[Allieye]

I'm looking for a way to hide my central air conditioner unit and muffle the noise it makes. It's right next to my patio, and though it's a newer unit and not louder than normal, I would love to be able to sit out back and not be constantly reminded that it's there. Also, in my opinion, it's an eyesore, especially since I have plans to make my patio awesome.

My idea is to build a wall around the unit...that would hide it, and muffle the noise. But how much clearance is needed between the unit and wall to allow proper air flow? And how effective would a wall actually be? What would be the best material to use? I live in Ohio so a permanent structure would have to be able to withstand all sorts of weather.

Or, should I be going a different route? How would you approach this problem?

The air conditioner is 26" square by 24" tall. There is a 14" and 17" clearance between the side and back of the unit to the fence, respectively. There are 24" between the concrete base and edge of the patio.

Thanks for reading!

 

[Allieye]

Have you considered relocating the unit to the side of the house.

I hadn't. I assumed that was a more costly option. Am I wrong? There is certainly room behind the fence on the side of the house, and it gets almost no light so nothing grows there anyway. How much do you expect it to cost to get someone to do that? Or can I do myself?