Essential RV A/C Maintenance Tips for Summer Travel

When it's 38°C in Osoyoos, a rooftop A/C that quits isn't an inconvenience. It ends the trip. Most rooftop units are sealed systems that need very little, but the little they need matters. Here's what you can do yourself and what to leave to a technician.

What You Can Do Yourself

• Wash the return-air filters every couple of weeks in season. They sit behind the ceiling shroud and rinse clean in warm, soapy water. Let them dry fully before refitting.
• Keep the roof shroud intact. A cracked shroud lets sun and debris reach the coils and fan.
• Pre-cool early. Start the A/C in the morning and close the blinds on the sunny side. A rooftop unit can hold a temperature far more easily than it can pull a hot coach down.
• Watch your power. On a 30-amp pedestal, running the A/C, microwave and water heater on electric at once trips breakers and stresses the compressor. Stagger big loads.

What Needs a Technician

Rooftop units are sealed. There's no refrigerant to "top up" without leak repair and certified equipment, so if the unit runs but blows warm air, that's a diagnosis job. We also check the capacitors (the most common failure in hot weather), clean the condenser and evaporator coils, test the amp draw and inspect the roof gasket that keeps rain out of the ceiling.

Warning Signs

• The fan runs but the compressor never kicks on, or it hums and then clicks off
• Ice forming on the evaporator coil behind the filter
• Water dripping inside around the ceiling assembly
• Breakers tripping every time the compressor starts

Book Before the Heat

The A/C calls in our shop peak in July. A spring check catches weak capacitors and dirty coils before the first heat wave. Mobile service is available across the South Okanagan if your unit fails at the campsite.