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Old 09-23-2022, 11:25 AM   #1
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AC blows warm air

2018 Forest River Flagstaff Micro Lite 21FBRS
Airxcel 4800 Series AC
Will not blow cold air.

Diagnostics

Compressor
Start to Common 1.6 ohms
Common to Run 0.6 ohms
Start to Run 2.3 ohms
These numbers 'add up' OK

Round Button (Precision Temp Coeff Resistor) 0.0 ohms OK

Capacitors
Large capacitor: 60.19 mF [60 mF] OK
Small capacitor: 7.51 mF [7.5 mF] OK

When I run the AC, the outside of the compressor gets VERY hot. I measured 185 to 190 degrees, then turned the unit off.

That's about the extent of my youtube diagnostic knowledge.

Any ideas on what the problem is?
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Old 09-23-2022, 07:33 PM   #2
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measure the Voltage going to the air conditioner .... 120v +/- 5%
if it is too low you can check your pedestal and power cord

measure ohms from each of the compressor terminals to the compressor body
if you get no resistance on any of the terminals then compressor is shorted out


did you test capacitor.... I believe from memory you put probe on and watch for voltage DROP. there are youtube videos for testing capacitor with multi meter ... (meters without settings for capacitor)

compressor will get hot if it can't start...


sometimes it worth just replacing the capacitor... it is usually the culprit
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Old 09-24-2022, 07:29 AM   #3
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welcome to the forum its a great place to get your questions answered. If the compressor is starting why are you checking electrical. The outside of the compressor will get hot and only comes in to play if the thermo overload opens. I suspect you have lost Freon and that's the reason for no cooling. JMHO
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Old 09-24-2022, 01:15 PM   #4
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Thanks for the info.

I tested each of the 3 pins on the compressor to the compressor body, and there is not a short.

I ordered a capacitor and it should arrive in a few days, and I'll try it. I hope that works. It'll save me a small fortune from bringing it to the dealer to diagnose and fix.
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Old 09-24-2022, 03:54 PM   #5
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SeaDog,

I hope you're wrong.
From what I've read, the AC is a sealed system and you can't add any freon, you have to buy a whole new unit. Ouch!!!

I have an appointment to bring in my trailer to the dealer in a couple of weeks. I'm willing to try a relatively inexpensive new capacitor to see if that fixes it.

Oddly, I just had an HVAC guy come out to fix my home AC unit. It was locked up in a thermal overload. He had to replace the starting capacitor; now all is well.
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Old 09-24-2022, 04:10 PM   #6
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SeaDog,

I hope you're wrong.
From what I've read, the AC is a sealed system and you can't add any freon, you have to buy a whole new unit. Ouch!!!

Oh boy…
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Old 09-24-2022, 06:15 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Peter314 View Post
SeaDog,

I hope you're wrong.
From what I've read, the AC is a sealed system and you can't add any freon, you have to buy a whole new unit. Ouch!!!

I have an appointment to bring in my trailer to the dealer in a couple of weeks. I'm willing to try a relatively inexpensive new capacitor to see if that fixes it.

Oddly, I just had an HVAC guy come out to fix my home AC unit. It was locked up in a thermal overload. He had to replace the starting capacitor; now all is well.

A RV AC unit is just like a window model you would have in your house. An HVAC guy can install a saddle tap and charge the system. With that said I have not had good experience with doing that it seems to only be a temporary fix.


Like is said before if the compressor is running changing out the capacitor or the contactor will not do anything. JMHO
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Old 09-24-2022, 06:51 PM   #8
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If it has a leak


adding a filling port is do-able if you can find someone willing to do it...

BUT.... unless you fix the leak it will be a constant chore to keep it topped up.
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Old 09-24-2022, 06:56 PM   #9
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Quote:
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A RV AC unit is just like a window model you would have in your house. An HVAC guy can install a saddle tap and charge the system. With that said I have not had good experience with doing that it seems to only be a temporary fix.


Like is said before if the compressor is running changing out the capacitor or the contactor will not do anything. JMHO
The HVAC techs, that I contacted in California when our a/c went out in SoCal, refused to do that kind of repair. They said they would get in trouble with the state.

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Old 09-24-2022, 07:20 PM   #10
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Yeah well it is .... CA , enough said there!


Actually .....There is laws just about everywhere for HVAC peoples not to release the gases into the atmosphere.


without a port factory installed it is harder for them to do the job.


so unless they are family or know you well .... they will probably not risk doing it
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Old 09-27-2022, 02:44 PM   #11
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Most of my HVAC experience was in CA That must be some new law that some desk monkey thought up. You do have to have the lic and equipment to recover Freon or face a huge fine. the problem with a saddle tap is the vibration of the unit causes them to leak over time. Another these small units are not worth the time or money to trouble shoot for a leak and fix it. JMHO
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Old 09-29-2022, 03:15 PM   #12
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Bad news.
I bought a running capacitor ($48) and installed it. My AC is still blowing warm air. The air blowing out is only 3 - 4 degrees cooler than the inside ambient temperature. It was worth a try.

I measured the temperature on the outside of the compressor: 185 to 190 degrees.
I guess my problem is not the running capacitor.

I have an appointment to bring my trailer to the dealer next week. After they fix it, I'll make a final report to this thread detailing what was wrong.
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Old 10-05-2022, 10:31 AM   #13
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The dealer just called. I think he said something about low amps, and that the unit is low on freon and the unit has to be replaced - it's a sealed unit and you can't just add freon. Looks like a $1700 fix.
I'm going to keep the old unit for parts. The capacitors are still good (one is brand new). The motors work fine also.

Thanks to everyone here for your help and assistance.
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Old 10-05-2022, 11:55 AM   #14
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If the unit is sealed... how do they determine it is low on gas?


I would get a second opinion before paying that sort of money!
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Old 10-05-2022, 12:49 PM   #15
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If the unit is sealed... how do they determine it is low on gas?


I would get a second opinion before paying that sort of money!
By measuring the current draw and determine the compressor isn't working hard compressing the normal amount of refrigerant.
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Old 10-05-2022, 06:44 PM   #16
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makes sense


learnded sumthung
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Old 10-07-2022, 09:24 AM   #17
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My RV service dept. replaced the top AC unit. When I got it home I plugged in my trailer and after a few minutes, it was blowing 65 degrees with the ambient inside temp of 87 degrees. Hopefully, this unit won't crap out after only 4 years. With parts, labor, discount, and tax, I paid around $1700.

For future reference, Aussieguy said that a low amp draw indicates low freon. Is this like a pool pump when air enters the pump and it's not pumping water but spinning wildly?

Without me climbing up on the top of my trailer and taking readings, how many amps should the compressor be pulling? And how low of amps indicates the freon is low or out? I kind of don't want to mess with the AC now that it's fixed.

When I first heard to check the voltage and amps, I kind of blew it off. I have a 30A service on the side of my house, so I figured that the AC was getting all of the power that it needed. I didn't think it was about low freon.

One last thing. I have a pair of Honda 2200i generators that I can hook in tandem to get sufficient power (30+ amps) to my trailer when using the AC - one of the generators even has a 30A plug for this purpose. If I use them in tandem, can I use ECO-mode (where the rpm and power of the generator change depending on what is needed) or should I run them at 'full speed'?

When I first got my generators, I tested the AC with only 1 generator running, but when the compressor started, the surge caused my generator to struggle. I didn't like the sound of that, so that was not a good option. Running the single generator at 'full speed' helped, but it eventually tripped the circuit breaker on the generator. I only did this a couple of times to test things, and decided that I need to use both generators when using my AC. Could this be what damaged my AC? I don't see how this would create a low freon problem.
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Old 10-07-2022, 09:39 AM   #18
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I replaced our A/C this year myself, other than getting it up on top of the trailer it was an easy job.
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Old 10-07-2022, 09:40 AM   #19
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Around $800 if you can do it yourself.
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Old 10-07-2022, 10:00 AM   #20
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Around $800 if you can do it yourself.
My invoice shows that the Coleman Mach 3 Plus 13.5 cost $1,025. The rest was shop fees, labor, and taxes. I probably could have done it myself, but some things I leave to the experts.
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