406-755-2220
Life is hard enough for an air conditioner. It has to run all the time, with extra work expected of it during the worst heat waves. The outdoor unit is vulnerable to weather and can be hit by storm-blown branches and other debris. And even when a homeowner is diligent about getting annual maintenance done and changing the air filter, dust builds up, and wear and tear is inevitable.
But what if the homeowner gives their pets access to the air conditioner? Now an already-challenging life is worsened by the potential damage that can be caused by pets. What damage can pets do to air conditioners? How can you prevent it? We’ll give you all the info you need. If you are concerned that your pets may have caused some AC damage, or you have any other concerns, contact us for AC repair in Bigfork, MT.
The Air Filter
The first thing you might think of when you consider the impact pets can have on your air conditioner is the amount of fur that they shed. This floats around in the air, gets sucked into intake vents, and is pulled through your AC system. Won’t that cause problems? Yes, if pet hair gets into the inner workings of an air conditioner, it can be quite troublesome.
That’s one reason why air conditioners have air filters. This isn’t to clean the air coming out of the AC and going to your vents. No, it’s to clean the air coming into your air conditioner and to prevent pet hair and other particles from getting inside the system.
AC air filters generally need to be changed once a month while the AC system is in high use during the summer, which keeps it clean enough that air will keep flowing through. A filter caked in dust bunnies (or dust puppies or kittens) will interfere with circulation and cause AC problems. If you have many pets, or they shed very heavily, you might want to change the filter a bit more often.
The Electrical Wires
Some pets are only likely to chew on everything in sight when they’re very young. Other animals, like rabbits and guinea pigs, need to chew throughout their lifetimes to wear down teeth that never stop growing. Electrical wires are a terrible thing for pets to chew! It can hurt them badly in addition to causing electrical mayhem in your home.
Sometimes, a nibbled wire won’t be broken completely, and instead of a system that just won’t work, the damaged wire will send inconsistent signals. What a confusing AC problem! Prevent damage to wires and protect your pets by keeping them entirely away from AC and other cords. If you can’t keep them out of the area entirely, consider using baby-proofing cord covers.
The Outdoor Unit
One of the reasons people keep dogs is to watch over their property, and part of how dogs do that is to mark their territory by urinating around the edges of the lawn. Your outdoor unit could be one of their targets. Dog urine is so acidic that it has even been known to eat straight through metal light posts and cause them to collapse, so it can cause your outdoor unit to corrode.
To protect your outdoor AC unit, keep your dogs away from it. If necessary, construct a fence to protect it. This needs to be open to allow airflow or it will impede the work of the air conditioner, so put it at least three feet from the unit on all sides so your dogs’ efforts to mark the outdoor unit will fall short.
For all of your AC needs, contact Bill’s Superheat, Inc. today! Here to Save the Day!