Warm, flat and sheltered — the top of a split AC outdoor unit is one of the best nesting spots a pigeon will find on your building. It is also under a metre of work to close it off.
At a Glance
An outdoor unit gives a bird everything it wants in one place: a flat top surface at height, warmth from the compressor, shelter from rain under the overhang or the bracket, and almost no human disturbance because nobody goes near it for months at a time.
The cost is not just mess. Nesting material pulled into the fan grille restricts airflow and makes the unit work harder; droppings on the coil fins accelerate corrosion; and a nest wedged behind the unit is genuinely unpleasant to clear once it is established.
Never drill the casing
Screwing spikes into an outdoor unit risks the refrigerant lines and the electricals inside, and will not be looked on kindly by anyone assessing a warranty claim. Silicone adhesive holds a spike strip perfectly well on a clean metal top.
Three places, and they need different treatment:
Look for where the droppings are before deciding. Droppings on the unit mean they are sitting above it; droppings on the ground directly below with a clean top usually means they are under it.
Light, peel-and-stick and soft-tipped. The easiest option for a metal top and the least likely to be dislodged by a service technician.
For exposed positions and heavier bird pressure. Fix with a continuous silicone bead, never screws.
Where the unit is visible from a balcony or window and you would rather not see the spikes.
If you are doing the balcony at the same time, one kit covers the railing, the chajja and the AC unit together.
Short offcuts along the bracket arms, for birds sheltering underneath.
Where the unit-to-wall gap is a nesting cavity, it needs closing rather than spiking.
Do it at the annual service
The technician already has the unit cleaned, the power isolated and a ladder in place. Adding the spikes then takes ten minutes and avoids a second visit.
Made in Delhi, shipped across India, at factory rates.
We specify adhesive for AC units and say so plainly, because drilling a casing is not worth the risk.
One unit or sixty — strips are sold individually and kits cover a whole balcony.
Doing every unit on a face is quoted on total running length.
Send a photo of the unit and we will tell you the strip length needed.
If the droppings say the birds are under the unit rather than on it, we will tell you to treat the bracket instead.
Yes, and it is one of our most common applications. Use silicone adhesive on the top surface and keep the vents clear.
No, provided nothing covers the fan grille or the coil face. Spikes go on the top perimeter only.
No. Never drill an outdoor unit casing — refrigerant lines and electricals sit directly behind it. Adhesive is sufficient.
Roughly 0.8 to 1 metre for the top perimeter of a domestic split unit, plus about a metre if you are also treating the bracket.
Treat the bracket arms with offcuts, and close the unit-to-wall gap if it is large enough to nest in.
During the annual service, when the unit is already cleaned and isolated.
Adhesive-fixed strips on the top perimeter do not obstruct servicing. Mention them so nobody prises them off unnecessarily.
One picture showing the top and the bracket, plus how many units. We will tell you the strip length and which fixing to use — free.