Our pets, with their loyal companionship and unconditional love, become our family.

Having furry babies is a rewarding experience, and at the same time a responsibility that cannot be taken lightly – our job is to provide them with a safe and loving home environment.

And, this means that we need to consider taking some extra steps when it comes to our home HVAC system.

At UGI Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, our dedication goes beyond providing homeowners with quality services to also educating you on ways to improve the safety and comfort of your homes.

When we have pets, we need to be mindful of ways to maintain and ensure our HVAC home systems are working efficiently – here are some tips to keep your home safe and comfortable for both you and your pets:

Check HVAC Wires

Your HVAC system’s wires can be an alluring “chew toy” for many pets, especially when you have puppies and kittens. You can never be too safe even with your grown pets either, so make sure to check for any exposed wires and enclose them in conduits.

Change HVAC System’s Air Filter

Pet hair and dander can block filters, reducing the efficiency of your HVAC units and possibly causing an increase in your energy consumption – check your air filter once a month to make sure it’s not dirty or clogged with pet hair. A clogged air filter could even shorten the life of your HVAC system.

Check for Indoor Air Pollutants

Winter season means spending even more time indoors, and the fact is that the air we breathe inside our homes is often more polluted than the air outside. You want your loved ones, including your pets, to be safe, so it’s wise to have your home tested for lead, radon, and carbon monoxide, the “The Silent Killer”. In addition to working smoke alarms, you should ensure that you also have a functional carbon monoxide detector on each floor. And don’t forget to change the batteries in both smoke and carbon monoxide detectors twice a year – when you change the clocks, change your batteries!

There are many air purifiers to help make your Indoor Air Quality healthier – from relatively inexpensive tabletop air cleaners to sophisticated more-expensive whole-house systems; ideally, have one in all bedrooms, as well as the main living areas of your home. The very first step is to get your home tested to determine the exact needs and solutions.

Enclose/Cover Condenser Units

Although your condenser unit is located outside, make sure it’s kept closed – if your pet claws the fins on the condenser coils, not only could it damage your unit but also the pet could get injured.

Also, dogs like to mark their territory by urinating, and the condenser unit could be one of the targets. Urine can cause the fins to erode over time; the corrosion will inevitably lead to refrigerant leaks, causing costly repairs.

Avoid any of these potential issues by putting a fence or other barrier around your condenser unit. Just make sure that the unit is still accessible for maintenance and repairs, and do not block or cover any components.

Seal Your Ducts

If there are leaks in your duct work, pet hairs and dander can find their way to your air ducts, which transport the air from your HVAC system throughout your home. An HVAC professional can test for leaks and seal them as needed. Additionally, you may want to have your duct work cleaned at least every 2-3 years if you have pet hair in your home.

Cleanliness

Having furry babies also means having pet hair and dander all over your home, and pet dander greatly affects the quality of your air. Did you know that dander from dogs and cats in your home is actually the leading cause of allergies?

Keep your pets clean by regularly bathing and brushing them – frequent baths help to control allergens and odors, and brushing helps remove dead hair, grease, and dirt to make sure they don’t end up in your HVAC units.

Clean your home regularly – use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter, and remember to do walls and upholstered furniture. Use a microfiber mop to pick up the dust left behind the vacuuming, and microfiber dust cloths to dust all other surfaces in your home.

Call the Professionals

When searching for HVAC companies, trust UGI Heating, Cooling & Plumbing for all your HVAC needs – we have been providing a full range of high-quality home comfort and efficiency products and services for over a century.

Improve the air that you and your loved ones breathe and the comfort of your home by being proactive – schedule maintenance with our HVAC contractors today and learn about our HVAC service agreements that will cover parts and labor for breakdowns. We cover 15 counties in South-Eastern and South-Central Pennsylvania from our offices in Reading, PA, Harrisburg, PA, Lancaster, PA, and the Lehigh Valley, PA.

Give us a call at 1.877.844.4822 to discuss your needs.