Your outdoor air conditioning unit won't accomplish much if it's too hot to significantly cool the air around it. In particularly harsh circumstances, when summer sunlight beams right down on the unit without any intervening clouds to temper it, your whole HVAC system may be rendered completely ineffective. Luckily, if you follow these three tips, it's possible to effectively shade your outdoor air conditioning unit.
Don't Try To Use A Big Tree With Lots Of Leaves
While a big tree will certainly be effective at blocking sunlight from one specific angle, its disadvantages outweigh its advantages. Big trees can't be moved either to another position or completely away from the unit if there is a problem. Also its leaves will slowly break off and potentially entangle themselves in the unit's air vents.
Although removing a large tree near your air conditioning unit just to provide protection from leaf infiltration may be too hard on your yard's appearance and your wallet to be worth it, you almost certainly shouldn't consider planting a new tree near the unit just to give it shade.
If You Decide On A Plastic Tarp, Make Sure Its Supporting Stakes Are Very Tall
If the plastic tarp you put over your air conditioning unit isn't raised above the ground enough, it'll do a lot to obstruct air flow into and out of your HVAC system. To make sure that the air vents in your home will always have plenty of air to transport, never put a large plastic tarp over your unit unless its stakes are taller than a tall human.
For Best Results, Use Something That Can Easily Be Taken Down In Colder Weather
Even shade that's relatively unobtrusive like a plastic tarp with tall stakes can't help but decrease the amount of air flowing into an HVAC system by at least a small amount. In colder weather, shade will also make it much harder for your exterior air conditioning unit to accept sudden cold drafts, decreasing the whole system's energy efficiency. Therefore, make sure that any shade you use can be easily taken down if the weather suddenly takes a colder turn.
While exterior air conditioning units certainly aren't the most attractive thing in the world, they're expensive enough to be worth protecting. Before you completely abandon your exterior HVAC unit to its own devices, trying out all the reasonable shade options you can is worth it. For more information, contact a professional like R & B Heating & Air Conditioning.
Share23 June 2015
Does your air conditioner smell, make loads of extra noise, or fail to cool your home? If you have noticed any of these problems, there might be issues with your air conditioning unit. Fortunately, you don't have to let a bum system make your home stuffy and uncomfortable. Professional heating ventilation and air conditioning contractors can snap your AC unit into shape in no time. By carefully checking your condenser and evaluating your refrigerant levels, the experts might be able to dramatically improve the cooling capacity of your home unit. Read here to find out how to spot problems before they make your space uncomfortable.