AC Troubles - Hard Start cap? Something else?

LipschitzWrath wrote:

j-d wrote:
Since RV A/C, like room A/C and appliances such as Fridges and Freezers, are all Charged then Sealed:

1. If it ever ran and ran right, there can't be "too much" refrigerant. No way to get in and overcharge it.

2. If the compressor is getting sticky internally, The RLA (Running Load Amps) will go ABOVE the spec on the compressor tag. But this can also happen if the coils are dirty, fan(s) aren't working, or weather is really hot.

3. If compressor RLA is BELOW the label spec, then the refrigerant charge may be low, OR the compressor's valves could be weak. Low refrigerant won't cool well, but it may show up as icing on the Evaporator Coil. Poor Valves will show up as poor cooling, long run times, and a compressor that CAN start right after it's been running and shut down. The WHY is, the Head Pressure that normally has to bleed down before a re-start, is not as high in an A/C that has a compressor with weak valves.

Thanks for the info.

1. Didn't think about the fact that it was sealed. Sounds like the only real danger is getting some sort of leak and losing all your refrigerant.

2. I guess the only way you would know this is with some sort of amp clamp. However, from watching their videos, Micro-Air themselves admit that most consumer-grade instruments don't sample fast enough to capture the actual peak current spike. They devised their own instrument to do so.

3. Doesn't sound like low refrigerant would be my problem. I think the fact that I was able to get the AC started on the first shot was because the pressures were equalized. Subsequent attempts all failed, regardless of what else I shut off in the camper. This would seem to suggest (at least to me) that the valves in my compressor are okay. Of course, this is all just my theory and therefore {likely} subject to error.

I went ahead and placed an order for the Micro-Air 364. With the discount code (thanks again!) my total came to $282 shipped 3-day. I will report back after I install and test.

If I still can't get my AC to start, then I would think I would have some sort of major problem!

You will be amazed at how much more quiet the compressor is when it starts. I actually had to watch the 5 volt drop on the Kill a Watt meter to know when the compressor came on it was so quiet......no more HUMMMMMM

FYI there is a 5 second delay when it is commanded on and a 5 minute delay for restart.
When you go to calibrate it, after you turn it on, then off, when you turn it back on it will take 5 min to turn the compressor on every time. So the "cal" takes about 25-30 min.