How to Replace the AC Unit in an RV

Screwdriver
Wrench
Scraper
Ladder
Air conditioner unit

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• If you need to replace the air conditioner unit in your recreational vehicle, consider a few things. Get an air conditioner unit that is as close to the same size and shape as the old unit; you'll need to install it on the roof with no problems concerning the mounting hole. Replacing the unit will require at least two people. If you have any doubts about whether you can successfully change the unit, leave it to a professional.

1. Shut off the recreational vehicle's power. There can be switches on the shore power unit to do this, but disconnecting the vehicle's negative battery cable also works.

2. Loosen all the fasteners on the ceiling side of the unit--this should include screws for the control panel and bolts securing the unit to the roof--and remove the control panel and faceplate from the unit. Disconnect the wires beneath the plate by loosening their nuts; disconnect the ground wire first.

3. Climb up onto the vehicle's roof--this should require a ladder--strip away any caulking material from the AC's mount if it exists, remove its mounting nuts and bolts and remove the unit from its mount. Have an assistant ready on the ground to receive the old unit from you and hand you the new one.

4. Place the new air conditioning unit in the hole and fasten it in place with the nuts and bolts, placing any mounting bracket and gasket on the hole first if they come with the unit. If the unit is the same size as the original, its mounting holes should be positioned in the same place, meaning you won't need to drill new holes. Climb down from the roof.

5. Connect the AC's wires from inside the vehicle by twisting each wire's bare lead together with its related wire from the vehicle and installing the nut onto the connected leads. The neutral wire should be white; the live wire can be red or black and the ground wire can be black or bare. Connect the neutral wire last.

6. Secure all fasteners that need to be connected from the vehicle's inside. This can again include any bolts that help secure the unit's position and screws that fasten the faceplate and/or control panel

7. Restore the vehicle's power through the batter cable and/or the shore power switch to turn on and test the air conditioning unit.

Tips & Warnings

• The control panel might not be screwed into place. If this is the case, the panel should pop or slide off and on, or it may be already mounted in place.
• Caulking the new air conditioner on the roof is debatable and not needed if the unit came with a gasket. While the caulk can help seal holes to save energy, it might cause problems with the unit's flexibility with the roof.

References

• Carl Evans, Maintenance; Irving View RV Park