Degraded Living area AC

[etcmss]

The weather here in Florida has finally warmed up and have had several AC days.
When running the AC in the Living Area and cooking the temperature goes up. At times the fan blows warm air that may get colder.
It acts like degraded or poor charge unit. No real moisture dripping on the roof. Bedroom unit cools well and does drip moisture.
Once it is allowed to cool with no cooking or late in day when sun goes down it seems ok.
Anyone had this experience?
Gary

 

[Garypowell]

We loaded up yesterday for a six week trip and thought the same thing. I ran the unit on fan only for about 15 minutes and then turned a/c back on and all was ok. With all of the in and out thought that maybe unit had frozen up so jury is still out. Leaving for Williston today.

if I understand correctly freezing up is a sign of a low charge.

 

[jmgratz]

We have also hear from a number of folks on this forum that running the AC on low fan will cause the AC to freeze up as not enough air is moving across the coils. If this is the case then why is there a low fan setting in the first place?

 

[danemayer]

We have also hear from a number of folks on this forum that running the AC on low fan will cause the AC to freeze up as not enough air is moving across the coils. If this is the case then why is there a low fan setting in the first place?

You have the ability to run the fan at high speed or low speed to circulate air without turning on the compressor to cool, either by cycling the thermostat to FAN mode or by leaving it on A/C mode with the set point higher than ambient temp.

 

[jmgratz]

I know that but shouldn't the ac work alright with the compressor on when it is in low fan without freezing up. A window ac unit will. Seems like a poor design



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[jimtoo]

There is a thermisister switch that should be located on the fins of the evaporator. This switch when working correctly and in place should cycle the compressor off when the temperature of the fins get to the point of making ice. You should be able to see the thermisister on the fins when the filter is removed. It is about 1' diameter and 1/2' thick with 2 wires going to it and it should have a pair of flexible clips on the off wire side to hold it on the fins of the evaporator. It is usually located about center of the evaporator that you can see on the left side. If it is not secure on the fins,,, you will ice up in humid conditions.

Jim M

 

[AAdams]

While you look for the freeze sensor, which runs to either the lower left or right of the coils, check to make sure the divider that separates the air input and output is sealed. If the unit draws back the cold air it will cause the unit to freeze real quick. I did have this problem on one of my airs on my previous coach. The older dividers have and adjustable part so it will fit different depths of ceilings. It apparently came loose when we were traveling once. After reading the Dometic manual the newer dividers are foam and are fit in place, they still require being sealed with aluminum foil tape though to stop the cold air from being pulled back in the intake.

 

[etcmss]

Am running the fan in Auto and the Living Room unit does cool but am quite surprised that the AC doesn't make it cold. The way it has been working gave me concern it may be under charged. It starts up with warm air and then gets colder and will support being cooler than outside, with lower humidity. It seems to run a long time with outside temps in mid 80's . I can see now why some in Phoenix and Texas never cool off with both units running. I would have figured both units would do well to keep this size volume cool. Still debating a service call to verify the unit is 100%, last opportunity before a summer trip (and warranty expires).

 

[jmgratz]

Am running the fan in Auto and the Living Room unit does cool but am quite surprised that the AC doesn't make it cold. The way it has been working gave me concern it may be under charged. It starts up with warm air and then gets colder and will support being cooler than outside, with lower humidity. It seems to run a long time with outside temps in mid 80's . I can see now why some in Phoenix and Texas never cool off with both units running. I would have figured both units would do well to keep this size volume cool. Still debating a service call to verify the unit is 100%, last opportunity before a summer trip (and warranty expires).

When the AC comes on, it comes on with the fan only and then after a short time the compressor turns on. This means it blows uncooled air first and then cool air after the compressor turns on. The RV acs run almost constantly in the Texas summers and don't think it will keep your unit at 65 degrees on a 100 degree day. The RV acs do not compare to a sticks and bricks home AC.

 

[danemayer]

Take a look at our owner-written Heating and Cooling Guide for tips on how to get the most out of your air conditioning.

 

[etcmss]

Take a look at our owner-written Heating and Cooling Guide for tips on how to get the most out of your air conditioning.

thanks I'll review this for improvements. I honestly thought the AC would cool much like the home AC.

 

[Kenna]

Hello
just wondering if you have ducted a/c vents on your BH. We also have a 3260EL 2015 with two 15K units. Unable to cool
inside temp below 76. The a/c units run constant. There seems to be hardly any air flow from vents. We are very unhappy
with the performance of the a/c units. Also we have a vaulted ceiling.
thanks john & Kenna

 

[etcmss]

my BH 3260EL has air vents in the LR ceiling. I just open the AC unit vent louvers and get the cool air to blow into the area---I don't use the vents.
Today has been a nice day--81 sunny, clear sky, no shade. Unit turned on at about 1 pm when outside temp was 75 or so and Has not shut off. Bedroom unit is on and at lower temp setting and cycling. The AC guide says to set it lower to run all the time---I'll try that to see if it helps. Kind of disappointed in this performance. Maybe I have high expectations that AC should be the temp I set it at. Gary

 

[Garypowell]

I noticed on my ducted a/c that the ends were not sealed. Every time I would drop a light cold air would blow out. For this reason I sealed off each end of the duct after the last register. Mainly used that silver heating tape. It did seem to help but I still cannot store meat in the bedroom like I want!

 

[HooDad]

I too have a problem with the living room A/C not cooling. I have a digital infrared thermometer and measured the air flow from the nearest vents of both A/C units. The outside temperature is 84 degrees Fahrenheit (not complaining...I'm in south Florida). The bedroom A/C air temperature at the vent measured 57 degrees. I turned the bedroom A/C OFF and then turned on the Living room A/C. After waiting several minutes for the cool air to be purged I measured the air temperature coming out of the closest vent (dump register). The temperature was 86 degrees. I should say that this has been progressively getting worse as this A/C unit worked fine a month ago and became worse. Fortunately I'm still under warranty and will have it checked out when I get home next month. By the way a digital infrared thermometer can be purchased for around $20. I also use it to check my wheel bearings every time I stop for a break while traveling.

 

[etcmss]

would be interested to know if other models have similar performance. A 15K unit should support the space of a 30 ft trailer but doesn't seem. I might be new at this but the bedroom unit seems to do well and the LR does not. So how well do other models perform? (again maybe my expectations are high but I thought AC should cool us)

 

[Kenna]

Just a question
i have two a/c units (15K) with a ducted ceiling. There is no quick cool vent to open inside. You can not see the a/c unit inside only
the air vents (round) . There is only three supply air and three return air. IMHO that is not enough supplied air.
you can only feel air coming out one vent in LR and one vent in BR.
anyone have the answer please let me know

thanks