Hello,
Live in New England. Lots of snow, ice, etc. around here in winter.
Do most of you folks use, or recommend, those plastic/rubberized Air Conditioner covers for the outside A/C unit (Condenser) ?
Any drawbacks, like (possibly) moisture can't escape easily,and thereby causes rust, etc ?
Thoughts on ?
Thanks, B.
I used a heavy duty plastic trash bag - at least 1 mil thick and duck tape.
Curious. I quit covering mine. Get mixed results Googling. This makes sense to me:
Central air conditioner, part 1: to cover or not to cover? Your central air conditioning unit consists of a compressor and condensing unit placed outdoors in a metal housing. These units, built to resist the weather, generally do not need a cover. In fact, covers can cause problems because they trap moisture and create an inviting winter home for small animals. Professionals who service the units tell me that most of the damage they see in spring was caused by rodents living in the units and chewing on wiring. If your air conditioner is subject to falling ice or other debris, you could cover its top with a piece of plywood, plastic or metal held in place by a weight.
Our home-made wood cover simply keeps snow from falling into the fan. The sides are not covered, thus do not accumulate moisture.
Does your duct tape go quack qack?
From Wikipedia:
"The origin of the name of the product, "duck tape" or "duct tape", is the subject of some disagreement.
One view ^[14] is that it was called "*duck* tape" by WWII soldiers either because it resembled strips of cotton duck or because the waterproof quality of the tape contributed to the name, by analogy to the water-shedding quality of a duck 's plumage . Under this view, soldiers returning home from the war found uses for duck tape around the house where ductwork needed sealing. Other proponents of this view point to older references to non-adhesive cotton duck tape used in Venetian blinds, suggesting that the name was carried over to the adhesive product. The Oxford English Dictionary says that /perhaps/ "duct tape" was originally "duck tape". "
_100 mile an hour tape_ *
"Army slang for what civilians commonly call duct tape. The actual army name for it is olive drab green reinforcement tape which is what you would need to call it if you were to order it from the army supply store (GSA)."
[...]"As a fix all, duck tape was so effective that it was said it could hold a jeep together travelling at 100 mph, hence the common army name "100 mile an hour tape." ..
This is the right answer- a lid to keep out leaves and icicles falling off the roof, but let the sides breathe. If it isn't wind-tight, animals will not find it a pleasant place to camp over the winter.
re: "Our home-made wood cover..."
Somewhere, a long time ago, I found a piece of 1/2 plywood that was warped into a gentle curve.
That piece, a short length of 2x4 and 2 bungee cords make the perfect cover.
I center the 2x4 under the warped plywood and hook the bungees across the top.
The water runs off, the snow melt runs off, the leaves run off, etc.
no need to cover it.
I get a lot of pine needles. Seems a shame to let it fill up with 'em and rot inside. Freezing rain collecting inside can't be good either. I use a plastic garbage bag secured with a bicycle inner-tube. Cut the plastic short on the backside under the eave to let it breathe.
I also put a 10" deep metal pan upside down on top of that... mostly cuz I had some metal and a burning desire to bend and spot weld something.
Don't forget the sticker on the breaker lest someone try to run it with the cover on.
re:"Don't forget the sticker on the breaker lest someone try to run it with the cover on. "
2 related items:1 - My unit has a disconnect plug outside the house right above the unit. In the fall, when I put the wooden cover on, I flip the disconnect plug over. You'd be hard pressed to turn on the unit without noticing (and hopefully removing) the cover.
2 - I was doing some yard clean up a few years back and I heard a strange high pitched noise coming from the house down the street. I live on a very quiet street so it was really noticeable. I strolled down the street and located the source:The elderly lady down the block had turned on her AC without removing the cover and the unit didn't like it at all. You should have felt the blast of heat when I pulled the cover off. The noise slowly decreased over the next 1/2 hour or so and as far as I know there were no long lasting issues.
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