Adopting a pet changes your life. They create memories with you, fill your heart with joy, and become part of your family. You would do anything to protect your furry friend from harm and keep them happy. However, you also need to protect your home from pets with a mischievous nature. If you have a pet in your home, your HVAC system needs some extra attention to keep it running efficiently. Check out these useful B&L Ott tips to protect both your pet and your HVAC system!

Guarding Your HVAC System

Some pets have a tendency to chew on different HVAC components or use the outdoor unit as a fire hydrant. These issues can cause the outdoor coil to leak and lose refrigerant. Then your system will not be able to operate properly. You may end up needing costly repairs or even a system replacement. Contact B&L Ott in Berks County if you are experiencing any problems with your system.

Trane protects their outdoor unit with a special sloped coil guard. This guards your system against acidic urine. However, you should still take precautions to protect your system. The best way to protect your system is to keep your pets away from the unit. Fencing can also help you guard your outdoor unit.  You should talk to a B&L Ott specialist before installing a fence, though, as it can reduce airflow and damage your system.

Pet Hair

The inside of your HVAC system also needs attention. Pet hair and debris can cause internal damage without proper maintenance. It can clog standard filters as well as the indoor coil. This reduces the airflow and leads to decreased efficiency, performance, and reliability. B&L Ott recommends getting a high-efficiency air cleaner installed on your system. This will help trap pet hair before it enters your system. If you have any pet odors in your home, you may also want to talk to B&L Ott about installing the Trane Clean Effects or and Air Scrubber.

Filters

Filtration is crucial when we have pets. Not only do your pets shed hair and create pet dander, but they track in outside dirt and germs. Even short-haired pet’s fur will get pulled into your system. Changing your filter allows your system to breath. When the filter gets clogged, your system’s efficiency, air flow, and efficiency all decline. This also shortens the longevity of your system, costing you more in the long run.

When you have pets in your home, it is crucial to change your filter routinely. A standard 1” filter should be changed monthly; ignore any markings on the filter packaging that tell you otherwise. A 1″ filters should cost less than $10 per piece and are an absolutely critical component for your HVAC system’s performance. Despite what the packaging says, 1” filters do little to clean the air in your home. They are actually the bare minimum needed to keep your system operational. They are not helping the air quality in your home, though. Most models only stop the larger particles.

Get a Cleaner Home

When you have pets in your home, you may want some extra help keeping the air in your home clean. Below are some extra ways you can improve the air quality in your home and keep your HVAC system running efficiently. Contact B&L Ott to learn more.

Media Filter

A media filter is 5″ thick instead of 1″. It is 20 times more effective at cleaning the air. Instead of replacing the filter every 30 days, B&L Ott will check the filter every 6 months during preventive maintenance visits. A media filter typically requires replacement every 6-12 months. However, if you have multiple pets or pets with long hair, it may need to be changed 2-4 times per year.

Electronic Air Cleaner

An electronic air cleaner, like the Trane CleanEffects, will capture 99.98% of the particles in the air down to 0.1 microns in size. Be wary of a trick that many air filter manufacturers use. They say “99.9% efficient”, but may only be talking about large contaminants. They only tell you half of the story. Smaller contaminants may easily pass through their filter. A Trane CleanEffects will capture microscopic particles, 1/20 millionth the size of the period at the end of this sentence. It will capture dust, pollen, the flu virus, smoke, pet dander, odors, and more. This type of filter requires quarterly cleaning, performed by B&L Ott.

Air Purification vs. Air Filtration

Air filters do exactly what the name implies – they filter particles from the air that pass through the filter. But what about the air and particles that never make it to the filter? To really purify the air, you need an air purifier like the Air Scrubber. This device was originally developed for NASA to use on the International Space Station.

It uses specialized germicidal UV light waves along with a proprietary catalytic process to create enviro-scrubbing molecules of oxygen and hydrogen; just like nature’s outdoor scrubbers. This helps reach the air and particles that are not pulled through your HVAC system. It works 24/7 to reduce airborne and surface contaminants in your home. An Air Scrubber sends scrubbers into your home to reduce contaminants on surfaces as well as airborne pollutants. It is also highly effective on gasses, vapors, VOCs, and odors.

B&L Ott’s Preventative Maintenance Service

B&L Ott’s preventive maintenance service can make cleaning your home and HVAC system easy. All B&L Ott’s filtration options (other than 1″ filters) can make cleaning and maintenance easy for our customers because B&L Ott does everything for you. It’s that simple. A skilled technician can install a media filter, electronic air cleaner and/or an air purifier in just a few hours. If you sign up for our maintenance agreement, we will let you know when you are due for maintenance, schedule the appointment with you, and perform all necessary maintenance.

Better filtration can provide both long-term and short-term benefits. In the long run, you will keep your system running efficiently so your system lasts longer. Short-term, you will experience better system operation and cleaner air for your family and pets.