Originally Posted by Patman
I just moved into a brand new house a few months ago, and I've noticed that most of my neighbors around me have now started covering their AC units for the winter. I've never done this in the past, and have never had problems and was wondering if any of you guys do it and why? I would assume these units are very durable, they sit outside all summer long and get rained on, so rust can't be an issue. Or is it an issue with water getting in there and then freezing? (although since the unit won't be turned on until it gets hot outside and fully thaws, that also doesn't seem like a huge issue either) I'd be interested to hear if anyone has had a problem that could have been avoided by covering it.
We just had a new furnace and AC installed in January of 2017 and the installers said to never cover/wrap an AC unit (central air) as it becomes/can become a home for mice and mold.
He did suggest however to cover the top with a piece of plywood, as has already been suggested, as to protect the fins/fan from falling ice from the eaves. I had a piece that I cut roughly to shape and had some old stain that I coated the plywood with multiple times to help protect it.
I also laid a couple small bricks on the top of the plywood after all was done and never had a problem at all last winter. I just reinstalled it the other day actually.
