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A.C. compressor - residential unit

gas man_6
gas man_6 Member Posts: 3
in A-C, Heat Pumps & Refrigeration
I have asked a few tech's on this one - do you cover the unit for the winter ?

Comments

  • Empire_2
    Empire_2 Member Posts: 2,340
    Unit made for outdoors, but

    I cover mine to keep debrise out of it and to protect the paint job thru the winter months.
  • gas man_6
    gas man_6 Member Posts: 3


    Thanks , some one said why give the critters a roof over their heads , less likely to make a home out of it !
  • Eugene Silberstein 3
    Eugene Silberstein 3 Member Posts: 1,380
    Personal Preference

    Covering the condensing unit in the winter months is definitely a personal preference. Since the unit is designed to be outdoors, the components should be okay. I do however, recommend that you check the service panels to make certain they are secure.

    For those of you who own window or thru-the-wall units, covering them is recommended since you may experience cold air leakage during periods of high winds. Even though you may have air leaks year round, when the outside temperature is low, these leaks can be very annoying.
  • Empire_2
    Empire_2 Member Posts: 2,340
    FYI...

    Critters and a roof over their head,...I guess, they will go anywhere. I once opened up the pannel on a condenser and found a mouse with it's teeth locked onto one side of the 220vac line. Kinda neat, but what a way to go....Oh it was dead......Won't be knawing anymore:)
  • will smith_4
    will smith_4 Member Posts: 259
    Hmmm

    Can't say which startles me more-live critters or dead in the equipment I work on. Do you think we'd be as shocked if we opened a cooked turkey and found, say, a gas valve?
  • Empire_2
    Empire_2 Member Posts: 2,340
    Hey Will

    It all depends, is that gas valve natural gas or was it converted to propane???:)
  • Jeff Lawrence_24
    Jeff Lawrence_24 Member Posts: 593
    Personally

    I wouldn't cover mine. Like the Professor said, it's designed to be outdoors. Covering it will trap moisture in the condenser and cause it to rust faster. The only critters I've seen inside condensers are spiders (and one bat).

    Another concern is if you cover it and your spouse feels it's getting a bit warm on an early spring day, what happens if it gets turned on? Not much, IF there's a high pressure control on it. A lot of units don't have high pressure switches on them.

    Jeff



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