Basement Heat Pump Problem

[marant1946]

We have a 2004 Alfa fifth wheel with a two stage (30-50 amp) basement heat pump. The heat pump will not operate in the cooling cycle on 30 amp service (do not have 50 amp to check right now). This is what it does:

Set thermostat for 1 or 2 degrees below the current inside temperature to prevent the second unit trying to activate. The fan comes on or, if set to run all the time, does so. The heat pump comes on for 30-45 seconds, then turns off. Once in a while it trips the unit circuit breaker, but not always. If I leave the thermostat set to cool it will try again after the built in delay period. It makes a slight 'grinding' sound as it cuts off.

I do not know if it is an electrical problem or if it just needs coolant. It worked correctly last time it was used, about 18 months ago. I checked underneath but found nothing out of the ordinary, no leaks, clogged vents, etc.

Also, any recomendations on service facilities will be welcome, since Alfa is out of business. Should we try a regular AC firm since it is just a heat pump, or are we stuck with an rv repair facility? (We are in the Galveston/Austin area if anyone has a specific shop to recommend.)

Thanks

["007"]

Welcome marant1946 to irv2.
This link will bring you to many pdf's of AC and heat units. You didn't say what you have but maybe the trouble section of your unit may help you.
I would take it to the MFG of you unit for service most dealers would ship job out anyway.

[TomHinMd]

I believe that Alfa used the same basement A/C that Winnebago uses. You might try a Winnebago dealer for help. The grinding noise might be a wasp nest in the fan. The basement air is very hard to get to and you will most likley need a dealers help.

[Martind4]

We had problems with our basement air last summer. I talked with RVP and they told me the unit is similar to many residential systems and that a qualified service person could probably work on it. I called our local home HVAC company and talked with the service manager. He told me they didn't work on RV air conditioners, but when I explained what it looked like, he agreed to send out a repairman. I was lucky, the repairman had spent part of his working life in Texas and was very familiar with units like ours. We ended up replacing a compressor and everything works well now. I had the owners manual and installation manual for my unit ready for the service guy.

You might give a residential HVAC service company a call to see if they can help. Removing the basement air unit is not difficult. Do a search on this forum for Duner's step by step instructions.