Air conditioning improvement

[kenwyatt]

Recently did the following and a bit surprised on the improvement. All 2.

I removed all the vents inside and resealed between the duct and the ceiling. Was getting a lot of air leakage into the ceiling. Sorry no pictures. Thought I took some but can’t find any.

All the covers had cracks in various places. Used fiberglass resin and cloth to repair. Little sanding and spray paint finished it off. “ mine are bronze colored “

The biggest improvement was to remove the sheet metal that forms the evap plentim. Removed the old very thin insulation and replaced it all on the inside and out.
Noticeable improvement on the inside with just 1 running. Has hit 90 deg here a couple of times.

Sorry it still will not go to my iPad photos to attach

[Kahoona]

You are so right. Sloppy installation and deteriorating materials can leave these leaking like a sieve. I have done something similar to every coach I have had. Good post.

[kenwyatt]

Thanks, forgot to add I also corrected the water running off the roof issue on all 3 units as well. that one really bothered me. Was a little surprised on the internal ducting. All a common duct, too many angles going into the toilet area and when you have just 1 unit running you loose too much air flow into the duct work. From a AC design standpoint very ineffective. But it is WAY better now and I will live with the design as it would not be worth a major overhaul

[vito.a]

When I installed our new A/C unit I discovered Camping World had previously left the duct adapter off.
They had installed a new 13,500btu unit the year before. I was installing a new 15,000 and wanted it on the front. So I had to move the 13,500 previously installed by CW to the rear and then put the new 15,000 on the front.

There should be an aluminum duct adapter that screws to the bottom outlet of the A/C and slip fits into the ducting in the roof of the coach. It's tough to line the adapter up with the coach duct inlet as you are dropping a 126# A/C unit into place, so the CW tech just left it off.
I made up a new duct adapter and installed it. I also added aluminum HVAC tape to seal the adapter to the coach ducts. This can be done from inside once the unit is in place.
The first picture shows the bottom of the A/C where the adapter attaches with sheet metal screws.
The second picture shows the new duct adapters.

[kenwyatt]

Have heard not so good reports on CW before. Sounds, like a lot of folks should drop the vents and return grills and have a look

[pduggs]

I too found air leakage and deteriorating materials, but what really helped my three original AC units was insulating them per the attachment. Not only are the units cooling better, they are quieter.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/ips-cic-fil...166a628dad2fb1

[JohnBoyToo]

Originally Posted by pduggs

I too found air leakage and deteriorating materials, but what really helped my three original AC units was insulating them per the attachment. Not only are the units cooling better, they are quieter.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/ips-cic-fil...166a628dad2fb1

Your link is bad...

[Old Scout]

...probably varies by make and model but with regard to the Dometic heat pumps, it is really important to ensure that the foam insulation strips under the roof top covers are in good condition and properly installed....simply stated, this foam is used to divide the cool air side from the hot side of the system for cooling the outside coil....if not properly installed, efficiency is lost......little more challenging but cleaning/keeping the inside and outside coils clean is also important for efficiency.....

[kenwyatt]

True, replaced those strips aswell

[YC1]

https://wackoproducts.com/products/

I just installed two of these. They make a huge difference and you can just vacuum the filter.

There is another thread going on these so if interested do a search.

[96 Wideglide]

Originally Posted by Old Scout

...probably varies by make and model but with regard to the Dometic heat pumps, it is really important to ensure that the foam insulation strips under the roof top covers are in good condition and properly installed....simply stated, this foam is used to divide the cool air side from the hot side of the system for cooling the outside coil....if not properly installed, efficiency is lost......little more challenging but cleaning/keeping the inside and outside coils clean is also important for efficiency.....

Are these foam divider strips supposed to be attached to the unit, or the cover?

I've only pulled one of my covers to replace a capacitor, and some strips were stuck to the unit, others to the cover.

[windsorbill]

Originally Posted by 96 Wideglide

Are these foam divider strips supposed to be attached to the unit, or the cover?

I've only pulled one of my covers to replace a capacitor, and some strips were stuck to the unit, others to the cover.

Ben,
That's a good question. Mine were stuck to the cover. But when I bought new covers a couple years ago, I had to also get a weather strip replacement kit The instructions said to attach them to the air conditioner itself, not the cover. It even had a diagram.

[Old Scout]

...based on my experience of having replaced two units on my 2003 DP....doubt if it matters how the foam strips are attached....guess it would be easier to get them properly positions if you were to attach them to the unit vs trying to figure out where they would go on the underside of the cover????? Key is that they separate cold side from hot side air flow.....

[kenwyatt]

Attach them to the unit that way you can remove the cover for inspections