Do you cover the roof A/C for winter?

[lukenick1]

I live in New England where the winters are very cold and snowy. I don't want the hassle of a whole camper cover but should I at least cover the air conditioner on the roof? If so, is a vinyl one good enough?

[Grumpy]

Haven't covered our a/c or rv in over 37 years and we've gotten some bad snows and cold weather in Ohio.

[SilverEscape]

Last winter was our first with a trailer with AC and we covered it. I'm in Canada, we get a lot of snow. Maybe it would have been fine without? I have no idea. It's recommended to cover house AC here in the winter too. We actually have never done that but we do go out and sweep off the snow regularly. Not easy to do on our trailer once it's in storage, so a cover it is.

[taviking22]

Like my unit at home I cover both of our RV's roof ACs. It seems to keep a lot of wind blown dust and debris out, along with snow. The coil and areas under the cowling are as clean as when the cover was put on. That said, the AC units sit out in the open all camping season without problems.

[SouthCo]

I have never covered my RV unit or my homes two units.... Not saying it's a bad idea but I haven't...

[314BHDS]

I don't see the need to cover them.They are pretty much covered the way the are.Dust and pollen are at the worst in the spring and people don't cover them then,i dont see the need to do for winter.The reason for covering a home AC unit is that they are open from the top where the fan is and you don't want snow and ice to build up inside them,that being said I haven't covered mine ever and it runs fine.

[ninjahbob]

Not a bad idea if you get a lot of snow. Snow contains nitrogen and trace amounts of salt which are caustic.

[VicS1950]

My opinion.

The design of the AC units sheds most of the weather. Fine blowing snow may get in, but that is likely not an issue.

From what I have read, and my personal experience.

If you are inclined to cover the unit be certain not to wrap it too tightly. The moisture will more easily build up in the unit than it will evaporate out. Trapped moisture extending the "wet times" is not a good thing.

Shrink wrapped boats include vent systems.

Some of the covered/wrapped AC units I have opened in the Spring are quite wet inside.

FWIW. vic

[Campfire79]

I have never covered my RV's A/C's (nor any part of the RV in winter) nor my homes A/C. Never any issues.

[lukenick1]

Thanks everyone!

[windfall96]

How about the same question for FLORIDA. We just bought a 2020 Altante 29S, long time boater, BUT brand new to RVing. I been told NOT to cover the coach as the cover trashes the coach exterior. We plan on NOT being in Florida during the summer when the sun and heat is REALLY bad

[JFlightRisk]

Welcome to the Forum from Western New York State! A full cover that fits , and is installed properly won't harm your coach. We've covered all out trailers, and haven't had any problems here in New York state winters. We feel it keeps the trailer looking new. You don't want to use a tarp, or cheap, loose fitting one, however. Just our opinion, and that and $4 gets you a cup of coffee.

[wiscampsin]

We live in Wisconsin and get a fair amount of snow. I've never covered any of our RV AC units and haven't had any problems.

[Danno]

Originally Posted by ninjahbob

Not a bad idea if you get a lot of snow. Snow contains nitrogen and trace amounts of salt which are caustic.

Old post, I know, but had to laugh at that one! SMH

[Rhody51]

We live in NE too and choose to cover the AC unit to keep out snow and debris, figure it's worth the $20.

[Jagiven]

I laughed too when I read that.

Air has something like 78% nitrogen normally. I doubt an extra percent or two will make a difference

[RAurand]

My whole trailer gets covered for the winter.

[LuFowler]

WindFall96,
I have lived in Florida since 1990. Bought first camper in 2007. I didn't cover my AC to start with. That is until I took it in for what I thought was an AC problem. The unit would shake and not run properly. $220 dollars later I was told dirt daubers had built a nest by the fan blades and they were hitting it. Needless to say I took care of the problem by purchasing covers for my AC unit. I have not had one problem since. Worth the money which wasn't much. Hope this helps.

[mercman]

I hadn't thought about covering the A/C unit on my 2018 264BHW but I did install a Camco cover over my bathroom vent so that I can keep it open when it snows which it does a lot here in the CO mountains. Something to think about.

[skids]

I covered ours this winter. I decided not to use the giant plastic tarp because everyone talked me out of it. I figured I could at least cover the AC. I have the micro air soft start which is a significant investment in time and money, so I figured - why not?