Tips to Safeguard Your HVAC from Home Pests

Here in the Coastal Bend, home pests like rodents, snakes, and insects are a threat we deal with on a year-round basis. If you’re not vigilante, pests can invade the HVAC system that delivers conditioned air throughout your home, leading to potentially-serious problems like:

Component damage

Rodents like ground squirrels, mice, rats, and chipmunks that make a cozy home inside your outdoor unit can cause costly damage by shredding or chewing through the protective insulation and electrical wiring.

Ductwork contamination

Insects, snakes, and rodents living, or dying, inside your HVAC ducts can introduce bacteria and allergens into the air that circulates through your home, creating foul odors and health hazards.

Flue obstruction

If a bird or larger pest animal gets trapped in your furnace flue, combustion exhaust fumes that contain lethal carbon monoxide gas can back up into your living space.

How to Keep Pests Out of Your HVAC System

Being proactive about pests by taking the following steps can help keep your home and HVAC equipment safe and secure:

Make sure your ducts are in good condition.

Disconnected sections, gaps, and cracks in your ductwork give pests an easy entry route into your HVAC system. Having the ductwork inspected, repaired and properly sealed can help keep pests out and preserve your indoor air quality.

Screen exterior air intakes/vents and flue pipes.

These openings into your HVAC system are enticing to creatures looking for a dry, comfortable abode. By installing screened covers on all your exterior HVAC openings, you’ll block access to pests so exhaust fumes can escape and system airflow isn’t compromised.

Tidy up around your outdoor unit.

To discourage rodents, snakes and insects from taking up residence in your outdoor HVAC unit, keep a two-foot-wide area around it well-trimmed and free from any yard debris.

Keep your HVAC system well maintained.

A yearly professional HVAC maintenance visit can alert you to any developing problems with pests, and ensure that any pest-related damage gets repaired promptly.

For help determining whether home pests have invaded your HVAC system, or to schedule a preventive maintenance visit, contact us today 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.