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Old 07-07-2017, 07:02 PM   #1
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AC advice

So it looks like we need a new ac according to camping world , they said it was low on freon and could not be recharged, they want $1000 to replace and that includes labor. Our rv is only a year old but since we're the second owners dometic won't cover us .

My husband likes to think he's the jack of all trades and though he's pretty good at a lot of things , we've never owned an rv before. He can order a new one for $500 delivered, and he will call around a couple places to get install estimates, I guess what I'd like to know is has anyone here replaced their own ac? Are there other brands other then dometic?
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Old 07-07-2017, 07:08 PM   #2
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Not knowing your Husband, he will do a much better job installing A/C than CW. Many people have cut the hole in roof ran wires installed thermostat with little problems. If he can get units up and down from roof safely, the rest is pretty easy.
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Old 07-07-2017, 07:23 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by uhduh camping View Post
Not knowing your Husband, he will do a much better job installing A/C than CW. Many people have cut the hole in roof ran wires installed thermostat with little problems. If he can get units up and down from roof safely, the rest is pretty easy.
Lol, I'm thinking he's leaning that way as he hates to part with his hard earned money. He's built additions and installed central air conditioners in a few houses we've owned, he can build computers and does most of our cars maintenance and repairs but cancer treatment kicked his butt a couple years ago and the strength he once had hasn't returned yet, 😞 but he's one determined crazy guy, that's the part that worry so me.
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Old 07-07-2017, 07:38 PM   #4
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Lol, I'm thinking he's leaning that way as he hates to part with his hard earned money. He's built additions and installed central air conditioners in a few houses we've owned, he can build computers and does most of our cars maintenance and repairs but cancer treatment kicked his butt a couple years ago and the strength he once had hasn't returned yet, 😞 but he's one determined crazy guy, that's the part that worry so me.
Certainly sounds like the right man for the job. Might want to enlist friends and family to help out with heavy lifting. I have a friend who has battled three cancers and just does not stop. Some days things go slow but he powers thru all adversities. He thinks if he stops it will get him. More power to your husband to stand up and keep moving.
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Old 07-07-2017, 08:32 PM   #5
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X2!
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Old 07-08-2017, 08:16 AM   #6
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Certainly sounds like the right man for the job. Might want to enlist friends and family to help out with heavy lifting. I have a friend who has battled three cancers and just does not stop. Some days things go slow but he powers thru all adversities. He thinks if he stops it will get him. More power to your husband to stand up and keep moving.
That's definitely my husband. There's days when if he misses work because he's tired or in pain then I KNOW he's not feeling well! Lol
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Old 07-08-2017, 08:26 AM   #7
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If your husband has experience working on a car AC then get a service manual (download from internet) and look to see if there is a high and low pressure fittings to check freon and can add. If only 2 years old there has to be a leak to find and fix.
CW makes more $$ selling you a new unit then trying to fix plus they don't have to deal with rework if they don't fix it right.
Yes you can replace. The most difficult part is having a way to get the old unit off the roof and new unit up.
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Old 07-08-2017, 08:54 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by Whalenss View Post
If your husband has experience working on a car AC then get a service manual (download from internet) and look to see if there is a high and low pressure fittings to check freon and can add. If only 2 years old there has to be a leak to find and fix.
CW makes more $$ selling you a new unit then trying to fix plus they don't have to deal with rework if they don't fix it right.
Yes you can replace. The most difficult part is having a way to get the old unit off the roof and new unit up.
I talked to a friend with a body shop that does RV repairs just now. He said that 90%+ of the time they'll just replace them. He said that most RV roof units don't have service ports and, by the time you charge labor / freon / parts / etc. to be able to charge it and repair a leak...if you can even find it, you've reached the cost of a new one. So you might as well get a new one with warranty.

Installation is easy on a direct replacement. As stated, the hardest part is getting them on / off the roof. After that, one person can do it in a few hours taking their time.
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Old 07-08-2017, 09:17 AM   #9
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We replaced ours last year with one that's much quieter than the old one, keep that in mind when shopping.
If you can pull the trailer into a shed with exposed rafters it will be very easy to lift the unit off the rough with a rope around it. The electrical part is even easier: plug and play.
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Old 07-08-2017, 09:25 AM   #10
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Dometic had a very bad run of AC units a few years ago. You may want to press them real hard about the warranty, Contact Dometic directly, have the model number, serial number in hand.

Interesting- The only way to determine if its low on freon is to tap into the lines and measure the pressures. If they tapped into the lines, then they certainly could have added freon. Adding a tap takes about 30 seconds, They are called "Bullet taps". The refrigerant (freon is a trade name of a very specific product) is probably R410. and could be added if you have the correct gauges.

Replacing the unit - The biggest difficulty is getting it up on the roof. I've read of a few different approaches, The two favorites seem,s to be slinging it from a high place (tree limb) and then driving the MH under it. The other is probably more practical, an extension ladder up against the MH at a 45 degree, or lower angle, then slide the AC up the ladder and onto the roof.

IMPORTANT - Make sure to get the correct unit, i.e. ducted, unducted, and the correct interface (if needed)

If you haven't searched - Take a look at this thread..

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ers-90033.html

..
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Old 07-08-2017, 09:45 AM   #11
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X2 what a bunch of the others said, it is the physical handling that is the PITA. These buggers are ... HEAVY.
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Old 07-08-2017, 09:48 AM   #12
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My a/c stopped putting out cold air. I thought it needed to be repaired or replaced. A friend told me to try resetting my thermostat first, so I found the instruction sheet and completed the reset. Sure enough, the a/c now puts out cold air again. Lesson here is to always try resetting the thermostat to see if that solves the problem before you go thru the trouble and expense of replacing the a/c. If you try the reset please let us know if that worked. Good luck.
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Old 07-08-2017, 02:09 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by raspivey View Post
I talked to a friend with a body shop that does RV repairs just now. He said that 90%+ of the time they'll just replace them. He said that most RV roof units don't have service ports and, by the time you charge labor / freon / parts / etc. to be able to charge it and repair a leak...if you can even find it, you've reached the cost of a new one. So you might as well get a new one with warranty.

Installation is easy on a direct replacement. As stated, the hardest part is getting them on / off the roof. After that, one person can do it in a few hours taking their time.
Your friend was right, I've read several articles that said the same thing
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Old 07-08-2017, 02:10 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by david-o View Post
My a/c stopped putting out cold air. I thought it needed to be repaired or replaced. A friend told me to try resetting my thermostat first, so I found the instruction sheet and completed the reset. Sure enough, the a/c now puts out cold air again. Lesson here is to always try resetting the thermostat to see if that solves the problem before you go thru the trouble and expense of replacing the a/c. If you try the reset please let us know if that worked. Good luck.
Thank you, he's loo,I got for the instruction sheet
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Old 07-08-2017, 02:11 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by Cypressloser View Post
We replaced ours last year with one that's much quieter than the old one, keep that in mind when shopping.
If you can pull the trailer into a shed with exposed rafters it will be very easy to lift the unit off the rough with a rope around it. The electrical part is even easier: plug and play.
Which one did you get?
Quote:
Originally Posted by jstcruizen16 View Post
So it looks like we need a new ac according to camping world , they said it was low on freon and could not be recharged, they want $1000 to replace and that includes labor. Our rv is only a year old but since we're the second owners dometic won't cover us .

My husband likes to think he's the jack of all trades and though he's pretty good at a lot of things , we've never owned an rv before. He can order a new one for $500 delivered, and he will call around a couple places to get install estimates, I guess what I'd like to know is has anyone here replaced their own ac? Are there other brands other then dometic?
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Old 07-08-2017, 02:18 PM   #16
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So hubs is gonna try a few suggestions from here and a couple other boards and if camping world is right in that the ac has a leak then my husband is gonna order one and the good news is our neighbor the electrician and ac guy will install it for $100 he's done his twice and several other neighbors, it helps that my hubbie is the only computer guy on the block so they always come to him to fix there computers.
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Old 07-08-2017, 02:37 PM   #17
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My husband is wondering get if we can replace our 13,500 with a 15,000 unit?
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Old 07-08-2017, 03:14 PM   #18
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My husband is wondering get if we can replace our 13,500 with a 15,000 unit?
Yes.
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Old 07-08-2017, 03:27 PM   #19
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For the small difference in cost, go with the larger unit. Replacing the unit is easy except for getting it on the roof and in place. If you have a lift or a way to get it to the roof you should be fine. Place an old rug upside down on the roof then place a 3/8 piece of plywood over it. This will prevent damage to the roof if something gets dropped. Remember you may not be able to get enough people on the roof to handle it manually. Pay special attention to the step where you compress the seal ring by 50%. That will prevent leaks.
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