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AC Cover Blew off Roof, Big Deal?
I have a problem. I have just traveled 1000 miles without incident. However, tonight when we arrived at our overnight stop in western Kansas, during a thunderstorm, one of our AC covers blew off. Luckily we heard it and I was able to retrieve it, and it appears undamaged except for a few scuffs. It continues to rain. Thank God it did not come off on the highway.
The kicker is this is a new unit installed last year by a trusted service provider. Also, they had to deal with some followup issues on the installation just a few weeks ago. I was unable to contact them tonight.
I am concerned about having the top of the union exposed to weather. I am also concerned about driving on the interstate to our destination. I do not carry a ladder, and do not trust myself ,with my physical limitation, to get on the roof.
How big a deal is it to leave the cover off for a few days until I can find someone to replace it. Any recommendations for a competent repair place in Denver (We are headed toward Breckenridge)
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6 Replies
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John…..you might try a mobile truck repair.
Most of them have ladders. Another RV in your parking area might have a “LiL Giant” ladder stored in a bay.
The bolts which hold the cover in place are 1/4X20. Road repair trucks carry a lot of misc stuff so likely probably have some spares.
With the cover coming off sort of says the hold down bolts might also be laying somewhere on the roof.
AL
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The covers protect the electrical parts from moisture as well as directing air flow so having one in place is fairly important.
This is only based on my observations but in our travels I have noticed a surprising number of roof A/C covers along the highway so when getting someone to re-install it I would ask if there was a way to secure it better or if there is a way to run a strap of some sort to hold it better.
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John, TransWest has a facility a smidge north of Denver on I 25, they sell Emeralds and have worked on mine in the past. A ladder and some bolts, you should be good to go though.
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I have lost several over the years as they get brittle from the sun baking them. I have found that if I use a fender washer at each of the screws around the perimeter that they last a lot longer.
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John we are at Tiger Run. You are about an hour and twenty minutes from us. There are several mobile RV repairs that service the area up hear. If it is not raining I would think you could safely make it here and then have it fixed. As Dan said Transwest is another good option. Not a technical problem, just screws, washers and a ladder, and someone young enough to get on the top.
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Thanks all. We will head on to Breckenridge and get one of the local RV repairs guys to com out. Luckily it did not rain too much last night. I like the idea of fender washers!
I inspected the cover this AM and three of the screw holes are fine (meaning the screws fell out). One of the holes on the front was ripped out. I guess it could not hold on the side wind.
I think the lesson here is: Even something as seeming harmless on the machines has to treated with the same level of care as the big things. If the cover had flown off on the interstate and hit a car, a motorcycle, or cause someone to swerve to miss it, a bad accident could happen that could ruin a lot of lives.
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