Condenser shade ideas.
 

My condenser faces the west and the sun beats on it during the hot afternoons and I'm looking for ideas of what type of shade barrier I can put near the condenser.

I was thinking of some type of plastic/PVC vented fence just to cover the two sides that is exposed to sun.

If you can keep your condenser shaded it will be more efficient and not work as hard.

Not interested in bushes.

I know villagetinker has an idea.

interesting article - I dunno, UF study says it's negligible

Does Your Air Conditioner Need Shade? – Energy Efficiency Myths

Neighbor put up white vinyl fencing about 3.5 feet tall. Looks good and cut down the noise some.

The compressor has an sound insulating blanket over it. The coolent lines cool the device

Huh? The entire outside unit is called the condensing unit. It consists of a heat transfer coil, the cooling fan, and the compresser. When in the cooling mode, the refrigerant is piped through the coil and the fan moves air across the coil to remove heat from the refrigerant. I don't know what blanket you are referring to. But, I don't think it makes sense to shade the condensing unit. It will have minimal effect on the unit's efficiency.

The cooler the area around the condenser the easier the heat transfers to atmosphere.

Service man from Munn's suggested it when he saw my condenser baking in the westward sun. I agree with his suggestion but for each their own.

Any chance you know where he bought it? Ace, Home Depot, Lowes? Thanks.

According to the Florida Solar Energy Center:

"We conclude that any savings produced by localized AC condenser shading are quite modest (<3%) and that the risk of interrupting air flow to the condenser may outweigh shading considerations. The preferred strategy may be a long-term one: locating AC condensers in an unobstructed location on the shaded north side of buildings and depending on extensive site and neighborhood-level landscaping to lower localized air temperatures."

I would also point out that a 3.5 foot high fence will not provide much shading during the hottest part of the day. The fence would need to be higher and far enough away from the condenser to prevent air flow restrictions. Air flow is more important than shading.

Sorry, no additional info and the neighbor has moved out of state. As I recall all of the big box stores carry vinyl fencing and the materials needed to install. Just be sure to check with ARC some fences are not allowed, or not allowed in all CDDs.

A friend of mine bought a deluxe Carrier condenser from Munn's that is
so quiet, you actually need to look inside at the fan blades to tell if it's running.

Sorry, pushed send too soon...

The newer compressors have a sound insulating blanket over it. The coolent lines cool the compressor

Our AC guy says it’s not needed.

A tree grows in brooklyn
 

Where's a tree when you need one

I use a fine water mister on very hot days, it appears to work well.

If it overheats the AC repairman runs a hose on it, which is what gave me the idea.

Condenser shade idea
 

Better check your deed. Fences are generally not allowed.

Sorry, no additional info and the neighbor has moved out of state. As I recall all of the big box stores carry vinyl fencing and the materials needed to install. Just be sure to check with ARC some fences are not allowed, or not allowed in all CDDs.
==============================

Fences aren’t allowed in any yard unless the developed has installed a fence (I.e. courtyard villas, a FEW streets in Hemingway, and the FEW areas south of 44 where homes have fenced yards.)

Don’t know about the mobile home section, but haven’t seen fences there so guessing it is true there as well.

A person could TRY and get approval from ARC.

I wish EVERY outdoor HVAC unit had some type of sound buffer. Our homes are so darned close together and the stucco exteriors creates terrible reverb and amplification of the noise. It actually vibrates my bedroom windows when the three crummy old units of my neighbors cycle on and off, on and off, 9 months of the year.
Makes enjoying ones lanai a challenge unless one is deaf.
Looking forward to all of these old units dying and hopefully having neighbors buy better quality replacements. Our unit is a whisper.

Many large commercial condensers are water cooled, but most residential units are air cooled. My guess is that you are spending more money on the water than you are saving on electricity.

From what I was told by an HVAC friend of mine is that you need to keep at least a 3 feet buffer zone around the AC unit for air circulation with 5 feet being optimal. The fence would need to be pretty high to offer any shade.

I agree. I would also note that the condenser coil never receives any direct sunlight because it is already shaded by the louvered metal panels that form the condenser unit housing.

This contradicts itself. On one hand, it's saying shade wouldn’t produce any savings and on the other hand, it's saying to put it on the north side in the SHADE. HUH?

Moving it to the north side is not logistically possible, it’s a courtyard villa.

The house's plastic fence shades it from the east but the condenser is in between the two villas so as the sun moves west there is about a 3-hour time frame when it’s baking in the sun of course this is the hottest part of the day so 3 hours may not sound like much but it makes a difference.

I had no intention of putting some sun barrier too close to the unit as I realize it needs airflow for heat transfer.

On my unit, the fan is on top so that is where most of the heat transfer is taking place.

It's not only about monthly cost savings but trying to preserve the unit and not work harder than it needs to be.

I guess after paying $5000 for a new unit last year unexpectedly I’m being a little conservative.

Thanks for the idea Village Tinker.

Originally Posted by jimbo2012 View Post
I use a fine water mister on very hot days, it appears to work well.

If it overheats the AC repairman runs a hose on it, which is what gave me the idea.
Comments based on years of refinery cooling system experience:
1. Running a lot of water over the condenser and not evaporating all of it can add to the cooling effect and help the condenser. I agree the cost will be high.

2. Spraying a fine water mist on the condenser will help but if the water is completely evaporated the dissolved solids in the water (Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, Chlorides etc.) will start to plate out on the condenser coils surface. Eventually, the condenser will lose efficiency. We have used water mist on refinery air coolers during peak ambient air situations but used very high quality Boiler Feedwater with less than 0.5 ppm total dissolved solids. Distilled water sold in the stores for your CPAP machine has about 5 PPM TDS. TV house water is probably 100 ppm TDS or so with calcium the main solid. The spray may be fine for a short time but not recommended for long term.

3. Industrial HVAC units are water cooled using recirculating water in turn cooled by a forced air cooling tower. This a lower cost and more cost efficient way to cool the condenser than using direct ambient air for large commercial HVAC systems.
Residential HVAC systems use direct air cooling and heating since it would be expensive to have a separate air to water to condenser setup. The cooling tower also requires water treating chemicals and controls.

The only water cooled residential HVAC's that I know of are Geothermal Heat Pumps. These systems use closed circuit recirculated water which is heated and cooled using either underground pipes to exchange heat/cooling with the ground say 5 ft below grade or actually using ground water pumped and then discharged back to the underground water.

The comment on putting the condenser on the North side of the house if possible is based on what the relative air temperatures are versus side of the house. The cooling and heated are done with very large amounts of ambient air passing over the HVAC. condenser . Direct sunlight on the metal has negligible effect on the system but the cool air from a grove of trees provides much better cooling. Next time you pass an old farmhouse check to see if it is inside a grove of trees. Usually is. Farmers were/are smart people and in touch with their surroundings.

Yes, the fan blows air out of the top of the unit, but the heat transfer process takes place in the coil and it depends on the fan creating a negative pressure and allowing an unrestricted flow of air across the coil which surrounds the perimeter of the unit. Any disruption of that air flow will reduce the efficiency of the condenser unit. An even distribution of air across the entire coil is way more important than shading the unit.

AC cooling
 

A mister that sprays a mist into the coils when the unit is running is more efficient. You can purchase the kits or make your own

I would never install a mister to spray the condenser coil. It will cause calcium deposits to form on the thin metal heat transfer fins on the coil, and make the unit less efficient. Also, if your unit is under warranty, make sure the warranty will not be voided by installing a mister.

Trellis from Amazon
 

I installed these trellises. My wife is thinking of the best plants to put into the boxes.

Put up a awning

It looks very nice. But, I don't think it will save you a penny on electricity.

Heat rises and an awning would be more of a heat transfer restriction than a side barrier.

The hardest time to transfer heat from the house to outside is on a very humid day when the atmosphere is saturated with moisture.

Heat transfer happens via water vapor because of a change of pressures from the unit to the atmosphere, the temperature and pressure are much higher at the condenser side or (High) side than the atmospheric pressure which is 14.7.

Remember warmer air will always travel to cooler air.

I like the white fence above but maybe with smaller holes.

Post #2 seems to supply agreement from University of Florida. Perhaps yet another urban myth.

I do not do marriage counselling. My suggestion, anything SHE will take care of.
The planters-do they have drainage holes? Otherwise plants will die when the planters fill up with water. Drainage holes and you will see streaks from the water on the installed paving. At Lowes customer I want a plant I can't kill, blooms etc etc. Reply-PLASTIC,

Snowbug: Did you have to get ARC approval for the trellis'? They look nice.