ᐅ Risk of Marten Damage to Outdoor Heat Pump Unit

Hello,

I am wondering (Google/forums do not provide any answers) if there is a real risk of damage from marten bites to the outdoor unit of a heat pump (electrical and refrigerant lines), and how one could protect the unit.

Has anyone here experienced this problem before? :-)

Thank you!

interesting question

If Google provides no results, it might be because no one has encountered this problem before or has never associated it with a marten.

Isn't it the case that martens seek out the warmth of the engine in a car and then simply gnaw on it? The outdoor unit doesn’t have that kind of heat. Why would martens stay there? That's the only explanation I can think of.

That's right, it is cold and noisy (at least when operational).

Monoblock units already have heat on the outside of the device. However, these hot water pipes should be very well insulated to make it harder for martens to chew on them. It is not clear, though, whether martens can also get inside the device and cause damage there.