How to clean your roof top AC evaporator
How to clean your roof top evaporator. I’m thinking of cleaning it every 3 years when I do my regular AC maintenance. I posted a yearly basic maintenance cleaning how to, #yearlyroofacmaintinace. I posted a yearly basic maintenance cleaning how to, #yearlyroofacmaintinace.
1. Remove the 4 screws (philips head) that hold on the top housing. Two in the front and one on each side toward the rear. Remove your housing.
2. Cut the three foam pads as pictured in the red circles, and remove the styrofoam cover. This will expose the main housing cover.
3. Remove the 5 (1/4”) screws. Shown with the red arrows.
4. Release the 6 retaining clips, shown in blue. Then remove the cover. This will expose the evaporator.
5. I took a vacuum and cleaned the entire box. I took the soft brush attachment and vacuumed the evaporator. I also took my leaf blower (or compressed air, 40-50psi) and blew the condenser.
6. Spray both sides of the coil with coil cleaner, use a self rinsing kind.
7. Reassemble
On a side note.
I found two large spaces that were not sealed by tape or had a hole in the tape on the intake side (green arrows). I taped as well as I could around the wires that run into the intake, sealing a gap from top of the roof to where the intake connects. I believe this will help by not allowing hot air into the condenser box that is trapped between the roof deck and insulation. This is just like our interior vents that supply the cold air.
The housing that the condenser is housed in appears to be double walled. Marked with yellow in the picture. But I wonder if insulating that wall would allow for the air to be colder within the box, which would then blow colder air inside of the rig. This would work the system less making it more efficient and last longer. This is a theory. I have not yet done this.
Another theory I have is painting my black AC covers white. The reason for this is to reduce heat around the AC components, which will allow the motor and compressor to run cooler. I would also think that it would help cool down the condenser much faster and more efficiently. I taped a white trash bag on one cover and found the surface was 25° cooler in just over an hour.
Thanks for your thoughts, ideas and feedback on my theories.
#acroofevaporator
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2016 DRV38RSB3
2015 Ram 3500 Regular Cab DRW CTD Asian trans 410 rear
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