AC Not Cooling

[Thearcher01]

My air conditioning unit is a Dometic 15000 btu, three years old. We never even took the cover off the trailer last year. We hooked up the electric yesterday and turned the air on and it just blows cool air, not enough to cool down the camper. It doesn't blow hot air, but definitely not cold. I took off the unit cover on the roof and all is clean and free. The compressor is running and is hot to the touch. The top tube in the cooling radiator gets cold and frosts up for a few inches but the rest of the tubes aren't getting cold. All the wiring looks good and the temperature sensor wire is inserted into the radiator fins as it is supposed to be. Any suggestions on what to look at or do I need a new unit?

[Chris Pastuzyn]

Either it lost its charge or has a restriction, Do you know any a/c or refrigeration techs ? They may be able to diagnose it better.

[NJKris]

I don't know if a leak check would be worth the money. Mine had a similar issue brand new (Coleman though). First use, same symptoms as you, but I didn't get ANY cool. Was either a leak or bad compressor. Mfr replaced entire unit under warranty.

[Thearcher01]

I have a 3 year old Dometic air conditioner. It sat through the last two winters. I started it up this spring and it won't keep up. It bows cool air but not cold enough to stay comfortable. I can't get anyone to service it. I have checked everything I know to check. The compressor kicks on, the unit is as clean as the day it was new, the foam divider is completely sealed, there are no visual signs of a leak. The sensor wire is inserted in the fins as it should be. The top tubes in the radiator frost up for the first half of their length but the rest of the radiator does not feel cold. Is there anything else that I should check before I spend the money for a new unit? A service man did tell me that if the fan and compressor are working, the problem wouldn't be a capacitor because they only affect startup.

[KyDan]

Classic symptoms of low charge or faulty compressor.
Unfortunately it's a toss up whether it's cheaper to repair or replace.
Bummer for sure....
Once upon a time I knew a guy who installed a window unit in his emergency exit window because it cost way less than a replacement roof AC. He was a full timer and rarely moved though..

[Thearcher01]

Thanks