What do Air Conditioners and Termites have in common? When it comes to air conditioning and termites, you might wonder what the relationship between the two is, what really have termites got to do with your AC System? A normal air conditioner produces a lot of water – up to two gallons on a hot, humid day – and this water is what attracts termites to your home. When your AC is not well-maintained, the levels of water that drip out from the back-end of the AC unit may be a lot more, which is what gets termites into your front (or back) door. After all, the one thing termites love is chronic wet soil where they can breed.
When hot and humid air enters your air conditioner, the condensing coils dehumidify the air thus leaving behind water in liquid form, which is then drained away responsibly. However, if your AC drainage has an issue or the water is more than the drainage can take, it leaks out from the drainage points and voila… in come the termites! Especially if you have no termite protection.
What Happens When Termites Enter My House?
Termites are among the most notorious of all insects when it comes to destroying homes and property. Millions of dollars a year are attributed to termite damage. Unmaintained air conditioners and termites go hand in hand! I bet that was something you did not think about at all! Termites usually enter the home through unmaintained air conditioning systems and can even damage your air conditioner so much that it needs to be replaced. Also, when termites enter your house through your HVAC system, they can be pushed anywhere – into any corner of the house – and start damaging your property.
With today’s trends of going organic in homes, there are plenty of items within your home which may consist of plant fibers – and this is what termites eat. Forget about your doors, windows, or other furniture – your tiles, insulation material (under the tiles), your furniture fabrics, and even your air conditioning unit – everything’s at risk of damage! This is why having termites in and around your house is a very bad idea.
How To Prevent Termites From Entering Your Home
Termites are usually attracted to wet areas around the house, which is why you need to look into all the areas in and around the house. A great pest control firm should be specialists in termite control. Look all over your house and property for any signs of wet soil. Once you identify areas that may need resolving, the pest control company can do a cost estimation for setting up a drainage field. Most wet areas appear directly underneath the back-end of your AC units and can encourage termites to breed and enter the house itself.
How Can Termites Enter My House?
There are so many ways for termites to enter your house that you may be surprised! Termites usually enter through any unsealed spots around your HVAC unit, which is why you need to ensure each and every unused duct or crack in the wall of the HVAC system is sealed completely from the outside. Air conditioners and termites also have a special bond in that most termites use air conditioner vents to enter the house! This is why you need to have vent covers.
Keeping the outside of the house and your yard clean is another way to stop termites from coming anywhere near your home. And lastly, you may want to engage a pest control firm after every three months to come and suss out if these insects are in your house and damaging your property.
Did You Know That Air Conditioners and Termites Have A Special History?
Air conditioners were conceptualized and built by man, whereas termites have their own special air conditioning and are known as nature’s air conditioners! This is because termite hills are designed and built in a manner that ensures they’re both cool inside and have less humidity within as compared to the outside.
Through the use of strategically placed air holes and air tunnels, there is conventional air flow from outside which passes the carbon dioxide outside and keeps the carbon dioxide levels inside at constant low levels. The conventional air flow also reduces humidity, making the air cooler as it enters the mound. As nature’s air conditioners, termites hills are studied quite extensively to recreate this ventilation system into new low-cost natural energy ventilation systems for new structures and buildings!
