Have you seen our mascot Gizmo before? If so, you probably know that Dave and Diana just love him. While some people aren’t cat lovers, they can appreciate the love we have for him if they are pet owners. The bond between pets and humans can be unbreakable, especially with dogs. They really do seem to be man’s best friend. So for those pet owners out there, we have two questions. 1. Have you considered how having a pet impacts your indoor air quality? 2. If so, what have you done to improve your indoor air quality? Most people don’t think about pets and HVAC systems together, but it’s important to know how your pet can impact your system and what you can do to counteract smells and dander created by pets.
Don’t Allow These Things
For the sake of your HVAC system, you should absolutely not allow these two things if you have pets:
- Peeing on outside equipment. Yes, we said it! Don’t allow your dog, or cat, to pee on the outside equipment. This is one of the top 3 issues that we see with outdoor units. The acid in urine is highly corrosive and can eat through the coils of your unit. Of course, if that happens the unit will no longer be operable.
- Do not put litter boxes near your vents. In case you didn’t know, many units have supply and return ducts. The return duct pulls air in, runs it through the system and it goes back into your home. If you have a litter box near the vent that is connected to a return duct, you are allowing the odor and dust particles to be pulled in and put back into your home. This is not good for your health! It can also clog your filters.
Ways to Improve Indoor Air Quality When You Have Pets
There are several ways that you can counteract the odors and dander in your home.
- Get an air scrubber. Air scrubbers are fantastic for removing contaminants from the air. See how they work in our blog UV LIght vs Air Scrubber Plus.
- Get a better filter. In case you missed it, we wrote a blog about what you need to know about air filters. We recommend that you read it as a filter with a better MERV rating can help you filter out the dander and odor. Just make sure that you don’t get a filter with a very high rating as it will actually constrict airflow.
- Consider an ERV system. ERV stands for an energy recovery ventilator. This type of system connects to your ducts and by way of two fans, it pulls clean, fresh air into your home and removes the stale air. This will help you get rid of the odor caused by pets and provide fresh air to your home that is also temperature regulated. This is often great for people who own tropical birds and can’t open the windows because it will cause the temperature of your home air to fluctuate too much.
