The air around your outside AC unit can be particularly hot, especially if your unit stands in direct sunlight with no trees around. You probably think your unit is running less efficiently and more often because, thanks to the sun, it thinks it’s hotter in your home than it actually is. You are correct, and this is why landscaping for shade is a good idea.
If your unit gets too hot, and your air conditioner runs too hard or too often, this can cause your unit to break down, especially on a day when it needs to run more. Of course, that is the worst possible time for this to happen. Don’t worry. Ambient Edge can have you back up and cooling down in no time. Call us anytime, day or night, for service.
Landscaping for Shade
The act of landscaping for shade, also known as shading, involves planting trees and shrubbery around your outdoor AC unit to keep it out of the direct sunlight. Not only that, but by lightly blocking it in, you encourage the cooler air it produces to circulate around it, which keeps it running efficiently.
What you don’t want to do, however, is block it in so much that you choke off its air supply. You want to plant close, but not too close. You also don’t want to plant more trees and bushes than is necessary. For trees, this adds to the amount of limbs and branches that can fall on your unit and damage it. For bushes and trees alike, the denser you plant, the more moisture you can trap in that little area, which can corrode the unit.
Covering Your Outdoor Unit – Good Idea or Bad Idea?
Some people look into covering their outdoor AC units to protect them from debris and bad weather, but the fact of the matter is that you simply do not need to. In fact, you shouldn’t.
Outdoor AC units are resilient pieces of equipment that can withstand any kind of weather, save for perhaps a flood, which would ruin anything. Many covers are not properly ventilated, which encourages moisture buildup, which leads to your equipment breaking down. Not only that, but covers make a nice shelter for little animals who have nowhere else to go when the colder weather hits.
In short, you should never cover your outdoor AC unit. It invites further problems, and it does nothing to protect a unit that already does a good job of protecting itself.
The Benefits of Routine Maintenance
Whether you’re discussing shading or covering your outdoor AC unit, your concern essentially boils down to one main idea: protecting your unit so you can keep it running efficiently for as long as possible. However, the best way to do this isn’t with covering your unit or even properly shading it (though that does help). You simply cannot do better for your HVAC system than to subscribe to routine preventive maintenance.
Without the necessary tightening, lubrication, and blowout, your HVAC system doesn’t stand a chance. All of these things work together to prevent parts from corroding and breaking down, and without this kind of maintenance, your system lies vulnerable to any and all problems that can cause an HVAC system to crash – especially when it’s working even harder, like on the hottest day of the year.
At Ambient Edge, our preventive maintenance plan involves visiting your home once or twice a year to check on your system and prep it for the upcoming months. We’ll check on your furnace in the fall and your air conditioner in the spring to ensure each is ready for the tougher months ahead.
You don’t want to wait until your HVAC system stops working to call a technician to look at it. This is when repairs become costly and, if the system has been neglected long enough, otherwise minor repairs may turn into much more expensive replacements. Take good care of your HVAC system with routine preventive maintenance, and enjoy fewer headaches and more cash in your wallet.
Has Your Outdoor AC Unit Failed? Ambient Edge Can Bring It Back!
With over 20 years in the HVAC business, our experienced and qualified team at Ambient Edge knows a thing or two about air conditioners. We have worked on just about every make and model there is, to the point that we can tell you within minutes what the problem is and just how long it will take us to fix it.
Whether it’s an emergency or a minor issue, we here at Ambient Edge are happy to help! Call us, or send us a message on our website, and we’ll schedule you for the next available service slot that works best for your schedule. If your air conditioner has stopped working, don’t sweat it – call Ambient Edge today!