Loud upstairs air-conditioner drips onto mine!!!

Every once in a while, the upstairs air-con, which is right over my air-con, would seem to 'relieve itself' and releases a barrage of drips which are insanely loud on my air con's metal frame--is there a 'trick' to muffling this noise short of placing a towel on top (that would probably wind up as litter on the sidewalk or growing black mold given my luck)??

I'm admitting up front I'm too lazy to move the thing again.

Ech.. sounds like you have an insurmountable problem.

Given the time you posted I fear it is already disturbing with sleep.

Hope some body has the ultimate Brooklynian reply. Ain't me this time.

v

Maybe prop a piece of plexiglass on your ac so it deflects the drops outward?

Go to Greschler's on 20th & 5th Ave and ask for A/C noise foam. It's a huge square of foam with a magnet undercoat which you can place on top of your A/C. The foam absorbs the drips, rain, you name it. Be sure to cut accordingly if you have vent holes on the top of your case.

The other possibility, if they don't have some pre-defined foam for the job, would be to get a swatch of waterproof carpeting (or maybe cut an outdoor welcome mat down to size) and leave it on top of your A/C. I learned that trick in my old building in Manhattan, where I had about a half-dozen units in line directly above mine.

Astigmatism wrote: The other possibility, if they don't have some pre-defined foam for the job, would be to get a swatch of waterproof carpeting (or maybe cut an outdoor welcome mat down to size) and leave it on top of your A/C. I learned that trick in my old building in Manhattan, where I had about a half-dozen units in line directly above mine.

adhere said carpeting to said air conditioner with something like Liquid Nails.

It is available in small tubes at hardware stores. Unlike glue, it does not harden the same way. ...but it is made to bond weird things together, like the back of a carpet and metal air conditioner that will get wet.

Note: It will permanently adhere to you A/C, and leave a residue should you ever decide to remove the carpet.

Some air conditions have a small little spout/circular thingy in the corner. If the upstairs one has this, it is meant to have a small hose attached to it so that the water drips down and away from where you do not want it.

whynot_31 wrote: [quote=Astigmatism]The other possibility, if they don't have some pre-defined foam for the job, would be to get a swatch of waterproof carpeting (or maybe cut an outdoor welcome mat down to size) and leave it on top of your A/C. I learned that trick in my old building in Manhattan, where I had about a half-dozen units in line directly above mine.

adhere said carpeting to said air conditioner with something like Liquid Nails.

It is available in small tubes at hardware stores. Unlike glue, it does not harden the same way. ...but it is made to bond weird things together, like the back of a carpet and metal air conditioner that will get wet.

Note: It will permanently adhere to you A/C, and leave a residue should you ever decide to remove the carpet.


I did what astigmatism suggested once with a cheap doormat from the dollar store. It had rubber on the back, so it was grippy and there was no need to use glue. The hard part for me was placing it on top of the ac, because I had to lean out another window and poke it into place with a broom handle.

I took a piece of plywood and screwed it into the top of my unit. You just have to be careful as to where you place the screw, obviously, but I get no noise whatsoever.

Now, the freakin' birds that live under my neighbor's AC are a different story.

I thought I was the only one that this drove completely bonkers... I have the same problem. Thanks for the tips everyone!

Just get the frigging magnet foam. Cut it to size, lay it on and when you want it off, simply remove. It'll only cost you $20+ per very big sheet. All these glues, carpets, Batman shields, screw-guns and soon...you all need Jesus and a good hardware guy.

One thing about the magnet pad with the foam...if you have nearby squirrels, they love it. My pad lasted for about two weeks, but the squirrels from a nearby tree would jump onto my AC, pull off the foam, stuff it in their cheeks and jump back to their tree. Maybe it's good nest material?

When I called 311, they told me there was really nothing they could do about the squirrels and I was out the $20 I paid for my pad.

If you're above the parlor floor and not neat a tree you should be okay. Otherwise, I'd saturate with cayenne pepper powder. I didn't know squirrels liked the stuff.

Thank you so much for the brilliant advice, I think I'm going to try this noise foam magnet thing, squirrels shouldn't be a problem on this side of the street. if this doesn't work I'll try the rubber mat...should have thought of this years ago frankly...

I think the foam may degrade and dissolve fairly quickly....I'm telling you, the plywood fix was great and needs no maintenance.

I'm still a big fan of the astroturf - liquid nails combo.

...plywood second.

....Paying $20 for a magnet foam thing is coming in a distant third.

a few tins cans and some minor adjustments later

turtle.... You really called 311 concerning squirrels? Hysterical...

The same thing happens at my apartment. I use an ordinary bath towel to quiet the noise of the dripping water. When it gets soaked through, i collect the water in a bucket to wash my dog, or to manually flush my toilet to save water.

Just get the magnetic foam pad.

maybe try something ala You Only Live Twice where SPECTRE tries to kill Bond by dripping poison down a thread and into Bond's mouth while he is sleeping.

tie a string to a small magnet, toss it up on the AC and the water will flow down the string instead of dripping off the unit and falling onto yours.

Ooh. This got really good all of a sudden.