We live in a day and age where our pets are often treated like members of our family. They inhabit most of the same spaces in our homes as we do, they roam around and explore (often in spaces we don’t see underneath our furniture and on top of our highest spaces), and they clean up after themselves about as well as the children in our lives. This is not always the best combination, particularly when it comes to the maintenance our HVAC system needs to function optimally. Here are a few steps you can take to make sure you can enjoy your pets and your comfortable home all at once.

Create a Barrier to Your Outdoor Unit

Many homeowners with pets that use the outdoors to play and use the bathroom consider fencing in their outdoor HVAC units to protect them and the pets from interfering where they needn’t be playing. This will prevent accidents and damage to the unit that disturbs your system’s ability to regulate temperature comfortably.

Program Your Thermostat to Suit Your Pet While You’re Out

One bonus to your pet’s effect on your heating and cooling systems is that they generally are comfortable in slightly less regulated temperatures than we are. When you are out during the day, you can save money and treat your pet well by lowering the temperature slightly in the winter months and raising it a bit in the summer months.

Prevent Your Pet from Tampering with Your System

Pets can often turn to pests when they are left to their own devices. Play is encouraged, but the destructive habits some pets develop can wreak havoc on your heating and cooling units. Chewing, urination, and clogged parts due to pet hair and dander can affect your unit’s performance. Chewed AC components will need to be repaired in order to function as they need to. Your air conditioner cannot run smoothly and at the optimal temperature if the unit has been urinated on. This tendency must be trained out of pets who like to mark. And pet hair clogging up your ductwork and vents will certainly cause a drag on the performance of your home’s most essential comfort causing appliance.

Keep Your Filters Changed on the Regular

More than typical homeowners, pet parents need to keep air conditioner maintenance at the forefront of their minds. One of the simplest ways you can keep your air conditioner running the way you need it to is to regularly change your unit’s filters. The air quality in your home will never suffer as long as you remember this small maintenance step. Contact our team at Comfort Experts, Inc. today to schedule regular system maintenance if you find any of the aforementioned issues related to pets and HVAC systems apply to you and your home.