In the warmer seasons, air conditioners tend to become a staple in our homes. They’re our saving grace from the scorching sun and high humidity, thanks to their excellent cooling capacity.

But warm weather also comes with uninvited guests that are detrimental to the HVAC system—snakes and rodents.

HVAC systems, particularly condenser units installed outside your home, offer a conducive environment for snakes and rodents in both warm and cold temperatures. The unit’s interiors are dark and concealed just like rodents and snakes prefer, making it a perfect spot for their nesting place.

However, these unwanted guests often cause irreversible damage, not just to the HVAC system but also to your family’s overall health:

• If some of your family members are allergic to rodents, inhaling the air that flows from your AC will activate their allergy symptoms.
• Rodents nesting in your HVAC system can cause electrical fires, which lead to expensive repairs.
• Their in-and-out movements often result in mechanical defects.
• Poisonous snakes and rodents directly threaten you and your family’s safety due to their fatal bites.

Prevention is always better than a cure. Therefore, we recommend these five steps that will certainly prevent an invasion of snakes and rodents:

1 - Seal Air Ducts and Any Other Point of Entry

The easiest way for snakes and rodents to get into your HVAC system is through small openings. Cracks, gaps, and disconnections in your ductwork are access points into your HVAC system or your home’s interior.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), rats can get through a hole as tiny as a half-dollar, while mice can squeeze through holes as small as nickels.

Snakes will also slither into available cracks, holes, and outdoor air vents if they’re small enough to fit into them.

So, inspect your HVAC system for any gaps and cracks and patch them immediately with a duct sealant, HVAC tape, or regular silicone caulk.

By sealing off entry points to your ducts, you’ll eliminate the snakes’ and rodents’ ability to hide in your system. Remember to keep all the duct panels connected with screws tightly fastened.

If you suspect that pests have already invaded your condenser unit, look out for signs of urine, feces, chewed electrical wires, or ant mounds to clear your doubts.

If you see these signs, use traps rather than poison to minimize health risks and ensure the dead rodents and snakes won’t get stuck in your ducts.

2 - Clean Your HVAC System Regularly

Another excellent way to deter snakes and rodents from entering your HVAC system is by regularly cleaning it. If left unchecked, dust, debris, and other residues will build on your HVAC system, providing a hiding place for pests.

But if you frequently clean your system, you will know the potential pest-hiding locations and destroy them before the snakes and rodents appear.

With these simple steps, you can do the cleaning on your own:

1. Switch off your AC power - Turn off the power at the breaker box for safety purposes since your AC consists of many moving parts.
2. Open up your AC unit - Remove the screws or bolts holding the AC’s door in place.
3. Wash the unit’s evaporator coils - Use a soft brush to remove dust from the coils.
4. Cleanse the drain pan - Begin with hot water and soap, then add bleach to sanitize.
5. Cleanse the unit’s drain if it’s blocked - Skip this step if the bleach washes down the drain easily. If sluggish, your drain may be plugged with mold and algae build-up. Use a wet or dry vacuum to clear the clog.
6. Seal the AC panel - Seal the unit’s access panel with the screws you removed in the beginning. Add an HVAC metal foil tape on its top and bottom access panel for added protection.

That’s all you need for your system’s regular cleaning. This maintenance will also ensure your HVAC system is in constant good condition, meaning you’ll be killing two birds with one stone.

To further keep your HVAC system running smoothly and operating at its peak performance, consider replacing important accessories that need more attention as it ages.

The table below shows some of these common accessories:

3 - Control Vegetation Around Your Condenser Unit

If you have a condenser—the outdoor unit powering your HVAC system and responsible for cooling your home—you want to ensure its surrounding environment is clean and dry to keep snakes and rodents away.

Make your home as inhabitable to pests as possible by:

• Discarding any piles of wood, trash, and other pest-attracting components
• Ensuring the condenser is free of old leaves, grass clips, and other debris
• Refraining from stacking anything on the condenser’s top
• Keeping firewood far away from the unit (and if possible, away from your home)
• Trimming back overhanging branches
• Discarding trash cans not being used, and closing those in use with tight-fitting lids
• Using a pesticide or natural pest repellent around your unit

4 - Keep Moisture and Humidity Levels Around Your Home in Check

Snakes look for moist areas for maximum hydration during hot weather. That’s why they love areas with puddles of water, wet grass, or stagnant water.

This kind of environment also attracts rodents, who need moisture for growth, reproduction, and proper food digestion. That’s why they’ll chew wires if they’re unable to access water regularly.

So if your home and the area surrounding your condenser unit contains pools of water or wet surfaces, you’re creating a great nesting place for snakes and rodents.

Prohibiting them from your premises means taking these necessary measures:

• Ensure the area near your condenser is completely dry.
• Use portable dehumidifiers to keep your home humidity-free.
• Avoid any water buildups within your home.
• Ensure your spout and garden hose aren’t leaking.
• Don’t overwater your yard or garden.

5 - Cover Your Furnace Vents and Exhaust Pipes

Your HVAC system’s vents will always have holes and planned openings like flues and exhaust pipes for releasing byproducts.

But these holes are common entry points for snakes and rodents to get into your HVAC system. When they’re blocked by these pests, you may experience harmful health effects such as waste gasses like carbon monoxide backing up into your home.

While you don’t want to seal these holes for safety and functionality purposes, you still want to ensure the invaders are prohibited. Do this by installing a vent cover small enough to keep them away but big enough to allow airflow.

If you choose a mesh screen as your cover, make sure the holes are of the appropriate size to prevent tiny snakes and rodents from passing through.

Remember to regularly check the cover to ensure it hasn’t blocked or clogged any pipes or vents in your HVAC system.

Take Charge of Your HVAC System Today

Snakes and rodents shouldn’t be part of your HVAC system. They pose health and safety risks to you and your family. Urine, droppings, and rotten food from rodents can cause allergic reactions. They also release bacteria and spread numerous human pathogens, making them an overall threat.

You may have seen a snake around your system, or your AC is releasing an awful smell and you suspect it’s been invaded by mice. Whichever the case, these 5 surefire tips will help keep them away.

Taking these measures to keep snakes and rodents from your HVAC system will ensure it functions effectively for a long time, and you won’t need to spend a lot of money on repairs.

You’ll only need to replace some of your HVAC system parts and accessories, which you can purchase from Industrial Stores at budget-friendly prices.

As a leading provider of HVAC equipment, you’re sure to find the parts you need for your maintenance, repairs, and replacements—from installation pads to HVAC chemicals.

What differentiates us further from other dealers is our dedication to ensuring our customers are satisfied and their needs met ASAP. We offer personalized customer care for all your HVAC needs, eliminating the need to go from shop to shop and saving you a lot of time and money in the long run.

" ...I was able to do a self-install and I couldn't be happier to have saved hundreds of dollars…"
— Ruben Marquez

Check out our entire collection of HVAC and refrigeration parts from leading HVAC brands for all your system’s needs.

Share on Facebook: