You may think your AC filters stay clean a long time but they don’t. So do not neglect your Air Conditioner. If you are unfamiliar with your particular unit, a great place to start is with the owners manual.
The Owners Manual (in my case a Dometic Unit) is going to describe how to remove the filter, and perform other routing maintenance on your unit. The manual will also have a small section on trouble shooting any problems you may experience.
There are three specific tasks that you will want to perform on a regular basis. The first is the cleaning of the AC Filter. Remember to ALWAYS turn your power completely off when doing work on your travel trailer. Also, if you are nervous doing work on your unit, find a competent repair facility to do the work for you.
Task 1
The recommended filter cleaning schedule is as follows. A minimum of every two weeks of operation, remove the air filter and wash it with soap and warm water. Then let it air dry and reinstall it. Never run your unit without the air filter in place. That will plug the evaporator coil with dirt and will cause performance issues. Keeping that filter clean increases the efficiency of your AC unit. That in turn keeps you cooler.
I cleaned my filter earlier in the year and we’ve have only been on two short trips. I pulled the filter and at first glance it looked clean. (Keep in mind calling it a filter is a bit of a stretch; it’s just a fine thin mesh.) Then I ran a paper towel over it… it was disgusting!
If you have an AC unit in your bedroom, you should check it at the same time. Get religion around cleaning your filters..like you would on checking tire pressures.
Task 2
You will also need to conduct an inspection each year on the mounting bolts. These are the four bolts that hold the unit to the roof. In-between the lower unit and the upper unit there is a foam gasket. The purpose of this gasket is to keep and water out of your travel trailer. It can only succeed in this task of the bolts are tight enough to compress the gasket and make a waterproof seal. On my unit the torque specifications are 40-50 INCH pounds. I highlighted Inch for a reason. If you don’t read the specs correctly you may think FOOT pounds, and 40-50 foot pounds would probably damage your unit.
So, you will need to purchase a special INCH torque wrench to do this task. Follow your owners manual instructions on how to disassemble your lower fan Air Distribution Box (the AC lower cover) so you can access the four bolts. This was easy on my main unit, and less easy on my bedroom unit.
Task 3
Lastly, you are going to want to get up on your roof and pull the AC shroud at least yearly and look at what is lurking inside.
Step 1 – While on the roof, remove the four screws that hold the shroud onto the Unit. On my unit there are two screws in the front of the shroud and two screws on the rear sides.
Next lift the shroud off and gently place it in a safe spot on your trailer. Remember it is very light and if it’s windy it could blow off the roof of the trailer. Next perform a visual inspection. Here’s what I found just yesterday:
I was not thrilled to find these mud dauber nests on the AC unit. However, they were easy to remove and then I cleaned the unit completely. I do this inspection yearly, so it looks like I will be doing it more often now. It’s interesting to report that there were no nests in the front AC unit (bedroom).
So here is another fun fact. While you are up there with the shroud off (and the power off too), reach in front of the fan blades as if you want to touch the center shaft were it comes through the fan. Mud daubers LOVE to built nests there and on the shaft of the fan. You should be concerned about this as it will throw the balance off on the motor and make a heck of a racket when the AC runs. Just ask my buddy Al…it happened to him this spring. Keep in mind the fan motor is factory lubricated and needs no service. So this inspection will probably suffice.
You could inspect the evaporator coil while you are up there and see if it needs any cleaning, but beware, you need to be really gentle so you do not bend any fins. My coil looked very clean.
OK, once you have your unit clean you can reinstall the shroud. Now you should be ready to resume cooling your travel trailer.
Finally remember that how well your air conditioner works also depends on the heat gain inside your travel trailer. Doing the following will help you reduce that heat gain and help your AC unit run more efficiently:
- Park in a shady spot
- Use Window shades, blinds or curtains. You might also consider getting your windows UV tinted. If you want to read about tinting windows click here.
- Minimize the amount of going in and out of the trailer.
- Avoid using heat producing appliances.
Having a nice cool RV depends on you; So do not neglect your Air Conditioner. Stay Safe and enjoy your travel trailer!
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