"brooklyn1" wrote in message
...

"aemeijers" wrote in message
...
Art Todesco wrote:
brooklyn1 wrote:
"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in message
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My central air conditioning unit is located in a spot where the eaves
are so
deep that even after lots of rain, it's still bone dry, but bindweed
finds
the area delightful and it's eating my air conditioner. I thought of
covering the whole area with plastic and then a few inches of stones
right
up to the foundation, but I have another concern. In winter, it's not
uncommon for several feet of snow to drift into that corner. When it
melts,
I'm not sure I want that much water ponding in the plastic and
overflowing
along the edges near the cinder block. The basement's always been dry,
but
still, something about the plastic idea seems iffy. So, some sort of
landscape fabric seems like a better option.

Regardless of the material on top, I'm thinking of edging it with Trex
buried with just enough above ground to contain 2-3 inches of stones.

Comments?

Landscaping fabric allows water to go through and inhibits weed growth.
It
can be put under a layer of gravel instead of plastic.

Why not a precast concrete or recycled pop bottle AC pad, tilted slightly
away from the house to prevent ponding? They come in several sizes, and
can pretty easily be slipped under the AC unit without disconnecting it.
May need a few shims under the coil box to keep it level, but that is
easy enough. If there is slack in the cables and hoses, also a good idea
to raise the box up a few inches.



That's what I have, one of those cast fiberglass like pads, I always
thought that was the manditory default, had one at my last house too. I'm
sure it would require a few strong backs to insert a pad after the fact:
http://i39.tinypic.com/m75dhc.jpg


I've got the same type of pad, but still, I'd like a barren area for a foot
or two around the thing.