roof a/c maintenance

[Clifftall]

My last MH had basement air. I now have two roof a/c units.

I'm told that they require some annual service with regards to the fins, such as cleaning/washing them. How do you do this and keep the water out of the inside ceiling?
Cliff

[Batman_777]

For safety of the AC units, I used compressed air from a Pancake compressor. The hose reached easily from the ground to the roof. Very little dirt came out of the unit.

["007"]

Scroll down this link for information.

[Clifftall]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 007";675494]Scroll down [B][URL="http://www.oemys-performance.com/techtips6.htm#evapclean this link[/URL][/B] for information.

Thank you, I also liked and will try the glass cleaner tip.

Cliff

[Ray,IN]

I clean both my RV and home A/C units with aerosol coil cleaner, it is a detergent, not an acid. I differ from the linked instructions. I first clean out the condensate trays and drain holes (additional shroud must be removed). Use the cleaner per instructions, then use a garden sprayer w/ straight stream to rinse away the dirt and grime. Re-clean condensate trays, replace everything but outer shroud. I use a fin comb to straighten any bent aluminum fins.
The garden sprayer has a strong, small volume, stream when pumped up; not at all like a garden hose.
I would never use a bristle brush on the fins, they are much too fragile. Just a few silver-dollar sized, bent/crushed fin areas, will decrease efficient operation.

[RJay]

You may want to read this before using Simple Green on those very delicate aluminum evaporator fins.

[Gary RVRoamer]

Preventive maintenance never hurts, but your roof a/c is pretty much bullet proof as long as the visible fins on the heat exchanger aren't bent or full of debris. Mine are all behind a shroud, so they don't get beat up by tree branches or whatever, but some have exposed fins and you may want to inspect and straighten any that are folded over.

Your a/c's roof unit better be waterproof or the rains are going to be a bigger problem than hosing it down once in awhile.

As for inside maintenance, remove the air intake and clean the filter screen periodically. Every month or two if you use the a/c a lot like we do, but once a season if just summer weekend use.

[TXiceman]

As long as you keep the filters clean, the evaporator coil won't pick up much dirt. You can go 5 years plus and no real maintenance. Clean the filters about every 2 weeks of operation and you should not have any problems.

Ken