Coolcat - flagstaff help me please!

Cumpari1 · 10-20-2019, 05:31 PM

Hello all. First and Foremost thank you for reading my thread and taking the time to help me. I have searched throughout the forum and have been unable to find a specific thread for my concern. So I’m hoping that someone out there can help me out.

I have a 2016 Flagstaff hardside high wall. I love it. I purchased it -used but in great shape. I’m getting ready for my first trip and I opened it up last week only to find that I can not get the AC to to turn on... it’s a dometic Coolcat.

I’m not sure if this any anything to do with the AC. But I Do Not currently have a 12V battery installed. It’s outside the camper on a trickle charger. However I don’t see how that would affect the AC? Also I’m connecting the 30 amp lead with a 110v adaptor

I have read through the forum where it says to check ac breakers.
( none are tripped )

Replaced thermostat and reset it
( just did that no fix )

Turn on heat pump
( it doesn’t turn on )

Check DC fuses
( none are burnt )

Test fan only mode
( fan will not turn on )

This AC was working great when I purchased the camper. It’s hard to believe that it just won’t click on anymore. When I choose “cool” I can hear the click inside of a relay , but the AC fan will not turn on. I hear the AC starting to try and turn on. Low rumbling. But it will not blow any air. It will not blow heat either. I really don’t know wha to do. I have a trip planned and I don’t even know an honest RV mechanic in my area as I am New to this.

Any help would be greatly appreciated ! Thank you

Ortep · 10-21-2019, 06:37 AM

We have a '16 T21TBHW with the Coolcat AC. You say that you have your 30A shore power cord with a 110 v adapter, plugged into what amp circuit? If I understand you, I have the same setup at home, where I plug into a 20A outlet but don't try to run my AC on that amperage. Not to say I haven't done that and the AC seemed to struggle to come on. I would imagine if you're plugged into a 15A outlet you might get your scenario. If you have access to generator power, that can handle the load, I would try running the AC with that setup and see what your outcome might be.

Big Vic · 10-21-2019, 08:36 AM

I would reinstall the charged battery and see what happens.

Cumpari1 · 10-21-2019, 01:15 PM

Thanks so much guys for the feedback ! I will reinstall the battery and try her out.
In response to Ortep- The circuit I’m running in the garage is a 110v 15 amp. Just a normal outlet.

I have started the AC on this circuit before with the shore power cord and the 110v adapter to fit a normal outlet / receptacle. However the 12V battery was present in the camper at that time. But now that I think about it , the AC may draw too much for the circuit. I looked on dometic webpage but was unable to find the amp rating of the coolcat ac/heat pump.

Does anyone know if we can hook up these camper directly with the twist lock into the Dryer Machine recepticle which is 220v? Maybe I shouldn’t be used if the 110v adapter.

Thanks again everyone

tlspencer · 10-21-2019, 01:16 PM

It can be a struggle for it to start up if you're not plugged into 30amp. If you're not going to absolutely melt or freeze if it's really broken, just take your trip and see what happens. If it's going to be cold, take along a ceramic space heater; that's all we use in ours anyway. We've had our HW almost 3 years now and the only time we've used the furnace was when we bought it to see that it worked. The A/C works great, we use it a lot living in the Southwest.

Did you buy it from a dealer, and if so I assume it was plugged into 30amp for testing purposes?

**ES_FR** · 10-21-2019, 01:38 PM

Cumpari1,

We would be happy to assist you with your 2016 Flagstaff Hard Side Pop-Up Campers. Because your ongoing satisfaction is very important to us, we invite you to contact Rayna Dimitroff in our Customer service department through the following personalized and direct link: http://www.forestriverinc.com/Direct...72653981946375.

This direct link is provided for your convenience in order that we may resolve your concerns as quickly as possible. We will strive to respond to you within 24 hours of receiving your correspondence.

Respectfully,
Forest River

**bikendan** · 10-21-2019, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cumpari1

Does anyone know if we can hook up these camper directly with the twist lock into the Dryer Machine recepticle which is 220v? Maybe I shouldn’t be used if the 110v adapter.

Thanks again everyone

NO! DON'T DO THAT![emoji32]
You may fry your electronics and converter.
You need to do some research on this or you'll damage your trailer.

**Mr. Dan** · 10-21-2019, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bikendan

NO! DON'T DO THAT![emoji32]
You may fry your electronics and converter.
You need to do some research on this or you'll damage your trailer.

YES... this ^^^.
Don't do it.

We're not sure what you mean by this: "Maybe I shouldn’t be used if the 110v adapter."

Cumpari1 · 10-21-2019, 02:18 PM

Ok, Not hooking it up to the dryer port.
Thanks for the warning!

Also I forgot to mention the model of my camper is a 2016- T19QBHW

With that being said, Is anyone able to plug the Camper into a normal 15 amp circuit and select just the "fan only" mode on the thermostat and have the Fan run? All the appliances work on the 15 amp circuit. But even with the AC off I am unable to get the "Fan Only" to turn on.

Unless for some reason I need the 12V battery installed to power the AC Fan.

I will have the battery fully charged soon.

Cumpari1 · 10-21-2019, 02:22 PM

I'm sorry for my ignorance in describing what cord im using.

In using the 30 Amp cord that came with the camper and attached to the end i'm using a

"RV Camper Cord Adapter 15A Male to 30A Female 12inch Power Connector (CR1530)" I think the Pic uploaded.

And this is plugged into a 20 foot extension cord which is then ran into the garage receptacle.

**Mr. Dan** · 10-21-2019, 02:27 PM

Some/most RV thermostats require 12 volt input. My friend couldn't get his thermostat to do anything. We determined his battery was dead.

CurtPutnam · 10-21-2019, 02:45 PM

My last 2 and my current trailer will not run the A/C on anything less than a full 30 amp circuit. Plugging into a 15 amp circuit with an adapter would run the lights but not the A/C

pgandw · 10-21-2019, 04:11 PM

I have run both my A-frames on 15 amp GFCI circuits in my garage, including the Cool Cat, without issue. But I have never tried without batteries in place. And I live above 6,500ft - not sure how that affects the Cool Cat. The thermostat does run off 12V - but it sounds like the thermostat is getting 12V power from the converter.

A possibility - not likely, but still possible - is that your stock WFCO converter is not putting out correct voltage without the presence of a battery. This could scramble the thermostat. You should read 13.7V anywhere in the 12V system if the converter is working properly.

I was told by my knowledgeable dealer to always reset the thermostat when setting up the camper at a campsite. Something about power interruptions scramble the brains of the thermostat. I don't always do this, but it might resolve some of the gremlins I encounter when I first turn on the AC or heat. I usually have to turn the thermostat way up (for heat) or way down (for AC) to get things working. Then I set the thermostat where I want it and it works fine for the rest of the trip.

Fan has to be in Auto ("Au") for the AC or heater to work correctly - any other fan setting does not cool or heat, but just runs the fan.

hope this helps
Fred W
2019 Flagstaff T21TBHW A-frame
prev 2014 Rockwood A122 A-frame
2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time

Ortep · 10-21-2019, 04:38 PM

The WFCO convertors are typically a piece of s#$!. They don't fully charge your battery, don't switch between the different charge settings & usually end up killing your battery. I replaced ours with a PDI 4100 and haven't had a problem since.
I have never had to "reset" the thermostat at setup, just plug in turn on and we have AC or heat.

LTDunltd · 10-21-2019, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cumpari1

I'm sorry for my ignorance in describing what cord im using.

In using the 30 Amp cord that came with the camper and attached to the end i'm using a

"RV Camper Cord Adapter 15A Male to 30A Female 12inch Power Connector (CR1530)" I think the Pic uploaded.

And this is plugged into a 20 foot extension cord which is then ran into the garage receptacle.

This may be the cause of your problem. If the extension is not at least a 12 AWG (wire size) you have too much voltage drop for the CoolCat to run.

nayther · 10-21-2019, 05:19 PM

My DW turned on the AC on our last week when I had it plugged into 30 amps, but with a little skinny ext. cord. Did not plan on running anything but the refer. but she did not know. I have a 120 volt LED meter plugged into an outlet that lives there. Even with AC on the voltage was 105 so no damage to anything, cord sure was warm though.

SlowrideHD · 10-21-2019, 05:27 PM

I think a fully charged battery back in place is going to solve your problem. I really doubt you have that much voltage drop on that short of an extension cord. I have ran my 15k a/c on a 14 gauge cord for a short while and it just gets the cord hot, still runs.

**Mr. Dan** · 10-21-2019, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SlowrideHD

I think a fully charged battery back in place is going to solve your problem. I really doubt you have that much voltage drop on that short of an extension cord. I have ran my 15k a/c on a 14 gauge cord for a short while and it just gets the cord hot, still runs.

This is also my story and I'm sticking to it!

Bluepill · 10-22-2019, 07:14 PM

1. All functions controlled by the thermostat (Heat, A/C, Heat Pump, Fan) require 12 volts DC to work. The thermostat and Cool Cat control board are run on that voltage so that the system can control the propane heater when no 120 volt AC current is available. You should be fine with the battery reinstalled.

2. Always good to use a 12 gauge extension cord, since the Cool Cat draws 38 amps surge when starting. Also good to check the actual voltage at the camper once the A/C is running. I found that one of my outdoor GFCI outlets was dropping to 106 Volts AC under load.

mzak · 10-23-2019, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cumpari1

Ok, Not hooking it up to the dryer port.
Thanks for the warning!

Also I forgot to mention the model of my camper is a 2016- T19QBHW

With that being said, Is anyone able to plug the Camper into a normal 15 amp circuit and select just the "fan only" mode on the thermostat and have the Fan run? All the appliances work on the 15 amp circuit. But even with the AC off I am unable to get the "Fan Only" to turn on.

Unless for some reason I need the 12V battery installed to power the AC Fan.

I will have the battery fully charged soon.

I run all coolcat functions on 15 amp 120v outlet all the time with no problems. Running heat pump now.

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