Should I shade my outdoor air conditioner unit ??

well rusting is the main problem i think so you should.

Hi, ashwinsasi. If you are trying to keep your AC UNIT from rain and direct sunlight, then I think that you should not keep it outside at all. It may could get damaged very badly. You should keep in a shed or somewhere in a room in your house. I think that it is very harmful to keep the AC unit unprotected outside. Someone may come alone and steal it too.

You must remember that an air conditioner is no more than a heat pump. It is pumping heat out of your house. The cooler it is around your outside condensing unit;the easier it is to get the heat out. A shady unit will cool better. Units are sized based on a outside temperature of 95 degrees. Cooler outside means the unit has a larger cooling capacity while hotter outside gives you a smaller unit. One must be careful if shading not to restrict air flow around unit. Look at owners manual or search online. Clean fins always help. Some units require cleaning more than once a season depending on use.