Even though we are going into winter, spring is around the corner. Therefore, so is the season for landscaping, which leads to a greater risk of having overgrown landscape and rubbish around your air conditioning unit.
When landscaping around your air conditioner, there are a few things to bear in mind to be sure that your unit remains safe and works to its full capacity:
Clearance From The Condenser
Whatever you use to landscape around your AC unit, it’s crucial that you keep a standard clearance of 2-3 ft from the unit. Your unit needs a certain amount of readily distributed air to function effectively. Without circulating air, it’s most likely that your unit becomes more ineffective, and will have to work harder to cool the air. In case you intend on landscaping with trees, they should be trimmed to a minimum of 5 ft away from the unit.
Debris
Dirt and debris in the AC system are the most common reasons behind air conditioning issues in the US. If your AC condenser coil, part of the outdoor unit, becomes dirty or blocked, it can increase the amount of energy your AC unit uses by as much as 30%. That’s a fairly large increase for something easily avoided by keeping the unit clean. Therefore it’s imperative that you think about landscaping alternatives that will prevent dirt and debris from getting trapped in the unit.
Damage To Your Air Conditioning Unit
Another thing to consider is the fact many AC units are often damaged. Rocks thrown up by lawnmowers and accidental contact with weed whackers or lawnmowers can all harm your AC unit, and may result in an unnecessary maintenance.
Cover the ground around the unit
Wind and rain could cause sand and dirt to enter your condenser, making it filthy and creating the potential for clogs to form. Before you begin your landscaping project, cover the area around the unit with mulch, gravel, or rocks. This will help to keep debris from entering the unit through bad weather.
Take into consideration extreme weather
If your home is new construction, you probably had a discussion about where you can put the condenser to start with – ideally that conversation began to take into consideration serious weather conditions. In that case, the condenser is more than likely protected from the toughest of the winds during a storm. If your house is older, it’s possible this conversation didn’t take place, leaving the unit vulnerable to strong winds and flying particles. Should this be the circumstance, think about what weather conditions may be like before choosing a landscaping plan. You may benefit a lot more from a fence than from trees that could fall and may cause damage.
Shading your A/C unit is a great idea
Keeping the condenser itself much cooler ensures that it won’t have to work as hard to cool the air in your home. If your condenser is situated in a shady location already, fantastic! Otherwise, you ought to consider adding plants which are high enough to shade your system.
Fencing around the condenser
A terrific way to keep the AC unit and shield it simultaneously is to install a small fence. As long as it’s put up at the right range from the unit (2-3 feet), it’s visually alluring and can safeguard the unit from kicked up rocks along with other types of debris. You may even think about a lattice fence with a few climbing plants, so long as you make sure that the vegetation doesn’t stretch past the fence.
Border
Remember how we mentioned that one of the major causes of AC malfunctions was dirt and debris? Surely there’s an easy way to handle some of that dirt, when you set up a stone or metal border around the foundation of the unit. Filling the boundary with crushed rock will help stop dirt and mud from splashing up in the rain. Because grass also can get trapped in the unit whenever it’s kicked up by wind or lawnmowers, a border guards your unit against that kind of debris as well.
Evergreens
If you choose to landscape with plants instead of a fence, you may think about plants that don’t get rid of their leaves in the winter. This would protect against any kind of excessive debris, can reduce your workload, and will keep your AC unit out of sight, even in the winter. Moreover, evergreens are more feasible, when it comes to upkeep and trimming. There are several eye-catching choices that you can use to hide your outside AC unit.
Lattice Surround
Making use of lattice to develop a display around your outside air conditioner is appropriate because the openings stop the hot air flow blowing from the unit from being trapped. Whenever airflow to the system is impeded, the outside air conditioner can overheat. Dress it with a number of fancy post caps and greenery that still allow proper airflow.
For more information about landscaping around your air conditioner or air conditioner repairs, call Armstrong Air & Electric today at 407-877-8090.
