Inspected Thoughts

We are always trying to hide these units. Some people call them  condensers, while some call them compressors. These units contain both pieces of equipment, so that is why both terms are used to refer to this unit. I will call it a compressor for this post. We need it to cool our homes, but  they do not always fit into our landscaping. So how can we hide them, while ensuring that they function well?

Here are some things to consider. The compressor should be level and off of the ground to protect it from standing water after a rain. Compressors are set on a concrete slab to have them at least three inches off of the ground, but these slabs can sink, or the ground could be built up around them. You could purchase special stands that would lift and level a compressor at any home improvement center. The next consideration is that you will want a good air circulation around the unit. There should be at least a foot of clear space in each direction around the compressor to accomplish this air flow. Lastly, you need to have space around the compressor for someone to work on it. A three foot space is a good distance.

What are your options in hiding it? The simplest is painting it to match the house color or some theme in your garden. I painted mine black, since that color allows it to fade into the background. I painted my breaker box a red that I used for some objects around the exterior of the house. When painting a compressor, you do not want to paint the fins, just the metal frame parts. The fins help taking the heat from your house to the outside. Another method is to build a small fence like structure around it. Make this out of a trellis material so air can easily pass through it. I would have the posts for this fence in a fixed position, but make the body portion removable, so the compressor can be worked on. The last simple method is planting around the compressor. This works out well as long as the space around the compressor is kept clear, and a path to the compressor is made. You will probably have to prune every so often to keep the plants clear of the unit.

As long as you follow the considerations, you will not have any problems with home inspectors. Your solutions could combine a couple of the above mentioned means, or you may find other creative ways to pull a person’s line of sight away from the compressor.

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Frank Schulte-Ladbeck A Houston home inspector TREC# 9073
This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 17th, 2008 at 8:38 pm and is filed under Living in your Home. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can share your thoughts, or trackback from your own site. RSS