P.S. If you have a window AC unit, the ideal solution is to take it out for the winter instead of covering it.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
This time of year, it seems that you\u2019re covering almost everything. You\u2019re wrapping up in hats and scarves and you\u2019re putting frost blankets over your garden plants at night. You might even be covering a beloved boat, motorcycle, or summer convertible. <\/span><\/p>\nIf you have an outdoor air conditioner or heat pump unit that won\u2019t be used during the winter months, you might be wondering if you should cover it, too.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nIt seems like a simple question, but in fact it generates a fair amount of controversy.<\/span><\/p>\nAlmost everyone thinks that it\u2019s advisable to cover outdoor AC and heat pump units rather than leaving them completely exposed to the elements. <\/strong>However, not everyone approves of covering the units completely.<\/span><\/p>\nOn the one hand, putting a full cover on an outdoor air conditioner or heap pump provides<\/strong> maximum protection against debris<\/strong> (leaves, branches, sand, and salt). A cover also stops water from getting into the system<\/strong> and then freezing and expanding in there. Plus, a full cover minimizes the possibility of damage during storms<\/strong>, when tree branches or hail may fall on the unit and chip the paint or bend the fins on the grille.<\/span><\/p>\nOn the other hand, completely covering outdoor air conditioners and heat pumps can trap moisture around the unit<\/strong>, creating ideal conditions for rust, mold, and mildew. This is especially a concern on those sunny winter days when the air inside the cover will heat up to be much hotter than the outside air. Also, a cover can create a very cozy place for rodents and insects to spend the winter<\/strong>. Once they\u2019re inside the cover, it won\u2019t take them long to find their way into the equipment itself.<\/span><\/p>\nOne common way to cover air conditioners and heat pumps is simply to place a piece of plywood across the top of the unit<\/span><\/strong>, weighted down with cinderblocks (bricks and smaller rocks have can been reported to blow off in strong winds). This will keep out the worst of the precipitation and debris, but will still leave the unit well-ventilated. And, there will be no place for moisture or vermin to linger!<\/span><\/p>\nIf you do opt for a full cover for your heat pump or air conditioner, make sure that it is not plastic.<\/span><\/strong> The cover should be made of a breathable material, and should be vented to prevent the buildup of hea<\/span><\/p>\nThis time of year, it seems that you\u2019re covering almost everything. You\u2019re wrapping up in hats and scarves and you\u2019re putting frost blankets over your garden plants at night. You might even be covering a beloved boat, motorcycle, or summer convertible.<\/p>\n
If you have an outdoor air conditioner or heat pump unit that won\u2019t be used during the winter months, you might be wondering if you should cover it, too.<\/strong><\/p>\nIt seems like a simple question, but in fact it generates a fair amount of controversy.<\/p>\n
Almost everyone thinks that it\u2019s advisable to cover outdoor AC and heat pump units rather than leaving them completely exposed to the elements. <\/strong>However, not everyone approves of covering the units completely.<\/p>\nOn the one hand, putting a full cover on an outdoor air conditioner or heap pump provides<\/strong> maximum protection against debris<\/strong> (leaves, branches, sand, and salt). A cover also stops water from getting into the system<\/strong> and then freezing and expanding in there. Plus, a full cover minimizes the possibility of damage during storms<\/strong>, when tree branches or hail may fall on the unit and chip the paint or bend the fins on the grille.<\/p>\nOn the other hand, completely covering outdoor air conditioners and heat pumps can trap moisture around the unit<\/strong>, creating ideal conditions for rust, mold, and mildew. This is especially a concern on those sunny winter days when the air inside the cover will heat up to be much hotter than the outside air. Also, a cover can create a very cozy place for rodents and insects to spend the winter<\/strong>. Once they\u2019re inside the cover, it won\u2019t take them long to find their way into the equipment itself.<\/p>\nOne common way to cover air conditioners and heat pumps is simply to place a piece of plywood across the top of the unit<\/strong>, weighted down with cinderblocks (bricks and smaller rocks have can been reported to blow off in strong winds). This will keep out the worst of the precipitation and debris, but will still leave the unit well-ventilated. And, there will be no place for moisture or vermin to linger!<\/p>\nIf you do opt for a full cover for your heat pump or air conditioner, make sure that it is not plastic.<\/strong> The cover should be made of a breathable material, and should be vented to prevent the buildup of heat and moisture.<\/p>\nHow do you decide how best to cover your air conditioner or heat pump? Consult your owner\u2019s manual, and call us for advice.<\/strong> We\u2019ll be happy to help.<\/p>\nNo matter how you decide to cover your heat pump or air conditioner, you should contact us to schedule a service appointment in the spring<\/strong>, before you start your unit up again. The service will include a thorough cleaning of any debris that did find its way into your unit, plus a check for any damage to the fins. We\u2019ll also check that the pipe insulation is in good shape and that the unit is level \u2013 two simple but important things that can improve your unit\u2019s functioning and efficiency.<\/p>\nP.S. If you have a window AC unit, the ideal solution is to take it out for the winter instead of covering it.<\/p>\n
t and moisture.<\/span><\/p>\nHow do you decide how best to cover your air conditioner or heat pump? Consult your owner\u2019s manual, and call us for advice.<\/span><\/strong> We\u2019ll be happy to help.<\/span><\/p>\nNo matter how you decide to cover your heat pump or air conditioner, you should contact us to schedule a service appointment in the spring<\/span><\/strong>, before you start your unit up again. The service will include a thorough cleaning of any debris that did find its way into your unit, plus a check for any damage to the fins. We\u2019ll also check that the pipe insulation is in good shape and that the unit is level \u2013 two simple but important things that can improve your unit\u2019s functioning and efficiency. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\nP.S. If you have a window AC unit, the ideal solution is to take it out for the winter instead of covering it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This time of year, it seems that you\u2019re covering almost everything. You\u2019re wrapping up in hats and scarves and you\u2019re putting frost blankets over your garden plants at night. You might even be covering a beloved boat, motorcycle, or summer convertible. If you have an outdoor air conditioner that won\u2019t be used during the winter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,34],"tags":[406,44],"class_list":["post-370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-air-conditioning","category-winterizing","tag-air-conditioning","tag-winterization"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carneyallseasons.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carneyallseasons.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carneyallseasons.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carneyallseasons.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carneyallseasons.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=370"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.carneyallseasons.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1997,"href":"https:\/\/www.carneyallseasons.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/370\/revisions\/1997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.carneyallseasons.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carneyallseasons.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.carneyallseasons.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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