My a/c blowing warm air

tamdle · 06-04-2019, 06:29 PM

Hello everyone,

We are in the middle of the hot season, and my Dometic 15,000 BTU A/C blowing out warm air.

My coach is 4 years old, only 12,000 miles. Open up the roof A/C cover, everything looks like new, no dirty fins, etc... The compressor ran fine, the fan ran fine, no sign of damage or bad capacitor...

The only thing that I could think of is low in Freon. It does not have any connector to check the pressure, I just ordered the tap connector for the freon line that will be here in a couple of days. In the meantime, I just wondering if anyone may have the same problem that may go beyond the low freon. The problem such as a bad valve or any other suggestion...
One other thing, if it low on Freon, there must be a leak somewhere. Could that be a common problem for Dometic with low usage?

Thank,
Tam Le

**Mr. Dan** · 06-04-2019, 06:59 PM

Fairly common for Dometic A/C units - bad coil joints, most likely. If you install the tap and recharge it, the Freon will likely leak out again. I had my small one replaced under an extended service contract.

wrapperman · 06-05-2019, 06:38 AM

Bummer tamdle,
If it is a heat pump then maybe a reversing valve but other than that I would think it is low on freon. You can try adding freon and leak/sealer but not much hope with that either.
My Dometic went out shortly after 3 years and I called Dometic directly and they offered to replace it as a good will jester but said they would not warranty it, it's still going after 4 years. I was happy that they did that, a year after the warranty was out.

foretg · 06-05-2019, 11:38 AM

It's cheap disposal junk like most stuff FR puts in the units.

If you got 4 years out of it you did good. Had to replace mind last year after only two seasons of use.

Not a terrible DIY project....you can buy them on amazon. I had a tech do mine since we where traveling and had the extended service plan.
Good luck
Donald Smith, UHFRO
2015 Georgetown 368

Sebourn · 06-05-2019, 12:38 PM

Ours quit cooling at the end of last season. Thought it might be the compressor start up capacitor but turned out to be coolant had leaked out and no way to replace. We got a new unit installed under our extended warranty. Only cost was our $34 deductible.

Cover Dog · 06-05-2019, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by foretg

It's cheap disposal junk like most stuff FR puts in the units.

Well with that said, all the other manufactures use the same JUNK as Forest River.

tamdle · 06-05-2019, 05:18 PM

Ha ha ha... sound like the only thing that I could say about the Domestic and F/R is a good laugh. I guess that the maintenance cost is part of the fun of owning an RV right? Hope that I don't go broke before I put another 10,000 miles on the coach.

Well, that would mean that I could have the A/C recharge every so often for a couple of hundred bucks each time or replace the unit for about $1,000 to $1,200 and hope that it would last for another 3 to 4 years. Either case, spend the money now without having to keep the service tech come every few months for recharge may be the only solution that I could have now.

Thank for your comments, hope you have a great journey and cost less, ha ha ha...

flattyattack · 06-05-2019, 08:04 PM

We just had the forth AC put in, thank goodness for extended warranty. What gets me is the unit is supposed to have a two year warranty but the dealer wants to always replace with extended warranty and charge the $34 deductible. The bedroom AC is still going strong after 6-1/2 years the rear one can't seem to last 2 years. By the way it is always low on Freon, no other problem, they say that cant be fixed just replace, the third one was an entirely different unit than the first two so the company seems to have this problem in more than one kind of unit.

wrapperman · 06-06-2019, 06:42 AM

You could recharge it yourself for about 5 bucks and if it last a season, that might work. My truck needs about 1 can a year and I do that myself. A can of freon at Walmart is $4.88.
Or you can replace the unit yourself for about $500.

TheWolfPaq82 · 06-06-2019, 07:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrapperman

You could recharge it yourself for about 5 bucks and if it last a season, that might work. My truck needs about 1 can a year and I do that myself. A can of freon at Walmart is $4.88.
Or you can replace the unit yourself for about $500.

As I recall, most of those units don't have the valve installed for recharging the refrigerant. My Jayco didn't and neither does my Cherokee.

**Mr. Dan** · 06-06-2019, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheWolfPaq82

As I recall, most of those units don't have the valve installed for recharging the refrigerant. My Jayco didn't and neither does my Cherokee.

Tam said in post 1: "It does not have any connector to check the pressure, I just ordered the tap connector for the freon line that will be here in a couple of days." But I probably wouldn't go that route. As a matter of fact, I didn't. I had mine replaced under my extended service contract (which many here say is a waste of $$$$). However, not everyone has that luxury.

TheWolfPaq82 · 06-06-2019, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Dan

Tam said in post 1: "It does not have any connector to check the pressure, I just ordered the tap connector for the freon line that will be here in a couple of days." But I probably wouldn't go that route. As a matter of fact, I didn't. I had mine replaced under my extended service contract (which many here say is a waste of $$$$). However, not everyone has that luxury.

Yep...I know that. Wrapperman seemed to imply you can just recharge them like you can on a vehicle, which you can't unless you install the valve port.

nayther · 06-06-2019, 09:04 AM

That tap is referred to as a piercing valve, it probably just has a schrader core/valve. If the system is totally flat you can't just add refrigerant, it must be evacuated (vacuum pump). When the piercing valve is installed you should have some pressure in the line and it will be obvious. If there's no pressure then the system must be put in a vacuum, after the leak is fixed because it wont' get into a vacuum with a leak.

The purpose of the vacuum is to boil off any residual moisture. Moisture in a refrigeration system is deadly to it, creates acid that eats the compressor motor windings or if there's enough in there it can freeze up and block capillary tubes. Look for signs of a leak in/around the piping, might be obvious because oil leaks out too so here will be staining.

Sounds like this is a known problem with Dometic so more than likely you're looking at replacement. I've had mixed success with the leak stop stuff in larger systems, not a real fan.

Iwannacamp · 06-06-2019, 09:18 AM

The "saddle clamp" is not reliable. They WILL leak also. If you are going to do that(assuming you really care about the unit) I would want a solder on tap installed. This means a professional installer would have to do it.... prolly $150-200...1/3 cost of new. Then you/someone would have serviceable accesses to recharge. Now you have a leaking unit that you spent $200 to patch. One cannot charge a unit without knowing the system pressures(yes you can guess) so you will need gauges, can tap and refrigerant.
Honestly... if you have to ask all this and are not just sharing your experiences then please just buy a new unit. Supposedly Dometic fixed the problem in summer of 2017...so make sure your new unit was made after that. Good luck with whatever you decide.

wrapperman · 06-06-2019, 05:30 PM

Okay, okay, okay. I'm so sorry, please forgive me, it will never happen again. [emoji17]
I should have made more sense. I was referring to the original poster about how his compressor was running and that he was thinking about installing a piercing valve. I was just giving him an option for maybe a 25 dollar fix. Some people don't always have an option to lay out 700 bucks for a new A/C. In an RV that get a lot of vibration it probably won't last.
Back in the days when I was limited on funds I would have gone the cheaper way and filled it up every year.
Of course I still do it on my truck because it is 17 yaers old. Maybe sometime in the future I will borrow my neighbor's vacuum pump and do it properly. But until then....

MR.M · 06-06-2019, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrapperman

Okay, okay, okay. I'm so sorry, please forgive me, it will never happen again. [emoji17]
I should have made more sense. I was referring to the original poster about how his compressor was running and that he was thinking about installing a piercing valve. I was just giving him an option for maybe a 25 dollar fix. Some people don't always have an option to lay out 700 bucks for a new A/C. In an RV that get a lot of vibration it probably won't last.
Back in the days when I was limited on funds I would have gone the cheaper way and filled it up every year.
Of course I still do it on my truck because it is 17 yaers old. Maybe sometime in the future I will borrow my neighbor's vacuum pump and do it properly. But until then....

you're correct . it may not last long but if you can get a season out of a charge then it would be fine . no need for a vacuum unless the system has been able to get moisture in it . chances are since the leak is microscopic no vacuum needed . but once pierced then there is another weak point

tamdle · 06-06-2019, 05:46 PM

I just have the RV service man checked and he recommended me to replace the unit. The problem is the Dometic A/C 15,000BTU that I have, is not available anywhere but from Dometic. It will cost me $1,500 to replace the unit, part and labor. Not that I have the luxury to do that, I have no choice. I had decided from the beginning that I do not want to spend $8,000 to pay for the extended service warranty, and this is what I have to pay out of that fund.

Still have $6,500 left to go... ha ha ha... all I can do is just laugh, because nothing else I could do, and I will not cry... ha ha ha...

FrankMor · 06-06-2019, 06:22 PM

$579.99 plus shipping. If you have a way to get it on the roof, it is an easy install.

Dometic Duo Therm Brisk Air Conditioner 15000 BTU RV Camper Trail..

Frank

tamdle · 06-06-2019, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FrankMor

$579.99 plus shipping. If you have a way to get it on the roof, it is an easy install.

Frank

Thank Frank. Unfortunately, not all 15,000 BTU Dometic are the same, and the model that I have is not available anywhere including the "AdventureRV.net", but they have the model close to it for about $1265.00.

Ofcourse I could install the cheaper model, but again, I would get what I paid for and may end up with something that it may give me more problem to deal with at the later time. However, many thanks for doing the research for me to help me out for a cheaper route, that help worth a lot to me. Again, thanks for your help.

Iwannacamp · 06-06-2019, 06:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrapperman

Okay, okay, okay. I'm so sorry, please forgive me, it will never happen again. [emoji17]
I should have made more sense. I was referring to the original poster about how his compressor was running and that he was thinking about installing a piercing valve. I was just giving him an option for maybe a 25 dollar fix. Some people don't always have an option to lay out 700 bucks for a new A/C. In an RV that get a lot of vibration it probably won't last.
Back in the days when I was limited on funds I would have gone the cheaper way and filled it up every year.
Of course I still do it on my truck because it is 17 yaers old. Maybe sometime in the future I will borrow my neighbor's vacuum pump and do it properly. But until then....

I apologize if I came on strong...

If this were my unit and $1500 or $100 was the option for another season.... easy choice. That being said...prolly a “recharge” from a reputable tech is gonna be $150-200 as opposed to the “normal” $600 new unit..the choice is obvious. The OP has a different circumstance. Normal service rate on a questionable repair was my main concern, after all we aren’t sure what’s wrong with it.

A $50 gauge set, a $15 can tap, $10 worth of R134A and 30 minutes on YouTube and he can “recharge” with the arriving saddle. The next minor item will be figuring out which place to clean and tap.

If I were there I would help.

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