Children and HVAC: How to Have Both Without Losing Your Mind

A busy family home is full of love, laughter, and sometimes curious children. They want to not only mimic their parents, but they also want to explore anything that is new to them. While we want to make sure that our children can safely explore new things, your HVAC system needs to remain off-limits. Spills, fallen objects, and other child-oriented accidents can lead to costly repairs that can be otherwise avoided.

Here’s the good news: You can have children and a well-functioning HVAC unit without losing your mind. We’re here to help.

Invest in Vent Covers

Have you ever watched little kids giggle at the chance to drop a toy into the toilet? Toilet covers usually prevent most of that behavior, and we can apply the same principle to the air vents. Vent covers are well worth the time it takes to install them, and they’re a cheap solution that works well.

To install them and make sure that they work properly, make sure that you take a few steps. Be sure that you measure all the air vents in your home so that you know you’re going to get the right size. You also need to measure the inner vent because there is no such thing as a universal size.

While you have the vent exposed, it’s a good time to clean it out. Let the dust bunnies be free to roam somewhere else. Locate all of the screw holes, and then fit the new vent covers over the opening. Screw it down tight, and then you can step back and examine your work.

Put a Gate Around the Condenser

It sounds like such a basic solution to the problem, but a gate around your HVAC system’s condenser just makes sense. It’s one of the most visible components of your system outdoors, and you have to protect it.

<.center>Make sure that the fencing and the gate around the HVAC system still leave the condenser with 2 to 3 feet of space around it, and at least five feet above the unit as well.

Keep a Barrier Between the Kids and the Thermostat

Since the thermostat is the computer within the HVAC system, it’s important to keep it far away from the reach of your children. A new set of buttons to push is very tempting for the average child, which is why you just have to commit to keeping the entire thermostat out of their reach.

This also includes the remote that comes with most systems. For smart thermostats, you can always keep the remote up high and just control the thermostat with your phone.

Put the Air Filter on Your To-Do List

Keeping your air filter clean is one of the easiest ways to keep your family healthy. Think about this the next time you pull the air filter out: That air filter is designed to catch dirt, dust, and debris from the air.

This is the same air that your family has to breathe every single day. Changing the air filter regularly is one of the cheapest, most efficient ways to keep your family healthy.

If your children have asthma, changing the air filter regularly can help with their breathing significantly.

Cover the Radiators

Exposed radiator parts are often too tempting for children to avoid. Thankfully, covering the radiator area is easier than ever. Why not put a gate around it so they can’t even get close to it?

Usually, if you make it difficult for them to approach the radiator, they will find something else to occupy their time. For older children, talk to them about the importance of letting the equipment around your home do its job without their messing with it.

Make Maintenance a Priority

Here’s a hard truth: It’s easier to maintain a system than face a costly replacement in the future. The average HVAC system isn’t cheap to heat and cool your home, so it’s a good idea to do everything that you can in order to hold off on having to replace the entire system.

Thankfully, there is a cheap way to make sure that you get the most out of your HVAC system, and that’s regular maintenance. HVAC maintenance is something that needs to take place every year, and a professional team can come out and take care of it, so you have one less thing to worry about.

When compared to the total cost of a new system, yearly maintenance looks like a bargain in comparison.

Remember What Matters

A home with children is busy, happy, healthy, and rewarding. If you follow the tips in this guide, it’s perfectly possible to have a warm home and happy children at the same time.

In fact, it’s a great chance to talk to your children not just about respecting equipment, but how important it is to take care of the things that we use every day to make our lives easier. This conversation might look different depending on the age of your children, but it is a conversation that sets them up well for the future.