A.c. Not cooling....h e l p .....

[Seajay]

Here is my question....... I have a 2000 Pace Arrow with, I think, two Coleman AC's on top. The front one is not putting out cool air and I suspect it is low on ''freon''. Here is my question.

one. Is the refregerant in this AC the same stuff that I buy to recharge my cars AC when it gets low and stops cooling

two. If it is, will the ''hook up hose'' for the car, hook up to the AC on top of the coach and if so, can I simply watch the pressure guage on the attachment and when it ''goes to the green'' simply turn it off and my AC work again.

three. Will the refregerant used in motor home AC's be the same as used in a ''home system'' for a house with a heat exchanger in the back yard

four. I do not have a competent RV dealer to take my unit to for repairs and I am curious if I could call a ''home service tech'' and let them recharge my unit on the coach.

five. Can anyone tell me the ''type refrigerant'' used in motor homes if it is ''different'' from that used in a auto or a home system or is it all the same please?

the last time it stopped cooling it was simply low on ''freon'' and I strongly suspect it is the same thing again.

The units are ten years old on a Pace Arrow.....

I will pay ten cents for good accurate answers to this problem
I will pay five cents for good qualified ''guesses'' concerning this problem

I will pay nothing for drooling, pointing, or spitting on the ground concerning this.

I will pay you the next time I see you concerning monies owed by myself concerning this.

Lets all thank a vet for our freedoms......

[wa8yxm]

First answer: I'm not sure, in the old days no, I think that is still the answer

Second: there is no recharge port.. And I do not think you can buy "Add-a-ports" any more.

Third. before thorwing money at it throw water at it.. That is remove the top coer and CLEAN EVERYTHING, epically the condenser coils.. I"ve seen them so clogged that no air passed and when that happens.... Nothing works.

[Seajay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wa8yxm First answer: I'm not sure, in the old days no, I think that is still the answer Second: there is no recharge port.. And I do not think you can buy "Add-a-ports" any more. Third. before thorwing money at it throw water at it.. That is remove the top coer and CLEAN EVERYTHING, epically the condenser coils.. I"ve seen them so clogged that no air passed and when that happens.... Nothing works.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOk...... I will take your advise into account and when I get home I will try the CLEAN EVERYTHING ROUTE.... I will also check to see it the compressor is coming on in that unit. While in Florida last winter i did have some trouble with the ''combination heat/AC thermostatic control'' and I may just need to clean it again.
anyway........... I see at least twenty cents worth of good answers here and the money will be forthcoming the next we meet.
I am still open to other ideas an suggestions concerning this and I have the money to pay for same.

Lets all thank a vet for our freedoms they gave us.......

[marietta]

Not sure where to post a new question but since it has to do with A/C I thought I could post it here.
I have a 2000 Fleetwood Bounder with 2 ac units on roof. The front one doesn't cool too well, and today when I put it on for a few hours the rear one starting leaking heavily onto the bed. Anyone know what gives? Did I have the rear unit too cold? It was about 89degrees outside today and I was running the a/c on generator power while I have unit stored til I start my cross country trip end of week. I haven't located a service center around here since I won't be staying here and only had the unit stored since I purchased it 2 mths ago. Any advice, info will be so greatly appreciated.

[Seajay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by marietta Not sure where to post a new question but since it has to do with A/C I thought I could post it here. I have a 2000 Fleetwood Bounder with 2 ac units on roof. The front one doesn't cool too well, and today when I put it on for a few hours the rear one starting leaking heavily onto the bed. Anyone know what gives? Did I have the rear unit too cold? It was about 89degrees outside today and I was running the a/c on generator power while I have unit stored til I start my cross country trip end of week. I haven't located a service center around here since I won't be staying here and only had the unit stored since I purchased it 2 mths ago. Any advice, info will be so greatly appreciated.

It sounds to me like the rear AC ''froze up'' and then came ''un frozen'' and your ''drip pan'' under the AC has the drip hole clogged up with trash or something. On second thought ,,,,,,,,,,,, It may not have frozen up at all it just was leaking condensate off the radiator in the unit. Good bet that was what happened. Go up on top of your coach and remove the AC cover. remove the four bolts on top of the unit and carefully lift off the cover. look for a thingie that looks kinda like a radiator with a fan behind it. BE SURE THE UNIT IS TURNED OFF OR YOU COULD LOSE A FINGER.
Look for a ''drip pan'' under that radiator. It should have a hose or a way to vent the liquid to the outside of the cover and it will run down your roof and over the side of your coach. this is normal.... You may need to clean out the pipe or the hole to let the water to the outside. Turn on the unit and watch for water to run out of it on to your roof and down the side of your coach. Turn off the unit and put the capp back on.

That will be ten cents for the valuable information and you can pay me the next time you see me.....

Thank a vet for your freedoms. THEY EARNED IT FOR ALL OF US....

[TXiceman]

Seajay, 9 times out of 10 it is an air flow problem that will freeze up the unit. Low flow is due to running them on low fan, stopped up filter, dirty and plugged up evaporator, or bypassing air internally.

The units use R22 as the refrigerant and there is no charging port. It requires piercing the line and installing Schrader valves, evacuating the system and recharging it. It is not a hard job, just takes refrigerant knowledge.

First thing to do is to make sure the filter and coil in clean. Now run the unit on high fan speed and after 15 minutes you should read a air outlet temperature that is 18 to 20 degrees F lower than the inlet air.

If you see any oily spots on the copper lines, that is a pretty good indication of a leak.

My feelings is a 11 year old unit is not worth spending much money for repairs. I'd just replace the unit.

Let us know what you find.

[Seajay]

NOTE TO ''TEXICEMAN''..... After carefully reading your reply and your valuable information concerning my situation concerning my ''non functioning'' Ac I have determined that I, Seajay the sailor man, do owe you, Texiceman, the total sum of THREE DIMES for valuable and competent information concerning my situation concerning a non functioning AC on my motor home. It is also decided that when we meet that you will be the guest of honor at a hot dog cook out including cold beer or a beverage of your choice for your expertise concerning said problem.

Many thanks my friend. I will let you know how it works out ..........

God keep our young men and women safe as they defend this great nation...

[TXiceman]

Seajay, I have been working on industrial refrigeration and some A/C since about 1970. Be happy to bend and elbow with you around the camp fire any time.

Thanks for serving this country. My Dad was on a DE on DEC 7 1941, that had just come in from patrol on DEC 6. They were in the harbor.

Ken

[Seajay]

Me and Willa went out to the coach to try to figure out what was wrong with the front air conditioner. It was about 80 degrees inside the coach so we should be able to tell when it started cooling. We worked out a signal code so I could get up on top of the coach with the air conditioner and she could work the controls down inside the coach and maybe just maybe we could figure out why the flamin thing was not working. We went into the coach to look over the controls because we got one set of controls for two air conditioners and it could be little complicated for a ''girl'' so i was going to explain everything real slow so she could follow along with what I needed her to do. In the course of explaining to her using small words and a lot of pointing she suggested that ''maybe just maybe it was dirty again and the contacts may just need cleaning again.''.........(how silly can you get lady) I went on explaining what I wanted her to do and she said ''Lets just try spraying it with contact cleaner again like you did for the heating that stopped while we were in Florida'' ''I'll get the contact spray Mr. Fixit Guy.''

To appease her I agreed to simply clean the slider with contact spray but I was sure that was not the problem. I turned off the power, removed the thermostat from the wall and sprayed the contacts and the slider with spray, hooked everything back up and re-installed the thermostat. We turned on the power and set the thermostat to AC and the ''temp'' down to 65 degrees. The AC kicked in and in a couple of minutes the coach started getting cool as the front AC pumped out cold air.
(I secretly said Shux).....
''I am just a girl but I think the AC is working there Mr. Fixit Guy?''
I didnt answer
''You want to finish explaining what I should do when you get up on top of the coach Mr. Fixit Guy?''
I didnt answer
''When it gets nice and cool in here I know what we can do with the time we saved by not having to work on the AC Mr. Fixit Guy.''
''You wanna close the front curtains and lock the door, Mr. Fixit Guy?''
I just love it when she is right...........
Nuff said for now.....and the AC is working perfectly....

God bless our Navy Seals for a JOB WELL DONE..... GO NAVY ..... and God bless all our military personnel for a job well done ....

[HMXDave]

Service-man in-a-can...can't beat that fer simplicity. I know you WANTED to be up on the roof and playing with tools....but maybe next time. Hehehe.

[ralper]

Unless you are certified to handle refrigerants do not get caught doing it. The fines are astronomical. You are not even supposed to be able to buy them without a certification.


If you do not know refrigeration/AC you can do more harm than good by messing with it.

Do you have a set of gauges and a pressure/temperature chart for the ref. you are using?