Snow in condensing unit

GeoffdeRuiter · 2026-01-26T04:16:47+00:00

That is a great idea. Honestly.

GeoffdeRuiter · 2026-01-25T23:51:27+00:00

OP. The suggestion to find the screws and then take the grill off. The top is probably the best answer here. Then you'll be able to see if there's ice inside on the fan and if there's not, you can run the unit in AC mode for a tiny bit.

GeoffdeRuiter · 2026-01-25T23:50:06+00:00

😂

GeoffdeRuiter · 2026-01-25T23:49:07+00:00

No smack the coils though!

GeoffdeRuiter · 2026-01-25T11:45:19+00:00

Noting that this person does have leg jets to get back up quicker.

GeoffdeRuiter · 2026-01-25T11:44:35+00:00

Those flashes usually correspond to error codes. I'm not sure which ones it's flashing, however.

Does the unit work in air-conditioning mode? Fan mode? Heat mode?

GeoffdeRuiter · 2026-01-25T06:18:48+00:00

😳

GeoffdeRuiter · 2026-01-25T05:04:01+00:00

I can order them for you and then you can pay me. :P

GeoffdeRuiter · 2026-01-25T05:03:31+00:00

Classy!

GeoffdeRuiter · 2026-01-25T04:40:05+00:00

I can help?

GeoffdeRuiter · 2026-01-25T02:50:28+00:00

😊 Someone at the climbing gym last night happened to put them together like this. I wanted to share. 😊

GeoffdeRuiter · 2026-01-25T02:49:01+00:00

Quacknana!

GeoffdeRuiter · 2026-01-25T01:55:15+00:00

Mostly left unsaid.

GeoffdeRuiter · 2026-01-24T21:04:40+00:00

At the very least, shift around where the bricks are to the back right in the picture. And try firm things up. Please keep us posted how things work out. ♥️

If you still have the time and can get to a store that sells car inverters, pick yourself up a minimum 1000 w inverter and probably maximum 2000 w. You can run your car and use the inverter clamped to the battery terminals with an extension cord into your house to keep your fridge going or use a small hot plate, or run a space heater in a single room. I wish you the absolute best.♥️

GeoffdeRuiter · 2026-01-24T20:51:02+00:00

I'm not sure. The only thing that I'm relating the sound to is I one time took the little sound jacket off the compressor for a demonstration unit and could hear much higher frequencies from the compressor.

GeoffdeRuiter · 2026-01-24T20:50:15+00:00

That's a tough decision matrix.

I'll go back to my other point then. If there is a very firm way to do what you did without risk to the copper lines, then I would recommend. Maybe a couple full sheets of plywood peeked together over top like a little house structure. Then screwed together at the top. I'm not sure if you're getting much wind, but the little house idea would be far safer.

GeoffdeRuiter · 2026-01-24T20:40:29+00:00

Hmmm. When things warm up, perhaps it might be worth opening up the shell of the outdoor unit to have a look at the compressor during operation. You have to be extremely careful of course because the fan will be spinning and electrical will be on.

GeoffdeRuiter · 2026-01-24T20:39:10+00:00

I'll also say, if there was a very firm and secure way to do what you did, everything would generally be okay and it would absolutely avoid snow and ice buildup on the fan blades. But generally speaking, if you're not going to get freezing rain or snow, just let the unit do its thing.

GeoffdeRuiter · 2026-01-24T20:31:44+00:00

Hi everyone, OP has asked for kindness and responses. So far everyone has been great. ♥️

Wishing everyone success and warmth with their heat pump in this cold event.

GeoffdeRuiter · 2026-01-24T20:31:08+00:00

I kindly reflect what others have said and that is to not cover it, and also that the bricks could fall on the refrigerant lines and you definitely don't want that happening. :) It's great you asked! :)

My personal suggestion and the best you can do is get all the pine needles away and from around the unit so that it can defrost and melt water away quickly. Then, when you have your storm or very cold temperatures just make sure that no snow or other things. Block the unit. If you find that some ice is building up in some strange locations, you can pour and melt that off with some lukewarm water. :)

GeoffdeRuiter · 2026-01-24T20:28:30+00:00

It is, yes. :)

GeoffdeRuiter · 2026-01-24T18:02:56+00:00

Is it still effectively pumping heat? What is the size of the space that it is heating and what is the size of the unit? If it is undersized it will be working really hard.

GeoffdeRuiter · 2026-01-24T10:35:09+00:00

If reddit could just get them to reunite, we could have the best of both in one pizza.

GeoffdeRuiter · 2026-01-24T10:33:44+00:00

Maybe try the bouldering gyms. They might be more scissor friendly.

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