I have an Carrier air heat pump at the back of my house (installed 1 year ago). It is generally fine and stays defrosted with the smaller amounts of ice/snow. With a larger amount of snow, should I consider building a temporary lean-to above it to keep snow away from the unit? If so, how high above the unit should it be to not impede air flow? There are several advantages to having a permanent roof over an outdoor heat pump: keeps direct sunlight off during cooling season keeps rain, leaves, twigs, and branches further away and keeps the unit cleaner no freezing rain can put the blower out of balance with lopsided icing keeps snow away from the top and sides where it would impede airflow possibly provide some noise reduction The first installation manual I could find says (page 7) there should be a 48 inch (120 cm) minimum space above the unit. Depending on the typical maximum snow accumulation, I would extend the roof out at least three feet from the edges of the unit.

This also avoids the problem of the roof supports from blocking service access (some units have hinged panel doors). I out up an inexpensive metal awning over my propane grill, so we could use it all winter. It is tilted enough that snow does not built up on it significantly. I think I got the awning from Home Depot.Browse other questions tagged heat-pump or ask your own question. Hospital maintenance worker Peter Ryan points to one of the aging air conditioning units on top of the Timmins and District Hospital which is in need of about $2 million in roof repairs. When the North East Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) announced last week the province was investing $14 million into local hospitals to allow them to pay for much-needed building improvements, one local health centre was not on the list: Timmins and District Hospital. The Timmins hospital was passed over entirely for infrastructure renewal funding this year, despite the fact the province spent an extra $10 million in the region this year.

The hospitals board of directors is not pleased. “I am quite disappointed that our application for infrastructure funding was rejected,” said Léon Laforest, board trustee. “They distributed funding all around us but bypassed us. Our hospital is 20 years old, and it’s starting to show its age. We are in need of infrastructure money, which everyone realizes. We’ve got a real challenge in balancing the budget by the end of the year.” Like several other hospitals in the region, the TADH is badly in need of roof repairs, the cost of which could exceed $2 million.ac unit 5 tons At the same time, the Timmins hospital is trying to be very careful with its spending, having only squeaked by at the end of the last fiscal year with a minuscule surplus of $26,000.buying a new central ac unit With some more careful budgeting, the board’s treasurer, Iain Martin, is projecting the hospital will be able to close this fiscal year with a $300,000 surplus. narrow window air conditioning units

But leaving capital projects such as the roof unaddressed for much longer could put the hospital in a precarious position. “We’re so far behind in our capital requirements it take years and years to find money for them with such a tight budget,” warned Martin. “(We should ask the LHIN) what is the plan. Within five years, our situation could be quite grave, and we’ll have to take some drastic and expensive measures to maintain things if we don't get the funding.” The TADH applied for infrastructural renewal funding back in June through the North East LHIN which oversees the process and supports the applications it wants to see approved most by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care. This year, all the hospitals that received infrastructure funding in the Northeast region were small community hospitals. The Timmins hospital’s chief of staff, Harry Voogjarv, pointed out the job of assessing how badly the hospital needs infrastructure renewal funding are contracted out to private firms, which may have contributed to TADH being passed over this year.

“It seems to be the government’s practice to farm the assessment out to a company, and the company told us we didn’t need the funding,” said Voogjarv. Laforest told his fellow board members the hospital should make a point of familiarizing itself with the exact criteria the government and its private sector partners are using to judge which hospitals need the money most and tailor its applications in those terms. “We should start looking into exactly why we don’t qualify,” said Laforest. “If there are certain parameters they look at, it is up to us to become familiar ourselves with those parameters and start making sure they are properly being taken into consideration when it comes to infrastructure renewal.”Few things are more misunderstood about the home than attic ventilation. In essence, all ventilation is about circulating air to keep it fresh and to reduce moisture levels. About 90 percent of homes in the US have unreasonably high levels of moisture.

Understanding whether your home could benefit from some form of attic ventilation might just be, if not a life-saver, a roof-saver. Here are some of the myths and the facts you need to know about attic ventilation. Just like properly sizing your furnace and air conditioning unit, you want precisely the right amount of attic ventilation for your home. Insufficient ventilation can lead to moisture problems during the winter and decreased energy efficiency during the summer but too much ventilation can be just as bad, if not worse. Roof vents create an additional roof penetration, essentially another place of vulnerability where leaks can occur. Some vents are necessary, but you don’t want to needlessly increase the number of roof penetrations. More than leaks, these seams can cause blowouts during a hurricane or allow sparks from a wildfire to enter your home and set it ablaze. So, how much ventilation should you have? Without exception, you should talk to a professional to determine what your home requires.

Generally speaking, you need a ratio of 1:300, where for every 300 square feet of ceiling space, you need 1 square foot of attic ventilation. That said, air resistance and interference (such as vent grates) reduces the area of true ventilation. In other words, the entire vent opening doesn’t count as vented space. Too many people believe the importance of roof ventilation is to increase energy efficiency during the summer. Good roof ventilation can do this, but shingle color, sun exposure and insulation are exponentially more important to overall energy efficiency than ventilation. Sure, installing roof vents for older homes can reduce your hot air during the summer, but there are probably more low-risk, cost-effective ways to increase your home’s energy efficiency. Meanwhile, preventing moisture damage is a much greater benefit and applies to colder climates more than warmer ones. In fact, the colder the climate, the more likely it is that your home will benefit from attic ventilation.

In order to install an unvented roofing system in colder climates, you’ll need highly rated, rigid insulation to prevent condensation on your roof sheathing. In warmer climates, you don’t need to worry about condensation. Think about how often dew forms on your grass. In these climates, hot attic spaces are eliminated by installing a thermal barrier along the roof line, instead of the attic floor. Need to find a pro for your attic ventilation? Too many people believe that because heat rises, ventilating an attic space during the winter means you’re releasing warm air and creating a drag on your heating efficiency. If this is true, you’ve got bigger problems to worry about than letting warm air escape from your home. Poor insulation is usually the culprit, although if you enter the attic on sunny, winter day, your attic space can be warmed by the sun more than your furnace. Unless your roofing system has insulation on the roofing deck and is designed without ventilation, your furnace should not be heating your attic.

Worse yet, inadequate insulation is almost surely allowing moisture-laden air into your attic. When this warm, moist air hits your roof, it’s likely to form condensation that will lead to further deterioration of your insulation and/or wood rot. If you think this might be a concern, wait till the sun goes down and measure the temperature in your attic. It should be pretty close to the outdoor temperature. Numerous studies have been completed regarding the effectiveness and optimization of general roof ventilation and particular types of roof vents. The benefit of roof ventilation is undisputed. Laboratory setting are a poor indicator of real world wind and weather behaviors. Moreover, regional differences magnify certain traits of roof ventilation over time. What works best in San Antonio, TX is probably not the same as what works best in Cleveland, OH. In some ways, roof ventilation is as much as an art as it is a science, and installing your own roof vents based on something you read online is like trying to diagnose a skin rash using WebMD.

Finding a trusted and experienced roofer who has worked in your region for his or her entire career is a better for your particular roof than any research study or online “expert.” While hardly anybody agrees on the best roof ventilation system, everybody agrees some roof vents do hardly any good at all. Take, for example, ridge vents. The majority of roofing experts agree that ridge vents are the most effective and cost-effective roof vents available. Without baffles (blinders that prevent outside air from crossing over the vent), a ridge vent may create almost no ventilation at all. Gable vents may circulate air through only a small percentage of your attic. Static, roof-line, vents are effective for ventilation but generally aren’t recommended due to issues with leaks. Soffit vents may leave air trapped at the top of your attic. Most effective ventilation uses a ridge-and-soffit continuous ventilation system, but even these designs can vary from roof to roof. If you don’t know how your roof vents work, or if you’re unsure about your attic ventilation in general, you should talk to a roof inspector about your current system and any inherent weaknesses that may be at work.