This Common Yard Maintenance Task Could Be Putting Strain On Your AC Unit

Everyone loves a well-landscaped yard. And if you're the one putting in all the blood, sweat, and tears to make your lawn look so nice, you probably don't want to hear that you may inadvertently be doing something to harm your home's AC unit. In fact, even if you're only doing basic lawn care, you could be overlooking one potential problem. The simple act of mowing could be causing grass clippings and other debris to be thrown at the outdoor AC condenser unit. It's the classic mistake you should avoid making when landscaping around your HVAC.

Your outdoor AC condenser unit contains coils and a fan that blows air across those coils. When you mow the lawn and clippings go flying toward the unit, the fan can easily blow them right onto the coils. This can cause a buildup and clog the coils inside the unit, which will restrict the airflow it needs in order to function properly. That airflow is what's responsible for cooling your home, by basically pulling out the hot air from inside, cooling it down, and blowing it back in. Grass clippings can be particularly troublesome because they're often damp after mowing, allowing them to cling to the condenser rather than simply blowing away. When debris restricts that airflow, however, the AC may operate less efficiently and work harder to cool your home, potentially increasing energy consumption and putting additional strain on the system.

Keeping roughly 2 to 3 feet of clear space around an AC condenser helps maintain adequate airflow, but that also means you'll occasionally need to mow or otherwise maintain the surrounding area. But how do you keep that area clear without inadvertently causing damage to the very thing you're trying to protect? Here are some useful tips to prolong the life of your HVAC system while mowing the lawn around it. To start, you might consider turning the AC off while doing yard work so the condenser fan isn't running while grass clippings are flying nearby.

As for the best methods for mowing your lawn more efficiently around the outdoor AC unit, make sure you're mowing in a way that positions the discharge in the opposite direction of the AC unit. The discharge is where the mower will force out the grass clippings, usually on one side or the other. Using a bag on the discharge to catch the clippings is also helpful. It's best to avoid using a string trimmer, also known as a weed eater or weed whacker, as there really is no way to control where the clippings fly. It's a safer to get down there and pull those weeds by hand. When you're done mowing, clear away any loose debris that landed on or around the unit and rake up excess clippings nearby. If you leave them, they can easily end up getting blown around and landing on the AC unit.