I had to leave the CA. Rolling Rally in Lone Pine because my back was giving me trouble again. On our way back home our a/c shroud blew off in the high winds on US 395 and it cracked all over. Had to stop and go get it so I had something to cover the a/ c with so it would not get damaged. Trying to get it up to the roof was a challenge because the wind kept getting a hold of it. I duck taped the cracks and sat it back on loosely and covered it with towels then used some bungie cords, tied it off with some rope, Duck Taped anything that flapped and also over the rope etc. 😂 It held until we got home :o I was fighting the wind all the way home and my wrists are mush today.
Duct tape to the rescue ! Now, if you had used a blue tarp on it.....
Glad it worked out for you. I'm on the road Sat, headed for Iowa for a MIL medical issue, planning on a 2 day run, for a normal 3 day run for us. I'll probably have wrists like yours when we get there.
Where I live we'd call that a permanent repair.
I ordered the Canadian replacements and like them.
I hear ya Johnstons... Old boys down here would cut some slits for vents and call it good.. You spent some time getting that contained.. more than a trip or two up and down the ladder I would bet.
And you managed to snap a pic for our viewing pleasure. Above and beyond, Barry!
jor
Barry
Sorry you are having back issues again- hope you feel better soon.
Great road repair job-duct tape works on almost everything...........s
Take care.
Say hi to Darlene
It sounds as though the winds must've been really fierce, considering your 40 foot tag axle coach! Good job of protecting your AC... Have you identified your replacement shroud? Ours are both cracked and in need of replacement, even though they were both replace shortly before we bought the coach. I'm hoping to find a better quality more UV resistant shroud, maybe made out of polyethylene derivatives to retain their flexibility.
Sorry to hear about the back problems, it couldn't have been easy doing that roadside repair while in pain.
Don
What a BUMMER, Barry !
makes me glad Xtreme pointed out the crack in both mine two weeks ago. had them replace both while they had the coach. makes no difference to me that neither has a "DUO THERM" decal. might be generic after-market covers for all I know.
These covers become brittle over time. If yours are the originals, they likely need replacing. If not, then nothing you could have done to prevent the wind from breaking this one.
Could not agree with you more. They have been replaced before. Seeing how brittle they get I bought a spare some time ago. When I can get up there to replace it I am going to drill some extra screw holes and put washers on them. 4 holes does not seem enough since they crack so easily. It needs more holding it. I haven't heard of anything to put on them to protect them from deteriorating like that.
Actually, there is one very inexpensive "patch" you can do for them. Install stainless steel fender washers under the bolts securing the shrouds. Most cracks radiate from the bolts. Spreading the load helps a lot. If the fender washers do not look like they make good contact with the shroud, use clear silicone between the washer and shroud to better spread the load.
A couple of fender washers are a LOT less expensive than a new shroud.
Thanks Brett, That is exactly what I bought to put on. I think it should hold better.
May consider adding a soft washer under the SS one to kinda spread the load evenly.
My covers are old, brittle, some cracks near the screws. I reinforced them using aluminum tape- very strong and stays flexible. I did that last summer after cleaning my air conditioners and have been in some good winds and driven many miles without losing one.
Maybe I shouldn't say it too loud, but I hope not to replace them for a while.
If the aluminum tape sounds like a good idea, give it a try.
Hope your back is better soon.
barry
check out icon air conditioner shrouds.
I've lost both covers in the last couple of years. Last year the front cover started rattling. By the time we got stopped and I got to the front AC it was broke at 3 of the 4 attach points. I had previously installed rivets for a more lasting attachment. Screws were still there but the plastic was breaking around the screws.
Found a Walmart and picked up fiberglass resin and cloth. After rough sanding the ABS plastic I built up the attachment areas with fiberglass and drilled new attachment holes. Then painted to match the coach. Working fine now, hope it holds.
Thanks, I have a spare I purchased awhile back.
I ordered two of the Icon Dometic Penguin low profile shrouds, so thanks for the heads up. Ours were replaced by CW about six months before we got the coach. The first time I looked at them, I noticed cracks already starting to form in the same place on both A/C's. Either poorly fitting, poor manufacturing, or poor installation... Or maybe all of the above >:( I hope these are as good as claimed.... One note about the Icons, they list an option for vents on the rear drivers side of the shroud. I called and was told that this was only necessary for the 15,000 BTU units with a heat pump. Since ours is only the 13,500 BTU models with heat pump, I didn't get the vented option... Which is about $15 ea more. I paid $90 apiece and $38 shipping for the two I ordered.
Don
I did not know about the vents, my replacement and the ones that are on do not have them. I have the 15000 BTU with Heat Pump. I never use the heat pumps because we have the Aquahot. Never found a need to use them.