What To Do If Rodents Have Made A Home In Your HVAC System: Heating And AC Repair | Richardson, TX

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A rodent infestation is many homeowners’ nightmare. If there are rodents scurrying inside your home, there’s a good chance that they have also made a home in your HVAC system. Your HVAC system is out-of-the-way and a great place for them to hide.

Unfortunately, this is not a good thing for the HVAC system. If there are rodents living inside the system, it can have a significant impact on the air quality inside your home. The rodents will also likely damage various HVAC components and parts.

Call Both a Pest Control Company and a Heating and AC Repair Company

If there are rodents inside the ductwork, you’ll need to call both the heating and AC repair company and a pest control company. The HVAC repair company will be able to deal with the rodent issue if there’s only one rodent and it’s dead. On the other hand, the pest control company will deal with active infestations.

In general, you will call the pest control company first. The pest control company will get rid of the rodents for you, and then the heating and AC repair company will come in and fix everything else. The heating and AC repair company in Richardson, TX will need to disinfect the ductwork and also look for damages. There’s quite a lot that they’ll need to do.

If you only call a pest control company and not a heating and AC repair company in Richardson, TX, you’re likely leaving a lot of damages alone and unfixed. If you do not patch up the damages that were inflicted by the rodent infestation, your HVAC system can become quite inefficient. It might have poor airflow. Or, it might use a lot more power to compensate for damaged parts. At the end of the day, you’re only increasing the risk of the HVAC system malfunctioning and failing completely. The longer that you wait to fix these damages, the more costly the repairs will be.

4 Signs that There Are Rodents Inside the Ductwork

Before you call a heating and AC repair company in Richardson, TX, you first need to look for signs of a rodent infestation. The more notes that you are able to give the heating and AC repair company, the better that they’ll be able to determine the severity of the problem. Let’s look at 4 of the most common signs of a rodent infestation inside the ductwork.

#1. Sounds of Scurrying in the Vents

The most obvious sign that there are rodents hiding in your vents if you hear them. If there are rodents living inside your HVAC system, you might hear the sounds of their footsteps as they scurry around the ductwork. You might even hear them squeal or make other sounds.

It’s a good idea to take note of where you hear the sounds coming from in the ductwork. This will give the heating and AC repair company a better idea of which areas need to be inspected in more detail. The areas that the rodents reside in will likely sustain a lot more damage. Depending on how big your home is, you might not necessarily want the HVAC company to look at every component of the ductwork.

#2. Pest Droppings Around the Vents

Another sign that you’re dealing with a rodent infestation inside the ductwork is if there are pest droppings around the vents. The pest control company will remove all of the droppings while they are taking care of the infestation. However, you should still take note of which vents had the most droppings around them. This could help the heating and AC repair company figure out where the rodents were entering the HVAC system from. These areas might have more leaks, cracks, or holes in them.

It’s important to note that rodents only need a very small hole to infiltrate a place. These holes can be difficult to spot. By figuring out where the rodents are entering the home or where they are congregating, you’ll be able to narrow down the entry and escape routes. This will make it a lot easier for the heating and AC repair company to spot where all the damages might be.

#3. Higher Utility Bills

If there are rodents living inside the ductwork, there’s a good chance that the utility bills will skyrocket. This is because the rodents will likely chew through the ducts. Or, they might damage different proponents and parts that are inside.

Many homeowners might not even notice that they have a rodent infestation when they call the heating and AC repair company. If you call the heating and AC repair company first, they might not necessarily have the tools and equipment to get rid of all of the rodents. However, they likely have already partnered up with a pest control company before. They’ll be able to call the pest control company over to get rid of all of the rodents. Together, they’ll be able to get rid of the rodents and also clean up and fix your HVAC system. Once the heating and AC repair company patches up all of the holes and cracks, you should see your utility bills return to normal.

If you’ve just moved into a new home, you likely already have the home inspected. As a result, there’s a very low chance that there’s a rodent infestation. However, if you’re moving into a home that’s been sitting idle for some time, you might be faced with a rodent infestation and not even know it. You can compare your utility bills with your neighbors in order to see whether there’s a notable difference. It’s important to note that a spike in utility bills can be caused by many different things. Fortunately, everything can be solved just by calling a heating and AC repair company.

#4. A Stench Coming from the Ducts

Last but not least, a notable sign that there is something in the duct is if you smell a horrible stench. This happens if a rodent dies within the ductwork of your HVAC system. In this situation, calling a heating and AC repair company serving Richardson, TX might solve the problem. You might not necessarily need to call a pest control company if there isn’t a rodent infestation.

You’ll need to first ask the heating and AC repair company whether they have the experience and expertise to deal with the problem. Not all technicians feel comfortable handling a dead carcass.

The technician from the heating and AC repair company will need to shut off your HVAC system and ventilate your home first. They’ll then locate the carcass using their nose and various other types of equipment, like a camera. The carcass is likely located wherever the smell is the worst. Next, they’ll need to take the HVAC system apart, remove the carcass, and disinfect the area. Once they’re done, they’ll need to inspect the various components of the HVAC system in order to ensure that there is nothing damaged.

3 Possible Areas that Will Sustain the Most Damages

If there are rodents in your HVAC system, there’s a very good chance that many different areas are quite damaged. If you don’t try to repair these damages as soon as possible, the HVAC system will likely fail. The sooner that you repair these damages, the cheaper the repairs will be. If you’re able to catch the damages while they’re still considered minor issues, you’ll also be able to fix the issue easily.

Unfortunately, the presence of a rodent in your ductwork can mean that there are many different areas that are damaged. Below, will look at some of the areas that the HVAC company should focus on.

#1. Surrounding Insulation

In order to ensure that the HVAC system is efficient, the surrounding areas will usually be insulated. Different types of insulation are used in different areas. However, one thing remains the same. Rodents will use any type of insulation that they can get their hands on in order to create a nest. Due to this reason, the HVAC company will need to carefully inspect the surrounding insulation to see which areas are damaged.

Once the HVAC company is able to identify which areas are affected, they will then give you several solutions. They can either patch up the insulation using the same type of material that’s installed. Or, they can patch it up with another type of insulation. Depending on the extent of the damage, they might also recommend that you consider removing the insulation entirely and replacing it. This will provide you with the best results possible.

By removing the damaged insulation and installing new insulation, you’ll be able to ensure that the heated and cooled air within the HVAC system does not escape from the ductwork.

#2. The Ductwork

Rodents will often chew through the ductwork. Due to this reason, the HVAC company will need to carefully inspect all areas of the HVAC system in order to determine which areas might be affected. Some areas might have holes in them.

Once again, the solution for this will vary depending on the extent of the damage. If there are only one or two minor holes, the HVAC company may recommend that you patch it up. This might be enough to keep the HVAC system running perfectly. However, if the rodents did quite a lot of damage to the ductwork, you might want to consider replacing certain sections instead. This will be a lot better for the system in general.

If you were thinking of the possibility of replacing the ductwork, you will need to think of which areas need to be replaced, as well as the amount of time that it will take to replace the ductwork. This is no easy task. It can take quite a long time.

#3. Electric Wires

Last but not least, rodents have a knack for chewing through electrical wires. If there are rodents in your ductwork, the HVAC company might want to consider taking a look at all the electrical components as well. There’s a chance that the rodents might’ve chewed through some of the wiring. In some cases, the wiring might not be completely chewed through. However, it might be severely damaged. If you don’t fix the problem immediately, you run the risk of having an electrical fire started in your home.

Issues with the wiring can also affect the overall efficiency of the HVAC system. It’s definitely something that you should try to fix as soon as possible. Fortunately, in most cases, fixing the electric wires is quite easy. The HVAC company will simply replace the wires that are damaged with new ones. The only difficulty with this job is that the HVAC company will need to disassemble the HVAC system in order to reach the wires. This can take some time, which might mean that you won’t be able to use your heating or AC system for several days.

Get Help by Calling One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas

The entire prospect that there might be rodents scurrying around the inside of your HVAC system can be quite terrifying. If you do not have any previous experience with dealing with the HVAC system, you might feel overwhelmed. Fortunately, an experienced heating and AC repair company like One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas will be able to help you.

One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas has years of experience in providing affordable heating and AC repair services for those living in Dallas and surrounding areas, like Richardson, TX. We will be able to inspect the ductwork thoroughly in order to determine whether there is a rodent infestation. We’ll be able to deal with them for you so that you can rest.

Give us a call today to schedule an appointment at your convenience! You can also give us a call if you have any further questions or concerns. One of our technicians will be able to help you.