Keeping Animals Out of Air Ducts

Animals in your air ducts can include everything from your house cat to rodents small and large, here are some tips for keeping animals out of air ducts. Vents to air ducts exist both inside and outside of the house and animals are skilled at squirreling themselves inside whether they mean to or not.

When you have animals inside of your air ducts, your home can become a dangerous place, compromising sanitation, air quality and peace of mind.

Signs of an Animal in Your Air Ducts

Animals, especially rodents, have a tendency to make their way into the air ducts of your homes. They create an entire habitat inside the air ducts, nesting and reproducing. Needless to say, this negatively affects the quality of air conditioning in your home as well as the health of your air quality. Look for these signs when you begin to notice changes in your air quality:

• Animal scat in front of air ducts and vents
• Wiring and covers chewed through by animals
• Noises of animals traveling overhead
• Foul odors

If you suspect that there are animals, either living or dead, in your air ducts, it is best to call a professional to lure the animal out or remove the animal carcass. Employing a professional protects your safety and home by causing the least amount of damage possible.

Fortifying Air Duct Entries

Air ducts should only carry air to and from your furnace for conditioning. The grills that cover air vents and registers generally prevent large pieces of debris, including animals, from entering and polluting the air supply.

If however, animals have made their way into the air ducts, it is time to make adjustments to prevent more animals from entering. Replace all old, brittle, dirty or weak grills with stronger mesh material. This allows for air to pass freely while the heating and air conditioning runs without allowing animals to manipulate its structure.

Guarding Other Entry Opportunities

Animals carry with them innumerable amounts of dust, pollen, allergens and bacteria. Once they enter your house and the air ducts, those particles and pathogens spread into your air supply. Keeping them out of the house in the first place becomes a priority.

Apart from windows and doors, search for other entryways by which animals may enter. Take special notice of places less frequented by family such as storage units like the attic and garage. Any cracks, crevices and holes are possible entry points.

Try to have these sealed to prevent animals from wedging their way through. This also assists in regulating the amount of outdoor air entering, so that the air quality and temperature inside stay as consistent as possible.

Protect Your Home Air

Protecting your home air is simple with the help of Service Champions Plumbing, Heating & AC. As the primary HVAC contractor for Southern California homeowners, our experts bring perfect HVAC care to each furnace repair, drain cleaning and AC maintenance, providing reliable customer service and technical care.

To experience the difference in air that comes with Service Champions, contact one of our friendly representatives in our call center or schedule a visit online.