You may want to know if your outdoor Heating & A/C plan is safe with all the rain that takes locale, realistically, it is impossible to protect the outdoor unit from all the weather elements.
Attempts to cover it to prevent rainwater impact could hinder its efficiency, which is not something you do not want happening.
This explains why there are hundreds of internet searches on this subject. So does rainwater have any effect on your unit? Well, Heating & A/C experts will entirely suggest you not to worry about this because most outdoor units are created to withstand most weather conditions. However, in drastic cases, your Heating & A/C corporation is likely to warn you, generally speaking, though, heavy rainfall may not affect your AC in any way. However, the accorporationing winds & debris left behind after the rains will. The twigs & leaves can find their way to the condenser fan grille & cause some real mangle. Therefore, as a worried homeowner, typically check the outdoor AC unit after every heavy & stormy rainfall, however do not wait for a real issue to arise for you to act. You may even need to contact professional Heating & A/C cleaners to assist with cleaning the AC unit if the mangle is massive. It is better to get ahead of the situation before the debris completely blocks the outdoor unit & prevents it from running as it should. If you are not sure about how to deal with the unit after a heavy storm, consider switching it off until the Heating & A/C dealers get to your lake condo for assessment & cleaning.