Air-conditioning

[vlamgat]

Did you try swapping the Orange and Purple wires to the network connector as Brian suggested?

[bclemens]

Originally Posted by vlamgat

Did you try swapping the Orange and Purple wires to the network connector as Brian suggested?

That was only for an "inop" A/C. Fan works, was not cooling, compressor was not energizing. This seems to be something different.

[Mike946]

Originally Posted by bclemens

define "tripping"? Breaker trips? Or it just stops running, breaker OK?

Sorry not a trip more of a hard shutdown, the units just stop, both the compressors and the fans. The breakers are fine.

[Mike946]

We will be camping again in a week with full hookups so will do some more troubleshooting then. Woodys did some investigating into this as well but I am going to wait until we get the rest of our solar and make one appointment to have them installed and this issue looked at.

[Mike946]

Well as expected everything worked fine this week. I even ran the AC with all the widows open so the units would run continuously, ran for 2 hours straight. AC worked properly, heat pumps work properly. This will suck if it is just a lose wire in a connector somewhere and the problem is intermittent.

[bclemens]

Originally Posted by Mike946

Well as expected everything worked fine this week. I even ran the AC with all the widows open so the units would run continuously, ran for 2 hours straight. AC worked properly, heat pumps work properly. This will suck if it is just a lose wire in a connector somewhere and the problem is intermittent.

That is something we are also exploring. It would not be a "somewhere" it would be a connection at the G12 board.

[Mike946]

I thought I saw a schematic that showed a connection close to the AC unit as well as one by the board. Now with the new rv lot I will have plenty of time to try to replicate the problem. Next week I will be doing some searching for the solar wiring so I will check other connections while I have the back panel off.

[bclemens]

The one trick we learned is to put an amp meter/clamp on the purple wire of the harness in the ceiling. It will vary a bit, but 9-10 amps give or take is what you are looking for. IF it is working for a while, then not, or you are only getting 10 degrees of temp drop,...it is most likely low refrigerant. If that amp meter is showing 4-6 amps...that is most likely the case. It will freeze the coils up faster and will only work for a bit.

[Mike946]

I will try that next time. I do remember the multiplex showing around 10 amps when the units were running. Around 2 when just the fan was running.

[bclemens]

10 each? or 10 total?

[Mike946]

It was 10 on each line.

[bclemens]

Then that is right. See post #3 on this thread.

Could be related? https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...ct-237195.html

[bclemens]

AndrewC. I thought I had your email but could not find it.

I had them send me the test sheets for the A/C's.

The front one is in fact bad and was only drawing 6 amps. We know now, that is the telltale sign that the A/C is "undercharged". The compressor is not pushing enough fluid thus the low amp draw. So, it does not get the proper air drop AND they are prone to freezing up quickly. The crappy thing is they can cool for about an hour or two but then just give up. So they are hard to diagnose...I was finally able to get the right person at Airxcel to give me the quick and easy test method and that is testing the purple wire (compressor). 10 amps or so, good, 4-6, bad. We are now testing that way on all units and it is a super quick way to tell.

The rear A/C tests out great. It is getting proper amp draw AND proper temp differential...in fact it is better than spec (30 degrees), so I told them not to do anything with that one or risk one that is not as good. (I remember when I came over to your rig, the rear one felt cool, but you had the dump wide open and then opened up the front windows with fans so that only the bedroom would feel cool, but it was also then trying to cool exterior return air instead of the pre-cooled interior air).

As discussed we held back some for service and are sending one 2 day air I think (one day often gets damaged).

[Battchief]

Are you using either a hard wired or portable surge protector? I only ask because many are set up to cut power if too low either in amperage or voltage. Compressor's getting less than 110 Volts will overheat and amperage use willl increase. I recently stayed at an RV park where they had 30 amp only. I had installed an onboard Progressive Industries EMS-HW 30C surge protector with remote display. There is a 15 second delay before a relay allows power to the coach. After the ac compressor kicked in, the voltage dropped to 103 and the protector tripped. cutting all ac power to coach. IT would reset automatically but trip when the compressor cut in. With no load the EMS indicated only 107 volts. We asked for another site and that cured the problem. I prefer to use 50amp adapter. Many 30 amp services are wired with 10 gauge wire. Many 50 amp services are wired with 6 gauge wire. Depending on how RV park has wired their system, there can be serious voltage drop if you are at the end of a run or if the park is full. I have fought this battle in marinas where my boat required 2 50 amp shore power cables. Often.I would check and find that I was only getting 105 volts. Awfully hard on anything with a compressor. BTW, the boat had 3 18,000 btu CruiseAir AC.s and that wasn't enough if you were in direct sunlight.


BattChief

[Mike946]

I am using a portable 50 A surge protector, I at first was thinking that it was a power issue, in Canada we have 120V power and when the AC units were running we did drop down to 111V on each line. This was a 50 A site. It was a hot week and the campground we were at was full, so a lot of AC units running. But when we went into the dealership and they had the same issues that took the power out of the equation. Plus if they can run at 110 V in the USA they should run at 111 V in Canada. Now I didn't actually check the voltage myself I just used the firefly panel, so there could be a discrepancy but I doubt it.
Our new RV lot the firefly was showing 122 V on both lines when the AC units were running when I did the test last week, so maybe the V meter is out a bit. I will check with my multimeter next week.
Brian I will check the pins, could be the issue, which would explain why it works sometimes and not others. Like I said before it does seem like a lose connection.

[AndrewC]

Yep, thanks Brian. Dealer called yesterday and provided those same results. Glad a unit is available and is on its way to NJ.
Appreciate the attention at your level to the details, its why we have the amount of confidence that we do with Dynamax.

[bclemens]

Airxcel Tech came in yesterday on another coach we had (where both were bad). he said "that's odd...these are (30) serial numbers apart. Weird that they would both be bad".

We did not have the heart to tell him that likely all of the ones in between were bad too.

In their defense, when they work, they work well, and are quieter than most (which is why we use them) and they have modified their warranty process to make things easier. I think they were hit with Covid shortages and high demand like the rest of us and are doing what they can to sub parts and people.

They are also catching up which means we are not waiting forever to get replacements. Takes the sting out a bit.

[johndjmix]

A few months ago I got so frustrated by costly ac repairs (on home and commercial units) and being screwed a few times that I took a one month HVAC training course.

I then continued to take the EPA test and now have an EPA 608 universal certification, so I can work on AC units and buy refrigerant.

I know a bunch of you guys have free time, not a bad course and certification to get!

So back to the topic. Measuring delta T (change in temp of the air) is not the way to know if the refrigerant is low. The correct way is through superheat and subcooling. (Google it).

Personally I say if you have time, take the course, get certified, and never have to deal with not knowing how to fix your ac!

PM me if any of you want info on the courses!

—john

[AndrewC]

Out of curiosity, has the unit being shipped been bench tested?

[vlamgat]

Originally Posted by bclemens

We did not have the heart to tell him that likely all of the ones in between were bad too.

The last of the Nice Guys !