Removing an interior A/C outlet grill

mjeffrey · 10-02-2012, 05:18 PM

Greetings everyone! We are still somewhat "newbies" and have a silly question (you'd think two retired engineers wouldn't have a problem like this, but we are somewhat afraid to pull/twist anything too hard still).

Anyhow, we have a little annoying flapping noise that we can hear from one of the A/C ceiling grill vents. Rather than have the service folks pull the A/C from the top of the coach to figure it out, we invested in a little snake camera and threaded it up the vent so we could see anything loose. Low and behold, there is a long/skinny plastic label of some kind that is only secured on one end, so it flaps like crazy whenever the unit blows air.

It appears to be a lot closer to the outflow vent than the closest inflow one, so we are trying to figure out how to pop off the outflow "grill" so we can reach something up there to try to grap the thing and take it off. This grill is just plastic... only about 6-8" across, but we can't see an easy way to take out the "slat" part so we have enough access. The intake grill is easy to unclip so cleaning the filter is not an issue, but the outflow grills don't appear to have this same "unclip"-ability. Any ideas? Here is a picture of the grill:

F117plt · 10-02-2012, 05:36 PM

They are easy to pull out, just give it a good tug, you won't break it. The tricky part is putting them back in. They clip in from the top, so put the whole vent back in and pull down onto the clips from the top.

Shadowcatche · 10-02-2012, 05:38 PM

I am relatively sure it is a pry it off as screws are under the outer rim. I used a couple of them in the install of our AC.

F117plt · 10-02-2012, 05:50 PM

Only the inner part that turns comes out. No need to pry it out.

OldChief7155 · 10-02-2012, 06:01 PM

Pop that outer ring off with a screwdriver. There are several screws that hold the whole vent in. Unscrew the screws and it will come right out.

OldChief7155 · 10-02-2012, 06:03 PM

The outer ring is decorative and covers the screws under it in the actual mounting ring. Don't just jerk it out. You'll pull the screws out of the ceiling.

mjeffrey · 10-02-2012, 07:04 PM

Thanks OldChief7155! You were exactly right! Outermost plastic ring popped off using just fingers with a little careful persuasion and then we have access to the screws that hold the rest on :-)

We'll await daylight tomorrow to attempt extraction of the wicked plastic label. The 3' snake camera with light will definitely be added to our arsenal of RV tools.

LAT-LON · 10-05-2012, 03:46 PM

As OldChief7155 stated, the outer ring just pops off and will allow you access to the louver plate mounting screws. Putting the ring back on is a bother though.

I had the same problem in my RV. The "label" is actually thin silvered Mylar tape which I believe is used to seal the junction between the AC unit and the ducting. A call to Winnebago wasn't too helpful but the bottom line was that it wasn't important. The tape drove me crazy while it was tearing itself apart when the AC fans were running. Every day, I'd find small pieces of the tape on the floor in my coach. Eventually larger pieces were ejected through the louvers until it was finally all gone.

mjeffrey · 10-05-2012, 09:28 PM

Hi LAT-LON, wish our issue was that tape. According to our snake camera image, it is actually a white mylar label with black printing (looks like a serial number) on it... located on the intake side right where the duct transitions into the unit on the roof. It is very firmly attached on one end but loose on the other, so it flaps like mad when the fan is running.

We tried our best to dislodge it internally to no avail (too far to reach with a hand, too firmly attached to scrape off with a tool attached to the tip of the camera), but at least we can tell the service folks exactly what it is and where it is located. We are still under warranty, so they can bill Winnebago to remove the A/C cover on the roof and hopefully rip the darn thing off from above. Sigh...

LAT-LON · 10-06-2012, 08:15 AM

Sorry to hear that it's not the Mylar tape. Guess my problem is still unique.

You're correct, to only way to access the label is from the top. Luckily, your coach is still under warranty. Mine was just out, so since the tape is gone, or mostly gone, I'm choosing to ignore the fact that it's not there to do what is was supposed to do. Whatever that was. Winnebago never did allude to its original purpose.