October 15, 2018

It’s the Season for Creepy Critters—But Not in Your HVAC

Creepy critters may be popular this time of year—as decorations. However, they’re not quite as popular if you find them inside your HVAC system. It’s inevitable that when the temperatures drop down, a wide variety of critters head toward the heat. And if they can find a way in through your vent system, they’re going to be setting up house inside your house.

Creature feature

SPIDERS seem to get into every place at all times, but you may notice them in larger numbers (and larger sizes) in the Fall when they’re trying to escape the cold weather outside. Spiders can creep in open vents and sometimes wander into your home, especially to bathrooms where the moisture is welcome if they haven’t eaten for a while. While they don’t do any damage to your HVAC system, it’s still a good idea to keep them outside where they belong. It helps to put mesh over any vent coverings.
COCKROACHES also seem to be able to get just about anywhere. Again, they can’t do a lot of actual harm to your heating and cooling system, or ventilation ductwork, but you don’t want them around because they carry diseases such as diarrhea, dysentery, typhoid fever, and cholera. It’s not as well known that they can also cause allergic reactions or trigger asthma symptoms for people living in the house. If you find cockroaches, you’ll need to have a pest control specialist treat the area.
SNAKES like to slither into warm areas when the temperatures drop because they’re cold-blooded creatures and their bodies will take on the same temperature as their environments. They like warmth, so in the Fall you might find them trying to get into your vents (those mesh covers are helpful for this too) and even in summer, they’re sometimes drawn to the warmth generated by the condenser and you might find one curled around a coil.
RODENTS may be cute to some people, but they’re pests to everyone when they crawl into your duct work and build nests. Mice and rats are joining the hoards seeking a warm place to camp for the cooler season, and if they get inside, they’ll increase your problem as they increase in number. Sometimes they will even chew through refrigerant lines when making nests. They can be dangerous to your health because they spread disease to humans through direct contact with their feces, urine, or saliva (through bites), as well as indirectly through the fleas, ticks, and mites that they carry,. To avoid this, make sure that you cover those vents. And if you have an infestation, call a professional exterminator to get safely rid of them.

Critter control

Your best bet for keeping critters out of your heating and cooling system is to screen off the air vents, which are the main channels from the outside to the inside. Also, make sure your ducts are properly sealed, because cracks and loose seals in your ductwork are an open invitation to insects. And finally, keep things clean by regularly maintaining your filters, vents, and other system parts. Having a regular maintenance contract with MoreVent can help you keep your equipment running efficiently and keep those creepy critters out of your HVAC. That way, the only creepy critters you’ll have this year are the  plastic Halloween decorations on your front porch.
 
 

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