Community Forums

Socaltoolguy · 08-06-2013, 05:12 PM

Can anybody out there with a 2001 or so vintage class A m/h give me any idea of if and when they have had to have their rooftop A/C recharged. I am still in the checking out stage with ours. We bought it a couple of months back and I'm going over everything and figuring it all out. The a/c's both seem to not be putting out the way they should. They blow cool not cold. I am going to stick an a/c thermometer in the outlets and get a reading but to me they don't either one blow as cold as the one we had in our 5er. Please let me know if you have had yours recharged and at what point in time. Thanks,

Ray

Heating man · 08-06-2013, 05:42 PM

I have an older unit but it has the basement air. I am a heating and air conditioning service person and I will tell you RV roof A/C units should never lose their charge they are charged and soldered shut like a window air conditioner if they leak refrigerant there has to be a leak in the system somewhere and the cost to add acess fitings and repairing leaks is very expensive. Most of the time if they get low on refrigerant they will need to be replaced. You should see 15 20 degrees temperature drop through them so if it is very hot in coach air will not be that cold.

Socaltoolguy · 08-06-2013, 05:54 PM

Thanks so much for your reply. I tried both of the units today and the ambient air is about 75 outside. Not hot but the coach has been closed up so it might have been in the 80's inside. I have a neighbor who is also in the a/c business and he seems to think that if they need charging, he can do it. Time will tell.

Ray

Stan.Birch · 08-06-2013, 06:00 PM

I have heard a lot of stories from RVers who have had their A/Cs recharged. Few of them were successful.

Heating man · 08-06-2013, 06:04 PM

there are taps that you can put on a system so you can check the refrigerant level but imake sure it is definetly low before putting one on because they introduce a place for the refrigerant to leak out and those units don't hold much. Check to see if they are dirty first before getting into the refrigeration circuit and make sure the compressors are running. there may not be a refrigerant problem it may be an electrical problem keeping the compressor from coming on. Getting into the refrigerant circuit should be the last thing to do. Very seldom a good idea.

Socaltoolguy · 08-06-2013, 06:08 PM

I will check everything before going ahead with an attempt to recharge. I had the genny running and flipped both a/c controls to high a/c and it sounded like they kicked in. I will make sure. Thanks for your help. I will keep you updated on what I find. I did check the intake filters and they are both new and clean. If it comes to having to go up on the roof, I will have to rely on someone else. I don't do heights especially at my age. A 2 foot step ladder is about my limit. I fell out of a tree one time and have been scared of heights ever since. Oh well......................

Ray

bruceisla · 08-06-2013, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Socaltoolguy

Can anybody out there with a 2001 or so vintage class A m/h give me any idea of if and when they have had to have their rooftop A/C recharged. I am still in the checking out stage with ours. We bought it a couple of months back and I'm going over everything and figuring it all out. The a/c's both seem to not be putting out the way they should. They blow cool not cold. I am going to stick an a/c thermometer in the outlets and get a reading but to me they don't either one blow as cold as the one we had in our 5er. Please let me know if you have had yours recharged and at what point in time. Thanks,

Ray

Tell us more.

Manufacturer of A/C?
Wall thermostat or manual control on A/C unit?
Ducted or unducted?
Actual measured difference between inlet and outlet in degrees (never mind ambient .... we need the delta)?
Does either unit short cycle (compressor starts/stops at about 2 minute intervals)?

Heating man · 08-06-2013, 06:20 PM

A/C units have a coil outside that air blows through to get rid of the heat. There is no filter of any kind on this coil so they can get very dirty and cause poor cooling. To get to it someone has to get on roof and take the plastic shroud off and wash it out with a hose. RV A/C units are like window units and dirt is many times the problem.

Socaltoolguy · 08-06-2013, 06:53 PM

Manufacturer of A/C?
Wall thermostat or manual control on A/C unit?
Ducted or unducted?
Actual measured difference between inlet and outlet in degrees (never mind ambient .... we need the delta)?
Does either unit short cycle (compressor starts/stops at about 2 minute intervals)?[/QUOTE]
Not sure of manufacturer
dual wall thermo with one unit having a heat setting. I have to think it's got a heat strip in it.
Ducted in ceiling
Haven't had a chance to do a thermo check yet
Haven't heard a compressor cycling but I did hear the genny belch a couple of times

Socaltoolguy · 08-06-2013, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heating man

A/C units have a coil outside that air blows through to get rid of the heat. There is no filter of any kind on this coil so they can get very dirty and cause poor cooling. To get to it someone has to get on roof and take the plastic shroud off and wash it out with a hose. RV A/C units are like window units and dirt is many times the problem.

I will have that done and update you on what I find. Thanks.

Ray

TXiceman · 08-06-2013, 08:16 PM

First thing to do is to pull the cover outside and make sure the condenser coil is clean. Next, pull the interior covers and check the filters and the evaporator coil. Most people do not keep the filters clean enough and it causes the evaporator coil to plug up. Now with everything clean, set the fans to max and lower the thermostat to keep the unit running. Get a temp reading as close to the unit as possible for the air entering the unit and them the air leaving the unit. If the unit is running normal, you should have 18 to 20 degF lower leaving air temperature.

As noted above, taps can be added if it is done properly, but is it expensive. The saddle or clamp on taps are a know leak source in a year or two, so save you time and money.

If it gets beyond changing fan motors or capacitors and cleaning, it is more cost effective to get a new unit and a warranty.

ken

adonh · 08-07-2013, 07:16 AM

A 2001 AC regardless the brand is almost 14 years old. These AC's are sealed units and are not designed to add freon. I have a 2005 Airstream DP that had 2 Dometic AC's and they were running and blowing cool not cold air. I cleaned all of the coils taped any opening in the ducts and air boxes and they still did not blow "cold" air like I wanted. I replaced both with 2 new Dometic Brisk 2 AC's. They blow real cold air and are quite, problem solved.