damage your air conditioner. Hire someone to clean your air ducts every 3 to 5 years to maximize efficiency and improve air quality.

Replace your air filter on time before it gets clogged with pet dander and loose hair. Each of these essential HVAC maintenance tips can help boost efficiency and improve indoor air quality. Follow along as we explore how to protect your HVAC system if you are a pet owner.

How To Protect Your HVAC System If You Have Pets

1. Remove Pet Hair Messes

Your dog and cat owner maintenance checklist should include getting rid of loose pet hair. Some dog and cat breeds shed more than others, but loose pet hair messes are nearly unavoidable. Unless you have a hairless dog, there’s a good chance loose pet hair will get into your HVAC system.

Whether you see it or not, pet hair typically blows around your home when the air conditioner and furnace run. The air can push the loose pet hair into your AC or furnace, where it can create a mess. Once it settles, the hair can also enter your vents and get stuck in your ductwork, which is likely already dirty.

Even if the pet hair doesn’t enter the HVAC system, you’ll still deal with messes when the blower runs. You must lint-roll your furniture and clothes and vacuum the floors every 10 days or so to keep up with pet hair. This can not only prevent tricky household messes but also protect your HVAC system from unnecessary strain.

2. Schedule Preventive Maintenance

You’d be surprised at how many homeowners neglect the importance of yearly HVAC system check-ups. While you should be proactive and do as much maintenance yourself, it’s worth hiring an HVAC technician for some things. That includes yearly HVAC tune-ups, which entail an HVAC technician inspecting and cleaning your HVAC system.

The technician will carefully inspect each of the key components and clean them as needed. This is important, as the technician can update you about your HVAC system’s condition and let you know how long it should last. They can also let you know which parts are failing or caked in pet hair, which is important to know.

There’s a good chance that they’ll recommend cleaning loose pet hair more frequently. Loose pet hair works its way into many HVAC system components you don’t see, but the technician will. Professional HVAC tune-ups and inspections are recommended every year or two.

3. Conceal The Condenser Unit

It’s easy to overlook your air conditioner’s outdoor component, known as the condenser unit. However, the condenser unit is just as susceptible to accidents and pet hair as any other component. That’s especially true if your dogs or cats spend a lot of time outside.

For example, your pets can shed hair on the condenser unit and even urinate on it. As well, other animals can also damage your condenser unit. Some people even find dead birds and rodents in their AC condenser unit, which can negatively impact the rest of the system.

Build a simple barrier around the condenser unit to protect it from your pets and other animals. A small fence or some chicken wire can help deter animals from chewing, shedding, and urinating on the condenser unit. This will help prevent expensive HVAC maintenance.

4. Clean The Air Ducts

No matter how much you remove loose pet hair in your home, some will still wind up in the air ducts. You may not be able to see your air ducts, but they’re typically full of dust, debris, pet hair, and even mold in some cases. All that debris constantly circulates through your ductwork as your AC and furnace run, and it can become unmanageable. 

If you are a pet owner, it is recommended that you hire a professional to clean your ductwork every 3 to 5 years. Cleaning your air ducts can protect your HVAC system, improve the indoor air quality, and make the system more efficient. This is especially necessary if your HVAC system runs in short cycles, which can strain the AC and furnace. 

Air duct cleaning costs roughly $450-$1,000, but factors such as home size and the condition of the air ducts determine the cost. Some ductwork systems are more complex and outdated than others, which can also affect the cost. Regularly cleaning your house can ensure your air ducts don’t dirty quickly.

5. Keep Up With Filter Replacements

Waiting too long to replace your air filter can negatively affect the indoor air quality and damage your HVAC system. AC filters catch pet hair, dust, mold particles, and pollen to protect the coil and improve indoor air quality. You may notice poor airflow if the air filter is dirty and clogged, as air can’t pass through as easily.

Not only does this impact airflow, but it can also strain your air conditioner. Your AC will run more often in short cycles, but it won’t necessarily provide great results, as air can’t pass through. This is a common problem for pet owners who don’t regularly replace their air filters.

HVAC technicians recommend replacing your air filter every 90 days, but it varies. Factors such as home size, air duct condition, family size, and how many pets you have can affect how quickly your air filter clogs. It’s a great idea to stash several AC filters at home, so you can change them as needed.

6. Use An Air Purifier

An air purifier can help you deal with unpleasant pet smells and even help protect your HVAC system. High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters are especially useful for pet owners, as they help filter pet dander and hair from the air. In doing so, they can help keep the dander, pet hair, dirt, and dust out of your air ducts and AC filter.

Even if you’re not allergic to dogs and cats, the excessive dander and loose hair may trigger allergies. Using a HEPA filter can help improve the indoor air quality, which is essential if you have respiratory problems. While it’s expensive, you can install a whole-house air purifier with a HEPA filter for $2,600 on average.

The cost depends on your home’s size, the purifier system you choose, parts, and labor. Otherwise, you can simply buy a small HEPA filter air purifier or two and put them in common pet areas at home.

7. Brush Your Pets

It’s easy to fall behind on brushing your pets when you get busy with work and chores. However, brushing your pet is an essential HVAC maintenance tip for pet owners. Doing so can help keep loose hair and pet dander out of your AC, furnace, and ductwork.

Invest in a nice brush and groom their fur away from a blowing fan. Otherwise, the loose hair you remove will likely scatter throughout your home and make a mess. Keep a trash can or bag nearby so you can dispose of the loose pet hair before it spreads.

Short-haired pets must be brushed weekly, but it’s worth brushing long-haired pets more often. That’s especially true for long-haired cats, as their loose hair can become unmanageable. Create a pet grooming schedule and stick to it to protect your HVAC system.

Summing It Up

The best way to protect your HVAC system as a pet owner is to regularly clean and remove loose pet hair throughout your house. It’s also important to replace your air filters every 90 days or as needed, and schedule yearly maintenance visits. Ideally, you should have your air ducts cleaned once every 3 to 5 years, or else they’ll get clogged with pet hair.

Related Guides:

• How To Keep Your House From Smelling Like Your Pets
• How To Make Your House Safe For Cats