Can Pigeons Nest In Your Commercial Air Conditioner?

Pigeons may be nice to look at, but they can cause a wide variety of issues on your property. If your business has an outdoor or window air conditioning unit, pigeons that have built a nest inside can become a real problem.

The fact is that, especially in the summer season, the air conditioner is an essential piece of equipment and we just can’t do without it. Birds will find different and odd places to make their nests, and your air conditioner could be one of those places.

If you think that pigeons are posing a problem for your AC unit, keep reading as we discuss a few things to be aware of.

 

Why Are Pigeons Bad For The Air Conditioner?

Our pest control company receives many calls from customers with regards to bird nesting issues affecting the air conditioning systems.

As commercial AC units are big and noisy, they are usually kept outside and away from the workspace. They are also flat and warm, and apparently ideal to build a nest on. This can invite some unwelcome wildlife. Pigeons most often try to sit on the top or make a nest under the AC.

Pigeons can adversely affect the functioning of an air conditioning unit in the following ways:

Nesting Materials

When these birds nest inside the AC or around it, they will poop, leave feathers, and bring twigs and other unwanted nesting material.

Debris from their nest could find a way inside the unit and slow it down.
This can also make the air conditioner’s compressor to break down and stop it from starting. The debris of feathers, twigs, and straws can make the fan blades stop moving freely, resulting in the compressor being completely conked off. When the compressor is damaged, major and costly repairs are necessary, or you will have to replace the unit altogether.

The nest could even contribute to a fire starting inside the AC unit. Bird nesting materials are highly flammable and carry the potential risk of a fire. Since the AC unit’s components carry electric current through it, there could be a possible shortage. Therefore, in the case of a short circuit, the nest located in and around the air conditioner will quickly catch fire and cause irreparable damage to the entire unit, and the fire might also spread to other areas of the building.

The debris from the bird’s nest, along with their dried droppings, can all accumulate, eventually getting into the evaporator coils and drain pans, rendering those two components ineffective. This calls into question the potential ability of your AC unit to do its job.

 

Bird Droppings

Pigeons poop around 50 times a day and their droppings contain more than 60 different diseases and 40 different parasites that could be passed to you, your family members and friends, employees, or customers.

Pigeons droppings are unhygienic, look unappealing, and create image problems for your company. They even create slip and fall hazards for you and everyone else entering your property.

If the droppings are left dried in and around an AC, they can quickly accumulate and adversely affect the quality of air circulation of the AC unit. The dried feces contain particles that are sucked into the fresh air circulation of the air conditioning system. When carried as airborne particles, they enter indoors and, as a result, reduce the air quality, causing serious health problems, such as E.coli infection, histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, or candidiasis.

The airborne particles released from the droppings can also gradually clog the air filters if the unit is not serviced regularly. This can reduce the working efficiency of the AC system and lead to the accumulation of other major issues within various working components of the unit.

Bird droppings contain a high amount of ammonia, which increases the rate of corrosion if they get inside the AC. This causes unwanted leakage in the coils. The feces, as well as other accumulated nesting debris, can also clog evaporator coils and drain pans, which results in a drop in the cooling power of the AC system.

Pigeons, when nesting in and around an air conditioning unit, like to peck the covering off of the insulation pipes that carry the refrigerant into the unit. The damaged or peeled-off insulation results in increased energy losses, and this affects the working efficiency of an AC. This means that you will have to use more energy while receiving less efficiency.

 

How To Keep Pigeons Away From An AC Unit?

If you want to keep pigeons away from your commercial air conditioning unit, it’s necessary to take some drastic measures. Unless you don’t take measures to stop pigeons from building their nests around your AC system, you won’t get rid of the problem permanently.

However, if there is a hatched chick in the pigeon’s nest, it’s advised not to harm the pigeon or its chick. But if there’s no sign of a hatched chick or laid eggs, then you can go ahead and have the bird’s nest removed.

The first thing you should do is clear away any of the nesting materials.

Netting and screening are by far the most effective bird deterrents. The nets can be attached to a structure built around your outdoor AC unit.

You can install a wire that can be easily re-attached around the AC unit to prevent the birds from nesting in this place.

Introduce a few fake predators in the place, such as an inflatable or plastic owl or snake to discourage the birds from coming back.

Also, you may install or apply bird deterrents, such as reflective CDs, silver tape, or bird gel, to keep them away from your air conditioner.

Bird spikes may deter these animals from landing or perching on top of your AC system.

During the summer months, it’s a good idea to turn the AC unit’s fan on and run it continuously. This will discourage the birds from nesting and they will be far less likely to nest there during the season where they do so most often.

 

 

Whatever pigeon control method you go for, it’s important to keep these pest birds from making themselves at home in and around your commercial air conditioner. The damage they can cause to the unit is extensive and might result in very expensive repairs or the need for purchasing a new unit.

 

Got problems with pigeons nesting or roosting in your North Carolina business?

Get in touch with our team at Pest Control Authority Wildlife in North Carolina to learn more about our commercial bird control solutions that will humanely rid your business of pigeons and other nuisance birds.

We are the national leader in commercial bird control solutions. Our expert bird control installers have been providing efficient, discreet, and guaranteed pigeon control and bird proofing solutions to North Carolina businesses, industrial buildings, arenas, sports venues, shopping centers, and more.