DOMETIC air conditioner

[aceinspp]

Now that's a rip off. Later RJD

[DocGTO]

We bought our unit new in 914 and by 6/15 it was tits up. Same issue and was replaced by the dealer thru Dometic. Our unit has 2 Dometic 15K units. The full size was the one that took a dump but the low profile one we have in the bedroom is cold enough to hang meat in there.

[hughd033]

Spent year and a half between CW and Dometic on a failed 15k act unit with nothing gained but seeing how both parties were wel experienced at BS and out right lies. Ended up buying a Coleman and never had another issue up to point of selling unit and now I am back to owning another new RV that contains 2 Dometic ACs and wondering when the fun will begin again. From most of my major issues with any rv I have owned they were primarily centered around Dometic appliances. Current issue is with ,electric awning and that is another story. Short of it Is Dometic doesn't really have a Quality department or a concern for customer service. Good luck to all.

[billywilly]

My '04 wildcat Dometic AC works great. But has started shutting down then restarting for just a few seconds, shutting down then restarting. Cleaned thermostat, moved all adjustments to insure clean contacts. Seems intermittent, occurring several times over the last week. Any ideas?
Thanks.

[SS396CV]

Well I just had my front dometic replaced, blew cold when we purchased the MH in January, (2014 378 but new) lost all it's refrigerant on the way down to AZ. RV tech says he replaces a lot of Dometic and Coleman units.

[dwhit]

It's been a little over a month...third 15k unit still working. I'm glad I purchased the extended warranty...peace of mind for the uncertain future. Two years jus' isn't enough for these poorly built Chinese knockoffs.

billywilly: Is your fan set on "auto"? I don't know if you know...but when the "auto" feature is activated the fan will stop for several seconds then restart at a faster/slower speed. Compressor continues to run.

[steph45601]

How much is an extended warranty?

[KatanaPilot]

Just replaced my Dometic 13.5k BTU cool only unit with Atwood 15K Heat Pump. Anyone in the Atlanta area interested in buying a spare/replacement for $280 - which is half price of a new unit with ceiling assembly and standard thermostat. We bought our Forester MBS in January of last year - so it's a little over a year old. PM me if interested.

[dwhit]

steph45601:

Post #15...$170 direct from Dometic. I wouldn't have done that 'cept for how many I've been going thru. I don't think the bad lot was purged...I think the customers are purging and two years isn't long enough from ORIGINAL PURCHASE. They say if you purchase a replacement on month 25...it's on you. That's not a customer friendly warranty if the one you're replacing is three months old.

[js415]

I had my 15K Dometic replaced after about 11 months under warranty. That was in 2014.

We mostly camp during the fall and winter, and do not get a chance to use it very much. This past January we camped in Alabama over the New Years Eve holiday and ran into some very warm weather and needed to use the AC.

It did the exact same thing as our old one. Runs for 5-10 minutes then starts to freeze up.

We had to constantly turn it off and on to thaw it out.

After a couple of days it turned cold so we quit using the AC.

I'm thinking now I need to go test it out and see what the results are.

Does anybody know what the current draw should be? I remember the tech showing me last time how to check with my multimeter, but I don't remember what it should be.

I seem to remember it needed to be around 12amps, but not 100% sure.

I'm thinking about just biting the bullet and going to camping world to get a Coleman unit and be done with it.

Jerry

[billywilly]

Originally Posted by dwhit

It's been a little over a month...third 15k unit still working. I'm glad I purchased the extended warranty...peace of mind for the uncertain future. Two years jus' isn't enough for these poorly built Chinese knockoffs.

billywilly: Is your fan set on "auto"? I don't know if you know...but when the "auto" feature is activated the fan will stop for several seconds then restart at a faster/slower speed. Compressor continues to run.

Thanks. That is not happening on mine.

[Thurman]

@ "js415": My training taught me that the current draw for a Dometic 15K unit should be between 11 amps and 15 amps depending on outside temp, humidity, and a full refrigerant charge. How does one check current draw, or amperage, with a multi-meter? I've yet to learn that one.
@ "billywilly": You're problem sounds as IF the unit may have lost just a small amount of refrigerant charge. There is NO way to test the charge, or pressure, on these sealed units. A trained techy can measure intake air temp, discharge air temp, suction line temp, and condenser line temp, to make an educated guess as to any loss of refrigerant. IF the unit is out of warranty and IF you can find a good A/C techy (RV or home) they one might get away with the installation of a tap valve to try to recharge the A/C unit. These tap valves are NOT a permanent fix. My experience with them is that they are good for maybe one year then add more refrigerant.

[Flybob]

Originally Posted by js415

I had my 15K Dometic replaced after about 11 months under warranty. That was in 2014.


It did the exact same thing as our old one. Runs for 5-10 minutes then starts to freeze up.

We had to constantly turn it off and on to thaw it out.

After a couple of days it turned cold so we quit using the AC.



I'm thinking about just biting the bullet and going to camping world to get a Coleman unit and be done with it.

Jerry

Freeze ups are many times caused by running AC while RV is hot and humid inside ( unit runs on high for a long period of time to cool interior). The coils get very cold and the humidity freezes as there is not enough air circulation to prevent it. This most often occurs on ducted units. I found that if Freeze ups occur during initial cool down, simply opening the quick cool dump vent will allow enough circulation to prevent freeze ups. Once the unit is cooled down, you can close it again.

[js415]

I have been testing mine for 3 days now.

My camper is parked in a pole barn. Interior temperature is around 70 degrees. Outside air is around 80 degrees.

From a fresh start, the compressor never pulls more than 7.2 amps. Once it is started and starts to cool, it runs anywhere from 6.8 to 7.2 amps.

After about 1 hour of running, the air flow starts to deteriorate until there is zero air flow, due to the coils freezing over.

When I had it replaced the first time, they told me the key item to check was the amperage pull. It pulled 8.6 as noted on the work order and they said that was way too low. It is even less now.

I'm thinking both of my units were part of the batch that was messed up from Dometic. The TSB says they were bad from 2013 until March of 2015. Mine was replaced right in the middle of this time.

Right now I'm debating replacing myself or sending to a dealer.

Jerry

[TURBS]

Jerry, Does it freeze up if you leave the quick cool dump open?



2015 Columbus 320RS
2008 2500HD Duramax
2015 nights camped "34"

[billywilly]

Js415 A "snap" meter will read your current loads. Look up Sinometer UT 204. At about $50, it will cover most RV, marine & auto electrical diagnostics. Good luck.
And house voltages! (Forgot that part)

[js415]

I have an ampmeter on it now.

That is how I am reading the amperage while it is running. I occasionally use a meter for work, so I have one handy. It has been hanging out in the trailer for 3 days now!!

Jerry

[js415]

Originally Posted by TURBS

Jerry, Does it freeze up if you leave the quick cool dump open?



2015 Columbus 320RS
2008 2500HD Duramax
2015 nights camped "34"

I have not tested it using only the dump feature. It has not been on for several hours now, so I just started it up, and am using only the dump feature.

I will go check it in about 30 minutes, then again in 1 hour and see what it is doing.

When the second unit was put in, it worked perfect for about 10 months, including to trips to the Florida beaches.

We did not use it for about 6 months until the warm weather caught us this past December.

Jerry

[TURBS]

My guess is not enough air flow.
If it does not freeze up with quick cool dump which I suspect it won't, your not getting enough air flow over the coils


2015 Columbus 320RS
2008 2500HD Duramax
2015 nights camped "34"

[billywilly]

Thurman. Thank you very much. 12 yr old unit may leak. 2-3 hours of tech time probably not worth it? New unit about $600 if I change out myself?