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It’s important to keep your home’s air conditioning system in good shape throughout the year. You want to avoid the need for expensive repairs and minimize the chance that you’ll be uncomfortable when it’s hot outside.
Maintaining your AC unit is a great step toward preserving the system’s performance integrity. However, you can’t always control everything that happens. For example, you may not always be there to stop your pooch from peeing on the outdoor AC unit. So, what should you do if your dog pees on your AC unit? Keep reading to find out!
What to Do If Your Dog Urinates on Your AC Unit
It is best to keep your dog from urinating on your AC unit altogether, but that is not always possible. If your dog ends up peeing on the unit, you may be able to save yourself from having to make expensive repairs or replacements. Let’s talk about how to keep your dog from peeing on your AC unit and what to do if they do end up urinating on it.
Keeping Your Pooch Away From Your AC Unit
The best way to keep your dog from urinating on your home’s exterior AC is to create a barrier of some kind around the unit. Even a small barrier should work, as your dog likely won’t find the AC unit interesting enough to bypass the obstacle. Stacking rocks up to create a wall around the unit may work, but make sure the rock wall is tall enough that urine will not spray over it if your dog pees on the wall.
You can also use mesh or chicken wire to create a fence around the AC unit, but leave a few feet of space between the unit and the fence to ensure that there’s enough room for proper ventilation. If creating a barrier is not possible, you can try using a deterrent spray designed to repel dogs from areas where it’s sprayed. If all else fails, you should supervise your pooch whenever they spend time around your AC unit.
What Should Be Done After a Peeing Incident
If you happen to catch your dog peeing on your AC unit, you can clean the condenser coils to avoid (or at least minimize) the damage done to them, and hopefully, continue enjoying a properly working air conditioner.
First, shut down the unit (at the thermostat) and turn off the power at the circuit breaker. Outdoor air conditioners are often running on 240V, which requires special wiring.
Remove the protective grill on the unit, and move it to another part of your yard before hosing it down to clean off the urine.
Next, gently wipe the condenser coils with a clean, damp cloth to get rid of any pee on them. Finally, use a fin-cleaning brush to clean the condenser fins of left-behind urine. Cleaning your condenser coils also offers the perfect opportunity to get rid of leaves and other debris that might be stuck behind the protective grill.
If you notice signs of dog pee on your AC unit but you were not there to witness it, you should try cleaning the unit up as much as you can and then schedule an inspection with a qualified service provider to ensure that the condenser has not been damaged. If any problems are present, they can be addressed before repairs become too serious or expensive.
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Why You Should Keep Your Dog Away From Your AC Unit
It might not seem like a big deal when your dog pees on your AC unit. Indeed, urine on your AC unit once or twice likely won’t cause a big problem for you as time goes on. However, this is not always the case. It is possible that just one instance could cause an issue.
Multiple instances could cause serious damage and even render your AC unit inoperable. Therefore, it’s a good idea to keep your dog from peeing on your AC unit at all. Here are specific reasons to make sure that peeing is not done around the AC unit.
It Can Ruin the Condenser Coils
Dog urine is acidic, and the acid can cause your AC unit’s condenser coils to corrode. If this happens, the condenser coils can leak freon and stop your air conditioning system from effectively pumping cool air into your home throughout the day. If freon leaks out of your AC unit, you will have to repair the leak.
If a repair is not possible, your condenser coils will need to be replaced altogether and your system refilled with refrigerant. This can be a timely and costly problem to deal with. Replacing your condenser unit and coils can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to more than $4,000, depending on a few factors that your service provider will consider.
Reduced Energy Efficiency
If your condenser unit and coils are affected by dog urine and do not properly function, you can expect your air conditioning system to work harder to keep your home cool during the day. The harder your air conditioning system must work, the less energy efficient it is.
The less energy efficient your air conditioner is, the less comfortable you will be indoors and the more money you will spend on your overall energy bills throughout the year.
Final Thoughts
Now you know why your dog should never be allowed to pee on your home’s AC unit. If the behavior becomes regular, you may end up having to replace your entire AC unit, which can set you back thousands of dollars. The best thing to do is keep your dog from being able to get near your AC unit in the first place. If that isn’t possible, supervision, whenever your dog is around the AC unit, is necessary. If all else fails, hopefully, cleaning the unit will work.
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Featured Image Credit: Piqsels
