How to Prevent Bugs From Coming Through Air Conditioner
Introduction
The air conditioner is the system that makes the air in a room cooler. We need an air conditioner in the summer season because human body temperature rises when they are exposed to sunlight heat soon by the end of winter. It has been a long time since inventors studied how to make the environment comfortable for people rather than cool enough, just like normal times.
Air conditioners use a refrigeration cycle to produce cool air, which removes the heat from the indoor environment. The refrigeration cycle consists of an evaporator, condenser, pump, and air handler. The hot air enters the evaporator through a filter, which cools down by removing moisture and impurities.
This process requires water to circulate through a piping system made up of copper pipes with holes for drain purposes. The purifying process takes place inside the evaporator coil.
Still, on another side, there is an expansion valve in an outdoor unit that controls temperature by releasing hot gas into the atmosphere if required or vice versa, letting cold gas enter into the evaporator coil depending upon the temperature change. Sometimes bugs enter the room through the air conditioner vent.
For this reason, I will discuss how to prevent bugs from coming through the air conditioner.
Why Are Bugs Attracted to Air Conditioners?
- Bugs are attracted to air conditioners because they emit heat and moisture and because there is a kind of bacteria that grows on the blades in your air conditioning unit.
- This bacteria, called Bacillus Thuringensis or Bt for short, produces an endotoxin that kills bugs and other pests as they bite into the blade of your air conditioning unit. That’s why you don’t see any insects flying around your air conditioner fan while it’s running – the neurotoxin is killing them off mid-flight!
- The problem starts when this bacteria dry up and accumulates on the sides of the walls and roof of your outdoor unit, forming a fine powder that ends up being blown out into the air by your fan. The endotoxin is then released into the atmosphere and inhaled by people, animals, and bugs!
- So, if you don’t want to deal with this toxic substance and its associated health problems, it’s best to call in a professional to give your AC unit a thorough cleaning at least twice a year.
Step-wise Guide on How to Prevent Bugs From Coming Through Air Conditioner
- The screen filter on the air conditioner should always be in place to prevent flying insects from entering your home through vents.
- Use a lubricant and spray it around the edges of air conditioning units to ensure that bugs do not stick to them and come inside your house.
- Covering up all vents when they are not used would prevent insects from flying near them.
- Never leave wet clothes, waste, or food lying around as they attract flies and other pests which can enter your house through the cracks of AC vent holes. Keep all such materials in closed plastic bags and dispose of them soon to minimize bug invasion into the house due to food scraps left out.
- Making sure that no water is accumulated in or near AC vents is also a good way to prevent the entry of bugs into your house.
- It is important to keep an eye on any cracks in walls, windows, and doors that can serve as entry points for insects when they are not being watched to repair them at regular intervals so that no bugs will have the opportunity to enter through these spots.
- Taking all the measures mentioned above can easily prevent bugs from entering your home through air conditioner vents and ultimately save yourself from future bug infestation problems inside your lovely home.
Precautions While Performing How to Prevent Bugs From Coming Through Air Conditioner
- Set a humidistat in your room.
- Clean the air conditioner every month for proper circulation and check it
- Fill the water tank when necessary, and repair or replace the outdoor air conditioning unit if something is wrong.
- Do not leave tools or other metal objects near any parts of the Air Conditioning Unit; otherwise, over time, small rusted particles may come inside and become big ones causing damage to the fan motor, etc. If this happens, call a technician immediately to fix them without making much sound so that you will not be aware of his presence.
- Keep your surroundings clean, which can be affected by the dirty environment outside as well as inside because insects/dust/ants/mosquitoes can enter your house so always keep them in proper order; otherwise they will take shelter inside the Air Conditioner causing loss of power and noise over the time.
- Ensure all ducts are fitted properly after every service to avoid any leakage. When the humidity level goes too high, it may damage the inner parts of the Air Conditioner by making it rusty or moist.
- If you live near a pond or lake, do not let stagnant water stand for long as mosquitoes/insects lay eggs there, which can ruin your air conditioner very soon.
How to Clean A Normal Air-Conditioner?
To make a normal air-conditioner clean and tidy, you should brush off the dirt on its fins and the gaps in between. After that, it’s better to vacuum them. Afterward, wash out the dust with soap and water (you can spray some foaming soap into those places), then rinse it down thoroughly with tap water.
There are two major kinds of air conditioners: central air-conditioners, used widely in buildings like offices or huge homes; window type, installed at one side of windows for convenience and used widely in many households.
The Difference Between Central Air Conditioner And Window Type A/C?
The gap between central air conditioner coils moving from the back towards the front gradually gets bigger through the coils. On the other hand, the gap between window-type air conditioner coils moving from left to right gradually gets bigger through the coils.
Central A/C’s Coils: The larger space of gaps among its coils makes it possible for a large amount of fresh air to flow in a while cleaning; however, its bad side is that dust would be blown into your room as well. Therefore, it needs careful cleaning methods.
Window Type A/C’s Coils: Its smaller space of gaps makes it clean by keeping inside dust out, but due to their small spaces, some dust may remain when you try to clean them, which makes cleaning more difficult than central systems.
Also, there are many kinds of window-type air conditioners, from cooling to dehumidifying. Therefore, it’s difficult for us to give specific methods of cleaning or troubleshooting for all kinds.
The Reason For Call Air Conditioners Cleaning Twice A Year
Among the major reasons is that dust is made up of various materials like silicates and carbon, which can make air harmful if inhaled in large amounts over a long period of time by activating allergy-causing substances such as antigen and immunoglobulin E (IgE). It’s known that 30% of patients who have asthma caused by allergens are allergic to dust.
Also, when you walk inside a room where an air conditioner has been running for several days, you may feel slight irritation, like a sore throat or sneezing. This is caused by mold and other microorganisms that flourish in the dust inside the air conditioner.
In addition to these reasons, the air conditioners contaminated with bacteria or fungus become an environment favorable for breeding disease-causing microorganisms and breed germs such as Candida Albicans, which can cause tooth decay.
Therefore, it’s important to clean your air conditioner regularly to maintain its efficiency at a high level and eliminate the unnecessary build-up of dust on all the air conditioner’s external parts like coils, blades, fins, etc.
Finally, to keep your health on top priority during the summertime while enjoying the cool weather brought by HVAC, you need to clean the air conditioner twice a year (at least once) and have it serviced annually.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is A RV Air Conditioner?
RV air conditioners are the most popular and simplest way to cool off during warm or hot weather. It is used in your RV as a cooling system. It produces cold air from the outside and cold water, blowing it out into your RV.
This process of cool air production makes your electricity consumption high compared to other methods but is very effective at cooling off quickly. Many RVs come with them already installed when you buy them, or they are sold separately, and you can find these accessories in any RV store.
How does RV Air Conditioner Work?
There are two main types of RV air conditioner units that you will find on the market today: a split system (the unit is divided into an evaporator and a condenser) and a window/portable style, which can be installed in any opening. Both types of RV air conditioners have a condenser, an evaporator, and connecting lines to transfer the cold refrigerant fluid.
Can I Use A Regular Air Conditioning Unit On My Travel Trailer Or Motorhome?
While using your regular AC unit when you’re stuck in a small space may seem tempting, you should avoid doing this. The problem with using your home’s systems for RVs is that they have different refrigerants than your home does. So when you run the systems for your home in an RV, you’ll risk damaging them.
Remember a few things to remember when choosing a new system for your travel trailer or motorhome.
- They have different refrigerants than regular ACs do.
- You can’t use propane or natural gas on these units.
- You should avoid using any type of Freon in an RV–you won’t know if it has leaks, and your unit could break down at any time when traveling long distances. To find out what types of coolant are right for your RV, check the owner’s manual or ask the dealer who sells it to you. He can let you know everything that you need to know.
Conclusion
I hope this article has been beneficial for learning how to prevent bugs from coming through the air conditioner. Thank you, and have a nice day!