The Pet Owner's Summer HVAC Survival Guide

Summer brings longer days, backyard barbecues, and soaring temperatures. If you share your home with a dog or a cat, it also brings the dreaded summer shed. While you are trying to stay cool, your furry best friend is actively launching a biological attack on your air conditioner.

When the temperature climbs, your HVAC system is already working overtime just to fight the outdoor heat. Add a heavy layer of pet hair to the equation, and you have a recipe for skyrocketing electric bills and emergency repair calls.

Here is your official survival guide to keeping your house cool, your air clean, and your pets comfortable all summer long.

The Perfect Summer Storm

Your pets are brilliant. When the sun is baking the backyard, they know the absolute coolest place to be is sprawled out directly over an air conditioning floor register.

But as they lounge inside to escape the heat, they are also shedding their thick winter undercoats. Because your AC is running constantly, the return vents are pulling in a massive volume of air. The system acts like a giant vacuum, sucking up all that loose fur, dirt, and dander, and dragging it straight into your ductwork.

If you do not intervene, that fur creates a solid wall of insulation over your air filter. Your system suffocates, your house gets hot, and your wallet takes a massive hit.

3 Hacks to Protect Your AC from Your Pets

You do not have to choose between a comfortable house and your animals. You just need to play a little defense.

1. Relocate the Nap Zones

Pets love floor registers because the cold air blasts directly onto their bellies. But a sleeping Golden Retriever is basically a heavy, fur covered blanket completely blocking your airflow. When vents are blocked, the cold air backs up into the system. This dangerous static pressure can cause your indoor evaporator coils to freeze into a solid block of ice. Move their beds a few feet away from the vents so the room can actually breathe.

2. Brush Them in the Great Outdoors

Do not brush your heavy shedding dog in the middle of the living room. Every stroke of the brush releases thousands of tiny, invisible dander particles into the air. Take the grooming sessions to the patio or the backyard. Let the summer breeze take the loose fur instead of your expensive HVAC equipment.

3. Throw Away the 90 Day Rule

The standard advice on the back of the filter box tells you to change it every three months. That timeline is completely void during the summer if you own pets. Your AC is running twice as much, and your pets are shedding heavily. Leaving a filter in for three months guarantees a clogged system.

The Summer Filter Timeline

You need to adjust your maintenance schedule to match the season. Keep this quick reference guide in mind from June through August.

The Bottom Line

The absolute cheapest way to survive a brutal summer heatwave is to keep your HVAC system breathing easily. Do not let a thick layer of dog hair stand between you and a perfectly chilled living room.

Stock up on high quality pleated air filters, keep the nap zones away from the grilles, and enjoy the cool air all season long. With Hvacfilters.com we have the filters and the fast free shipping to ensure you survive the heat and the shedding season.