How To Remove A Trane AC Cover?

Are you planning to clean your Trane air conditioner, and you’re wondering how to remove the cover? Wonder no more, for we have researched this question, and we have the answer for you.

Follow the simple steps below to open the cover of your Trane air conditioner:

  1. Turn off the power to the air conditioner.
  2. Remove the panel cover on the side of the air conditioner.
  3. Disconnect the wires going to the fan.
  4. Remove the eight screws on the top shroud of the air conditioner.
  5. Carefully lift off the top shroud.
  6. Press the tab at the bottom of the side panel and lift that off.
  7. Do the same thing for the other three panels to remove them.
  8. The three corner pieces that don’t contain the electricals have a similar notch in the middle. Press then notch and pull it off the plastic base.

The succeeding sections talk about how to clean the entire unit and how to put the cover back in. We also talk about the steps above in more detail for those who are doing this for the first time. Read on!

Open up the cover of an outdoor compressoor unit of a split type air conditioner, How To remove A Trane AC Cover?

How to remove the cover from a Trane AC?

Here are the detailed steps to removing the cover of your Trane air conditioner:

  1. Turn off your AC from the thermostat. This is to shut down the power coming from the indoor unit.
  2. Turn off the circuit breaker that supplies power to your outdoor unit. Remove the pullout head from the disconnect box outside. This turns off the 240 volts that go directly to the outdoor unit.
  3. Remove the screws that keep the electrical panel enclosure closed. If you’re directly in front of the Trane logo and facing it, the electrical panel is usually on your right side and at the back of the AC.
  4. Once the electrical panel is open, take a picture of the wiring. You can use this picture as a reference later when it is time to put everything back. Disconnect the wires that connect to the fan on top. Disconnect the purple and orange wires from the top of the capacitor. The black wire comes from the power supply panel with another black wire.
  5. Unscrew the eight screws that keep the top shroud in place. Set them aside so you can easily retrieve them once more later.
  6. Lift the top shroud cover. The shroud cover can be a bit heavy because the fan is connected to it. Set it aside once you have removed it.
  7. Push the tab in the bottom center of the panel and lift the panel upward until it is removed completely.
  8. Do the same thing to the other three panels.
  9. Push the central tab in the bottom center of the corner panels to remove them from the plastic base.

Air conditioner external Compressor in the backyard on cold and humid

How to clean the outdoor unit of your Trane air conditioner?

Water pressure sprayed on AC for cleaning maintenance

  1. Mix a solution of baking soda, low acidity dish soap, and warm water.
  2. Pour the solution into a foam cannon canister. Attach the canister to your garden hose.
  3. With the cover removed, apply the soapy solution from inside the air conditioner. This will force dirt and debris away from the center of your air conditioner. The baking soda in your solution will loosen any tough dirt in the fins of your air conditioner. Start applying on one side of the air conditioner starting from the bottom going up. Then move to the next side. Wait for a few minutes to let the cleaning solution soak and loosen tough dirt before rinsing it off.
  4. Rinse your air conditioner from the top going down. The pressure of the water should also come from the inside of the air conditioner to push dirt and debris that have loosened to the outside of the air conditioner. Trane recommends rinsing with warm water.
  5. Clean the side and corner panels that you have removed with the same soap, baking soda, and water solution. Rinse thoroughly.
  6. Use a vacuum to drain any excess soap and water on the inner bottom of the air conditioner.
  7. Use compressed air to clean the fan part of the air conditioner.
  8. Wipe any tough dust on the fan using a rag dipped in the same soap and baking soda solution.
  9. Dry the fan with compressed air and dry rags.

If you prefer to use a commercial AC cleaner, the Frost King ACF19 Foam Coil Cleaner is available on Amazon. Check it out through this link.

The Arm & Hammer Baking Soda is available on Amazon. Check it out through this link.

Reinstalling the panels and air conditioner shroud Open panel on air conditioner and service cleaning and repair

  1. Insert the corner panel from an angle at the plastic base. This is to latch the bottom more easily with the notch.
  2. Do the same thing for the other three corner panels.
  3. Insert the side panels between two corner panels from the top. Align the side grooves with the grooves on the side of the corner panels. Push down the side panels gently until it reaches the bottom of the plastic base and locks into the notch.
  4. Repeat the same procedure for the other three side panels until you have reinstalled all four side panels.
  5. Carefully place the top shroud and fan on the panel assembly. Align the top shroud with the panels until it is in the correct position. The bottom part of the shroud should be inside the panel assembly.
  6. Insert the wires into the electrical panel.
  7. Reattach the screws on the top shroud.
  8. Reconnect the wires on the electrical panel. The purple wire goes to the back of the capacitor. The orange wire goes to the front side of the capacitor. The black wire connects to the back of the other black wire on the power assembly to the left side of the capacitor. If your wiring configuration is different—based on the picture that you took earlier—follow that instead of the wiring configuration that we provided.
  9. Reinstall the electrical panel cover and reinstall the screws.
  10. Reinsert the pullout head in the disconnect box. Double-check that the label should now say “On” on the disconnect box after you reinsert the pullout head.
  11. Turn on the circuit breaker to reactivate the power to your Trane air conditioner.
  12. Turn on the air conditioner from the thermostat and wait for it to start. Most AC models have a delayed start.

How often should AC coils be cleaned?

Outdoor Air Conditioner With open cover

Your Trane air conditioner has two types of coils—an evaporator coil and a condenser coil. The evaporator coil is responsible for pulling heat and humidity out of your house, while the condenser coil uses refrigerants to get rid of heat. You should clean your coils at least once a year.

If you live in a city where air pollution is more intense, cleaning the coils twice each year is a good idea. Cleaning twice a year with tune-up is also a good recommendation for older units, especially if these units run nonstop most of the day.

Check your condenser coils at least once a month and look for debris that can block airflow and diminish the performance of your air conditioner.

What are the symptoms of a dirty AC?

Dirty air conditioner unit, condenser coil full of dirt

There are obvious signs that your air conditioner is dirty. Look out for these signs so that you can schedule a cleaning session with an AC professional, or you can set aside some time to clean it yourself.

Loss of cooling ability

The most common sign that your air conditioner needs cleaning is when its cooling capacity has become diminished.

Heat transfer is affected by the accumulation of dust and dirt. This is true of any cooling system, not just air conditioners. If your air conditioner is barely cooling the air, have the evaporator checked for dirt and debris that is blocking airflow.

Longer running times

If your air conditioner takes longer than usual to cool a room, this could be a sign of diminishing cooling ability and an accumulation of dirt.

If your air conditioner is not producing cold enough air, then it will run longer to cool the same room that it was able to cool for a shorter time before. Just like our first symptom, this is usually a problem with airflow blockage because of dirt and dust.

Frosting coil

If you notice frost on your air conditioner's coils while you’re using it, then it could be a sign of significant dirt buildup.

A dirty AC can cause condensation to accumulate on the dust and freeze during operation. Frost buildup can significantly affect heat transfer in the air of your home, and this affects the ability of your air conditioner to cool warm air.

Conclusion

Open up the cover of an outdoor compressor unit of a split type air conditioner

Removing the cover of your Trane air conditioner can be as simple as removing screws and disassembling interlocking panels. The only complicated part of the removal process is disconnecting the wires that go to the fan on the top shroud.

If you enjoyed reading this article, you might find the articles below equally interesting:

How To Clean A Ductless Mini Split Air Conditioner?

How To Clean Central Air Conditioner Vents And Ducts?

Share this article

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *