Air Conditioner / Thermostat

[Evereddie]

Originally Posted by BillyBass

its analogue . it only has for the fan high and low he said when he kick it down to 78 it will keep kicking on and off

Mu guess is either a bad electrical connection somewhere in the 110 volt system causing it to have a shutdown condition due to under voltage. Or he has too much airflow on the thermostat and it senses very cold air and thinks it it time to shutoff. Then it warms quickly and turns back on. If by turning it down extremely low, it runs for a good long time I would rule out the electrical issues and check airflow. Do not have the full force of a air vent blowing on the thermostat.

[Evereddie]

Originally Posted by BarryD0706

I read the manual and don't see any reason that it wouldn't work in an RV. It's run by batteries and not any other power source.

That is for the remote unit. This is what I see."Place Receiver Wherever Wires Are Available
The receiver is easy to install and is wired just like a standard 24VAC thermostat. Connect the unit wherever existing wires are available; the old thermostat location, in a furnace closet, in an attic or basement."

From what I see in my trailer the control circuits are 12 vdc.

[Ford Idaho]

Originally Posted by BarryD0706

I read the manual and don't see any reason that it wouldn't work in an RV. It's run by batteries and not any other power source.

The remote is battery powered.
I thought the AC and furnace were 120v, I need to go out and check mine.

[BillyBass]

thanks guys I will pass that on to him

[dmf564]

Originally Posted by Evereddie

Mu guess is either a bad electrical connection somewhere in the 110 volt system causing it to have a shutdown condition due to under voltage. Or he has too much airflow on the thermostat and it senses very cold air and thinks it it time to shutoff. Then it warms quickly and turns back on. If by turning it down extremely low, it runs for a good long time I would rule out the electrical issues and check airflow. Do not have the full force of a air vent blowing on the thermostat.

I agree.
a good way to check this is to 1. Adjust the vents away from the thermostat. 2 take a small piece of cardboard about 3" wide and to the best of your ability rap it around the out side of the thermostat. This will prevent air from getting to the temp spring. Then see how it acts. If it still turns the unit off and on I would guess that its time for a new thermostat.

[BarryD0706]

Originally Posted by Evereddie

That is for the remote unit. This is what I see."Place Receiver Wherever Wires Are Available The receiver is easy to install and is wired just like a standard 24VAC thermostat. Connect the unit wherever existing wires are available; the old thermostat location, in a furnace closet, in an attic or basement." From what I see in my trailer the control circuits are 12 vdc.

My bad. You're absolutely right. It won't work in an RV.

[jtintx]

Still waiting for my new T-stat to come in but I've been trying to get ready for when it gets here. I've looked at what I have and it is definately soldered on. I also found a voltage meter and with the AC circuit breaker off and the battery disconnect in the disconnect position I'm still getting 24 volts to the wires. Can anyone tell me why this is so? Am I going to get shocked and or cause problems in my trailer? I'm trying to understand what I'm doing...not just do without understanding...if that makes any sense.

Thanks.

[BarryD0706]

24v? AC or DC? I imagine they didn't label the breakers the same way they wired them. You need to keep turning off breakers until that goes away.

What brand is this AC system? Dometic? Coleman?

[dmf564]

Originally Posted by jtintx

Still waiting for my new T-stat to come in but I've been trying to get ready for when it gets here. I've looked at what I have and it is definately soldered on. I also found a voltage meter and with the AC circuit breaker off and the battery disconnect in the disconnect position I'm still getting 24 volts to the wires. Can anyone tell me why this is so? Am I going to get shocked and or cause problems in my trailer? I'm trying to understand what I'm doing...not just do without understanding...if that makes any sense.

Thanks.

Which wires (color) are you touching and getting a 24V reading and is it AC or DC voltage?

[jtintx]

With the AC circuit breaker off and the battery disconnect switch in the disconnect position I am getting 24V AC when I touch the red wire with the red lead with any other wire with the other lead.

I know the AC circuit breaker is correct because with the AC running if I throw the switch the AC turns off.

Edited to add: My AC unit is an Airxcel. This is what I know about my current t-stat.

R Red + 12 VDC
B Blue -12 VDC
Y Yellow Compressor
GH Green High Fan
GL Gray Low Fan
W White +12 VDC Furnace

I'm guessing that the Red wire turns on the AC. The Blue, I'm not sure. Is it the ground or does it shut off the AC? The others I think I know.

Edited to add even more: When I test VDC I get 12 volts on each wire. When I disconnect the AC power from the outlet I still get 24 VAC. This makes no sense to me. Maybe I'm just not smart enough for this stuff.

[dmf564]

Originally Posted by jtintx

With the AC circuit breaker off and the battery disconnect switch in the disconnect position I am getting 24V AC when I touch the red wire with the red lead with any other wire with the other lead.

I know the AC circuit breaker is correct because with the AC running if I throw the switch the AC turns off.

Edited to add: My AC unit is an Airxcel. This is what I know about my current t-stat.

R Red + 12 VDC
B Blue -12 VDC
Y Yellow Compressor
GH Green High Fan
GL Gray Low Fan
W White +12 VDC Furnace

I'm guessing that the Red wire turns on the AC. The Blue, I'm not sure. Is it the ground or does it shut off the AC? The others I think I know.

Edited to add even more: When I test VDC I get 12 volts on each wire. When I disconnect the AC power from the outlet I still get 24 VAC. This makes no sense to me. Maybe I'm just not smart enough for this stuff.

All of your voltage readings are correct. But why you still have voltage with everything turn off and the TT unplugged does not sound right at all. That may be another issue all together.
Back to the T-stat. This is a spring switch thermostat that you are dealing with. Right? Can you post a pic of it with the cover off?

[jtintx]

I don't know what spring switch is but here is the pic you asked for. I included one closer up also.

[dmf564]

Originally Posted by jtintx

I don't know what spring switch is but here is the pic you asked for. I included one closer up also.

Short answer, nope not a spring switch. Its an electronic t-stat.
Really out of my realm of knowledge.
Sorry. I did a quick Google search of your model and it gave me the voltage readings that should be present at the T-stat. All of which matched what you reported. I do know that the electronic ones can go bad. They have a temp sensor eye the goes bad. So that may be your issue but the the electronic ones are a little harder to diagnose.

[Netcomdude]

Ok guys. I have a 2306 that had the same thermostat problem you are talking about.

The problem is the wall it's mounted on shares the same wall as the refrigerator. That cavity gets really hot with the refrigerator running and heats that cavity up really hot. There is no air flow behind the thermostat in that cavity so the thermostat always thinks it's really hot in the camper. That's why the air conditioner runs till icicles form inside.

I installed two small computer fans in the edge of the cavity to circulate the internal camper air in and out if the cavity. I wired them in series so each 12 volt fan runs on 6 volts. They can't even be heard running. Fix was cheaper than relocating or purchasing a new thermostat.

The problem is not that it's an analog or digital thermostat, it's that the wall it's mounted on is blistering hot.

I will supply photos if my modification if you are interested.

[Evereddie]

I too have a 2306 and don't think I have that problem but I sealed up the wire hole when I put in my new digital thermostat. But always interested to see a mod, post the photos if not too much of a hassle. Thanks.

[Netcomdude]

When I go out later today I will take some photos. I discovered this actually by accident while adding the "sub woofer" to the stereo. Another worthy modification I posted. With the stereo out and refrigerator running continuously in the driveway, that cavity and wall was blistering hot. I can honestly say the fans did fix the air conditioner which wouldn't shut off problem.

[Evereddie]

Originally Posted by Netcomdude

When I go out later today I will take some photos. I discovered this actually by accident while adding the "sub woofer" to the stereo. Another worthy modification I posted. With the stereo out and refrigerator running continuously in the driveway, that cavity and wall was blistering hot. I can honestly say the fans did fix the air conditioner which wouldn't shut off problem.

I have never felt any of that heat but maybe mine is a little different or because I didn't add the subwoofer. I am installing a whole new audio speaker system. Will post that mod when I get it done.

BTW, I am just about to open (remove) the speakers in the ceiling of my 2306. Do they just snap off (the grills) and then remove the screws to take off the base of the unit?

[Netcomdude]

Never replaced the interior ceiling speakers. The Genesis unit that came with the camper is not too bad. Just the bass region of the audio source is noticeably missing. The documentation (wiring diagram) that came with the bag of brochures showed a connection for a sub woofer. This is really a misleading thing. It is a "bass speaker" connection, not a sub woofer. I added a small JBL cube speaker to the clipped off wiring. The difference is amazing. It's mounted on the wheel well under the dinette table. Just try that before you change the ceiling speakers.

[Netcomdude]

Here are photos of the thermostat cavity cooling fan modification.

[cohuttariverrat]

I know the thread is old but Im a new 2306 owner and having the same problem with thermostat not accurate because of heat from fridge. Has anyone came up with other solutions for this problem? I can't even get the genesis out because of where the wires plugged into. Would insulating this whole wall help? Any input would be helpfull before I tear the wall out. Thanks