Forum Discussion

CarpFishermanAn's avatar
May 23, 2016

AC Compressor Not Kicking On

Our 2 year old Keystone Summerland (now out of warranty) AC is not working. The fan works great but the when you turn on the AC it does not get cold. It has not been used in over 6 months. One suggestions was the thermostat but we do not have a wall thermostat for the AC, we just have the unit on the ceiling where you turn it from warm (red) to cold (blue). We have not been able to find out if there is a thermostat part to replace. We were also told possibly a run capacitor so we bought one. We were shipped one with 40 MFD instead of our 60 MFD and the 40 did not work but when my husband took out the original capacitor, it did not look blown or bulging, etc. We are sending back the other capacitor to see if the correct one (60 MFD) will make a difference or not. We are hoping it is not the compressor with it being only 2 years old. We were also told we could have a home HVAC person come look at it but in calling around, we cannot find one that will work on camper units. Hate to take it to an RV dealer due to cost. Any more suggestions?

P.S. How do you attach a picture? There is another capacitor but smaller than is oval in shape to the right of the capacitor that we don't know what it is. I was trying to attach a pic of it.
  • Get the name and model of you unit and go online and search for a manual with specifications. Call the manufacture if necessary to get that information. With that info you might be able to find a video to diagnose your unit. Check the power circuit to make sure they aren't tripped. Most of the new units take 16amps to crank on (measured at your power cable). On the other hand the new capacitor maybe all that's needed.
  • Check your power supply - takes alot of juice to kick start the compressor. Something as simple as using a long extension cord will be enough for some condensers not to start.

    As far as capacitors goes - depends on the unit. Some/many purchase a hard start capacitor which provides the additional start up power some AC units need. Use the forum search feature or perhaps Google.
  • if you took out a 60mfd capacitor then a 60 should go back in. A 40 won't have enough a$$ to start it.
  • CarpFishermanAndWife wrote:


    P.S. How do you attach a picture? There is another capacitor but smaller than is oval in shape to the right of the capacitor that we don't know what it is. I was trying to attach a pic of it.


    Try this
    post pictures
  • Hello, Possibility is there that the system needs repair. I suggest you to consult a good hvac technician and get maintained or repaired your system as I have read in this post that regular maintenance is very necessary for proper functioning of the system.

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