Air-conditioning

[Mike946]

An update, Wednesday when we left home we decided to do the initial run in on the generator. So we ran it and one AC unit for 2 hours straight and both AC units for 2 more. No issues both ran the whole time. If there was a lose connection it should have shown up during the drive. Just before we shut off the generator I switched both AC units to heat, they ran for a couple minutes and stopped, same as the AC issues before.
I shut off the generator and plugged into shore power and noticed that our inverter/charger was not showing any status. I went into the electrical bay and tried to reset it but it kept flashing fault. At the same time the AC unit had their communication lights flashing green/orange. So I did a power reset on our rig, shut off both the 12v and 120v then turned back on. The faults cleared on the AC units but not the I/C.
I wasn't to concerned with that as we were on shore power and the solar should top off the batteries so I left it alone. After a couple of hours of doing other stuff I checked the firefly panel and the I/C was communicating...
It has been 3 days now and everything has been working as it should no shutdowns no faults.
Finally got around to looking at the wiring in the wall, looks like the rv-c wires are not part of the wiring harness. They must be run separately. But there are 2 coming from the ceiling one plugs directly into the g12 and one ties into a COMMON G4 TAP then out of the TAP one wire set goes into the g12 and 2 more sets of wires run into the floor. All the connections seem tight to me.
The rv-c connections on the g12 board are not labeled.
This is starting to seem like something above my expertise, so this might be where I leave it til winter when we are not camping and can leave the rig at the dealership.
Unless Brian can suggest something from all the info above. I must say thanks for everything so far.Attachment 260548Attachment 260550Attachment 260549

[AndrewC]

UPDATE...... new front unit installed, worked as it should.. interesting note, the front is now a higher than the original aft unit... anything we should be concerned about? Thanks for the GM Assistance, Brian.. True customer support.

[vlamgat]

Originally Posted by AndrewC

UPDATE...... new front unit installed, worked as it should.. interesting note, the front is now a higher than the original aft unit... anything we should be concerned about? Thanks for the GM Assistance, Brian.. True customer support.

The height difference is attributable to another model of A/C. It will probably be more effective as in theory it has a larger plenums and possibly larger condenser (just guessing) but you do lose the sleeker look. It also means that some parts are not common and wiring differences if you go the smart route of fitting a Soft Start.

The manufacturers are so short of inventory they are fitting anything that will fit.

[bclemens]

Originally Posted by AndrewC

UPDATE...... new front unit installed, worked as it should.. interesting note, the front is now a higher than the original aft unit... anything we should be concerned about? Thanks for the GM Assistance, Brian.. True customer support.

Coleman makes a Mach 8, 10 and 15. Mach 10's are what we did use and seem to be on backorder for the rest of eternity. All we really have now are Mach 15's. Exact same wiring, literally no difference in the installation (between the three), just the Mach 15 is 2" taller than the Mach 10 and the 10 is a little taller than the 8.

It "used" to be a big deal when the A/C was the tallest item on the roof, but nowadays it is the Wingard 360 or Satellite (even compared to the 15).

The Mach 8 is the only one built really different, as it is very low profile has two fans and a very different compressor/heat pump size. Those might be the hardest to get right now.

[vlamgat]

Originally Posted by bclemens

The Mach 8 is the only one built really different, as it is very low profile has two fans and a very different compressor/heat pump size. Those might be the hardest to get right now.

...and more to go wrong too.

[bclemens]

Originally Posted by vlamgat

...and more to go wrong too.

Or more reliable as you are not asking one fan to do the job of two.

[vlamgat]

Originally Posted by bclemens

Or more reliable as you are not asking one fan to do the job of two.

Hmm...implying that the cfm/flow of the one fan units is sub optimal? Or by reducing the height they have lengthened the condenser and need 2 fans to cover the additional length? Or both?

[bclemens]

nope, implying that there is little value to speculating about something in a negative light when there are nothing but assumptions to support it.

I am a "glass half full" kind of guy.

Maybe I should just stop trying to understand the "glass is behind a curtain, so I will assume it is half empty, or empty, or shattered, or stolen, or upside down so it wouldn't even catch water if it rained" crowd.

[vlamgat]

Originally Posted by bclemens

nope, implying that there is little value to speculating about something in a negative light when there are nothing but assumptions to support it.

I am a "glass half full" kind of guy.

Maybe I should just stop trying to understand the "glass is behind a curtain, so I will assume it is half empty, or empty, or shattered, or stolen, or upside down so it wouldn't even catch water if it rained" crowd.

Brian, its not a question of half full or half empty. As a pilot we are taught on pain of our lives, that what can go wrong, will go wrong and the things that have to be done to mitigate those failures. While 100% reliability is unlikely, seldom achieved, its aspired to, and has procedures, processes and control methods to deal with failures. The US auto industry in the late 60s through the advent of Japanese QC, took the attitude you are describing, namely that it will work until it does not and then someone will fix it. People buying VW Bugs, Toyotas and Datsuns found they kept on going Energizer Bunny style and they bought them in the millions, while the US products were supporting the service business.

I suggest that one of the principle QC issues faced by the RV industry is that the brand owners do not hold their suppliers accountable with respect to probability of fails, dealing with fails, managing repair dynamics and adopting standards that they be held accountable to deliver. A capability that is drilled into the automotive industry albeit with some (but known and measurable) deficiencies.

I recognize that in suggesting this, I am changing the delivered price point on every one of the 20+ systems that are bought largely off the rack by the RV brand owners. But without that, much of the customer base are under the delusion that the AC (for example) is as robust, reliable, and fixable as the unit in their car or tow vehicle. By leaving that difference behind the curtain, I contend they are fooling themselves and will continue to be surprised by product fails. Fails that reflect as much on the brand owner as the appliance manufacturer. The RV appliance industry does not (and at present may not be able to) hold their suppliers to serviceability standards. Accordingly they do not get the ability to demand QC from the supply chain and receive deficient sensors, harnesses, motors, and PCBs. These show up as serial failures that are barely tracked if at all (per my discussions with Firefly and Airxcel) and the problems remain entrenched for some time. Meantime its the likes of Dynamax, Thor, Newmont and others getting a bad name because of the cumulative number of these on each delivery.

The way the dealer organization is organized and staffed. these problems are just maintained in "folklore". Such that looking back in 5 or so years, all RVs built between 2019 and 2022 will have the reputation of being problematic irrespective of the fact that its probably (but who knows) twice as bad as it was in 2018/9. Meaning (say, and again I don't think anyone knows this) that 15% of RVs were delivered with 2 or more system fails in 2020/22 as compared to (say) 7% in the years 2017/19.

[lazyjj]

Your campsite may also effect how your units perform. If you are in open sun and getting down to 75 degrees I say your are doing fine. In some places that would be good for the shade. Theses units have very thin walls which does not allow for a lot of insulation so it takes getting used to.

[johndjmix]

Another option is to add a 3rd unit. If I was having my coach built I would Definatly go for 3, or 4 if they fit!

I’ve seen people install home mini splits in coaches. Locating the condenser is a challenge but they work well. Way way better than rooftop units.

—john