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Florida’s balmy climate makes it super easy for you to grow colorful tropical plants and catch a tan. However, while well-maintained trees, shrubs, greenery, and beautiful flowers can truly enhance your property’s curb appeal, it is best to be careful about putting plants around AC units.
While plants near the outdoor air conditioning unit aren’t as detrimental to your home’s comfort as clogged filters or leaky ducts, anything that’s too close to the unit can be a big problem. Here’s more about how to keep your air conditioner’s airflow efficient from Fast Air Repair’s experts in Ocala, Florida.
The Main Problem With Plants Around AC Units in the Ocala Climate
Well-meaning Ocala homeowners invest time and money into how their property looks and contributes to the local ecosystem, and that includes landscaping around the outdoor air conditioning box. It’s understandable – a yard should look attractive.
For some, brainstorming landscaping designs includes disguising the HVAC’s outdoor unit with attractive greenery. While this seems to solve the problem at first, what happens when those plants mature? In many cases, plants close by will grow big enough to impede airflow around HVAC systems, and that causes untold drama for a home’s cooling capabilities.
As experts like Fast Air Repair will tell you, unobstructed airflow is absolutely critical to the air conditioner’s operation – inside and outside. Anything blocking the air intake or vents will make the unit work harder to produce an adequate supply of cold air. The larger the plants and the closer they are to the air conditioner, the more they block the system’s air supply and accelerate its wear and tear.
What Happens When Plants Block Airflow To and From the Air Conditioner?
While beautiful plants adorn the aesthetics, you’ll immediately notice a cooling problem if they start obstructing the airflow to the unit. First, cool air will accumulate around the unit’s condenser coils instead of dissipating outside. Next, the coils will ice over, shutting down the unit and switching off your source of cool air.
Blocked airflow forces the air conditioner to work harder to reach your desired thermostat setting, skyrocketing utility bills and risking a mechanical malfunction.
Other Issues Related to AC Unit Landscaping
While restricted airflow is the biggest concern related to plants around AC units, other mistakes with shrub placement near AC units affect your cooling system itself. For example, plant foliage and mulch attract pests to your HVAC system and create problems like rats chewing the wiring. When the mass of insects and critters that call Ocala home infest the plants around the unit, it’s only a matter of time before they make homes inside it.
Plants around AC units also create a maintenance burden. You’ll have to be more diligent about cleaning up the clippings and debris after trimming overgrown plants, bad weather, or mowing if you don’t want these organic materials to wreak havoc with the unit’s components. Debris can clog fins and coils to reduce energy efficiency and shorten the unit’s lifespan.
So, does all this mean you can’t landscape around your AC unit? Does everybody have to settle for the air conditioner sticking out like a sore thumb in a meticulously groomed yard? Not at all; AC unit landscaping is possible if you’re thoughtful about it.
How To Add Plants Around AC Units
What’s the first step to successfully adding plants around AC units, then? Choose the right plants and place them correctly so you can enjoy their charm without endangering your expensive air conditioner. Here are a few tips.
Plant the Right Species Around the Cooling Unit
Start by considering the appropriate species for Ocala, which is in the USDA plant hardiness zone 9a or 9b (plants here survive in temperatures as low as 20 to 30 degrees). Your best bet is usually heat-tolerant plants that can survive in the warm Florida climate and withstand the heat that the nearby AC unit releases. The plants you add around your air conditioner must not grow too tall or wide, so low-growing ornamental grasses or ground covers are often a better choice.
Other shrubs and plants to consider for landscaping around your outdoor unit may include:
- Evergreens like spruce and boxwood
- Golden juniper that grows up and not out
- Magnolias
- Dogwood trees
- Neat flowering bushes like azaleas or rhododendrons
On the other hand, you’ll want to avoid adding thorny plants around AC units because things like roses and holly can make accessing the unit difficult. Plants that attract pollinators, like bee balm and goldenrod, are also poor choices. Bees, wasps, and other insects will build nests nearby or even inside the unit, so repairing and
Give Your Air Conditioning Unit Some Shade
Although low-growing plants eliminate the risk of clogs and airflow blockages in the AC unit, planting trees nearby sometimes provides a simple cooling efficiency enhancement. The cooling equipment’s housing is durable and capable of withstanding all weather conditions for a long time, including the scalding Ocala sun, but it isn’t invincible. When the sun beats directly down on the unit all day, every day, dissipating heat becomes harder, and solar heat gain can make the system work much harder to cool you down.
If you’re considering planting a tree that shades the outside air conditioner unit, you might help to keep your energy costs manageable. However, your choice of tree is crucial. You always want to choose an evergreen that keeps its leaves on so that there isn’t the risk of leaves and other debris getting stuck in the delicate components of your air conditioner.
Ensure Proper Spacing for Plants Around Your HVAC Equipment
Whatever type of plant you choose to grow, the proper plant spacing for ventilation is at least three feet from all sides of the unit – and five feet is even better.
This spacing ensures plenty of clearance for airflow and access for maintenance professionals. Be sure to measure the distance using the fully grown size of the plant to avoid unpleasant surprises down the road. Plants grow quickly in Ocala.
Other Options for Dressing Up Your Ocala Yard Without Compromising the Air Conditioning Setup
Is your yard not large enough for proper shrub placement without compromising the cooling unit? Explore these other options to camouflage the machinery for an equally attractive landscape:
Potted Plants
Why go to all the work of digging holes? Place plants around the AC unit in pots or planters. That way, the landscaping feature will be easy to move and customize.
Just remember to never put a potted plant on top of the air conditioner.
Gravel
Gravel doesn’t hide the air conditioner, but it instantly gives your yard a finished look. Why not place a layer of gravel that extends two to three feet around the unit? Doing so also prevents grass and weeds from growing in that area.
Fencing
Could you install a small fence around the air conditioner? A fence can be charming and an effective way to hide the unit from view.
Get More Air Conditioning Efficiency Tips from Fast Air Repair
What’s the best way to add plants around AC units in Ocala, Florida? Can a dirty air filter cause the AC to not cool? Fast Air Repair’s experienced technicians have the answers for all things heating and cooling so that you enjoy the most reliable and energy-efficient indoor comfort – call for fast and friendly assistance!