Saturday, May 19, 2012

Air Conditioner Cleaning and Maintenance

In the last couple of years, the air conditioning unit on my motorhome was getting less effective.

RV air conditioners should not normally require recharging, but the cooling fins should be cleaned out regularly.  Dirty cooling fins are a common cause of poor performance.

The following video from RVTravel.com explains the process clearly. The unit on my motorhome is a little different, but the cleaning process is the same.





...and here's a fairly good article at rvtrax.com .

You will need a compressor, brushes, a vacuum, rags, a pail of water and a cleaner/degreaser.

When the cleaning is all done using the process described in the video, you can test  the efficiency of the system using two thermometers.  There should be a temperature difference between the inlet and outlet air of 20 degrees Fahrenheit or 6.7 degrees Celsius.  If the difference is significantly less than that, you will want to take your AC to a professional.


Here are some photos and notes from the cleaning I did this week.


Metal Shroud, and plastic shroud in the background
 My unit has two shrouds, with a metal one nested beneath the plastic one (Above and below)

Side mounted screws
Once the unit was opened, I discovered an old wasp's nest, and the cooling fins were very dusty.  That would explain why the unit was not working so well!




Dusty cooling fins
More dusty cooling fins


In the next picture the unit is all cleaned and being reassembled.




The top screws serve only to secure the outer plastic shroud to the inner metal shroud.  I replace the rusty top screws.





9 comments:

Naoki Dieter said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Dean Jarvey said...

Good tip - thanks Naoki. I found that just the air from the compressor was enough to bend some fins if I was not careful or got too close with the nozzle.

Rosalinda Rudloff said...

Regular cleaning and maintenance is vital to keep your RV in good working condition. Plus, it’ll also protect you from untimely inconveniences, especially during vacation or long trips. No one would want to be hassled in the middle of the road, right? Always take care of your RV!

-Rosalinda Rudloff

Unknown said...

Knowing the details and features of your air conditioning unit is a really good idea. You can actually clean it by yourself and save a lot from having someone else do it. Also, you can clean it whenever you like and whenever you need to -- oftentimes sooner rather than later compared to having the professionals do the job for you.

Mignon Her

Unknown said...

I’d love to drive an RV all day in a place like yours in Alberta! I really look forward to going to the lakes at your place! And driving a motor home on a beautiful place while breathing in the fresh air because of a clean AC is an awesome feeling!

Kurt Verdejo

Mechteld Abelli said...

Regular cleaning and maintenance is important to keep our air conditioners in good condition for a long time. Anyway, if you’re going to do the cleaning yourself, be sure to be very careful or else you might damage a sensitive part of your AC.

-Mechteld Abelli

heatingontario said...

Checking your HVAC for maintenance is very important specially every summer. This will help us keeping our home in a comfortable temperature......Better prevention is always necessary to the electronic goods....

Air Conditioner Repair Toronto

Victoria Martinez said...

This article pretty much sums up the safety precautions and air conditioning functionality. A very nice blog to read. Heating and Cooling London

Michael Sheen said...

Thanks for the great post on your blog, it really gives me an insight on this topic.
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