Ideas For Cat-proofing Touch Buttons On Ac Unit?

tecetyeintyale · Jun 6, 2017

Hi all! I installed a new window AC unit over the weekend and have an unexpected problem with it...my kitties keep on accidentally turning it on/off and changing the settings! :lol:

The buttons are all touch buttons on the top of the unit, and whenever one of them jumps up on it, they end up hitting at least one thing, usually more. I came home from work this evening and at some point during the day, they managed to turn it on, get the fan up to full blast, and turn the temp down to 62 degrees...xD It's about 55 degrees outside today, it doesn't need to be on yet!

Anyone have any ideas on how I could cover up the buttons in a way that won't allow them to accidentally press them when they jump up there? I don't mind not being able to press them myself, the unit has a remote and I can just use that. It would be nice to be able to see what settings are on at a glance, though not necessary; the main thing is that I just need to keep them from pressing buttons when they jump up there! I am not naive enough to think I can keep them off it when I'm gone. :biggrin:

"We didn't do it, we promise!" :flail:

Kieka · Jun 6, 2017

Typing while I think so may be a little disjointed....

Something long and hard that is attached at the ends. A simple piece of wood cut to edge it would probably work.

I would probably do a small spacer at the ends so it isn't actually touching the buttons on accident (since they sound fairly sensitive). So something on either end that the wood sits on and the wood is attached to the item. You could go super quick and messy with a bungee cord around to hold it down or duct tape.

Or make it a complete frame around the unit and paint it pretty so it decorates the whole thing. You could do wood around so it fits snuggly around the sides and sits on floor. A little peg on the unit that the wood slides onto so it doesn't slip. Then you could put a decorative front on it too.

Like I said, random thoughts looking at it. The problem is you don't have much space between them and the vents. Plus the buttons seem sensitive.

LTS3 · Jun 6, 2017

Maybe a thin but pretty firm piece of cardboard? You can use Velcro dots to hold in the cardboard in place and also elevate the cardboard a bit so it's not pressing on the buttons.

abyeb · Jun 6, 2017

Maybe a piece of wood or cardboard? Sorry I don't have much else to add, I just wanted to let you know that your cats are adorable, smart kitties! Seeing the "we didn't do this, we promise" just made my day! :lol:

tecetyeintyale · Jun 7, 2017

Thanks for the suggestions, keika and LTS3! Doing something elevated a bit with spacers does seem like the way to go. Excellent point about using the velcro dots as spacers, that's a great idea! That will also make it so it's easy to take off and put back on again, if I ever do need to.

I'll get some velcro dots and cut a piece of cardboard to give that a try. If that seems like it's going to work out well I'll probably cut a piece of wood or something for a more durable long-term fix. I set a folded-up towel on top of the unit this morning before I left, which will work as a temporary solution as long as it stays cool enough not to need to use the AC, and as long as the kitties don't knock the towel off!

And no worries on not having anything to add, abyeb -- compliments on the kitties are always welcome. Glad you liked the picture! :biggrin:

Willowy · Jun 7, 2017

I can't imagine any modern product wouldn't have some kind of child lock on it, some way to lock out the buttons without a code or something. Look at the manual. Although maybe a window air conditioner isn't high-tech enough for that, idk. Worth looking at though. If not, yeah, some cardboard and Command velcro ought to do it.