AC problems 2016 3011DS

[Edrps]

Thank you for the reply. Do you mean is there a vent pointed at the tstat. There is one above it that I have left open. As far as the capacitors go, all I can tell you is what the tech told me. That was they were wired backwards on the 2nd unit that failed. He did show me the tops of what he said where the capacitors which melted. One worse than the other. Any thoughts on what might be going on with my 3rd unit. Good news is it runs cold for now but keeps shutting down and coming back on within 30 seconds. Both the fan and the compressor at the same time.

[GL1800Rider]

How does it do if you take it off auto and set the fan to high. I have found during the day when the outside temperature is high mine will cycle off going to low and in a minute or so cycle back to high. The compressor does not shut down, just the fan momentarily.

We usually put on high until the evening then go to auto at night when that happens.

[Edrps]

I can give it a try. Both my fan and compressor go on and off simultaneously when it starts doing this. It can't be good for the unit. When I first turn it on in auto it cycles correctly. First the fan starts then the compressor kicks in. When it starts acting up the compressor and the fan go on and off at the same time. Usually comes back on within 30 seconds of shutdown. Thank you for the suggestion.

[Gidyupgo]

edrps, iwannacamps question about the tstat is valid.
I can offer a comparison with our 2017. We have a 15000btu AC in a 3010DS and at a 77° setting on auto, our fan will be on, then shut off momentarily and I can hear the compressor still running, then the fan comes back on again, but higher. It sounds like low fan, pause, hi fan and then stays on until it hits the set point, then off and once the inside temp climbs it goes through the same routine. I didnt like the cycling so I changed the fan to high so it blows when its on. Its hot here now at 5PM, 93° and with the tstat set on 77° the inside temp has climbed steadily from 77 this morning when it was cycling to 83 and holding and it is on constantly, no longer cycling. I just wonder if your tstat is inaccurate. Try setting the fan to high and set the desired temp down as cold as it will go and see if it stays on. If it stays on, it's the tstat and you can replace it or just set it for comfort and ignore the number. If it still cycles, then I would take it to a repair center. FR may recommend someone if you don't want CW.

[GL1800Rider]

Originally Posted by Edrps

I can give it a try. Both my fan and compressor go on and off simultaneously when it starts doing this. It can't be good for the unit. When I first turn it on in auto it cycles correctly. First the fan starts then the compressor kicks in. When it starts acting up the compressor and the fan go on and off at the same time. Usually comes back on within 30 seconds of shutdown. Thank you for the suggestion.

I forgot to add that when on automatic and the temperature gets to 5 degrees of the desired setting is when it will start to cycle from high to low. If it has cooled sufficiently outside it will stay on low. Set on high or low the fan should stay on and only the compressor shut down when set temperature is reached.

[Edrps]

Originally Posted by Gidyupgo

edrps, iwannacamps question about the tstat is valid.
I can offer a comparison with our 2017. We have a 15000btu AC in a 3010DS and at a 77° setting on auto, our fan will be on, then shut off momentarily and I can hear the compressor still running, then the fan comes back on again, but higher. It sounds like low fan, pause, hi fan and then stays on until it hits the set point, then off and once the inside temp climbs it goes through the same routine. I didnt like the cycling so I changed the fan to high so it blows when its on. Its hot here now at 5PM, 93° and with the tstat set on 77° the inside temp has climbed steadily from 77 this morning when it was cycling to 83 and holding and it is on constantly, no longer cycling. I just wonder if your tstat is inaccurate. Try setting the fan to high and set the desired temp down as cold as it will go and see if it stays on. If it stays on, it's the tstat and you can replace it or just set it for comfort and ignore the number. If it still cycles, then I would take it to a repair center. FR may recommend someone if you don't want CW.

Thank you I'm going to give it a try. Hopefully problem solved.

[Edrps]

Originally Posted by GL1800Rider

I forgot to add that when on automatic and the temperature gets to 5 degrees of the desired setting is when it will start to cycle from high to low. If it has cooled sufficiently outside it will stay on low. Set on high or low the fan should stay on and only the compressor shut down when set temperature is reached.

Gotcha, thank you.

[Gidyupgo]

Edrps, any update?

[Edrps]

Haven't had the opportunity to get on 30 amp power yet. Probably going to take it to a nearby park to give it a run through for a couple of days. Didn't want to run on generator only. Wanted to give it a true test both shore power and at the dock. Thank you for asking. I will report back as as I do. No big trips planned until August. Being resently retired I've become quite a procrastinator. Not good. I need to get this tested now.

[Tombsy]

Originally Posted by Iwannacamp

Capacitors are not normally polarized.

Melted the capacitor in the unit??? Clarify.

The caps I use for electronics have a + leg and a - leg like an led. If the end of the cap bulges at all or leaks brown fluid they're shot.

[Edrps]

Originally Posted by Gidyupgo

Edrps, any update?

Well I have a good news bad news thing happening. Tested the AC this week on a trip. It seems to be working fine now. Followed many of the tips given here and knock on wood it's not doing that short cycle any more. Thank you to those helpful posts. That's the good news. The bad news is my bedroom slide won't extend. It goes out about 2 inches, cocks to one side and stops. Called lippert no help except referring me to videos I already watched which were also no help because they mainly addressed troubleshooting with the slide stuck out and how to get it back in so you can take it somewhere to get repaired. Can't do much myself because of difficulty getting to the mechanism with slide stuck in. Made an appt with local RV repair shop. Can't get me in for a few weeks. Have to cancel plans for later this month. Will have to forfeit some money on a reservation. This is the 3rd trip I've had to cancel and the 2nd I have had to cut short because of various issues. Don't have many good things to say about the company that puts these things together or some of their component suppliers. Very aggravating to say the least. Especially since I have always gone through great pains to maintain all my stuff. Seems if more QC was done while these things were being made we would all have fewer problems and not have to throw good money after bad. Here's an IDEA FOR FOREST RIVER, DOMETIC, LIPPERT. Put more money into QC so that you will have to put less into repairs.
Pretty simple. Sorry for the rant. It's just that Something we made a big investment in to have fun, has become a nightmare.