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mkirsch's avatar
mkirsch
Nomad II
Aug 24, 2015

Black Air Conditioner Shroud

The shroud that came with my "salvage" Coleman Mach AC was cracked in a couple of places. I put a couple layers of fiberglass cloth in as a repair, but the dingy flimsy shroud perched on top of my camper is bothering my low grade OCD. I s'pose I could paint it but it would still be patched together.

A new white shroud is more than I spent on the whole AC unit. However, I have found a source for a black shroud at a much lower cost. Still more than I paid for the unit, but it's one of those solid MaxxAir shrouds that will take a mortar shell.

The black would be a neat accent, as it matches the truck.

Will the black shroud cause a major problem with heat absorption? Am I going to turn the camper into an oven with this thing on the roof?

5 Replies

  • I have two black covers and they cool fine even in Florida.

    If the cracks are around the screw holes you can take a 1.5W piece of aluminum strap about 20 inches long and drill holes to match the existing holes. One strap across the front two holes, another across the back. Bend the straps to match the curve of the sides.

    I have seen these for sale at RV shows.
  • No for the heat.
    Carbon black added to PVC makes the material infinety more UV resistant.
  • Will the black shroud get a little hotter? Yes. Will it impact the A/C performance? No. The higher temperature of the shroud will not affect the temperature of the air being blown across the condenser. It's moving too fast to have sufficient time to gain heat from the shroud.
  • The color of the cover has no affect on performance whatsoever so long as it does not block the condenser airflow....
  • mkirsch wrote:

    Will the black shroud cause a major problem with heat absorption?
    Am I going to turn the camper into an oven with this thing on the roof?


    No and no. Depends on what you consider "major".

    The A/C probably will be slightly less efficient with a black cover but it should have little impact when not running.

    You could give it a couple of coats of white paint, after appropriate prep, before installing it.

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