UV Protection for new A/C

[JimGolden]

Hi Gang,

My old a/c (Coleman Delta T) is in rough shape. We have to do surgery to it every year to get it to work. Already bypassed the dead fan control switch and have a manual toggle switch put in. I'm fearing the other control board is going out too. Already no thermostat control....either full cold or nothing.

Anyway, the cover is complete toast. I've seen where some guys on here have done decent rebuilds on them. But mine is so brittle it's not worth fooling with.

I'm considering buying a new a/c unit this spring. Probably a Carrier 15,000. But at any rate, I am assuming that the new units' covers are probably made of the same type of plastic as the older ones, and so in 10 years they will be getting brittle too from UV.

Has anyone tried simply painting the cover of a new one with UV resistant paint? I was thinking it'd look better in silver anyway, so why not just get some silver UV resistant paint and paint the cover. Might have to lightly sand the plastic a bit to roughen it up for the paint to stick (or not...I don't know) but I figured that'd make it look better and last longer.

What do you all think?

[dwightdi]

You can not use oil based paints on many plastics because the solvent used in them attack the plastic. The inside of the cover should have a plastics recyle symbol and a number on it when you get it. It will likely be ABS. Which is a fairly tough material but does have some UV problems in the long term. They S in the name stands for Styrene which is a polymer which will be cracked by many solvents. A water based Acrylic house paint might be a good UV protectant for the cover but I am unsure that it would stick to the ABS very well for a long period. Most small local paint stores do not have the expertis but is most likely the place to start your inquiry. The biggest maker of ABS was GE selling it under their tradename of Cycolac but they have sold the business to the Arabs in the last six months but you could try Googling Cycolac and see where it leads.

[PINKBIKE]

try this ...scuff it with a green 3m scuff pad,wash it with soap and water,rinse well(do not use t.s.p as this is very hard to thoroughly rinse off,allow to dry,prime with a top quality exterior primer such as ben moores fresh start,or if you can find it,XIM is a great primer,ALLOW IT TO DRY ONE TO TWO DAYS then paint with any exterior water based satin.hope that helps.

[vswingfield]

I have a new Carrier 15,000 I am going to install this spring. I have been considering the paint designed for plastic that I have seen in home depot and Wal*Mart, a Krylon product. It is designed to adhere to plastic outdoor furniture. Has anyone has experience with this?

I was thinking a base coat of white, followed by two-tone blue to match the stripes on my Excella, leaving the top white.

[JimGolden]

I was thinking automotive enamel. I painted a Goldwing a few years ago with it, and all its stuff was plastic. It held up great. You have to put flex agent in it, just like if you were painting a bumper cover. But you put the flex agent in the enamel and then shoot it on with an airgun.

Do you guys think automotive paint would harm the cover?

[vswingfield]

I started with my application of Krylon Fusion yesterday. I have the white basecoat applied. Next weekend I plan to put the lighter shade of blue on the sides, where the louvers are. The numbers of shades that Fusion has are pretty limited. The light shade I am using is about the color of the darker part of the Excella's stripes, and the dark shade is navy. There is nothing close to the light shade of the stripes. I figure the navy will look ok, it's on the roof, anyway.

[bake315]

I refurbished my A/C shroud here a while back using Dupli-Color automotive spray enamel. Cleaned the shroud well, applied an adhesion promoter, the colors, then finally a clear coat. It's held up really well so far.

[vswingfield]

Originally Posted by bake315

I refurbished my A/C shroud here a while back using Dupli-Color automotive spray enamel. Cleaned the shroud well, applied an adhesion promoter, the colors, then finally a clear coat. It's held up really well so far.

Hi Dave,

It looks great! Much as I like the Excellas’ two-tone blue accents, the maroon is also very nice.

[bake315]

Originally Posted by vswingfield

Hi Dave,

It looks great! Much as I like the Excellas’ two-tone blue accents, the maroon is also very nice.

Thanks! Yeah, even though I removed the striping on the trailer, I still had to account for the colors in the awnings.

[vswingfield]

Originally Posted by bake315

Thanks! Yeah, even though I removed the striping on the trailer, I still had to account for the colors in the awnings.

I have checked out your photos at South Llano Park before. You really have a great looking rig. If you check out 2nd from the top at these from the fall Branson rally, you can see 2Air's (note the turkey in front) with the solid maroon awnings. Also a very nice look. http://www.airforums.com/forums/f288/october-branson-forums-rally-28724-58.html

[vswingfield]

I painted the cover for my new Carrier AirV AC using Krylon Fusion paint for plastic. The lightest color in my scheme is about the color of the darkest in my Excella stripes. The darker color in my scheme is navy, but my theory is, “Hey, it’s on the roof.” I also have a problem with wrinkling and “Orange Peel” in a couple of spots. I have sanded some down and ignored others. The Pebble Beach inspectors will never be on the roof of my Excella.

There are a multitude of other flaws to fault it with. If hail damage gives the character, I have the Strother Martin of Airstreams.

Here are preliminary photos of the paint job. Some touchup and/or additions may come.

Ok, file attachments are behaving very, very strangely tonight. Here is my first choice for an upload.

Ok, file attachments are behaving very, very strangely tonight. Here is my first choice for an upload.

Ok, the ¾ view was 1.01MB not 1.00MB or less. Here it is.

[bake315]

That's mighty schnazzy lookin', Vaughan! Can't wait to see it in place!

[vswingfield]

Originally Posted by bake315

That's mighty schnazzy lookin', Vaughan! Can't wait to see it in place!

Thanks Dave,

You and me both. I am especially looking forward to enjoying the view from where I can’t see it. Read that, under the cold blast. This is a 15,000 Btu heat pump replacing my tired, old 13,500 Coleman. Being down by Austin, you can appreciate the difference in a 34. Nice lookin’ 34 you have, as a matter of fact! Before I move to Little Rock in the early ’90s, I lived between Wimberley and Driftwood on the opposite side of Austin from Elgin.

Well, it’s 10:30 and I’m off to Searcy. Some other forum members are having work done at Airstream of Arkansas, so it’s a good time for me to make a visit. We’re having a party in the parking lot for lunch.

[vswingfield]

Originally Posted by bake315

That's mighty schnazzy lookin', Vaughan! Can't wait to see it in place!

And the Wind Screamed Mary!!!

Wow, was it windy today. Was like being back in the panhandle. It blew the cover off the walk board while I was climbing up, making some touchups necessary. You can see one owiee in the close-up. It’s the white showing through the dark blue at the rear at the top just ahead of the pinstripe.

I will post more install pictures in another thread. I am still trying to decide whether to call it “AC installation” or “Who is That Fat, Bald, Guy with the Huge Double Chin.” The photos of me sitting on a board scraping off the Goop from Hekk, no make that the Goop from Hekk that has hardened for 25 years, are not exactly from my best angle.

The guy who owns the park where I live is a great guy!!! His help was invaluable. A neighbor across the street offered to help if he was home, but he rarely is. I don’t think I can remember him taking off early in the year or so he has lived near me. He did yesterday. Perfect timing! I owe them both.

[Alumatube]

Awesome, Vaughan! It looks GREAT!! And the owie looks like a reflection in the photo.

Nice work! (Or should I say, "Cool!")

Susan

[vswingfield]

Originally Posted by Alumatube

Awesome, Vaughan! It looks GREAT!! And the owie looks like a reflection in the photo.

Nice work! (Or should I say, "Cool!")

Susan

Thanks Susan,

WHAT A RELIEF!!! I noticed that the owie looked like a reflection, too. However, it is gone now. I touched it up by spraying my special artist’s brush (A Q-tip) with the dark blue and applying by hand. It works great, too. Now I can move on to my next projects, which, thankfully are inside where it is now cool (And doesn’t involve ladders or scaffolding). I decided since I am going to put in the new dinette I got from Steve and Amy, it is the perfect time to rip out the carpet and put down cork.

[Alumatube]

Ste-e-e-e-e-e-ve, look what you sta-a-a-a-a-rted!!!

Susan

[vswingfield]

Originally Posted by Alumatube

Ste-e-e-e-e-e-ve, look what you sta-a-a-a-a-rted!!!

Susan

And you already know my thoughts about the closet and cabinet doors and the drawer fronts. I could end up with a much lighter trailer inside.

Seriously, thanks again for the great deal Steve.