Landscaping Tips to Keep Your A/C Unit from Being an Eyesore

You probably don’t consider your outdoor A/C compressor the prettiest feature in your yard. But does it have to be such an eyesore? Believe it or not, there are things to do to minimize its intrusiveness. Here are some landscaping tips that will help you deal with yours.

Fitting the A/C into the Landscaping

The key point in making your A/C part of the landscaping is to maintain airflow around it. You need at least a 2-foot clearance from all vegetation and garden structures so the unit can exhaust air and cool properly. You can, however, plant a number of compact or slow-growing shrubs around your A/C unit that will hide it from view. Make sure that you plant species that don’t bear fibrous seeds or shed other debris that might clog the A/C fins or the openings in the metal housing. Do check for such debris throughout the growing season, and beyond, when tree limbs, leaves, weeds or other plant material might blow up against or fall on the unit.

Decorative grasses are another way to camouflage the A/C.

Plan Ahead

If you’re preparing beds for flowers, herbs, or shrubs around the unit, think about how you’ll perform weed control. Weed whacking that might throw up gravel, chips, or mulch against the unit and harm the condenser fins isn’t the best thing to do, just as mowing grass that gets sucked into the unit is also to be discouraged. Pulling weeds and trimming grass by hand are probably the best options.

Erecting garden structures such as a a decorative wall or a trellis with vines are all fine, but remember to locate them at least 2 feet away. Another option is to build a fence around the unit, where you can also store waste bins, and garden equipment.

At Sobieski Services, Inc., our goal is to help our customers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey learn more about energy and home comfort issues, including landscaping tips, and especially HVAC and plumbing issues, so that they can save money and live in healthier, more comfortable homes.

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