Air Conditioning cycling on and off

Hopefully we got the problem solved. A/C has been running during the heat spell without any problems. It seems to have been a combination of several things:

1. There was a short in the plug in the cord from the electrical box that required buying a new dogbone adaptor and extension cord.

2. The a/c had gone through so many on off cycles it wore out (8 years old anyway). The a/c had a heat pump and in addition to the power going on and off, the a/c was cycling back and forth between heat pump and air conditioning. Manufacturer said this is not repairable. This required purchasing a new air conditioner.

3. The transfer switch on the house side (generator side was ok) was failing causing the power to go on and off. I guess the connected surge protector was trying to keep the circuits safe. This required purchasing a new transfer switch.

The residential electricians did what they could, but Roger Ingalls of RBI Mobile RV repair was able to track down all the problems and get them repaired. Roger is very good at RV repairs and I have been using him for years. Highly recommend his services.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

Wayne

Vulcan Rider wrote:

redeldo wrote:

The A/C unit shuts down completely and the volt meters go to zero. Then it starts up after about 3 seconds or so and the volt meters go back to about 115/116 and on and on.

OK, we need to review the symptoms here; I for one am a bit confused.

Are the symptoms the same on GEN as they are on SHORE power ?

If the meters go to 0, one would think that more than the AC goes dead but your report seems to imply that nothing else is affected.

I now think that an electrician might be what is required.
You may have a breaker that is about to fail completely. If that's the case, turning one breaker off should kill all of the things where the power is intermittent.

Hi Vulcan

I may have been not to clear in my question:

On running the generator everything works just like it should.

On shore power the AC will run for a good while (nothing else is on but the refer) and then it is like the power is shut off to the coach. Everything goes dead for several seconds then the power comes back on and everything works for several seconds and then shuts down as the power goes off for several seconds and so on until I go to the house and turn the circuit off.

Its almost like an overload somewhere or the circuit panel in the house may have a weak breaker that is not sending the correct voltage to the coach but the breaker is not bad enough to trip hence the voltage drops, everything shuts down, the voltage comes back up everything comes on, the voltage drops and everything shuts down and so on.

I'm thinking a residential electrician may be necessary. Am I barking up the wrong tree?

Wayne

redeldo wrote:

The A/C unit shuts down completely and the volt meters go to zero. Then it starts up after about 3 seconds or so and the volt meters go back to about 115/116 and on and on.

OK, we need to review the symptoms here; I for one am a bit confused.

Are the symptoms the same on GEN as they are on SHORE power ?

If the meters go to 0, one would think that more than the AC goes dead but your report seems to imply that nothing else is affected.

I now think that an electrician might be what is required.
You may have a breaker that is about to fail completely. If that's the case, turning one breaker off should kill all of the things where the power is intermittent.

Just a thought: there should be a time delay in the start-up circuit. The delay prevents the compressor from short circuiting and starting and stopping too many times in a short period of time. Rapid starting and stopping can cause severe damage to electric motors. You need to try to identify the time delay relay and determine if it is defective. Without knowing or being familiar with your AC unit, I have no idea what it looks like or exactly where it is located. The wiring schematic will show you where in the circuit it is located; it will be in the start circuit for the compressor motor. Hope this helps.

Ray

koda55 wrote:
I find I need t clean my filters at least twice a week.

I did that and it still shuts down.

Vulcan Rider wrote:
Does the whole unit stop.....compressor AND fan....or just the compressor but the fan keeps running ? Or is it just the fan that cycles on and off and you can still hear the compressor humming away ??

With most units, a "freeze up" condition will keep the fan running to defrost quicker.

You need an AC mechanic. A regular electrician probably won't work.

The A/C unit shuts down completely and the volt meters go to zero. Then it starts up after about 3 seconds or so and the volt meters go back to about 115/116 and on and on.

I find I need t clean my filters at least twice a week.

Does the whole unit stop.....compressor AND fan....or just the compressor but the fan keeps running ? Or is it just the fan that cycles on and off and you can still hear the compressor humming away ??

With most units, a "freeze up" condition will keep the fan running to defrost quicker.

You need an AC mechanic. A regular electrician probably won't work.

Check your condenser fan and the coil it sounds like the high pressure cut out is turning it on and off.

Well, I was just thinking (dangerous in my case), both the generator and the shore line have to go through the transfer box/surge protector, to the circuit breaker box.

So if everything works on 120 volts off the generator through the same equipment, then when on shore power the voltage drops and maybe the A/C is not getting enough power to operate. So the problem could be in the: 1. power cords to the shed; 2. the receptacle in the shed; 3. the underground line to the house; 4. the circuit breaker in the garage; 5. the line to the main circuit panel in the house; 6. breaker for the line in the main circuit panel could be going bad?

I am trying to decide whether to call an electrician or a mobile RV repairman that I know.

Wayne