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Old 07-06-2020, 08:06 PM   #1
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Rockwood Roo 19 AC

Hi all. First post here so apologies for any oddities as I get used to this.

I have a 2014 Rockwood Roo 19. Recently we had the opportunity to use our AC. It was 85 and humid and though the unit blew cold air it did not cool down the inside of the RV at all. In fact it was cooler just opening a few windows.

Our system has the one large duct that comes down and his the roof unit that disperses the air left and right. It’s a Coleman Mach.

Our friends we camped with have a 23 ft Roo with the actual ducts and their camper was 70 degrees at the time.

Any input on fixing/troubleshooting is appreciated.
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Old 07-06-2020, 10:20 PM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SeanCormier3 View Post
Hi all. First post here so apologies for any oddities as I get used to this.

I have a 2014 Rockwood Roo 19. Recently we had the opportunity to use our AC. It was 85 and humid and though the unit blew cold air it did not cool down the inside of the RV at all. In fact it was cooler just opening a few windows.

Our system has the one large duct that comes down and his the roof unit that disperses the air left and right. It’s a Coleman Mach.

Our friends we camped with have a 23 ft Roo with the actual ducts and their camper was 70 degrees at the time.

Any input on fixing/troubleshooting is appreciated.
The smaller Roo/Shamrock hybrids have the old fashioned "Blast from the Center" a/c's, like what you find in popups. It has its own separate controls, from the furnace only thermostat.
The larger 23 models have ducted a/c that use a thermostat to control the a/c and furnace.

You can't convert your style to ducted without extensive reconstruction.
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Old 07-07-2020, 06:23 AM   #3
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One way to determine if your AC is working correctly is to measure the difference of the air going into your AC unit as compared to the cooled air coming out of it.. You'll see in this article there should be a minimum of 16 degrees difference, if not you have an issue that needs to be looked into..

https://koa.com/blog/pdf/RV_Educatio...Y_AC_Check.pdf

We were camping a few weeks ago in 90 degree weather and the bunk end that that was in the sun caused that side of the camper to be much warmer than the bunk in the shade. We have the ducted AC in ours and it was struggling to keep up so I closed the bunk that was in the sun and it made a huge difference.

Hope this helps
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Old 07-07-2020, 06:58 AM   #4
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My first camper was a Roo19. Invest in some Pop Up Gizmos (PUGS) and get some reflectix from Home Depot or Lowe’s. Cut it the same size as your bunk windows and than place it between the canvas and screen. This will help the AC to keep your camper cool and also help keep the heat in if camping in cooler weather.
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Old 07-07-2020, 07:21 AM   #5
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There are several videos on YT showing why this style of AC may not be cooling as well as it should. The videos also show how to fix the issue. Short story, the baffle between the warm and cold air in the unit has excessive leaks so the cold air does not get distributed.

X2 on the PUG's.
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Old 07-07-2020, 08:03 AM   #6
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For starters measure the temperature of the air coming out of the AC unit. If it's not at least 20°F colder than ambient temperature the unit may be faulty.

Since it appears you've not run the unit much or at all check the fins in the unit on the roof. Blocked with dirt and leaves won't let the unit cool. Run the AC on high. On low these will frequently ice up and not cool.

These units will cool nicely if you give them a chance. I had a similar unit in my Bayside popup and even in the Deep South in the summer it was fine. I recall returning to the trailer and finding all the canvas wet on the outside -- condensation.

Finally make sure the furnace is off. Sounds silly but it's happened.

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Old 07-07-2020, 09:44 PM   #7
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If you start your ac before you need it you will find its a lot easier to keep the camper cool than it is to cool it down once it's hot.
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Old 07-07-2020, 10:27 PM   #8
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I had a problem with the AC unit in my trailer that the standard dial thermostat on the darn thing would not turn down far enough to keep the compressor running. Since the cold air exhaust on the roof unit is so close to the intake, the air going into the intake is a lot cooler than the rest of the trailer and the compressor shuts off too soon, then takes forever to reset. I thought about adding just a push button "override" in parallel with the thermostat knob that would just keep the compressor running.

Instead, I bought the 9430-720 Bluetooth Ceiling Assembly which has a digital thermostat. It's a bit pricey at >$200, but I've found it to be well worth it. The thermostat goes down to like 35 degrees, and I can control the thing from my cell phone. No more compressor cutting out early!
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Old 07-08-2020, 05:41 AM   #9
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NavyLCDR...

I looked up what you talked about. What does this do? Is it difficult to install?Can you tell me more?
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Old 07-08-2020, 06:06 AM   #10
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Here's "official" info:
https://www.airxcel.com/rv/coleman-m...iling-assembly

That ceiling assembly replaces your current ceiling assembly. The ceiling unit I installed also has controls for an electric heat strip, so if your unit has an electric heat strip make sure to take that into account. My unit did not have the electric heat strip, but I guess now I could add one if I wanted to .

It's fairly easy to install, took me about 1 hour. It provides nice digital control of your A/C, that you can also pair via bluetooth with either an Android device or iPhone to give you full remote control. If you take the covers off the intake filters, and the filters out, there are 3 screws (I think) on each side that hold the ceiling assembly on.

You do have to install an additional control box into the A/C unit itself (from inside the camper, you do not have to do anything external on the roof). I was confused a bit about where to install the control box because it did not want to fit where the instructions said it would, so I just actually stuffed it up in the space rather than bolting it in. Then when all done, I noticed the instructions said that on certain A/C units the control box had to be bolted in "upside down". I never went back in to correct that and it is still just fine.

Everything you need to install the unit comes with it, including a new duct. It's basically turn off the A/C breaker and remove old ceiling unit. Remove the old duct (like 4 screws). Remove the old metal frame that the ceiling unit attaches to (4 long screws/bolts). Install new metal frame, move the wiring from the old ceiling unit to the new control box and install the control box into the correct space inside the a/c unit. Install the new duct, plug the ceiling unit into the control box, and screw the ceiling unit to the new metal frame. Oh, there is also a freeze sensor that get's stuck into the cooling fins of the condenser and a remote room temp sensor that gets attached to one of the mounting screws. Everything is done from inside the camper.

You get:
1. Digital control of your A/C on the ceiling panel itself, and the thermostat goes down to like 35 degrees! Way lower than the dial on the old unit went.
2. Remote control of your A/C on an Android device (phone or tablet) or iPhone.
3. A second mode of operation where the fan can cycle on and off with the compressor. The normal mode where the fan is always on and the compressor cycles is still available. There is also a fan only mode. Two speeds, hi/low.
4. My unit also has a heat mode, if I installed an electric heat strip.
5. Freeze protection that shuts off the compressor if the condenser develops ice build up.
6. The two extra cold air outlets that can be directed for spot cooling.
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Old 07-08-2020, 10:07 AM   #11
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Looks like a helpful option.

The AC unit I installed in the ceiling/roof of my Coleman popup in preparation to a two week vacation in the Deep South had motorized louvers on each end that oscillated up and down to spread the cold air around the cabin. A helpful feature in my opinion but that's based on the couple of months I had the unit before moving to a Roo hybrid with ducted AC. In any case getting a headstart on cooling is a good practice.

I found the heat strip in that unit next to useless. Since it's 120vAC it has the standard limit of 1500 watts like most other appliances. Same output as a hair dryer. Heating with just this barely took any morning chill out of the camper. It did help supplment the furnace to keep the cabin warm.

-- Chuck
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Old 07-14-2020, 12:02 AM   #12
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Hobie can you link a YT video? I’ve watched a ton but none that go over the issue with the baffles leaking. Or could you explain that in more detail?
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Old 07-15-2020, 06:58 AM   #13
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This explains it very well.
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