Roof Over Heat Pump

At a previous house where i had the problem of roof run off icing up my unit in winter i had an open style arch trellis like structure that went over the path at the side of the house.

Roof over heat pump.

This cycle normally lasts around 15 minutes and works by returning the hot refrigerant back to the outdoor heat pump to melt the ice and snow similar to how heat pumps work in the summer. The heat pump requires lots of air to work well. Every heat pump manufacturer has installation instructions that are available online inside you will find a section called clearances. When these things occur the system may start a defrost cycle and use considerably more energy or it may just not work efficiently.

Is this a good idea. Heat pumps supply both heat and air. Heat pumps are manufactured to deal with an average amount of ice buildup by using its automatic defrost system and switching to heat distribution mode. No freezing rain can put the blower out of balance with lopsided icing.

If you follow that guideline your warranty will be intact and you will be able to build a roof over your heat pump to protect it from the weather. I would like to put a roof flat and opened on all four sides over it to cut down on the noise it makes. What is the rule. And we built a roof over the unit to shed most of the rain and snow.

There are several advantages to having a permanent roof over an outdoor heat pump. Clearance distances for outdoor hvac compressor condenser units. This article describes the recommended minimum and maximum distances to separate an air conditioner or heat pump outdoor compressor condenser unit from building walls other equipment fences shrubs etc in our photo at page top these two compressor condenser units are too close together as well as too close to the building walls. The heat pump is right off the back porch and deck.

So it can work if you position your unit with energy conservation in mind. My unit is in the shade all year and the air temperature difference between shade and sun exposure is quite large. Structure was about 3 feet wide. My heat pump is on the north side of my home in arizona and i have a 3 foot roof overhang.

This structure just happened to be beside the heat pump. Keeps rain leaves twigs and branches further away and keeps the unit cleaner. You need to keep snow away from it sides and top. The outdoor unit of the mitsubishi heat pump system can freeze up in the winter or become bound up with snow.

Keeps direct sunlight off during cooling season.