Hello, my name is Darby Aldrich. I would like to talk to you about the importance of maintaining your air conditioning system. When I moved to a hot climate, I did not realize how vital having a running air conditioner was for living comfortably. When the unit just stopped working one day, the temperature inside the house rivaled the piping hot weather outdoors. We had to go to the community center to keep the kids from feeling sick. While we were gone, we had a local HVAC contractor fix the unit. She let us know that some simple maintenance tasks would prevent that situation in the future. I will use this site to closely explore those tasks in great detail. I hope you can use the information to keep your air conditioner running like new. Thanks.
There are a lot of different ways animals and pests can affect your air conditioner that can lead to the need for repairs. By understanding the effects animals and pests can have on your air conditioning can put you in a better position when it comes to keeping it running well. Here are some of the things that you want to know:
Rodents can chew wires
Any of the wiring in your house can be chewed by rodents and this includes the wiring that goes to the air conditioning system. Inside wiring that runs from the thermostat to the outside compressor will be at risk. Also, the wiring that goes to the compressor outside may be more at risk because it is often more exposed and accessible to rodents than the wiring inside the house, especially if you don't have a pest issue inside of your home. Any possible wiring issues should count as an emergency repair because it can put you at risk of having a fire in your home.
Rodents can chew belts and hoses
Another thing that can happen to your air conditioning system is rodents can end up chewing the belts or hoses of the motor if they are able to get inside the housing unit. There are vents on the sides to allow air to circulate through the system. Even though these vent slots are extremely small, they aren't always too small for some of the smaller rodents to get through, such as mice. Mice can squeeze through very, very small spaces. So, if you are having issues with the system, it may be caused by a chewed belt or hose. Make sure you always have the housing unit secured in place correctly and that you keep the area around the housing unit free of debris and weeds to cut down on the chances of rodents entering this space and causing this type of damage. If you hear or smell anything different when you are near the unit outside or even from inside when the unit is on, have a repair person come look at the system.
Pests can damage the ductwork
You may not see how a pest can damage the ductwork because it seems like it would be so thick. While it is pretty thick, you also need to realize that some pests like raccoons have very sharp claws. So, if a raccoon ends up in the ductwork, those sharp claws can do a lot of damage and cause leaks. Rodents that get in the ductwork can also go to the bathroom in the ductwork leading to your family breathing in the bacteria from their urine and feces. This is why you want to have someone look at the condition of your ducts and clean them if you determine there have been rodents in them.
For further information on AC repair and pests, reach out to a local HVAC contractor.
Share2 July 2020
