Roof Over Heat Pump

Is this a good idea.

Roof over heat pump. Keeps direct sunlight off during cooling season. 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. Structure was about 3 feet wide. 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. My heat pump is on the north side of my home in arizona and i have a 3 foot roof overhang. 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. This structure just happened to be beside the heat pump.

And we built a roof over the unit to shed most of the rain and snow. I would like to put a roof flat and opened on all four sides over it to cut down on the noise it makes. We have lots of heat pumps in our general area and have only seen one heat pump with a roof over it. The outdoor unit of the mitsubishi heat pump system can freeze up in the winter or become bound up with snow.

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. So it can work if you position your unit with energy conservation in mind. There are several advantages to having a permanent roof over an outdoor heat pump. No freezing rain can put the blower out of balance with lopsided icing.

You need to keep snow away from it sides and top. Every heat pump manufacturer has installation instructions that are available online inside you will find a section called clearances. Heat pumps supply both heat and air. The heat pump is right off the back porch and deck.

We have never had snow inside ours. My unit is in the shade all year and the air temperature difference between shade and sun exposure is quite large. Clearance distances for outdoor hvac compressor condenser units. Keeps snow away from the top and sides where it would impede.

What is the rule.