What Happens If Pet Hair Gets In My Air Conditioning System?
If you own a cat or dog, you know how much they can shed. Finding pet hair all over your clothes, furniture, and floor is common practice for pet owners. All of this accumulated hair is unsightly and can be the root of allergies for many – but can it damage your air conditioning system? In a word, yes. Pet hair can get sucked up into your air conditioning unit. This will clog up the unit’s filter and can cause some serious maintenance issues for your AC.
Why Does Pet Hair Cause Such Damage to AC Systems?
Your air conditioning unit works by sucking in air through intake vents, cooling this air, and then circulating it back into your house through a system of ducts. As the intake vents suck in air, they also suck in particles and contaminants that are small enough to fit through the vents. This includes dust particles, dirt, pet hair, and much more. There is a filter in place to prevent these particles from entering the unit, damaging the AC system, and cycling back into the house. However, as the debris and piles of pet hair accumulate, the filter becomes clogged. This prevents good airflow and will impede your system’s efficiency. When a unit’s filters become clogged, the AC system must work much harder to suck air through, resulting in increased energy bills and reduced efficiency. Furthermore, the fans and motors that suck in the air can become overworked and break down, causing you to incur high and easily avoidable maintenance costs.
Is there anything hidden in pet hair?
Most pet owners are well aware of the issues that pet hair can cause. But, some might not be aware of the microscopic particles that pet hair brings with it: dander. Dander is composed of microscopic flakes of pet skin that is shed along with hair and fur. This can be a major source of allergies. Pet dander is often too small to be caught in an air filter. So, when it is sucked into the intake vent, it gets cycled back into the air that you and your family breathe. While this is not necessarily destructive to the machinery, it can be a major issue from a medical standpoint, as breathing in dander can cause allergies and other health risks.
What Can You Do to Maintain Your AC if You Have Pets?
Changing your air filter regularly is a must for pet owners. Allowing a filter to become overly clogged with pet hair will leave you with high energy bills, maintenance costs, and impure air in your home.
In addition to replacing your filter regularly, it is important to have your air ducts cleaned.
Even with a filter, it is possible for dust particles, dander, and other contaminants to make their way into the air ducts, causing your air conditioning unit to blow unclean air into your home. Another way to deal with the issues caused by pet hair is purchasing an air purifier or air purification service.
Air purifiers can remove dust, dander, pet hair, and other particles from the air, allowing you to breathe freely. You Might Need to Consult a Professional Expert if a buildup of pet hair has clogged your air filter, dirtied your ducts, or even caused your air conditioning system to break down, there is nobody better for AC maintenance & repair in Miami than Direct Air Conditioning. Whether you need your air ducts cleaned, your air filters replaced, or your AC unit repaired, Direct AC is the best in the business. Call Direct Air Conditioning on [hls_phone_number] for the best AC maintenance and repair services in Miami!