Can You Use Your HVAC System as Mosquito Repellent?

Mosquitoes are one of the many annoying pests that thrive in our hot, humid coastal climate. The histamine that mosquitoes inject with every bite can cause intense itching, but these miniature vampires are more than just a nuisance: they also spread diseases like malaria, dengue fever, West Nile and the Zika virus, and the range of disease-carrying mosquito species is expanding.

There are various methods and products available to keep mosquitoes at bay and help avoid bites, but you can also put your home’s HVAC system to work as a mosquito repellent if you follow these tips:

Run Your Cooling Equipment

Mosquitoes are cold-blooded creatures, and they prefer humid environments where the temperature is above 80 degrees. When you’re running your air conditioning to keep your home comfortably cool, you’re also making your indoor spaces less attractive to mosquitoes. If they do get inside the house, they search for their next meal by following the carbon dioxide trail you emit with every breathe. When your HVAC is running, the cool air circulation it provides also makes it harder for a mosquito to hone in on your location.

Monitor Your Condensate Drain System

Female mosquitoes bite to get a protein your blood that helps their eggs develop. Afterwards, they seek out a moist area or standing water to lay up to 300 eggs that hatch into the next generation of biters. You can keep female mosquitoes from using your HVAC system’s condensate drainage system as a nursery by making sure the drain line stays flowing freely, and emptying and cleaning the collector pan frequently.

Watch for Anti-Mosquito Technology

Cooling equipment manufacturers are starting to incorporate mosquito repellent technology into their product offerings in parts of the world where there’s a high incidence of malaria. In the future here at home, you may be able to install an air conditioner with a built-in device that sends out ultrasonic waves. These sound waves have no effect on humans, but they’re proven to confuse, paralyze and kill mosquitoes.

When you need expert services for your Coastal Bend home’s HVAC system, contact us at CCAC.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Corpus Christi, Texas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about your HVAC system, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 361-678-2495.