Hello,

Live in New England.
Lots of snow, ice, etc. around here in winter.

Do most of you folks use, or recommend, those plastic/rubberized
Air Conditioner covers for the outside A/C unit (Condenser) ?

Any drawbacks, like (possibly) moisture can't escape easily,and thereby
causes rust, etc ?

Thoughts on ?

Thanks,
B.

On 11/7/2010 1:26 PM, Bob wrote:
Hello,

Live in New England.
Lots of snow, ice, etc. around here in winter.

Do most of you folks use, or recommend, those plastic/rubberized
Air Conditioner covers for the outside A/C unit (Condenser) ?

Any drawbacks, like (possibly) moisture can't escape easily,and thereby
causes rust, etc ?

Thoughts on ?

Thanks,
B.

Curious. I quit covering mine. Get mixed results Googling.
This makes sense to me:

Central air conditioner, part 1: to cover or not to cover?
Your central air conditioning unit consists of a compressor and
condensing unit placed outdoors in a metal housing.
These units, built to resist the weather, generally do not need a cover.
In fact, covers can cause problems because
they trap moisture and create an inviting winter home for small animals.
Professionals who service the units tell me that most of the damage they
see in spring was caused by rodents living
in the units and chewing on wiring. If your air conditioner is subject
to falling ice or other debris,
you could cover its top with a piece of plywood, plastic or metal held
in place by a weight.

"Bob" wrote in message
...

Live in New England.
Lots of snow, ice, etc. around here in winter.

Do most of you folks use, or recommend, those plastic/rubberized
Air Conditioner covers for the outside A/C unit (Condenser) ?

Any drawbacks, like (possibly) moisture can't escape easily,and thereby
causes rust, etc ?

Our home-made wood cover simply keeps snow from falling
into the fan. The sides are not covered, thus do not accumulate
moisture.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

On Nov 7, 12:37*pm, "A. Baum" wrote:
On Sun, 07 Nov 2010 13:26:16 -0500, Bob wrote:
Hello,

Live in New England.
Lots of snow, ice, etc. around here in winter.

Do most of you folks use, or recommend, those plastic/rubberized Air
Conditioner covers for the outside A/C unit (Condenser) ?

Any drawbacks, like (possibly) moisture can't escape easily,and thereby
causes rust, etc ?

Thoughts on ?

Thanks,
B.

I used a heavy duty plastic trash bag - at least 1 mil thick and duck
tape.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Does your duct tape go quack qack?

On 11/7/2010 6:34 PM, hr(bob) wrote:
On Nov 7, 12:37 pm, "A. wrote:
On Sun, 07 Nov 2010 13:26:16 -0500, Bob wrote:
Hello,
Live in New England.
Lots of snow, ice, etc. around here in winter.
Do most of you folks use, or recommend, those plastic/rubberized Air
Conditioner covers for the outside A/C unit (Condenser) ?
Any drawbacks, like (possibly) moisture can't escape easily,and thereby
causes rust, etc ?
Thoughts on ?
Thanks,
B.
I used a heavy duty plastic trash bag - at least 1 mil thick and duck
tape.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -
Does your duct tape go quack qack?

From Wikipedia:


"The origin of the name of the product, "duck tape" or "duct tape", is
the subject of some disagreement.

One view ^[14] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duct_tape#cite_note-13 is
that it was called "*duck* tape" by WWII
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II soldiers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soldier either because it resembled
strips of cotton duck http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_duck or
because the waterproof quality of the tape contributed to the name, by
analogy to the water-shedding quality of a duck
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck's plumage
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plumage. Under this view, soldiers
returning home from the war found uses for duck tape around the house
where ductwork http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ductwork needed sealing.
Other proponents of this view point to older references to non-adhesive
cotton duck tape used in Venetian blinds, suggesting that the name was
carried over to the adhesive product. The Oxford English Dictionary
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_English_Dictionary says that
/perhaps/ "duct tape" was originally "duck tape". "

On Sun, 7 Nov 2010 15:34:15 -0800 (PST), "hr(bob) "
wrote:

On Nov 7, 12:37*pm, "A. Baum" wrote:
On Sun, 07 Nov 2010 13:26:16 -0500, Bob wrote:
Hello,

Live in New England.
Lots of snow, ice, etc. around here in winter.

Do most of you folks use, or recommend, those plastic/rubberized Air
Conditioner covers for the outside A/C unit (Condenser) ?

Any drawbacks, like (possibly) moisture can't escape easily,and thereby
causes rust, etc ?

Thoughts on ?

Thanks,
B.

I used a heavy duty plastic trash bag - at least 1 mil thick and duck
tape.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Does your duct tape go quack qack?

_100 mile an hour tape_ *

"Army slang for what civilians commonly call duct tape. The actual
army name for it is olive drab green reinforcement tape which is what
you would need to call it if you were to order it from the army supply
store (GSA)."

[...]

"As a fix all, duck tape was so effective that it was said it could
hold a jeep together travelling at 100 mph, hence the common army name
"100 mile an hour tape." ..

http://www.urbandictionary.com/defin...%20hour%20tape

On 11/7/2010 2:11 PM, Frank wrote:
On 11/7/2010 1:26 PM, Bob wrote:
Hello,

Live in New England.
Lots of snow, ice, etc. around here in winter.

Do most of you folks use, or recommend, those plastic/rubberized
Air Conditioner covers for the outside A/C unit (Condenser) ?

Any drawbacks, like (possibly) moisture can't escape easily,and thereby
causes rust, etc ?

Thoughts on ?

Thanks,
B.

Curious. I quit covering mine. Get mixed results Googling.
This makes sense to me:

Central air conditioner, part 1: to cover or not to cover?
Your central air conditioning unit consists of a compressor and
condensing unit placed outdoors in a metal housing.
These units, built to resist the weather, generally do not need a cover.
In fact, covers can cause problems because
they trap moisture and create an inviting winter home for small animals.
Professionals who service the units tell me that most of the damage they
see in spring was caused by rodents living
in the units and chewing on wiring. If your air conditioner is subject
to falling ice or other debris,
you could cover its top with a piece of plywood, plastic or metal held
in place by a weight.



This is the right answer- a lid to keep out leaves and icicles falling
off the roof, but let the sides breathe. If it isn't wind-tight, animals
will not find it a pleasant place to camp over the winter.

--
aem sends...

On Nov 7, 5:20*pm, "Don Phillipson" wrote:
"Bob" wrote in message

...

Live in New England.
Lots of snow, ice, etc. around here in winter.

Do most of you folks use, or recommend, those plastic/rubberized
Air Conditioner covers for the outside A/C unit (Condenser) ?

Any drawbacks, like (possibly) moisture can't escape easily,and thereby
causes rust, etc ?

Our home-made wood cover simply keeps snow from falling
into the fan. *The sides are not covered, thus do not accumulate
moisture.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

"Our home-made wood cover..."

Somewhere, a long time ago, I found a piece of 1/2 plywood that was
warped into a gentle curve.

That piece, a short length of 2x4 and 2 bungee cords make the perfect
cover.

I center the 2x4 under the warped plywood and hook the bungees across
the top.

The water runs off, the snow melt runs off, the leaves run off, etc.

On 11/7/2010 12:26 PM, Bob wrote:
Hello,

Live in New England.
Lots of snow, ice, etc. around here in winter.

Do most of you folks use, or recommend, those plastic/rubberized
Air Conditioner covers for the outside A/C unit (Condenser) ?

Any drawbacks, like (possibly) moisture can't escape easily,and thereby
causes rust, etc ?

Thoughts on ?

Thanks,
B.


no need to cover it.

--
Steve Barker
remove the "not" from my address to email

Bob wrote:
Hello,

Live in New England.
Lots of snow, ice, etc. around here in winter.

Do most of you folks use, or recommend, those plastic/rubberized
Air Conditioner covers for the outside A/C unit (Condenser) ?

Any drawbacks, like (possibly) moisture can't escape easily,and thereby
causes rust, etc ?

Thoughts on ?

Thanks,
B.
I get a lot of pine needles. Seems a shame to let it fill up with
'em and rot inside. Freezing rain collecting inside can't be good
either.
I use a plastic garbage bag secured with a
bicycle inner-tube. Cut the plastic short on the backside under
the eave to let it breathe.

I also put a 10" deep metal pan upside down on top of that...
mostly cuz I had some metal and a burning desire to bend
and spot weld something.

Don't forget the sticker on the breaker lest someone
try to run it with the cover on.

On Nov 8, 6:45*am, mike wrote:
Bob wrote:
Hello,

Live in New England.
Lots of snow, ice, etc. around here in winter.

Do most of you folks use, or recommend, those plastic/rubberized
Air Conditioner covers for the outside A/C unit (Condenser) ?

Any drawbacks, like (possibly) moisture can't escape easily,and thereby
causes rust, etc ?

Thoughts on ?

Thanks,
B.

I get a lot of pine needles. *Seems a shame to let it fill up with
'em and rot inside. *Freezing rain collecting inside can't be good
either.
I use a plastic garbage bag secured with a
bicycle inner-tube. *Cut the plastic short on the backside under
the eave to let it breathe.

I also put a 10" deep metal pan upside down on top of that...
mostly cuz I had some metal and a burning desire to bend
and spot weld something.

Don't forget the sticker on the breaker lest someone
try to run it with the cover on.

"Don't forget the sticker on the breaker lest someone try to run it
with the cover on. "

2 related items:

1 - My unit has a disconnect plug outside the house right above the
unit. In the fall, when I put the wooden cover on, I flip the
disconnect plug over. You'd be hard pressed to turn on the unit
without noticing (and hopefully removing) the cover.

2 - I was doing some yard clean up a few years back and I heard a
strange high pitched noise coming from the house down the street. I
live on a very quiet street so it was really noticeable. I strolled
down the street and located the source:

The elderly lady down the block had turned on her AC without removing
the cover and the unit didn't like it at all. You should have felt the
blast of heat when I pulled the cover off. The noise slowly decreased
over the next 1/2 hour or so and as far as I know there were no long
lasting issues.