How to Hide the HVAC Condenser for Landscaping The acronym HVAC typically stands for heating, ventilation and air conditioning. Hide the HVAC condenser for landscaping with help from a landscape designer in this free video clip. Good afternoon, my name is Thomas Lowe, and I'm a landscape designer in Atlanta. Today, I'll be giving you some ideas on how to hide your HVAC or air-conditioner unit. A couple ways to do this, one of the first ways, many home owners would do, is they'll use wooden lattice or wooden fencing to hide their A/C unit. And then, also, I'll talk about different kinds of plant material, shrubs to hide your air conditioner system, and the differences between the two. If you want to go the approach of using the lattice or wooden fencing, you can buy pre-made or eight foot or four foot sections of fencing at your hardwood centers or lumber centers. Now, and then, of course, you can cut them to fit custom, or you can actually custom make them yourself. If you custom make something, the wooden fences to hide the air conditioner unit, you'd first of all, need to start out with these four by four posts.

and in this design, we've actually put a four by four post here, another one in this corner and another one in that corner. And let this open for access to the unit. Also, going back with the two by four and put on the front of the four by four post, as shown, right there at the top of the four by four post. And also, at the very bottom, you may not be able to see it, but there's another one on the bottom, just like the top. That actually will give a brace or make up for a brace, that you can go back and put your custom planks or your pre-made fencing on. Now, if you're going to custom make this and even with the pre-fab, you would need to dig a hole with a post hole digger or a saw auger, a little bit bigger. I would actually go a foot across and then, put this four by four post, I would say, at least a foot to two feet in the ground and pour concrete in the hole. And also make sure that these four by four posts line up properly when you do that. So that the fence is straight, when you go back and put the fence on.

And after you pour the concrete around the post, you may want the concrete to set up for a couple of days. So that it cures enough, so that you can go back and put these panels. Sometimes people will actually go in and lay the fence panels on the ground. And then, go back with these four by four braces and put those on, also on the ground. Then, join these posts to the braces and then, just put it all in at once. So, you don't have wait to come back and put that on when the concrete cures. So, that's one approach with the fencing. There's a material too, called the lattice and that's some fencing that you can see through, sort of in a diamond pattern, and that allows a little ventilation in. But this is adequate for enough space for ventilation for the air-conditioner unit. Another approach is quite popular, that you see people doing, is planting shrubs around the air-conditioner unit. Shrubs definitely soften up the area a lot better, you've got some nice flowers that can add some benefits to your landscape, while hiding your unit at the same time.

So, one plant that I would recommend and this is not one, this is a ligustrum, but one plant is a Nandina, Nandina domestica is the genus species. And that plant grows vertical, it grows only about two, three feet wide, grows up to about six feet tall. Those are great to go around air-conditioner units because when you plant plants around air-conditioner units, you never ant these plants to grow into the unit. So, the number one thing is to choose the right size plant, when you deep plant those around a air-conditioner unit. 3 ton ac unit house sizeI also recommend before doing any digging around units, is to call the Utilities Protection Center to mark any utility lines. ac power supply california instrumentsSo that you don't cut any lines when you're digging. air handling units catalogue

So, make sure that the plant you choose doesn't really grow into here, if you really love a plant, you know it's going to get too big, that's o.k., you can plant it. Just know, you're going to have to prune it a couple times in the summer, once it really gets mature. So, it doesn't really grow into this air-conditioner unit. One good example is shown here, that you really do and don't want to do, is here at the bottom, you always want to keep this concrete exposed and you never really want to pile a lot of mulch up around your unit. Because you know, this, all this material holds moisture and you're going to get a lot of rust and it can wear on the system over the years and cause it not to live it's full life. So, you really want to keep this moisture away from the air-conditioner unit and keep it with this concrete foundation exposed. One other thought too, that I forgot to mention was, if you're planting some plants, some grasses or some landscape plants to go around the air-conditioner unit.

One nice about this, is that, and sometimes the fencing does it, is the plant and sometimes the fencing will hide all of these other parts from the sun. Because the sun, and when this gets wet and the sun hits it, it speeds up the rusting and the decomposition a lot quicker. So, plants also really shield the air-conditioner unit parts from rusting as bad. So, I hope this these tips have been some help for you and have a great day. My name is Thomas Lowe, and I'm a landscape designer in Atlanta. Related Articles & VideosPlanting Shade Trees: Landscaping to Save Energy Here's a thought: according to the U.S. Forest Service, fifty million shade trees planted in strategic, energy-saving locations could eliminate the need for seven 100-megawatt power plants. That's a lot of megawatts. And a lot of trees. And while you are not likely planning to plant fifty million, planting as few as three trees, properly positioned, can save the average household from 15% to 35% annually in energy costs - that’s thousands of dollars you’ll save on air conditioning costs as the trees grow to provide abundant shade.

And summer is just around the corner. How Trees Cool Your Home, Business, and Community Trees have been used for hundreds of years to give us shade and cool our homes and businesses. With their two important cooling effects, trees help increase energy efficiency of homes and buildings and reduce energy costs. Trees cool the air by absorbing water through their roots and evaporating it through leaf pores. This process - called evapotranspiration - can result in reducing peak summer temperatures by 2° to 9°F. Trees provide shade that reduces the solar radiation that heats up our homes and businesses. Shaded walls may be 9° to 36°F cooler than unshaded surfaces. Cooler walls also decrease the amount of heat that permeates buildings, lowering the need for air conditioning. And cooler surface temperatures also reduce the amount of heat in the surrounding air, and, as a result, decrease the heat island effect. What is the Heat-Island Effect? Heat islands form in urban and suburban areas, which become warmer than the surrounding countryside, as natural land cover is replaced with roads, buildings, and parking lots.

Reducing trees and vegetation also reduces their natural cooling effects, while tall buildings and narrow streets heat the air between them and reduce air flow. Heat from vehicles, factories, and air conditioners increases the effect. Urban areas without adequate tree cover can become "heat islands," with significantly higher temperatures than the surrounding suburban and residential areas that have more abundant trees. Heat islands are typically 2° to 10°F warmer than nearby rural areas. These elevated temperatures can significantly impact communities by increasing peak energy demand, air conditioning costs, air pollution levels, and heat-related illness. What to Plant, Where to Plant Planting the right tree in the right place is the most important step in landscaping for energy conservation. Selecting trees that will effectively shade your home or business requires consideration of the size, shape, and density of the trees, and the location of the moving shadows that the trees will cast.

Careful selection of trees will create the right amount of shade in the right areas to effectively help lower energy use. Here are some important guidelines for planting trees to help conserve energy: To block solar heat in the summer, plant deciduous trees on the east and west sides of the building. In the winter, their bare branches allow sunshine to warm the house and windows. Plant shade trees over patios and driveways. Air conditioning units operating in the shade use 10% less energy. Plant shade trees or shrubs to shade your unit, but do not block the airflow. Plant deciduous trees with high, spreading crowns (like oak, linden, and walnut) to provide maximum summertime roof shading. Select species with lower crowns to provide shade from lower afternoon sun angles. Consider planting some slow-growing varieties. Although slow-growing trees may require many years of growth before they will shade your roof, they often have deeper roots and stronger branches, which can make them more drought resistant and less prone to breakage.

Also plant shrubs, hedges, and climbing vines to help shade patios, driveways, and sidewalks. The Benefits of Trees Planting trees is a simple thing that everyone can do - today - and an effective way to reduce energy use and costs. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a 6-foot to 8-foot deciduous tree planted near your home will begin shading your windows in the first year. Depending on the species and the home, you can expect the tree to shade your roof in 5-10 years. And while you are enjoying a nice, cool home and lower energy bills during the summer, you can also enjoy the many other benefits trees provide. Trees add beauty and enjoyment to our physical surroundings. They create a positive psychological impact on peoples’ moods and emotions. Trees create a calming effect. In laboratory research, visual exposure to settings with trees produced significant recovery from stress within five minutes. Studies also show that hospital patients recover more quickly in rooms that offer a view of trees.

Trees give off oxygen. One large tree can provide a day’s oxygen for up to four people. Trees clean our air. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and remove other common pollutants from the air, including nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, particulate matter, and ground-level ozone. Trees attract birds and other wildlife. Increased tree cover brings these natural elements into urban communities, enhancing the quality of life for residents. Trees improve water quality. Trees reduce storm water runoff and erosion, and they remove harmful chemicals from the soil to prevent them from running into streams and rivers. Trees increase property values. The sale price of a landscaped home is, on average, between five and 20 percent higher than a home without landscaping. Trees help reduce global warming. Trees absorb carbon dioxide, a leading greenhouse gas, from the atmosphere. Trees control noise pollution. Strategically placed belts of trees can help reduce traffic or airport noise.