Is your AC exposed without a fence or anything around it? Do you have a dog in your backyard?
One of your dog’s favorite places to relieve himself is probably on your air conditioner!
Even if you think your dog doesn’t go to the bathroom on your unit, he (or she) probably does. Our installation supervisor says he once was talking with a homeowner, and in the middle of the person saying he was certain his dog didn’t cause the damage on his unit, the dog walked up and peed on the AC right in front of them. This might sound funny at first, but it can cause major damage to your air conditioner!
Why Do Dogs Pee on Air Conditioners?
Dogs mark their territory all the time, and your AC is part of their territory. Not only that, but your air conditioner is worked on by people your pup isn’t familiar with—like your Morris-Jenkins techs! That means your AC smells like strangers, and your dog feels the need to let those strangers know that’s his territory!
What Happens if Your Dog Pees on Your AC?
Dog pee can corrode the aluminum and the copper of your outdoor unit. If these begin to corrode away, it can cause a bunch of problems for you and your air conditioner!
Urine can destroy condenser coils, and this can lead to a freon leak. Regular maintenance helps because your technician can catch the leak early on before it gets too bad. If the leak is left unchecked, it can continue to get worse until it needs to be replaced entirely. While we can help keep it from getting worse, we can’t undo the damage that’s already been done.
If too much of your air conditioner is damaged by dog urine, it’ll have to work harder to cool your home with the damaged parts, and this can hike up your energy bills and leave you with an AC that wastes energy (and money).
What to Do if Your Dog Pees on Your Air Conditioner
You can’t always monitor where your dog goes to the bathroom, but there are still some solutions to prevent this kind of damage.
Get Your Coils Cleaned
The first solution is to have your coil professionally cleaned. This is necessary at least once a year to make sure your unit is happy, healthy, and keeping you cool, even if you don’t have a dog! When we come clean your coil, we’ll use an environmentally friendly chemical cleaner designed for air conditioners. Your tech will use a special tool to get the cleaner all over the coil to make sure it’s as clean as can be so there’s nothing left on the coil that could cause corrosion.
Block Your Unit
Coil cleaning is an important part of making sure your AC runs well and lives a long life, but it doesn’t stop your dog from peeing on your unit again. In order to keep your dog from using your air conditioner as his own personal bathroom, you can build a fence around your unit to protect it. Just be sure not to build too close to the unit or it could keep air from flowing in and out!
How to Stop Your Dog from Peeing on Your AC
You may have never seen your dog pee around your outdoor unit, but it’s best to treat the AC as if he does. Whether that means you schedule coil cleanings or build a fence around your unit—or both! Keeping your air conditioner clean and free of dog urine helps your unit live a long life and keep your family cool all summer long.
If you’re afraid that your dog might have damaged your AC, give us a call!
