{"id":782,"date":"2024-07-08T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-08T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mesabaheating.com\/blog\/?p=782"},"modified":"2024-07-08T08:15:15","modified_gmt":"2024-07-08T13:15:15","slug":"are-your-pets-causing-sneaky-ac-damage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mesabaheating.com\/blog\/air-conditioning-service\/are-your-pets-causing-sneaky-ac-damage\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Your Pets Causing Sneaky AC Damage?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"dozing-ginger-cat\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Occasionally, the cause of an air conditioning problem is very obvious. For example, if a large tree branch fell and crushed your outdoor AC unit, you would know exactly why it isn\u2019t working. But most of the time, the cause is a little less clear at first glance. That can make it hard for a homeowner to take the necessary steps to prevent such problems from happening. We\u2019d like to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One easily overlooked cause of air conditioning problems<\/a> is our beloved animal companions. What\u2019s that? You never suspected that Fluffy was the reason your AC hasn\u2019t been running properly? Yes, pets can cause AC damage, and sometimes they\u2019re sneaky enough that we pet owners don\u2019t realize what they\u2019ve been doing. Here are the clues to look for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Short Cycling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While there are many reasons why an air conditioner might start and stop much too frequently, it usually boils down to overheating within the system. Now, the motor might get too hot because there\u2019s genuinely a problem with the motor itself. But often it\u2019s just that the small amount of heat the motor creates is building up too much. Why? Because there isn\u2019t enough air circulation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When air isn\u2019t coming through the air conditioner at a high enough rate, it won\u2019t just prevent even distribution of the cool air the AC creates. It will cause heat buildup that trips the limit switch and shuts the air conditioner down. After a moment to cool, it will try starting up again, only to have the same thing happen. It\u2019s called short cycling, and it\u2019s brutal, both for your energy bills and your air conditioner\u2019s compressor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your air filter needs to be cleaned to keep the air circulating well. Most of the time, once-a-month cleaning is what\u2019s recommended. But with pets\u2014especially if they\u2019re long-haired, or if there\u2019s more than one\u2014that simply might not be enough. At the first sign of short cycling, check your AC air filter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Electrical Issues<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Is your air conditioner not running at all, but the circuit breaker hasn\u2019t tripped and the thermostat is set properly? Or is it running erratically, sometimes turning on but at other times just not working? It could be an issue with the wiring or the main plug, and a nibbling pet could be to blame. Use pet-proof or baby-safe cord protectors to avoid this problem and to keep your pets safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rust<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

How often do you check on your outdoor unit? You should be doing this with some frequency, at least to make sure it\u2019s free of debris and obstructions. It needs air circulation, too. And how often does your dog check on your outdoor unit? Is it where the dog can access it during playtime in the yard? It very well might be a target for marking, and that will cause the unit to corrode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dog urine is corrosive enough that in big cities, entire metal posts have come crashing down due to their popularity with peeing pets. Keep your dog away from that outdoor unit before it causes irreparable damage! If you can\u2019t keep the dog out of that part of the yard entirely, put up a small fence that allows free air circulation and is at least three feet from the unit on all sides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you need air conditioning repair in Grand Rapids, MN<\/a>, we\u2019ll determine the cause of your problem, pets or otherwise, and get it straightened out right away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reach out to Mesaba Heating & Air Conditioning<\/strong><\/a> today. Service to you is success to us!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yes, pets can cause AC damage, and sometimes they\u2019re sneaky enough that we pet owners don\u2019t realize what they\u2019ve been doing. Here are the clues to look for.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[136,98],"class_list":["post-782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-air-conditioning-service","tag-air-conditioning-repair","tag-grand-rapids"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesabaheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesabaheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesabaheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesabaheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesabaheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=782"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesabaheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":785,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesabaheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/782\/revisions\/785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesabaheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesabaheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesabaheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}