As I rounded the side of the house during a recent home inspection, I noticed a damaged air

conditioning condenser… Yep, another attack by a male dog.

The main component of a central air conditioning system is the condenser unit that sits outside the home. This unit consists of a pump called a compressor, coils, cooling fins, a fan and an electrical system.

The fins are made of aluminum and the urine of male dogs acts as a strong alkali on the fins. The fins will corrode, crumble and fall off the unit. You end up with a huge hole in the condenser coils (see photo) or an area of dead aluminum mass that will either pass unused air or will be too dense a mass of melted down aluminum to pass any air through that area of damaged fins.

The efficiency of the air conditioning system has been compromised… The end result will cost a few thousand dollars to replace the condenser. If you have a male dog and own a home with air conditioning, it might be a good idea to put a little distance between the condenser and the dog.