Shading the condenser unit keeps it cooler and increases it’s efficiency and helps keeps my electricity costs down. The sail is high enough and mesh like so that it doesn’t trap the hot air. In fact it creates a slight wind tunnel effect. The shade it provides lasts during the hottest part of the day and a tree helpfully blocks the sun for the remainder. The unit is never in full sun this way. Keeping the weeds and other debris away from the unit so that it gets good airflow and cleaning the condenser every year also help with the units efficiency.
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I’m curious why you rehang it every year and don’t just install a retractable awning. Hell, putting some smaller retractable shades over the windows, especially the sunnier ones, would probably also save you a chunk of change on those bills.
This is clever, but I don’t think my HOA would allow. On the other hand, today was my once-per-three-year day to clean the coils, and boy do I hope that made a difference.
If you’re hot, they’re hot!
I only recently learned these need to be shaded. People have started trying to come up with some solutions. No clue if this works https://cooleriscooler.com/
Have you been able to quantify how much more efficient your unit is because of the shade?
I reckon at least three
Boy I’ll tell you what, 3 is alot.
And your HOA just lets you?
Not all HOAs are bad… mine pretty much only exists to take care of our neighborhood pool, they’ve even loosened some of the few restrictions that had been in place since the 70s (restrictions on the type of fencing or sheds has been lifted). And it tends to run with a flat budget so our rates are very low for the area.
It’s a sad reality when people assume having an HOA is a given.
Feel bad for those subjected to it but I’d never purchase a property under the thumb of an HOA. Sucks how ubiquitous they have become.
Assuming they live in an HOA. Also, this looks like a backyard. HOAs don’t typically (at least in my experience) have domain over the back yard.
I have mine under some trees. It’s shaded in the summer and in the sun in the winter, which helps because it’s also a heat pump
IIRC, my AC guy said the vertical throw of those units is far higher than that, I wonder if that translates into it sucking in more of it’s own air (less efficient, higher cost)? Then again, UV seems to destroy everthing…
I doubt it. That’s quite far and it’s open so there’s plenty of room for it to spread out. You wouldn’t want part of your building to be in the air stream because the air from the condensing unit would heat it up, but it’s fine if the tarp gets warm.
Heat rises so the plume these put out really is tall, the buoyancy of air does most of the work – put a fog machine next to it and you’ll see it reach higher than the house.
The biggest benefit here is probably the shade to the siding, I’d focus on that (read: more trees) going forward instead of a black mesh shade that will absorb more sun and radiate heat back out.
Hot AIR rises. And it can also move sideways, and both are possible with this mesh. Looks like the hot air would go up and out in 3 directions (plus through) and cooler air would be pulled in from the yard. Wouldn’t it be interesting to test it with colored smoke? Or as you said a fog machine
Fucking smart
As expected for someone who uses a heat pump!
Nice! Do you have to purchase a new sunshade Everytime? Or reinstall the same one? I wonder if a more fabric tarp would last longer.
All this for a max of 10 percent more efficiency?
If I thought I’d get a 10% efficiency bump on my AC by doing this, I would do it in a heartbeat.
Looks like a yearly 20 minute jobs (10 up, 10 down), would save 40$ a year. Few of my yearly tasks pay 120$/hr.
“All this”
Its like 2 eye bolts, some rope, and a mesh sail lmao
Some people really don’t want to do anything.
The shade on the siding is helping, too. My siding gets hot af when it’s in direct sun, and you can feel it radiating though the wall
That roof looks low, so this whole sail looks too low. I wouldn’t want to crane my head every time I go under it, as I’m quite tall and have always been sensitive about my height as a tall person.
I used to get bullied a lot, so please be kind about my comment. Hearts and kisses, -Jennifer.
It’s level with the lowest roof how tall are you 😮
Okay Goliath
If I told you that I had ten percent guaranteed return on an investment you’d want in too.
If you told me that, I wouldn’t give you my money 😂
10 percent would be huge not only the bill but in wear and tear. I doubt it’s that much, but more is always good when it’s a simple fix.
