Do not wrap your AC condenser for winter
The internet is split. We're not. A full plastic cover traps moisture and destroys equipment. Use a top cover or plywood. Nothing more.
- Author
- Maya R.
- Role
- Service tech
- Updated
- August 23, 2026
- Reading time
- 4 min
Do not wrap it. A breathable top cover or a weighted piece of plywood is enough. Anything more creates the problem you thought you were preventing.
Full covers destroy equipment
Snow melt and rain need to drain through the unit. A sealed plastic cover traps moisture against electrical components and the contactor, then re-freezes inside. We've replaced contactors, blown contactors, and twice an entire compressor that died from corrosion under a winter cover.
Do this instead
- A piece of plywood or a fitted top-only cover, weighted down, to keep ice and falling icicles off the fan
- Clearing snow from around the unit so the spring start-up isn't fighting a drift
- Removing leaves before first snow if the unit is under a tree
Heat pumps: do not cover
Heat pump? Do not cover it. Ever. It runs all winter. Build a roof above it if you need to. Give it air. Never wrap it.
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