Cleaning the Air Filters on the Reverse Cycle Air Units

This reminder is available on
firmware version A24 or higher

On DreamChaser we have 2 16,000 BTU air conditioners, one in the main lower salon and one in the rear stateroom.
The unit in the lower salon has ducts running to the double berth, the salon and one vent in the upper salon/galley area.  The unit in the rear stateroom is actually not ducted today, so just has one large output right into that room.  We need to install ducts to cool the upper along and galley as well from that unit and we would be in better shape calling the boat.

Both of these units need a lot of air to flow over the condensers, but given that they tend to build up a lot of moisture and condensation in the southern US heat, it is important to keep the filters clean so you don't pull a lot of dirt and dust that gets wet and hard into the circulation fins.

Rear Stateroom unit (mounted under cabinet)

To that end, we set a reminder on the unit so that when the unit reaches 500 hours of run time, it flashes (FIL) on the display to remind us to clean it.

So it was with this little task that I shut the units off on a cool evening, so that they could dry out real good and make the cleaning easier.  I removed the screens from both units and used a small brush to scrub them.  I also run a small shop vacuum that we keep on the boat over both sides of it to ensure  I get all of the dust and dirt out of the filters.  (Unlike your house, these are not disposable and you can get many many re-uses out of them.)

Lower Salon unit (Mounted under Settee)

While the screens were out, I also used a small tooth brush to clean between the fins of the condenser where the dirt/dust gets a bit behind it near the spot that the filter is slid into place.  I also use the shop vac to get any of this dirt out as I scrub it with the brush.

It is very important to not bend the finds on the unit because that will affects its ability to get good air flow over the coils.    I also took the time to clean inside the housings where these units sit.  I am always surprised by the amount of dirt and dust that gets on a boat when you are surrounded by all that water.

So we reset the timer again for the next filter change and we are good to go for another few months.