Is this just an Ohio thing, or what?

[navycop]

I just returned from my mother-in-laws funeral in Ohio. While I was there I noticed a lot of the outdoor airconditoning units were covered on the top. Isn't the unit suppose to be able to exhaust the air out the top of the condensor (which in the winter it would be the evaporator). I was thinking it was to keep the snow out? Or maybe they were not heatpumps and just A/C?

 

[JP61]

More than likely AC condensing units. Not many heat-pumps in Ohio as far as I know, at least not in Northern Ohio....it gets too cold.

 

[LeeR]

Here in Colorado they are just for A/C. But when we had ours installed, the instructions said not to cover them. Let rain (and therefore snow) run thru them to keep them clean.

Either that or they want them to rust out so you replace them...

 

[PTsideshow]

Just AC units, it is one of those Hatfield /Macoy's moments. Generally the original thinking was cover it and it will last longer. In truth it holds moisture inside the units and it can rust faster. Ours has been in use since the mid 70's and never been covered still working well last year.

My parents unit was covered every year since the same time I installed them. It was replaced leaking for 6 years before it was replaced 2 years ago. 1st thing the guy said was they covered the unit every year.

I don't know if it is a plot by the companies or not, but like a lot of things. Opinions and mileage will vary.
:clown:

 

[scotirish]

Original thinking was that the snow would fill inside and the soft copper of the coil would be crushed and break, thus causing a leak. :banana: As PTsideshow said you are better off not covering the unit. Stay warm and keep the shavings flying! :smile-big:
Ron

 

[brownsfn2]

I used to cover mine because of all the ice. If it gets in between the fins it bends them. I don't know if its right or not though.

 

[Mike Powell]

I know when I lived in Utah, we had swamp collers, they covered those up every year.

 

[PeetyInMich]

They are just AC up here, people with a heat pump around here would have been frozen solid over the last few weeks. There just isn't enough heat in 0°F (and below) air to recover and pump into the house (efficiently). The few residential heat pumps up here are either "ground sourced" (exchange to an underground loop) or have a gas fired burner for heat during cold weather.

 

[Smitty37]

I just returned from my mother-in-laws funeral in Ohio. While I was there I noticed a lot of the outdoor airconditoning units were covered on the top. Isn't the unit suppose to be able to exhaust the air out the top of the condensor (which in the winter it would be the evaporator). I was thinking it was to keep the snow out? Or maybe they were not heatpumps and just A/C?

Probably they aren't heat pumps. Heat pumps don't do too well that far north.

 

[Smitty37]

Just AC units, it is one of those Hatfield /Macoy's moments. Generally the original thinking was cover it and it will last longer. In truth it holds moisture inside the units and it can rust faster. Ours has been in use since the mid 70's and never been covered still working well last year.

My parents unit was covered every year since the same time I installed them. It was replaced leaking for 6 years before it was replaced 2 years ago. 1st thing the guy said was they covered the unit every year.

I don't know if it is a plot by the companies or not, but like a lot of things. Opinions and mileage will vary.
:clown:

I think that if it has contact with the ground - definately don't cover it. If it doesn't have contact with the ground covering it might or might not extend the life but one of our window units went about 25 years and was still working when we sold the house without even knowing what a cover was. That was in up state NY. Here in DE some people cover them, most don't.