Air conditioner

[Hardhead417]

Turned on a/c this afternoon and it is not cooling. Sounds like compressor is kicking in but not getting cold. Had been in colder area and heat pump worked fine, but now that I want a/c it won’t cool. Any ideas?

[vlamgat]

Originally Posted by Hardhead417

Turned on a/c this afternoon and it is not cooling. Sounds like compressor is kicking in but not getting cold. Had been in colder area and heat pump worked fine, but now that I want a/c it won’t cool. Any ideas?

Do a search on this site and you will find a number of reasons this has happened. However by citing neither the type of AC nor your coach year and model, the help you will get directly is limited.

[NJKris]

My Coleman unit did that when brand new. There was nothing I could do but bring it to an authorized Coleman repair shop (mine was a transmission shop!), and they replaced whole unit under warranty. Either compressor was bad, or more likely, the refrigerant had leaked out. Either way, I got a another brand new unit that has been fine past 3 camping seasons.

[bclemens]

If you have a clamp on amp meter, test the purple wire in the 9 or 12 pin harness (don't recall how many...its the big connector).

That purple wire goes to the compressor. If the compressor comes on and it is only pulling 4-6 amps, then it is low on refrigerant. It should be pulling 10+ amps with a roughly 90 degree ambient. (assuming this is a Coleman Mach).

If all of this sounds like a foreign language...seek out a dealer.

[johndjmix]

When it comes down to it they will probably replace it. Now that I’ve been trained and certified in AC, (it was a Covid thing I did for fun not for work) I can tell you it’s a shame they trash all these units. When they just need a simple repair.

But, read on….

Mine was replaced under warranty. After taking the HVAC training and getting my 608 certification I repaired the old unit. Small leak on stub of pipe. Cost me $18 in gas to get charge back up to spec.

The reason most get replaced instead is there is no tech that will work on the units for under $150 - $300 minimum. Also most rv techs won’t get their EPA certification because it’s a bunch of training.

Sucks to generate so much trash due to the economics of labor.

—john

[Hardhead417]

BC, is this something that can be looked at by an RV facility or does it need to be a Coleman repair facility? I checked further this morning and apparently the heat pump is affected also. It is the Coleman Mach. 2021 Isata3FW

[bclemens]

either or

[NJKris]

Like I said, a transmission shop got warranty auth on mine and R&R'd same.

[vlamgat]

Originally Posted by johndjmix

When it comes down to it they will probably replace it. Now that I’ve been trained and certified in AC, (it was a Covid thing I did for fun not for work) I can tell you it’s a shame they trash all these units. When they just need a simple repair.

But, read on….

Mine was replaced under warranty. After taking the HVAC training and getting my 608 certification I repaired the old unit. Small leak on stub of pipe. Cost me $18 in gas to get charge back up to spec.

The reason most get replaced instead is there is no tech that will work on the units for under $150 - $300 minimum. Also most rv techs won’t get their EPA certification because it’s a bunch of training.

Sucks to generate so much trash due to the economics of labor.

—john

+1

[Hardhead417]

Taking in Monday to have it checked. Coleman auth warranty shop going to try to get it in between other jobs. Hopefully not a long wait. If it is parked outside will solar maintain batteries?

[AWF1945]

Originally Posted by johndjmix

When it comes down to it they will probably replace it. Now that I’ve been trained and certified in AC, (it was a Covid thing I did for fun not for work) I can tell you it’s a shame they trash all these units. When they just need a simple repair.

But, read on….

Mine was replaced under warranty. After taking the HVAC training and getting my 608 certification I repaired the old unit. Small leak on stub of pipe. Cost me $18 in gas to get charge back up to spec.

The reason most get replaced instead is there is no tech that will work on the units for under $150 - $300 minimum. Also most rv techs won’t get their EPA certification because it’s a bunch of training.

Sucks to generate so much trash due to the economics of labor.

—john

Agree.. I've had issues with one of mine. Upon investigation I found a loose wire that had burned in two. It was not connected properly finally generating heat and quit cooling. I replaced wire with new connector, all is fine for now. I was told probably bad compressor, just replace it. I'm not certified to add refrigerant... wish I could a install valve and do so but.... I will at least investigate before trying to find another unit. Which by the way seems almost impossible at this time.

[NJKris]

Originally Posted by Hardhead417

Taking in Monday to have it checked. Coleman auth warranty shop going to try to get it in between other jobs. Hopefully not a long wait. If it is parked outside will solar maintain batteries?

This is best bet. If you take to RV dealer, could be there forever. I made an appt to take it to the authorized repair center, they looked at it while I was there and did warranty paperwork. Since it was only 20 min away, I brought RV back home and they called me a few weeks later and scheduled me to come in. They replaced it while I waited. I helped them because I wanted to know how to do it. That was pre-pestilence, Spring of 2019.

[johndjmix]

Originally Posted by AWF1945

Agree.. I've had issues with one of mine. Upon investigation I found a loose wire that had burned in two. It was not connected properly finally generating heat and quit cooling. I replaced wire with new connector, all is fine for now. I was told probably bad compressor, just replace it. I'm not certified to add refrigerant... wish I could a install valve and do so but.... I will at least investigate before trying to find another unit. Which by the way seems almost impossible at this time.

Correct. To add a valve, the right way, is to evacuate the system, braze on a valve, then refill. But you need your 608 to do this.

If you interested in learning and getting your epa 608, you can do it totally free online including the epa test. Your certification never expires. Check out skillcat (google it) for the free online program. Highly recommend, super fun.

—john

[Hardhead417]

If unit is under warranty, the factory said these are closed systems and opening will void warranty.