Building Deck Over A/C Unit and Pool Pum
drdaiss
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
I am looking for advice on ways to build a deck over A/C units and a swimming pool pump. I am thinking about hinged or lift out sections that would allow for occasional access to the equipment. The deck would be appx. 10′ by 12′. Has anyone made something similar?
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I covered my pool filter in a house years ago. I did it so I could remove the decking, made door/skirting to get full access, and made a bench /storage that covered the hair strainer and valving.
As to the A/C I would guess you need to be real careful about airflow as well as access. How much vert.clearance? Not my area of expertise really but guess you could design the decking so it could be in a lift-out trap-door for generous access for servicing.
I believe some a/c manufactures show a spec for obstructions above. I would think that it should have a fair amount to maintain airflow. Probably a pretty good bit of noise sitting over a condensor/compressor unit. Might be worth it to check with your HVAC guy for ideas.
Edited 5/29/2007 10:01 am ET by rasconc
Check the venting specs for the AC unit. You don't want to block the air flow. You may need to make allowances for the air flow over the AC.
It's either no big deal or more insidious than the Comintern <g>
There are a number of discussions on this, if you are brave enough to use the search function.
Short answer is that you need enough space around the a/c unit that it gets enough air circulation. That can be a small as 30" and as large as 60". In addition, it's a very good idea to have enough room in the hatch area for a couple of people to stand.
(Also, the modern compressors are getting much larger, even for smaller loads--just because the current unit fits, the one you get 10,15 years down the road could be 2x larger.)
Once you cipher the dimensions up--it's really just a framing question.
How high is the deck to be?