DougFallin

The a/c is a duo therm. Im not sure if its is the original. It looks like the low profile Dometic Duo-Therm Penguin model. Inside the shroud on the front half is a Styrofoam shell that contains the evaporator coil and a squirrel cage where air is drawn up though the cabin, across the coil into the squirrel cage then back into the cabin where it blows to the front and rear of the inside housing. The back half of the unit contain a second squirrel cage and the condensing coil. The shroud is not vented, but the base is. In the center sits the motor and the compressor sits on the left side separated by a partition. The inside controls have duo therm written on the right side temp panel. All decals are missing. Im going to leave off the plastic shroud and go with the metal inner shroud. It looks better painted white. I think the outer shell was for looks and did not serve a functional purpose. I may get that tin roof sound when it rains. Otherwise, I feel fortunate not to have to buy a replacement shroud. Ill hang on to the plastic shell in case im wrong.

The other day I set out to repair my 1987 Sunrader A/C shroud, which is cracked. While at it, I was going to clean the coils. So up on the roof I went. The plastic shroud was held down by 4 screws from the top, not on the side. After removing these 4 screws and lifting up on the plastic shroud, I discovered a metal inner shroud which is held down by 8 screws around the sides at the base. This metal shroud covered the entire system and looked exactly like the outer plastic one. In fact, the plastic shroud was so cracked up that I wondered why it hadn't blown off while traveling down the highway. After cleaning the coils, I sealed the 4 screw holes in the metal shroud, used some light sandpaper to prep it for paint, then painted it white. I only reinstalled the metal shroud. It looks better than the original plastic, yellowing cracked shroud. My question is this, do I need to cover the metal shroud with a plastic one? I looked online for a replacement that attaches at the top and couldn't find one. On other RV A/C's I've only ever dealt with a single layer cover, not a two piece cover. Is this just an old way of doing things? What's the advantage? Is it purely an aesthetic feature? Please advise.