How to Install a Roof Air Conditioner in an RV

RVs are used to camp out in the great outdoors while retaining some creature comforts. One of those is air conditioning. It is possible that your new RV did not come with an air conditioner or maybe you bought a used RV that did not have one or had one that was broken. After shopping for an air conditioner that will fit in the roof vent opening, installing it into your RV will be simple.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Ladder
Plywood plank
RV caulk
Caulk gun
Wire nuts
Crescent or socket wrench
Screwdriver

Step 1

Place the ladder on the side of the RV and climb up onto the roof. Place the plywood plank adjacent to your work area, so it can spread out your weight over a larger surface area of the RV's roof.

Step 2

Instruct a friend on the ground to carefully hand the air conditioner up to you.

Step 3

Put the air conditioner through its opening in the roof, taking care that the bolt holes align. Slide the bolts through the bolt holes.

Step 4

Apply a bead of RV caulk around the perimeter of the roof opening, closing up the seam between the air conditioner and the roof. Use steady, gentle pressure on the caulking gun to get a good, controllable flow of caulk.

Step 5

Go inside the RV and join the wiring from the RV to the wiring from the air conditioner. These wires will be color-coded for easy matching, i.e., white to white, black to black. Twist the bare ends of the matched wires together and then fasten them with a screw-on wire nut.

Step 6

Thread the nuts onto the air conditioner bolts and tighten them with a crescent or socket wrench. If you need a crescent wrench, the size needed might vary with the model of air conditioner.

Step 7

Screw on the air conditioner's faceplate. Usually there are screw hole plugs you should push into place over the top of the screws. Slide on the air conditioner control panel.

Article Written By Edwin Thomas

Edwin Thomas has been writing since 1997. His work has appeared in various online publications, including The Black Table, Proboxing-Fans and others. A travel blogger, editor and writer, Thomas has traveled from Argentina to Vietnam in pursuit of stories. He holds a Master of Arts in international affairs from American University.

Editor's Pick

5 Top North American Wildflower Hikes

Springtime brings a sense of new beginnings and new life as flowers begin to bloom and fill the air with their sweet and pleasant fragrance. Luckily we can see wildflowers all summer long, since spring hits at different times throughout North America. See flowering cactu...
More National Parks...
Popular Article

National Park Substitutes: Great Spots Without the Crowds

Coping with crowds at national parks can get tiresome, especially during the peak tourist season. If you want to escape from the herd, or just take a breather from the bustle of bigger attractions, the United States has plenty of less-visited but still worthwhile spots t...
More National Parks...
Featured Destination

Prevent Yourself from Getting Lost While Hiking

When you're hiking you're going to want to make sure you stay found. What I mean by that is that you've put an itinerary in the car, you know the area that you're hiking to, you know the route and the trail you plan on being on, you know what the trail markers are going ...
More Camping Basics...