Spring will be here very soon! With the arrival of spring comes warm weather, activation of the air conditioner and landscaping projects in the yard. If you're thinking about landscaping the area around your air conditioner this spring, it's important to know how landscaping can affect your A/C and what you can do to prevent problems from arising. The following tips will help you landscape around your air conditioner without negatively impacting its functionality.

Leave Breathing Room

Air conditioners operate by removing hot air from your home and releasing that air outdoors. Without adequate airflow, your air conditioner will have to work harder and run more than necessary to cool your home. Over time, this can necessitate air conditioning repair and may cause the premature deterioration of your unit.

Whether you're thinking about hiding your air conditioner condenser behind a fence or planting a wall of shrubs around the unit, leave at least two feet of space around your air conditioner to ensure that the unit gets adequate air flow.

Provide Smart Shade with Tall Shrubs

If you find yourself trying to decide between a short row of roses or a large row of hedges to be planted in the space around your air conditioner, take this into consideration: shade is good for your air conditioner. The warmer your air conditioner gets over the course of a hot summer day, the harder it will be for your air conditioner to release heat. You can make your air conditioner's job easier by planting something tall around the unit.

Consider Organic Debris Before Planting

Plants that shed leaves, seeds or sticks throughout the course of the growing season can make trouble for your air conditioner. Organic debris that builds up around the unit will blow into the fins of the condenser and may eventually work its way inside the unit. This will dirty the coils, restrict air flow in the unit and can cause mechanical problems for your air conditioner.

You can avoid these problems by avoiding plants that die annually, and plants that produce dead leaves or flowers at the end of the growing season. The best plants to place around your air conditioner are evergreens (which stay green all year round) and perennials (because they live from one year to the next).

For more information about the best way to landscape around your air conditioner, talk to a local air conditioning repair person (such as one from CNR Air Conditioning Inc) when he or she comes to your home to give your AC its annual tuneup. He or she can answer your questions and give suggestions that will be safe for your air conditioner.