I have an 8 horsepower, reverse cycle, split system air conditioner, with the condenser unit at the front of the house. It’s in a rebated section, so it’s side on to the street, but still clearly visible. I chose to have it there for a number of reasons.
[ul][li]It’s directly adjacent to the internal half of the unit, so the plumbing and electrical connections are as short as possible. I wanted it on an external wall, so that the internal half of the system could drain straight outside. I was told I’d need a small electric pump to drain any water condensed by the internal unit if it was mounted on an internal wall. That’s added complexity, cost, and disaster if it stops working. No, I like it better the way it is - as simple as possible.[/li]
[li]The front of the house faces a very busy main road. Any noise from the condenser (which isn’t much, admittedly) gets lost in the traffic noise. If I had the condenser up the side of the house, it’d be closer to the bedrooms, and the neighbour’s house.[/li]
[li]I can’t see the blessed thing from inside the house, so I don’t give a rat’s if it’s visible from the street. And it looks pretty OK anyway.[/li][/ul]
It just works out better the way it is. I’m happy, and no one has commented negatively on it thus far.
Zoning ordinances sometimes limit where outside AC units can be placed. If it’s too close to a neighbors window, that could be an issue. I doubt it’s enforced unless someone makes a formal complaint.
When I put central AC in our house, I installed the compressor unit 40 feet away from the house, behind a fence. I didn’t want anyone to be able to see it. Digging the trench was a real bitch, though.
We live in BFE, and one thing I don’t understand is why people install propane tanks in their front yard. Ours is hidden in the same spot as the AC compressor.
Local codes often dictate where to put the condenser. Barring that, putting it in the front is probably just cheaper, and it usually happens when central AC is added well after the house was built and the central heating was put in.
(I no longer have a condenser, but instead have a loop field buried six feet under ground.)
Not really. You may have to increase the pipe size, but distance isn’t really a problem.
On the other hand, long runs of larger pipe costs more money. Same thing for the copper refrigerant pipes (plus the copper wires - long runs may require larger wire). If it’s a few hundred dollars difference between the front and back yard, some people will put it where it is cheapest.
Not only that but the further north you go the smaller your elevation angle becomes. It’s not a problem in Florida since your dish points practically straight up. But in Minnesota the dishes point south with a slight rise and lots of obstacles get in the way. Even with a tripod mounted dish on the top of my 2-story house the neighbors trees blocked my signal. Hello cable tv.
