How to hide your air conditioner unit

How to hide your air conditioner unit

An air conditioning or heating system always come with a disadvantage, the condenser, which is the outdoor portion of your air conditioner or heat pump. It's essential because it releases or collects the heat for your HVAC system but it's noisy and doesn't look great in your backyard or balcony. 

There are plenty of creative ways to hide or cover the condenser of your air conditioning system. We're breaking down for you there he most common options and their pros and cons. 

  

Hide your AC with a natural hedge

Air conditioning privacy hedge

If done right, a natural hedge is the most beautiful way to hide your air conditioning system. It blends well within your landscape and provides a natural shelter for your system. Natural hedges are also knows to provide a natural sound barrier and help reduce the noise of your system. 

It does however require a little bit of maintenance to make sure the plants you choose for the hedge do well throughout the seasons and last enough to cover your AC system for years to come. 

Pros: looks beautiful, noise benefits
Cons: maintenance required

Photo credit: KG Landscape

 

Hide you AC with an artificial hedge

Artificial hedge AC fence

There are plenty of nice artificial hedge products out there as a solution to hide your AC unit. The benefit is the low maintenance. These hedges are made of plastic and don't need water, plant food and can handle any weather condition. They are also very dense, which provides nice privacy from your AC unit. 

Pros: quick to install, low maintenance
Cons: expensive, doesn't look as good as a natural hedge

Photo credit: Artigwall

 

Hide your AC with a wood fence

Wood privacy fence AC unit

If you like to build things and follow do-it-yourself tutorials, this is the option you'll like. There are plenty of videos showing you how to build a wood fence or enclosure to hide your condenser. with the right amount of efforts, these privacy fences can turn out beautiful and blend well with your landscape. Now wood required a little bit of maintenance if you want it to last, but in the end it's all worth it. 

Pros: looks beautiful, fairly durable
Cons: cost of wood, time to build

Photo credit: Country Living Magazine

 

Hide your AC with a plastic fence

Plastic fences are widely available and can be used to hide you AC condenser or pool equipment. The challenge is that they don't necessarily look very good and won't resist heavy wind. 

These plastic fences are fairly affordable and constitute a decent option to hide your AC system. 

Pros: Affordable, easy to install
Cons: Wind resistance, aesthetic

Photo credit: Enclo

 

Hide your AC with an aluminum cover

Aluminum AC Privacy cover

Aluminum covers are a great option to cover your air conditioning unit. They combine great benefits compared to the other solutions available in the market. Aluminum AC covers look great! They are resistant and will last several years without any maintenance required. They also provide protection for your air conditioner and will help extend the life of your system. Finally, they help reduce the noise of your system.

Pros: Easy to install, looks beautiful, noise benefits, low maintenance
Cons: We haven't found one yet :)