Heat Pump Mesh Cover, anyone with experience?

[hube2]

Last winter was absolutely brutal in my location. Multiple days of winds gusting 30 to 60 MPH, snow drifts out the wazoo. It was one of the worst winters as far as wind and drifts are concerned around here that I can remember. At one point I had to hire a guy with a bulldozer and loader to come clear my driveway, which I have never had to do before in the almost 30 years I've been here. I had to be outside moving snow from around my heat pump, sometimes hourly. I had significant ice buildup on the back (coils) of the unit due to the blowing snow on the back. Basically I had to turn the pump off for the remainder of the winter and go to my backup oil fired furnace.

I can't do anything about what the next winter will bring but I hope I can do something about protecting the pump in the future.

At this point I have 2 choices.
1) Build a wooden shed myself over the pump.
2) Buy something that I can install.

I won't mention the name of the company, but I have been looking at a cover that attaches to the pump stand. There is a cover on top and mesh panels on the sides. This thing is very expensive, especially given the 25% tariff as all the companies that make these things appear to be in Canada.

I am a little bit leery of spending the kind of money they are asking.
My fears are that:
1) The winds here will simply rip the cover up. Nothing lasts here unless there are special efforts made.
2) The ability of a mesh panel to stop blowing snow in the wind speeds I see seems questionable.

While last winter was bad and I don't usually seen multiple days in a row of 50MPH winds multiple times a winter, I do see winds greater than 40MPH on a regular bases from December through February.

I know it's a long shot, but anyone have any experience mesh screens to block snow from anything in similar conditions?

 

[EarPlug]

Start here for information

Google Search

 

[Carl_NH]

As advised above, and Cover Tech has what you need COVER-TECH | Heat Pump Covers | Mini Split Covers for $370 each.

I built my own and you can too for under $100 and some time. For your conditions you would want to go wider and have sides so air can get in/around the unit.

 

[nyone]

Be carefull with a mesh cover as you may just end up with packed snow behind it.

 

[ponytug]

Last winter was absolutely brutal in my location. Multiple days of winds gusting 30 to 60 MPH, snow drifts out the wazoo. It was one of the worst winters as far as wind and drifts are concerned around here that I can remember. At one point I had to hire a guy with a bulldozer and loader to come clear my driveway, which I have never had to do before in the almost 30 years I've been here. I had to be outside moving snow from around my heat pump, sometimes hourly. I had significant ice buildup on the back (coils) of the unit due to the blowing snow on the back. Basically I had to turn the pump off for the remainder of the winter and go to my backup oil fired furnace.

I can't do anything about what the next winter will bring but I hope I can do something about protecting the pump in the future.

At this point I have 2 choices.
1) Build a wooden shed myself over the pump.
2) Buy something that I can install.

I won't mention the name of the company, but I have been looking at a cover that attaches to the pump stand. There is a cover on top and mesh panels on the sides. This thing is very expensive, especially given the 25% tariff as all the companies that make these things appear to be in Canada.

I am a little bit leery of spending the kind of money they are asking.
My fears are that:
1) The winds here will simply rip the cover up. Nothing lasts here unless there are special efforts made.
2) The ability of a mesh panel to stop blowing snow in the wind speeds I see seems questionable.

While last winter was bad and I don't usually seen multiple days in a row of 50MPH winds multiple times a winter, I do see winds greater than 40MPH on a regular bases from December through February.

I know it's a long shot, but anyone have any experience mesh screens to block snow from anything in similar conditions?

I don't know how close to the ground your heat pump is, but I suspect that solution isn't mesh, but rather getting the heat pump above possible snow heights, like @Carl_NH. (In most heat pump manuals that I have read, it is one of the mounting requirements, though not one I see commonly followed.)

All the best,

Peter

 

[dodge man]

You obviously need to keep it somewhat open for heat transfer.

 

[hube2]

I don't know how close to the ground your heat pump is, but I suspect that solution isn't mesh, but rather getting the heat pump above possible snow heights, like @Carl_NH. (In most heat pump manuals that I have read, it is one of the mounting requirements, though not one I see commonly followed.)

All the best,

Peter

The heat pump is off the ground on a standard stand. The issue was not the snow drifting under or around. The main issue was snow blowing directly onto the back of the pump, pump defrosting cycle could not keep up with it and I ended up with and inch of ice on the coils. I need to find some way to deflect the blowing snow and I'm questioning if a mesh panel can actually do that when it would not protect the area behind the pump.

I imagine these things are great where snow mostly falls vertically, but around here the snow is mostly horizontal and in some cases at an upward angle and the prevailing winds seem to blow in a way that leads directly to the back of the pump.

I've already got plans for building something will allow enough clearance all the way arround, but was looking at alternatives.

 

[ponytug]

The heat pump is off the ground on a standard stand. The issue was not the snow drifting under or around. The main issue was snow blowing directly onto the back of the pump, pump defrosting cycle could not keep up with it and I ended up with and inch of ice on the coils. I need to find some way to deflect the blowing snow and I'm questioning if a mesh panel can actually do that when it would not protect the area behind the pump.

I imagine these things are great where snow mostly falls vertically, but around here the snow is mostly horizontal and in some cases at an upward angle and the prevailing winds seem to blow in a way that leads directly to the back of the pump.

I've already got plans for building something will allow enough clearance all the way arround, but was looking at alternatives.

I didn't know how bad the snow was in your area, but the standard stands seem to be on the short side, at least to me, for some of the heavier snow areas in the US.

Short of some windbreaks, I'm not sure what you could do, but if it were me, I'd try for windbreaks over mesh. In my limited experience, windbreaks for snow get to be tricky to get the right spacing to trap snow at the right place and have scour at the desired location, but I'm not an expert at all.

All the best,

Peter

 

[mjonesnh]

Not sure if this would help but a neighbor has a 3-sided enclosure made of privacy fence panel for his heat pump. Panels start about 1 foot from house with a hinged gate that would allow the entire unit to come through for service or removal. Asked him about air circulation and he told me he allowed room all the way around and back is open and that he could tell no difference with enclosure. 4 4x4's in ground plus gate hinges and the 6 foot panels cut to fit