AC cooling fin damage and rear diesel radiaror hail damage

[robandbarb]

Does anyone know what kind of repair shop would fix hail damage on roof ac cooling fins and rear engine diesel radiator cooling fins. My insurance will cover cost ,no deductible. Can the ac cooling fins always be fixed, they are pretty smashed from hail. Any information would be helpful . I have a 2018 Thor ARIA 3401 Diesel pusher. Camping World would not do fix and could not recommend anyone. Does anyone know of any kind of hail protectors for roof ac units or some kind of protection for read engine diesel radiator? 

[richard5933]

Any good truck radiator shop should be able to handle the radiator fins. I'd start by looking in your area for a truck dealer that works on the make of chassis you have - you're looking for pretty basic work so if they can't do it in house they will be able to recommend someone in the area where they send radiators for repair. It's quite common for radiators to be damaged, so almost every city has a shop where they can be repaired.

The ac cooling fins might be able to be straightened using a plastic fin comb. However, if they are severely damaged or if any of the tubes are damaged it might not be possible to fix it. Does the unit still work and cool? If so, then probably you don't have any permanent damage. Be aware though that if the fins are really bent and someone pulls too hard on them to straighten them it's possible to damage the tubes inside.

[dkreuzen]

I had my roof A/C fins flattened by hail a few years ago. I just spent a couple of hours on the roof with a fin comb and a plastic putty knife and straightened them myself. It's not difficult but it is tedious. I would think any good A/C shop could do it. As for the radiator, once it is accessible it would be the same procedure.

[dickandlois]

Ron, The AC evaporators and condenser fins have a scalped surface to increase the area. This makes straightening then a slow process, but it is doable.

I have used a small pocket knife to gently open a space between each fin. The fins are most often bent ether to the left or right as viewed from the damaged side. 

Start with the areas of least damage and slowly open those areas first, then expand the area into the heaver damaged areas. SLOW - Yes, but doable.

The larger the area opened, the lower the high side pressure can drop and that decreases the Compressor current. High current causes high heat and will kill the compressor.  I have laid no my side for hrs. to get them opened  when stopping for a replacement was not in our vacation plan.

Rich.

[robandbarb]

The engine cools as I keep on eye on temp. AC cools just fine also, but fins are bent pretty bad. Where can you find an ac shop. I am not doing work myself as my insurance , no  deductible will pay for it. Could a Freightliner Dealer fix radiator?  Robert. 

[richard5933]

Not sure where you're located, but if you have a Freightliner chassis and there's a shop near you they'd be the first place to call. If they can't do the work they'll be able to recommend a radiator shop for you. If the insurance is paying, they might be able to outsource the work for you from their shop.

The a/c unit might be a bit trickier. An RV shop is probably the most logical place, but you could end up with a long wait to get an appointment. A residential repair shop could do the work, but they probably won't since it's on a vehicle. My experience has shown me that privately owned refrigeration repair places are more likely to take on the odd job like this, so maybe you can search out the local HVAC repair place or a refrigeration repair place. I found out this week that these are two different animals altogether...HVAC repair is focused on units cooling residential or commercial living spaces, while refrigeration repair places work on anything with a compressor and refrigerant (walk-in coolers, industrial coolers, etc). The refrigeration places have a more broad scope of work, at least in my area, and seem more willing to go outside their comfort zone.

In the end though, if you're able to get on the roof and do the work, it will take you less time to straighten out the fins yourself than it will to find a company willing to send someone out. I've spent about 8 hours in the past few weeks trying to track down someone to work on our system. The actual work they did only took 3 hours once they got here. I'd have done it myself if I had the equipment. Your repair is pretty straightforward, and it will give you a chance to inspect the roof while you're up there to see if any other damage was done by the hail.