Security cages are primarily used to keep thieves from stealing central air conditioners, but this is not the only danger they provide protection against. These metal enclosures that encase air conditioners also protect units from dogs that might urinate on them. If you're installing a new air conditioner, consider placing a security cage around it. Even if you live in a safe neighborhood with little crime, a cage will safeguard your unit against rust that dog urine can cause.

Dog Urine Destroys Air Conditioners

Dogs will pee on almost any object outside, including central air conditioning units. For homeowners with new air conditioners, which are not cheap, dog urine poses a major problem: It can cause the fins on the unit to rust.

Fins are the thin pieces of metal that look like a grill on the outside of your air conditioner. They are usually made of aluminum, a metal that, as K-9 Kondo notes, dog urine corrodes. Each time a dog takes care of business on your air conditioner, little droplets of urine can get caught in the fins. These drops will eventually create little rusted-out holes in your new air conditioner's fins.

Security Cages Provide Protection

Security cages can physically prevent dogs from urinating on your new air conditioner. There are several different styles of cages. Some only use two metal bars at right angles, while others are a complete cube of metal fencing. The basic versions, which are cheaper, will prevent thieves from stealing your unit, but they will not stop dogs from peeing on it. A more robust cage is the style you should look for if you want one that will make it impossible for dogs to urinate on your air conditioner.

Placing a cage around your air conditioner may appear to be just another expense, especially when you are paying for the installation of a new unit. They only cost a fraction of your new air conditioner's price, though, and they will protect it from both thieves and dogs for years.

If you're investing in a new air conditioner, be sure to protect your investment. It is made to withstand snow, heat, hail and sleet, but it is not built to hold up against dog urine. Ask an HVAC installation technician like Brower Mechanical about the cages available for your unit, and select one that will prevent thieves from stealing it and dogs from urinating on it.