Hayward HeatPro In Ground Heat Pump HP21104T
Started using my heater this season and noticed yellow insulation stuck to the fan grill. I looked around thinking a critter got in and didn't see anything...should have dug deeper. A few weeks later, I saw a rat and it ran into the water discharge pipe area. Ah, S%$t! Put out a bait block and next morning it was nearly all eaten. Today I removed the top and side and found something covering the compressor. A bit of reading later, it's called "compressor blanket". Its sole purpose is noise reduction...it's actual use, rodent nest. I pulled it out and the bottom of my heat pump is full of rat droppings and chewed up insulation. It's going to take some doing (and danger) to clean this. Don't see the dead rat, but there are a few spots of blood. I'm going to pull the entire unit out and take it to the driveway, lay it over (on the removed control panel area) and blast the stuff out (while being masked) with a garden hose. NO COMPRESSED AIR!!!! Rodent urine and droppings can be dangerous--sweeping and compressed air will aerosolize them for you to inhale. Think Hanta virus. Then I can get in and inspect every inch of every wire to find where they were chewed. If this didn't cost so much, I'd just replace it...it's that bad. Recommendation, take off the top grill and remove the compressor blanket before it becomes a nest. Use metal to seal around the water pipes and electrical whip to prevent entry.
