Xeriscaping is a landscaping practice that makes use of an area’s naturally occurring plant life. This reduces/eliminates the need for extra irrigation, relying instead on the water the area receives naturally. It’s a great way to get a picturesque landscaping look on your property without wasting water. It’s also convenient for helping your outdoor A/C unit to blend into its surroundings.
An A/C unit can be a terrible eyesore in an otherwise beautiful landscape: a giant metal box, in the middle of all the greenery. However, xeriscaping can help you mask the unsightly unit. Using the area’s natural greenery will help the unit to blend in better with the rest of your yard. Here are some tips for xeriscaping the area around your A/C unit.
- Keep a clear path. In order to run properly, your A/C needs two or three feet of clear space around it on all sides, and at least five feet of clearance above it, from trees and branches. Put plants around the area, but maintain that space. Otherwise, debris from the plants can wind up in the unit, obstructing its airflow.
- Keep grass away. Whatever plants you put around your system, try not to have grass, which will need to be mown, or anything that will require a hedge trimmer or weed whacker. Using these devices around your A/C will kick up rocks and other debris that can damage the unit.
- Allow for water drainage. An outdoor unit is obviously built to withstand water. However, excessive amounts kick up mud, which can get into the unit, dirtying the coil and decreasing its overall energy efficiency. This is why xeriscaping, which eliminates the need for sprinklers, works so well with A/C units. But what about natural heavy rainfall? The solution is to create a crushed rock border around the pad that your A/C unit is mounted on. This will allow rainwater to drain, as well as helping keep foliage at a safe distance.
For more help with xeriscaping and other HVAC issues, contact us at Ace Hardware Home Services, Inc. We’re Dayton’s trusted source for quality HVAC service.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Dayton, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
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