Front roof AC quit

[43D18]

Our front rooftop AC has quit working. Actually, it comes on when the thermostat calls for it, and you can hear the compressor kick in, but no cold air. The rear unit works fine. I called Coach-Net to see if they could help troubleshoot and refer me to a repair facility. They told me to take it to a Camping World nearby, but "they would have to charge a diagnostic fee". Uh, negative on that. They are a FR dealer, and we are inside a year of ownership. When I expressed that to the Coach-Net agent, she said, "well I can give you the FR phone number to ask them about that". Amazing. I have a call in to my purchasing dealer to advise. Coach-Net has been helpful on a couple issues in the past but this time, whew.

We've had a laundry list of other issues with the coach which I'll update on in a separate post later.

For now, hoping someone can look at the rooftop AC this week.

-Mike

[Weezer]

The ONE time we needed Coach Net they were useless as ....well I'm sure you've heard the comment about mammary glands and boar hogs.

We were awakened by the smoke alarm screaming and our V-Lite full of smoke. Called Coach Net "well it's a holiday weekend ma'am, but I'll see if we can get someone to contact you".

Found a return message on our HOME phone answering machine when we got home which was placed 2 days AFTER our call to them. I most assuredly did NOT leave them our home phone number when we called, as we were in Pigeon Forge, TN when this happened.

Yeah, you get Coach Net free for one year when you purchase, and it's worth every penny (the new pennies, which aren't even copper) you pay for it, in my not-so-humbe opinion.

The folks here on this forum came thru for us, explained what was happening and saved our trip.

[Gchcole]

My front a/c did the same thing. Blow but not get cold. At the dealer now getting replaced under warranty. Less than one year old.



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[Chasracer]

They are sealed units although there is a kit that allows the adding of refrigerant. Since it is inside the warranty period you should be getting a new replacement unit.

[43D18]

Originally Posted by Chasracer

They are sealed units although there is a kit that allows the adding of refrigerant. Since it is inside the warranty period you should be getting a new replacement unit.

Yep, that's exactly what they are going to do. It won't be in before our departure for a 3 week trip, which is a bummer, although we should be fine w/ the one AC unit.

-M

[43D18]

Originally Posted by Chasracer

They are sealed units although there is a kit that allows the adding of refrigerant. Since it is inside the warranty period you should be getting a new replacement unit.

Since they aren't going to have the new unit in before we leave on our trip, I really wish we could pump some coolant into it to get us by on this trip. No idea where to get such a kit though.

[Iggy]

These units are not Freon AC units like a car. They use liquid ammonia for cooling and I never seen any recharge kit as this is a sealed unit without any valves to add liquid ammonia.
Let the dealer replace.

[Todouble]

Originally Posted by Iggy

These units are not Freon AC units like a car. They use liquid ammonia for cooling and I never seen any recharge kit as this is a sealed unit without any valves to add liquid ammonia.
Let the dealer replace.

I think your referring to the fridges in the RV. They run ammonia. All the ac units I've ever seen do use a refrigerant.


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[43D18]

Whatever the case - here's the rub: Dealer has to get approval from FR for the replacement - my experience over the past year portends that this will typically take 2-3 days - then Dometic ships the unit - then they can install it. We are leaving for a 3 week trip on Monday, so we are screwed. Here's the rich part - they have an AC unit in stock at the dealer they could put on but that would "mess up their inventory".

Further, this coach sat for over 2 weeks (at a different FR dealer) getting a punch list of a dozen or so items addressed - more on that later - and they said "AC checks fine". I didn't use the AC until getting home the evening I picked it up and the AC was not working at all. It didn't work when I took it to the dealer, and it didn't work when I got it home. I highly doubt they seriously checked it out at the dealer.

Frustration building here.

[Gchcole]

Check this out. Picked up my Georgetown the week before we were going to Florida for 5 night summer vacation. The front house ac went out a couple weeks earlier and dealer was replacing Under warranty. The service rep said we got a new one in and it is cooling fine. Before I drove away i thought to myself I better kick on the gen and just check before we leave to hot Florida on vacation. Needless to say I turned ac on and water poors onto the floor from the vent inside. After showing the service manager what was going on they pulled it back in and two techs put another ac on the roof in about 20 minutes as I watched. One bolt was stripped by the original tech who replaced the ac and didn't bother telling anyone. The manager was very upset about his tech and I know I would have been extremely mad when I got to Florida - someone would have been driving from louisiana to Florida to fix me ac. Long story, check your repairs before leaving the dealer.


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[Ol Poopypants]

I had the front AC consistently pop the breaker. It would run anywhere from 15 minutes to 5 days but once it popped the breaker, I would have to reset it 3 to 8 times before the AC would stay on, but it couldn't be trusted. The dealership replaced the AC unit, still popped the breaker.
Mentioned it to an electrician friend when he came to check out my new toy. He looked at the breakers and mentioned that the breakers were 20 amp..."borderline". I replaced the front breaker with a 30 and I ran the unit for 20 days, non-stop. No issues. Changed the rear unit to a 30 amp. I know I probably just voided my warranty but at least I have A.C.