Cleaning A/C coils: DIY or hire a pro? (See March 8 update)

[profdant139]

I've had my trailer for ten years -- never did anything to clean the a/c components. (Shameful, I know.)

But last summer, the a/c iced up once or twice -- sending me a message to do something.

I can climb up onto the roof, although I don't want to. And I know I can buy A/C maintenance tools, like a comb to clean the fins.

My question is simple: how many folks do it all themselves, and how many hire a pro?

Thanks in advance for playing! 😉

[profdant139]

She would never climb up on the roof and stand up there. She crawls on her hands and knees!

And speaking on behalf of all of us who married frisky women, may Heaven bless them!

[Cummins12V98]

MFL wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:

MFL wrote:
profdant139 wrote: "Now for the hard part -- persuading DW to participate in this next experiment in DIY A/C maintenance."

Behind every strong, confident man, stands a great wife!

Jerry

Not a chance in HE!! my wife would climb the ladder and actually stand on the roof!!!

IDK, pics I've seen, things you've said, she seems to be a spry, active young lady to me! I guess I could PM her, ask her if she's afraid to climb up on the roof?? 😉

Good point she is a good tire changer.

[pinesman]

When mine started icing up, the taping had come loose in the plenum, mixing the hot air and cold air preventing all of the air from flowing through the evaporator coils. When I got everything sealed back properly, I had much better air flow though the duct work and no more icing

[MFL]

Cummins12V98 wrote:

MFL wrote:
profdant139 wrote: "Now for the hard part -- persuading DW to participate in this next experiment in DIY A/C maintenance."

Behind every strong, confident man, stands a great wife!

Jerry

Not a chance in HE!! my wife would climb the ladder and actually stand on the roof!!!

IDK, pics I've seen, things you've said, she seems to be a spry, active young lady to me! I guess I could PM her, ask her if she's afraid to climb up on the roof?? 😉

[Cummins12V98]

MFL wrote:
profdant139 wrote: "Now for the hard part -- persuading DW to participate in this next experiment in DIY A/C maintenance."

Behind every strong, confident man, stands a great wife!

Jerry

Not a chance in HE!! my wife would climb the ladder and actually stand on the roof!!!

[MFL]

profdant139 wrote: "Now for the hard part -- persuading DW to participate in this next experiment in DIY A/C maintenance."

Behind every strong, confident man, stands a great wife!

Jerry

[profdant139]

Many good tips! Yes, the thermostats and fan settings are all where they should be. I don't think it's low refrigerant -- the a/c works great, until it ices up, which takes a while.

I should remove the interior air distribution box so that I can see the evap coil from inside the trailer. If it looks bad, then I will have to think hard about going back onto the roof and opening up the plastic box that surrounds the evap coil.

I like the idea of using aluminum tape to re-seal the box -- assuming that it does not shatter while we are trying to open it.

Now for the hard part -- persuading DW to participate in this next experiment in DIY A/C maintenance.

[ken56]

Does your thermostat have a high and low setting for the fan? For air conditioning it should be on high and for heat it is on low. Too easy to overlook the simple things...don't ask me how I know.

[Veebyes]

I suppose that I should get up there & clean mine.

Any thoughts on using a compressor? Figure blow the dirt back the way it came in.

[wa8yxm]

"So, now we will test out the a/c and see if it still ices up (as it had been doing). If it does, we will call a mobile repair guy. We gave it our best shot, and there is nothing more that we can do by ourselves."

The Evap coils "Dirty up" on the side you can easily see and clean by removing the ceiling cover and looking UP.. (Inside the RV)

There are several causes for Icing.
Not enough air flow over Evap is one (Dirty intake filters, Dirty Evap, Blower on LOW) Low refrigerant is another (Causes the evap to get too cold)

Many RV A/C units have a frost sensor. This is a "probe" that is SUPPOSED to be stuck into the Evap coils.. sometimes they forget to stick it and leave it in the drip tray.. The job of this sensor is to shut down the compressor when it starts to Ice up.

I've had people who claimed to be A/C service folk tell me they have never seen low refrigerant cause icing.. I've seen it several times (Though I'll admit not in an RV unit) from Window units to industrial units I've seen it.

NOTE: Fixing that ... Well I know how to do it but not sure I can get what I need.... Professional assistance suggested.

[Gdetrailer]

frankwp wrote:

profdant139 wrote:

So, now we will test out the a/c and see if it still ices up (as it had been doing). If it does, we will call a mobile repair guy. We gave it our best shot, and there is nothing more that we can do by ourselves.

There is a time to boldly DIY, and then there is a time when discretion is the better part of valor.

Icing up indicates insufficient airflow over the evaporator coil, so either the filter is clogged or the coil is dirty.

In addition, excessive icing up under normal air temperatures and humidity can be a sign of low refrigerant when the A/C starts losing refrigerant.. And with most RV A/C units, it is factory sealed with no service ports..

There is a way to determine if you have proper refrigerant levels without a port described HERE

HERE is a video showing a basic diagnosis using compressor amp draw along with in temp and output temp.

And sometimes there is absolutely nothing wrong with the A/C and it freezes up due to the air temps and humidity level at the time of use.

[Cummins12V98]

This is the tape you want. Commercial quality and it does STICK!!! Be sure the surface is clean.



Nashua Foil Tape Multi Purpose 50.3 Ft. Aluminum Silver 2" wide

[ajriding]

Taking the box apart is not at all high tech. No hourly employee is needed, you can re-tape it yourself just as well as an RV guy who hurries thorough it. Duct tape is literally made for AC ducts and sealing off air. Use the shiny metal-looking tape, not the dull gray tape. If you need foam then reuse what you removed or use anything similar. This is one of the least complex systems on your RV, all you are doing is sealing off very very low pressure airflow.

[MFL]

Yes, likely the coil, which needs to be well sealed. Not sure what model AC you have (maybe I missed it), but if someone else does the cleaning, be sure to check that they resealed it properly after cleaning. You should be able to remove the cover on the inside, look up, and don't want to see any daylight.

Jerry