How To Protect Your Outdoor Central Air Conditioning Unit During The Winter
Posted on: 2 October 2015
When the weather turns colder, most homeowners switch from using air conditioning to using heating in their homes. To keep your air conditioning in good working condition, it is important to protect the outdoor unit from becoming damaged when it is not in use. These are some tips for helping to keep your air conditioning working properly for many years.
Turn The Unit Off
There should be an outside circuit next to your air conditioning unit. This circuit has a covered switch that turns the unit off and on. Flip the switch to turn the unit off. This will prevent it from coming on should there be a particularly warm winter day. If the unit kicks on in the winter this causes water to collect inside your outside unit which could freeze and cause severe damage.
Clean The Unit
Spray the unit off with cold water from a water hose. Remove all signs of dirt, dust, bird droppings, insect nests and dead bugs. Be sure to remove all small twigs, grass and leaves that may be trapped in the slots around the unit. Allow the unit to air dry.
Insulate The Unit
Cover any exposed pipes with foam pipe covers. Wrap the foam covers with duct tape to hold them in place. This will protect the pipes from freezing and bursting should there still be water remaining in them when the temperature drops below freezing.
Cover The Unit
Cover the unit with a plastic or vinyl tarp. Be sure that the tarp is waterproof so that rain, snow and ice cannot get down into the unit. Some manufacturers have covers specifically for covering their particular brand of air conditioning unit. However, any waterproof tarp or cover is fine as long as it completely covers the unit.
Secure The Cover
To ensure the cover stays in place and keeps rain, snow and debris from getting into your unit, it should be secured with rope or bungee cords. This will also keep the cover from blowing away during heavy snow storms or especially windy days.
It is a good idea to check your outdoor air conditioning unit occasionally during the winter to ensure that no debris, ice or rodent nests are in or around the unit. Rodents commonly go into covered areas to build nests and it is possibly that a waterproof tarp cover is ideal for a nest. If it has been an especially wet, cold winter, snow and ice sometimes accumulate around the edges of the unit where the tarp may need to be resecured.
To learn more, contact a company like Doc Dancer Heating, Air Conditioning & Generators.
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