Most people take active measures to keep indoor living spaces bug proof. The sight of a single creepy crawler is usually enough to bring out the bug spray or trigger a call to an exterminator. However, insect infestations can survive for years hidden in unseen locations like your HVAC system. Not only can they damage sensitive system components, but larvae, droppings and dead insects accumulating inside the system can contaminate air circulated throughout your house. Moreover, stinging pests like bees and wasps pose a direct physical hazard if they construct nests within the structure.
Bug proof your HVAC system by taking a few basic precautions:
- Don’t use consumer-grade pesticides to kill bugs inside the HVAC system. Fumes circulating into your breathing air may be a health threat. If you know or suspect infestation in the ducts or elsewhere, have a professional exterminator trap and remove the pests and/or apply natural pesticides that are non-toxic to humans.
- HVAC ductwork is a common entry point to your home for bugs and a convenient conduit to spread throughout the house. Residential ducts can often become leaky, with loosened joints between segments and areas of rust and corrosion. These provide easy access for pests and then a safe, dark haven to reproduce. A ductwork inspection and pressure test by a qualified HVAC contractor can reveal the extent and location of leakage. The contractor can offer duct sealing options that will keep bugs out, as well as improve system energy efficiency and lower operating costs.
- Cover furnace and water heater exhaust vents. This pipe that discharges combustion gases can be utilized by pests to enter your HVAC system during the summer when the furnace is off. Vents should be covered with mesh screen where they terminate at the roof.
- Keep vegetation around the outdoor unit of the central air conditioner cut back. Maintain at least two feet of clear space on all sides to facilitate proper air circulation. This discourages entry of bugs, bees and other pests.
For more advice to bug proof your HVAC system, in Eastern North Carolina contact Jackson & Sons Heating and Air. Offering maintenance plans to fit every budget.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Eastern North Carolina (including Wayne, Johnston, Greene, Lenoir, Pitt and Duplin Counties) about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
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