There are few things worse than realizing that your home has been taken over by mice or rats. Often, they will enter your home because it represents an easy source of food, warmth or protection for themselves and their young. Your HVAC system offers a prime spot for these pests to enter your house before the winter season gets going in full force. Fortunately, there are ways that you can keep your heating and cooling components safe from invaders.
Signs Rodents Might Be Near
There are a few telltale signs that rodents might be present near your property. For instance, you might actually see a dead mouse or rat in your yard or running through your yard. You might also notice droppings along the side of a patio, foundation or other areas near your home. Finally, if you see collections of nuts, seeds or similar material, it might be a sign that a rodent is gathering food or other supplies for its nest nearby.
Make Outdoor Components Less Appealing Before Winter Starts
Ideally, you will get rid of long grass, weeds or shrubs that rodents can use as cover to enter a condenser unit. You should also trim long branches or similar materials that they can use to get into the attic, basement or wherever ducts might be located.
In addition, make sure to keep your yard free of acorns, seeds or anything else that a rodent might find tasty. Finally, be sure to check for pools of standing water either inside or outside of the home as pests will be especially attracted to areas where they can get an easy drink.
Seal Ducts and Cover Vents
A mouse can squeeze through a gap that is about a quarter of an inch wide, and rats have similar abilities to get through tight spaces. Therefore, it’s often a good idea to have ducts sealed and attic or dryer vents covered so that they cannot get in and start to spread through the rest of your home.
Vent covers are designed to have holes small enough to keep rodents out while also ensuring that heat and gas are allowed to vent properly. Sealing your ducts creates an impenetrable barrier that stops them from entering or spreading throughout your house.
It may be worthwhile to have ducts and vents inspected first to ensure that there aren’t any rodents already in the house. Otherwise, they will likely die in areas that are sealed off, which could result in a terrible smell that will carry throughout the house.
It’s also possible that they could chew their way out through the bottom of a duct and damage it. In addition to preventing rodent damage, sealing a duct can also make your home more energy efficient and improve indoor air quality.
Turn Off the AC Condenser Breaker
When functioning properly, the AC condenser breaker creates a significant amount of heat that lingers through the winter season. By turning it off, you’ll get rid of that warmth and work toward dissuading mice or rats from wanting to make your home’s cooling system their home during the colder months.
Regularly Inspect Your HVAC Unit for Damage
The actions that you take to prevent rodents from getting into your HVAC system won’t last forever. For instance, failing to continually clear the area around the cooling system means that rodents will have another opportunity to invade it when it gets overgrown again.
You’ll also want to make sure that vent covers remain intact over the fall and winter months. It’s possible that weather, time or other factors could degrade a cover or cause it to come loose. If it isn’t properly installed, a mouse or rat could easily push it aside and regain access to your home.
Make Sure to Use the Right Materials
Rodents are known for their ability to chew through a wide variety of materials. Therefore, you won’t be able to keep them out by covering your condenser unit with a piece of cardboard or wood. Copper wire mesh is typically used to keep rodents out as they don’t enjoy the taste of the copper and have a difficult time chewing through it.
You can also use caulk or a foam sealant to create a barrier that rodents won’t be able to get through. However, you’ll want to make sure to use products that can stand up to the cooler temperatures Sacramento can experience during December and January. They should also be designed to repel moisture as the area can see anywhere from 3 to 5 inches of rain per month from November through March.
Traditional Baits Might Work Too
Placing bait blocks every few feet around your home can be an effective way to keep mice, rats and other rodents away from your HVAC system. The bait seems like easy and tasty food for the rodents who take a small piece of it and return it to their colonies.
Once the food is returned, others in the colony will then feast on it and suffer the unpleasant consequences. When used properly, you may be able to eliminate an entire colony quickly and without having to actually see, touch or move any critters.
If you don’t feel good about poison as an exclusion method, you can always use humane traps. These traps keep the rodent alive until you are able to move and release it away from your property.
You can also place mothballs containing the scent of peppermint, coffee grounds or other scents that rodents tend to dislike. The idea is that the scent will be enough to dissuade the creatures from coming close to any heating or cooling components accessible from outside of your property.
Finally, there are products that claim to emit sounds that irritate a rodent’s ears. However, it’s worth noting that there is no solid research proving that these products work on a consistent basis. Still, it may be helpful if you’re looking for a humane method of keeping rodents out of your HVAC system.
Replace Your Air Filters
Replacing air filters won’t keep rodents from accessing your heating or cooling systems. However, if your home has been invaded by these pests in the past, filters may be filled with droppings, saliva or other items that can make you sick if they get into the air.
Changing an air filter is also a good idea if you’re taking action after you saw a mouse or other rodent currently in your home. Typically, changing an air filter only takes a few minutes and various products are available to provide maximum indoor air quality.
If you are in need of HVAC maintenance or repair services, give the team at Huft Home Services a call today. We can also help with drain cleaning, wiring issues and can add insulation to your home to ensure that it is safe and running at peak efficiency throughout the year.
