Furnace Fiascos Avoided

3 Tips To Prevent Concrete Air Conditioner Pad Problems

Outside of your home, it's smart to have a concrete pad to have your air conditioning unit placed on top of. These help to keep your unit stable and clean. Of course, problems can happen with concrete air conditioner pads, but certain steps can help you prevent those problems.

1. Prepare the Area Before the Concrete Pad Is Installed

Before the concrete is poured in the area where your air conditioning unit is going to be placed, you need to make sure that the area is properly prepared. If the dirt is not level and packed down, for example, the concrete pad probably will not turn out as it should. This should be something that the company that installs the concrete pad should handle, but if you want to save time and make sure that the job is done right, you can always work on preparing the surface beforehand.

2. Make Sure the Concrete Pad Dries Completely

You might be excited to have your new air conditioning unit installed, but you should not have it installed before the concrete pad is ready. Depending on the size and depth of the pad and the weather conditions when the concrete is poured, it could take several days for the concrete to dry completely. If your air conditioning unit is set up on the pad before it completely dries, then both the unit and the concrete pad could be damaged, so make sure that you leave enough time for the drying process before having your unit installed.

3. Have Your Sinking Air Conditioning Pad Leveled

Even if your air conditioning pad is set up properly and is allowed to dry completely before your air conditioning unit is placed on top of it, it can sink over time. This happens because of different things, like the soil under and around it is moving, or a lot of moisture is running off of the pad and causing erosion. If you notice that this starts to happen, such as if your air conditioning unit and pad start to look like they are leaning, then you shouldn't ignore the sinking. 

Instead, talk to your HVAC professional about it. Many HVAC professionals are used to working with air conditioning pads and can use sand and wood to help level out your air conditioner pad. The faster that you have it leveled, the more you can minimize problems with your air conditioner pad.

For more information, contact a company like Laroc Refrigeration-Metal Division today.


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