# Lizards Getting Inside Air-Conditioner



## Maxx62

I'm not sure if this has come up before, but I keep getting tiki lizards inside my air-conditioner. The darn things get in there, and then when you turn on the fan they usually get chopped up by the blades of the fan, and then after a few hours they stink so bad that you cannot turn on the air-conditioner without first taking it apart and cleaning it.

This has happened to me three times in the past month or so, and it is a major pain to take the air-conditioner out of the wall because it weighs a ton, and it is up pretty high. 

When my in-laws get a dead tiki in one of their air-conditioners they just stop using it for a week or so until it is decomposed, and the smell is more or less gone. However, until recently we were in the middle of heat wave down here, and going without air-conditioning while trying to sleep is like torture.

In the past I've tried covering the exterior vents of air-conditioner with screen mesh material, but that always seems to come lose, and they're still getting in. Any ideas greatly appreciated.


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## bigpearl

Maxx62 said:


> I'm not sure if this has come up before, but I keep getting tiki lizards inside my air-conditioner. The darn things get in there, and then when you turn on the fan they usually get chopped up by the blades of the fan, and then after a few hours they stink so bad that you cannot turn on the air-conditioner without first taking it apart and cleaning it.
> 
> This has happened to me three times in the past month or so, and it is a major pain to take the air-conditioner out of the wall because it weighs a ton, and it is up pretty high.
> 
> When my in-laws get a dead tiki in one of their air-conditioners they just stop using it for a week or so until it is decomposed, and the smell is more or less gone. However, until recently we were in the middle of heat wave down here, and going without air-conditioning while trying to sleep is like torture.
> 
> In the past I've tried covering the exterior vents of air-conditioner with screen mesh material, but that always seems to come lose, and they're still getting in. Any ideas greatly appreciated.


Frustrating indeed, make/design a shroud, fly wire works well, brass or bronze matters not. somewhat like a condom around your A/C unit with plenty of air space, plenty of air space, works for me as insect screens also reduce intake/flow, Oz with tree frogs, geckos and skinks.

Fujitsu,,,,,,,pardon the brand name seem to have excluded critters with newer models,,,,, finally. Prior to our new model frogs and geckos fried our PCB's twice, this new outside unit has been good for 5 years with no alterations/screening from the local hermits, once my cost, second time their cost, that company now excludes all vermin apart from those wielding screwdrivers. Only relates to split systems but wall mounts can exclude vermin, just depends on how good the individual is with building/applying the condom, no children, no geckos and some luck, an external light also keeps geckoes in check as to where they hide, no light at night in a particular area,,,,,,,no friendly geckos where there if light there are bugs, smorgasbord for many critters, tree frogs I cannot say in PH. In Oz tree frogs hang around the light in the evenings to catch the spoils, and rightly so.

Cheers, Steve.


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## galactic

First off it's called Butiki 
Tip: Cats likes to eat 'em lizzards


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## pronse

Split AC?


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## bigpearl

galactic said:


> First off it's called Butiki
> Tip: Cats likes to eat 'em lizzards[/QUOTE
> 
> What or where was this link intended for, perhaps I should put my glasses on but could not see how or where it was related to our nocturnal cousins seeking warmer climes and some protection within a (what I call) window rattler.
> Would like to see the link you originally posted, as for me cats are the scourge of the earth (domesticated) and for me have no place unless shackled with a few collar bells and are over fed, petted constantly and neutered/desexed.
> Snakes/Pythons (especially) do a much better job.
> An ugly fly wire screen will keep all critters out of your A/C unit including feline. We had a cat for 10 years and if it ever came home was only for a feed because it had a bell around its neck, the birds and other native fauna went about their business alerted and unmolested.
> 
> LOL, I have a book entitled "101 uses for a dead cat", while humorous makes one look at where humans are at, while I believe cats are a waste of space, us humans are no better, put us in boxes or screen where we are not to go. Isolate your gecko problem and you will have the answer to many problems of the human kind. Your goal is easily achievable if you are prepared to mouse/bird cage your A/c unit/s.
> 
> Not looking forward to that one bit when we move there.
> 
> Cheers, Steve.


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## hogrider

bigpearl said:


> Frustrating indeed, make/design a shroud, fly wire works well, brass or bronze matters not. somewhat like a condom around your A/C unit with plenty of air space, plenty of air space, works for me as insect screens also reduce intake/flow, Oz with tree frogs, geckos and skinks.
> 
> Fujitsu,,,,,,,pardon the brand name seem to have excluded critters with newer models,,,,, finally. Prior to our new model frogs and geckos fried our PCB's twice, this new outside unit has been good for 5 years with no alterations/screening from the local hermits, once my cost, second time their cost, that company now excludes all vermin apart from those wielding screwdrivers. Only relates to split systems but wall mounts can exclude vermin, just depends on how good the individual is with building/applying the condom, no children, no geckos and some luck, an external light also keeps geckoes in check as to where they hide, no light at night in a particular area,,,,,,,no friendly geckos where there if light there are bugs, smorgasbord for many critters, tree frogs I cannot say in PH. In Oz tree frogs hang around the light in the evenings to catch the spoils, and rightly so.
> 
> Cheers, Steve.


How is that gonna work Steve? I assume that we are talking about window units. Any mesh that will keep out geckos is going to restrict the air flow over the heat exchanger and prevent the AC from working. Am I missing something?


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## bigpearl

hogrider said:


> How is that gonna work Steve? I assume that we are talking about window units. Any mesh that will keep out geckos is going to restrict the air flow over the heat exchanger and prevent the AC from working. Am I missing something?


No you missed nothing at all and you are correct, you make a frame 100 to 150mm larger than all the dimensions of the unit protruding through the wall, cover in fly fire, fix to the wall or window frame, make it easily removable for cleaning.
Something like this but much bigger.

https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=i&...ksBLwLHUkUdJLCv4jZkj4R1g&ust=1494538566691338

might not look very nice but will keep most things out.

Cheers, Steve.


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## Maxx62

Hmm...Well, I'm thinking that maybe I can get some extruded aluminum channel and then make a sort of screen mesh box that would keep the tikis away from the external air slits on my air-conditioner. In the meanwhile I've left some of the screws out of the cabinet so that I can now pull the entire unit out of its housing without having to disassemble the trim around my widow frame. Also, I'm wondering if there isn't some sort of compound that I could put around the opening in wall to keep the tikis away? Maybe some sort of oil or grease which they would not like on their feet? Right now I put a heavy layer of insect spray on the exterior wall around air-conditioner opening, and for the past few days I've noticed less lizard droppings in that area. I guess I'll have to experiment as see what works best. Maybe a then trail of silicone grease all the way around the opening might work? Of course it will dry out in the sun, and will discolor the paint, but anything is better than that smell. It is amazing how much stink one tiny lizard stuck in a air-conditioner can cause.


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## Gary D

We've never had lizzards gete into either of our aircon units, from memory the case is mesh not slatted, and even if they got between the aircon and the wall they couldn't get past the trim into the room.


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## Maxx62

Gary D said:


> We've never had lizzards gete into either of our aircon units, from memory the case is mesh not slatted, and even if they got between the aircon and the wall they couldn't get past the trim into the room.


I've got a smaller Haier brand air-conditioner in each room, and have slots on the sides that almost big enough to stick a pencil through. Anyway, I guess I'll keep that in mind next time I buy a new aircon.


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