Just Got a Call

bill_71

oh i never said those p.o.s's were the answer to your condenser covering needs, i just said that i have seen them. have you ever left a tent outside in your backyard all winter long( neither have i but i know people who did)? the stench of mildew come spring when you finally open it up( again, i never said i did it). a full condenser cover is the same thing as a tent, traps the moisture in and then it just sits there and tries to escape through the pleather

Eugene Silberstein 3

Just Got a Call

I just got a call from a woman in Massachusetts who was concerned about her condensing unit being outside all winter. She requested a price to have the outdoor unit brought inside for the winter. She had just moved into her first house this year and has never had central air conditioning before. She mentioned that she was a little unsure about the proper protocol.

She mentioned that she had contacted her local air conditioning company and the gentleman told her that the unit did not need to be brought inside for the winter, but he would cover it for her if she so desired. Needless to say, I agreed with the contractor's statement.

Quited often, our customers are torn between the covering and not-covering of condensing units in the winter months.
I, personally, am not a fan (no pun intended) of covering the unit in the winter. After all, the unit is designed to be outside.

Do you guys cover your customers' condensing units in the winter or do you let them hang outside au naturale?

Paul Fredricks_3

I recommend something like a piece of plywwod with a rock on it. I don't like to cover it completely due to the build up of moisture inside the cabinet.

Ron Schroeder

At least

Keep um covered until leaf season is over with

jim lockard

uncovered

A lot of homes around here have Heat pumps as well as A/Cs, so most do not cover. I do not recommend covers as it tends to rust out the controls, not that an A/C has very many controls in it. J.Lockard

Empire_2

Great Q:

Made for the outdoors like Eugene said. What I do find is that (In NE area) snow accumulation around the unit itself poses no problem until the snow melts a little and re freezes. It has a tendency to collapse in on the coil dinging it a little. I do recommend Plywood over top with about 1 to 2 foot of overhang so the snow doesnt collect right next to the unit. Other than that the cover protects the paint job longer.

Mike T.

bill_71

two stage and electronic c.b's

i have seen a plastic cover for a/c's that bolted and hinged on one side and the other side just had a tethered strap. fan goes on, cover goes up. i haven't really had any experience with checking the differences in head pressure due to any type of restricted airflow though. one thing to consider and tell customers, with the two stage air conditioners comes a circuit board and i can't imagine mold and mildew can be very good for it............just like furnaces in a wet basement, the circuitry tends to fail right after the unit goes out of warranty and now you have to try to get the customer to believe you when you say that you "didn't sell him/her a lemon.
the plywood with the overhang is the best in my opinion

carol_3

The AC experts I know all say there's no need to cover. I've never covered mine in the 10 years or so I've had it. I do like the plywood idea, though.

Empire_2

Bill All due respect here, but.....;-)

> i have seen a plastic cover for a/c's that bolted

> and hinged on one side and the other side just

> had a tethered strap. fan goes on, cover goes up.

> i haven't really had any experience with checking

> the differences in head pressure due to any type

> of restricted airflow though. one thing to

> consider and tell customers, with the two stage

> air conditioners comes a circuit board and i

> can't imagine mold and mildew can be very good

> for it............just like furnaces in a wet

> basement, the circuitry tends to fail right after

> the unit goes out of warranty and now you have to

> try to get the customer to believe you when you

> say that you "didn't sell him/her a lemon.

> the plywood with the overhang is the best in my

> opinion

Empire_2

Bill All due respect here, but.....;-)

Mold and Mildew Is For the most part a NON-Factor in this scenario. The covers you described are in a Junk book that sell Koozies for your beverage stating that they protect your hand from freezer burn.;-) Outdoor units is the "Key word" here. Bear in mind that a wet or damp basement is not ever, nor can I simulate this condition outside, even if I were to test in FLA, or LA. They have exceptionally hi RH%.

Those hinged covers that you and I have seen should NEVER be used in any Residential application Period. If you remember, the thing stays on all year round and "God forbid a kid puts his freesbee or something else on it and forgets, Might need a new Condenser.

Commercial units use some kind of head pressure control, but the one you have seen is not the answer.

Mike T........

Sbergerson

Only under a metal roof.

I never recommend covers unless the unit is on the eave side of a metal roof. The metal roofs shed snow and ice like an avalanche. If a customer has one so located, we use either plywood/brick, or they have a diverter/dormer built to prevent damage.

J Rossi

usually i tell all my customers to cover up their units. saves me the time of cleaning out all of the leaves in the unit and picking @#$%*!@ pine needles out of the condender fins.