Can having a lot of pets in a small house mess up the air condition unit?

We have had a lot of dogs and cats since I was little.. I ask the question because when we used to rent our AC went out so the landlord had someone come look at it. The man that came out said our pets were the issue. My mom later bought a house (with a newly furnished AC unit). Now almost every year something happens to her AC and I think it has something to do with the many pets she has.. Does this have any truth to it?Can having a lot of pets in a small house mess up the air condition unit?yes and no



The true underlining problem/solution is air filtration. The issue is not the pets as much as it is the hair.



Dog and cat hair is very fine so it many times will suck right threw the filter like a needle threw cloth but the evaporator coil is wet so the hair sticks to it and blocks the airflow causing many problems from there.



I am hoping that when the unit was installed it had a filter base under the system that allows for a standard size filter that forces all the airflow to travel threw the filter. Many new ac systems are built with external air filtration in mind. (http://www.ezfilterbase.com/)



At minimum you should be using a pleated filter picture http://smoketestingac.com/images/Pleated鈥?/a> and http://site.subzero-keywest.com/images/f鈥?/a>

but you will need to check this filter with pets say every 2 weeks, from there you can find a good interval for changing it but certainly no longer than 30 days.

Try to avoid washable filters as they are many times either to restrictive or with fibers so wide it lets to much dirt threw.

I recommend for best results http://www.filtersusa.com/show_detail.cf鈥?/a> this unit has to be installed under the inside unit the replacement filters are generally about $25 USD they generally last a year but with pets probably about 6 months. they prevent airflow from going around the filter and have a very large surface area that prevents it from restricting airflow.

they go up in price and quality from here.

the top end air filter systems, generally for if you have allergy issues are the carrier infinity air filtration unit and the Trane clean effects filtration system. http://www.residential.carrier.com/produ鈥?/a> and http://www.trane.com/residential/product鈥?/a> these systems are designed to have near perfect filtration without restricting airflow. They are pricey and must be installed by an HVAC contractor.



Dirt is a big enemy to your HVAC system and the filters and regular maintenance are its only defense against that.



Its a bit out of the norm but you can also lightly LIGHTLY spray a thin coat of Pam cooking spray on the underside of the filter. this assists the filter in catching more particles but it will need to be changed more often,



Avoid fiberglass filters as they are inadequate for AC systems today.



And remember that a filter that is getting dirty faster is doing a better job. Don't use a bad filter just because it never gets dirty, and don't go by the time listed on the package.



Also if you have dogs by the outside unit it is a good idea to fence the unit of from them. 1 is because they like to lay against it because the fan pulls air across them and the hair gets hung up in the coils outside. 2 because if there is a male dog he may "mark his Territory" and the urine will react with the aluminum fins and it will corrode them severely.

Flow these steps you, your pets and your ac system can co habitat in piece.

Good luckCan having a lot of pets in a small house mess up the air condition unit?yeah it does because lots of pets needs plenty of space but if you try to keep it in a small house it will take plenty of space house will get dirty no space creat a lot of problems which will mess up the air condition unitCan having a lot of pets in a small house mess up the air condition unit?Hey Minaxi, what meds are you on?



anyway, listen to the a/c guy - hair can be a big problem. Change the filter often.