Just bought a cover for the winter. Then my mother tells me she heard you should never cover it up, that it traps moisture. It says it prevents moisture buildup, rust, etc. Come to think of it, I've never seen any other air conditioners covered. Is this a gimmick? Any opinions will be appreciated. Thanks.
Most manufacturers today use finishes on their cabinets that withstand the elements and won't rust (I said MOST). One thing I have noticed is that the units that customers DO put covers on will stay looking new longer than the ones that do not. Yes, covers WILL hold in moisture and may cause you damage to the electrical components in the unit. The best cover would be one that allows air to flow through, so you would want one that maybe has a 6 inch opening at the bottom. I've seen some covers people paid WAY too much money for because they were supposedly "custom fitted" for their particular unit. A small tarp and bungy cors work just as well.
Not very pretty, but the best one I have seen was a piece of plywood with a brick on it. Simple, yes. But it kept the leaves and debris out of the unit.
If you have ice cubes dropping from off the roof of your home or other buildings, I would build something with a slanted plyboard to protect the unit. Always leave sufficient space at the top of the condenser so that air can circulate up through the condenser.
Also, keep snow from piling up around the condenser's coils, keep it open for circulation of air through the condenser. Never use a tight cover that closes off air circulation through the condenser. - udarrell
It's fine to cover one as long as you remember to remove the cover during the ac season. Only thing it really does is keeps leaves out of the condensor. This is a good thing because too many leaves in the bottom will play havoc with the refrigerant dynamics.
I just use a piece of wood and bricks to keep it on , I have alot of old trees overhead. With a cover I personaly would cut holes for airflow to not trap moisture.
Without fail, every AC unit I have seen where the customer covers it in the winter, has corroded electrical components inside. The outer housing looks great, but inside is a different story. cover it with a piece of plywood and a brick at the most. Greg
Everyone so far has offered good advice. What I haven't seen suggested is something that is fairly common in my neighborhood, window screens. Some people make 2x4 frames to hold a piece of screen and to provide weight to hold it in place. Many of these are left on the unit year round with no operational problems. Use a big mesh though for year round use. Others use an aluminum framed screen with a brick in the middle ot hold it in place. Other's still screen in the entire unit to prevent pine needle accumulation. Pine needles are especially a pain in the ass to remove from the coil. HTH. BTW, I don't recommend that the exhausted airflow be restricted at all when the unit is running because this'll cost you on the electric bill, but with a larger mesh you can get by with it without causing system problems.
I made a mini gable roof using plywood scraps and left-over shingles to cover it. Looks good, keeps leaves and other things out during the off season. The point about allowing for air circulation didn't occur to me when I built it. I will be putting some holes in the gable ends.
I just use a scrap of 2x4 and plywood to slope the top away from the house. Then I use bungie cords to tie down the plastic covers made for ACs. The covers are open on the bottom, so water won't be trapped. OTOH, these are thru-the-wall units.
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