Staying or living in an RV is a fun and unique experience that you can only get from being an RV, but there’s not much fun to enjoy without a working and reliable air conditioning system. A good air conditioner is your friend when driving or trying to sleep in an RV, especially during the summer. To ensure your AC is always with you, it’s important to maintain and take care of it properly.
As you use your RV during the year, it’s important to remember that you have your AC maintained regularly, at least twice a year. But, if you don’t know what to do when you get to the time your AC needs regular maintenance, you’re in the right spot, as this article will provide you with 5 things to know about RV AC maintenance.
Take care of the cover
While it may seem like a small part of the air conditioning unit, the cover plays a huge part in an AC’s reliability, as it prevents stuff like debris, dirt, and dust from getting into your AC and causing all sorts of problems.
For such a small part, it does provide great protection for the AC. Also, it’s the first thing you see when looking at the generator, which means maintenance is necessary if you want it to look good. Furthermore, the AC cover protects your AC from limbs and other outside hazards that you may hit along the road.
Because it handles a lot of stress, you need to look at your AC cover regularly to make sure it’s still structurally sound and can still protect your AC.
Straight fins are crucial for a reliable AC
After looking at your AC cover and taking it off, you’ll face the metal fins installed on the AC. Since they do a lot of work, they can get bent or stretch over years of use.
It can also get damaged from debris that gets its way into the unit. With the fins doing a significant part of taking the heat from the air, it makes sense to really make sure that you have straight fins.
If you want your AC to work well, you want its fins to be straight and free of any debris. If you see that the fins are bent, you can try to straighten them by using a comb carefully. Regarding debris, you can clean it with water and mild soap if the combination doesn’t do the job to remove the dirt and debris.
Look out for leaks
The AC unit is an area where water leaks often happen, and for RVs, water getting into your RV can cause significant damage to the RV.
RV ACs are usually installed in a hole at the roof of the vehicle with a rubber ring that helps keep the water out, but even then, rubber rings aren’t as effective as caulk-type sealants, and the smallest space can lead to water getting inside. So that the AC won’t be a source of water leaks, you need to place the rubber ring properly and install it tightly.
Other than rainwater, the AC also produces a lot of water when running due to condensation. To ensure that water doesn’t get into the RV, make sure that the AC is installed tightly and check the rubber ring every 6 months, and if it’s not really doing its job properly anymore, make sure to replace it properly.
RV ACs can’t be recharged
You can recharge home air conditioners and some car air conditioning units when they don’t work as they should. But, when it comes to RV ACs, they can’t be recharged. So you won’t waste your time when you have a problem with your RV AC, recharging won’t work, and you’re going to have to look for another solution.
Read also: RV House Batteries Not Charging
Wash the filters regularly
If there’s one thing about RV AC maintenance or the maintenance of any type of air conditioner that you shouldn’t forget, it’s all about checking your filters every once in a while. Typically, this should be done every 6 months, but if you use your AC a lot, you may want to consider checking and cleaning your AC filter more regularly.
However, while you can clean it as much as you can, there will come a time that the filter will be too worn or damaged to be cleaned and reused, which means you will have to buy and install a brand-new filter. Of course, every AC can have a different filter size. If you can’t find one that fits your AC, don’t worry because you can buy a large one and cut it to fit your AC.
Other useful tips
Use a soft starter to make startup more efficient and for less wear on the AC unit.
Track your maintenance to understand your budget and know which parts are at risk.
Clean the drains regularly.
Replace gaskets and filters.
Look out for corrosion.
Understand that RV ACs are single-use, which means in time, they will start to become more and more inefficient and ineffective even with proper maintenance.
While good AC maintenance can help your AC last and be more effective for a longer time, so does getting quality air conditioning for your caravan or RV. Still, even with a high-quality RV, these 5 maintenance tips will surely help you avoid all sorts of problems with your RV air conditioner.