Learn What to Do if an Animal Gains Access to Your Business's HVAC Ducts

When you own a large business, the HVAC system in the building often has large ducts that the air passes through to be pushed throughout the building. There are times when animals can get into these ducts from the outside. The guide below walks you through the steps to take if you think that there may be an animal in the HVAC ducts of your business.

Stop and Listen

The first thing you need to do is to try your best to verify if there really is something in the ducts or if someone just thought they heard something. Try to get everyone to be quiet and turn off the system for a few minutes to see if you can hear anything beating against the sides of the ducts. If a bird is stuck in the ducts, their wings may hit the sides, and if an animal such as a squirrel has made their way into the ducts, you may be able to hear them walking.

Hire an HVAC Repair Company

Contact a local HVAC repair company to have a technician come to your business to assess the situation. The technician can determine if there is actually an animal in the ducts and may be able to find a way to get the animal out without hurting it. He or she may also call the local animal control department to help with the animal rescue.

Have the Unit Inspected

Once the animal has been removed, the technician from the HVAC company will inspect the unit to make sure that nothing has been damaged by the animal. Squirrels may chew on wires, and birds may build nests in the duct, and such things could create major issues for you.

Seal the Entryway

Finally, the technician will determine how the animal got into the ducts and seal the entrance off so that no other animals can get in the same way. He or she will also look to make sure that there are no other ways for animals to enter in the future to make sure your HVAC system is as secure as it can possibly be.

Do not attempt to remove the animal on your own. It could injure you and other people within your business. It usually takes a very short period of time to remove an animal from HVAC ducts, so the sooner you hire the HVAC company, the sooner you can get back to your business quickly.

Call a company such as R & R Heating & Cooling of Polk CO Inc for more information about HVAC ducts.