Wednesday, April 15th, 2015 Blog by Kendall Cooper Shading your air conditioner’s outdoor condenser unit is an accepted way to increase its efficiency and lower your cooling costs. That’s because shading the air conditioner is said to cool down the air around it, so that it doesn’t have to work as hard to cool that air before blowing it into your house. But can shading your air conditioner really make it more efficient? If so, what’s the best way to go about shading your air conditioner? It may be worthwhile to shade your air conditioner if you can create a large shaded area, such as that created by an awning or, better yet, one or more trees. Shrubs and bushes can also cool the air around your air conditioner; just make sure you don’t block the unit’s air flow. If possible, place your air conditioner unit on the north side of your house. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, shading your air conditioner with trees can make it as much as 10 percent more efficient.

But the benefits extend beyond improving your air conditioner’s efficiency. Shading your home with as few as three trees can save you between $100 and $250 a year in cooling costs, and can slash your air conditioning costs by as much as 50 percent. That’s because shade trees cool the air around them, by preventing sunlight from heating the ground. They also block sunlight from entering your home through its windows, to help keep your home cooler. Air conditioners that operate in a cooler environment, such as one shaded by trees, bushes, or an awning, operate more efficiently, because they don’t need to work as hard to cool down air that is already somewhat cool. Shade can also be used to cool down paved areas around your house, and prevent them from absorbing and releasing heat. If you live in a brick or stucco home, your very walls could be absorbing heat that could warm up the air around your air conditioning unit. A large awning on that side of the house could help keep the air around your air conditioner cooler.

Awnings over other windows could help the cool air inside your home stay cool. If possible, install your air conditioner on the north side of your house. You can still shade your air conditioner if it’s on another side of the house, but the north side stays the coolest throughout the day.best central ac for the money Whether your air conditioner is on the north side of your house or on another side, you’ll need to do more than simply build a small awning over it in order to effectively cool enough of the surrounding air to impact the air conditioner’s efficiency. why would ac unit not turn onWhat you’ll need to do is plant trees, shrubs, and bushes.best ac unit for home If your air conditioner is on the south side of your house, go for trees that grow tall and have expansive crowns with plenty of foliage.

If your unit is on the east, west, or north side of your house, you can stick with trees that grow lower to the ground if you want. A six to eight-foot-tall deciduous tree will begin providing some shade for your air conditioner within a year of planting it. If you want to shade all of your home’s windows — and not just the air conditioner itself — give priority to trees planted west of the west-facing windows. You can plant these trees no further than 20 feet from the windows. Choose trees that will grow about 10 feet taller than the windows. To truly maximize your air conditioner’s efficiency, you’ll want to plant at least two or three trees on that side of the house. You should also plant shrubs and bushes near the air conditioner, but not so close that they hamper air flow into the unit. Bushes and shrubs help cool the air above them because they stop the ground from absorbing the sun’s heat. The more trees and bushes you can plant near your air conditioner, the cooler the air around it will be and the more efficiently the unit will function.

You want to focus on creating a large area of cooler air, so that the unit doesn’t simply pull hot air from beyond the shaded area. If there are paved areas or walkways near your air conditioner, make sure they’re also well-shaded. Low-growing shrubs may be sufficient for some areas, such as walkways. Pavement absorbs more heat from the sun than soil, causing the air above it to be that much warmer. If you have a large patio on that side of the house, it may be worthwhile to install an awning over it. Shading your air conditioning unit can help the unit work more efficiently, cut your cooling costs and lengthen your air conditioner’s life. Trees and shrubs also help keep the air inside your house cool, and can increase your enjoyment of your outdoor space.5 important ways you can get your central air conditioning into tiptop shape before the summer heat hits. On the first really hot day of summer, the last thing you want is to flip the switch on your central air conditioner only to find that it doesn’t work.

When an air conditioner sits idle for months, collecting leaves and debris, a bit of maintenance is often needed to get it running properly. If you don’t do this maintenance before summer arrives, you may end up waiting several hot days for a busy service pro—and paying top-of-the- season prices, to boot. Now is the time to get your A/C system working well. You can call an A/C pro to do this–but that may cost you $250 or more. Here you will learn how to replace the filters, clean the condenser, and otherwise get your AC unit into tiptop shape so that it’s ready to operate and cool your home efficiently. A central air-conditioning system employs two main components: a condenser unit, which is typically located outdoors, and an evaporator unit mounted on the air handler or furnace. Together these extract heat from room air through refrigeration technology. The air handler or furnace blower blows the resulting chilled and dehumidified air through ductwork to the home’s rooms.

(For more about this, see How a Central Air Conditioner Works.) Repairs to a central air conditioner’s sealed refrigeration system are not a do-it-yourself job. They should be handled by a professional HVAC service pro. You can, however, do certain cleaning and maintenance tasks yourself to ensure efficient operation and keep the need for professional service people to a minimum. Some of those tasks are detailed below. Before working on a central air conditioner, always turn off the power to the condenser at the service panel, as shown at right. The condenser also typically has a 240-volt weatherproof disconnect box located near the unit; this contains a lever, fuses, or a circuit breaker to shut off the condenser. Turn this off, too. (Note: The condenser contains a capacitor that stores an electrical charge and can be dangerous; allow about a half hour for the charge in the capacitor to dissipate. As an added precaution, avoid touching all electrical components. The furnace or air-handler cabinet often has a separate switch or a circuit breaker in the main electrical panel to control it.

Shut this off, too.) This is the easiest and often most important step. Clean or replace your furnace or air-handler filters twice a year or whenever they begin to look clogged with dust. If you don’t, air flow will be restricted, reducing efficiency, and you will recirculate dust into your home. For information on how to do this, see How to Replace Furnace & AC Filters. A central air conditioner’s condenser unit, typically located outdoors, is like a large fan in a metal box with sides that look like grilles. Ideally, it is protected through the winter by a condenser cover or tarp to prevent accumulation of debris inside it. Otherwise, it is likely to contain leaves, yard debris, and dirt—and you will need to clean it. A large fan inside the metal box moves air across radiator-style condenser coils. If debris has gotten inside the unit, dirt has probably clogged some of the coils, as shown at right. Anything that obstructs the flow of air will cut down the condenser’s efficiency, so these coils should be cleaned at the beginning of every cooling season if they are clogged.

To clean the coils, you’ll need to remove the side and top panels or protective grilles from the condenser unit, using a screwdriver or a nut driver, depending upon the type of fasteners that have been used. Be sure the power to the unit is turned off before you open up the condenser. Just unscrew the side panels and pull them away from the unit, and then lift off the top, which may be heavy due to the weight of the fan attached to it. Don’t tug any of the wires connected to the fan. Using a refrigerator coil brush or a soft brush on a vacuum, gently clean the coils from the outside of the unit. Be careful not to bend the delicate fins or damage the coils. If you do bend the fins, you can straighten them with a “fin comb” made for this purpose. After cleaning from the outside, vacuum the coils from the inside. To release stubborn debris, spray on a commercial coil cleaner from the inside, being careful not to spray the fan or electrical components. Sometimes it’s necessary to use a hose with a trigger-style nozzle to blast dirt and debris out of the coils from inside the unit with a strong but focused stream, but be very careful if you do this.

Take care not to bend the fins, flood the area, or spray water on electrical components or the fan motor so cover those parts with a plastic garbage bag. Also be aware that doing this can cause mud to block some of the areas between the fins, so you will need to be thorough. Scoop leaves and debris out of the base of the condenser and, if it has a drain, make sure the drain is clear. Use the vacuum and a rag to clean the blower’s fan blades. Then tighten any loose mounting bolts and, if the fan motor has oil ports, put a few drops of lightweight oil or spray WD-40 into the ports for lubrication. Mop up any excess water inside the unit, and then reassemble the condenser. Cut and remove any weeds or vines that may obstruct airflow through the condenser unit. The refrigerant tubes or pipes that run from the evaporator on the air handler to the condenser outside are typically covered with foam coolant line insulation to prevent them from losing energy. If you see areas where the insulation is frayed or missing, replace it.