High amps at Air Conditioner

As it gets hotter and hotter. The pressure in the system increases.
As the pressure increases the pump (Compressor) has to work harder to compress the gas in the loop.

As the compressor works harder it draws more current..

Explanation 1.1
If the condenser coils are getting dirty (on a coleman it sucks air in so you need only remove the outer shroud to clean) the system gets hotter and hotter due to inability to cool.


That said my Q@#$@!)#($R!U*# ADvent air tripped out (20 amps should draw 13.5) last night with an outside temp of 69 and clean coils.

I have a part on order that may fix it.

The air unit is about 9.5 yrs old, but has not been used a whole lot...I have run it off the inverter only occasionally (for brief times), but the inverter seems to have no problem starting or running it, shore power always works too - Operationally, it’s only the genny that struggles (only when on Eco...), except when the inverter is set to ‘standby mode’ to assist with compressor starts...And this charicteristic is when at higher ambient temps and elevations (4,800’), so it’s not clear to me that it’s all that unusual (I just don’t know....??)....Absent other issues causes me to ponder the ‘outside-chance’ as to whether Coleman’s published spec’s for this particular unit are quite accurate or possibly outdated...Maybe just ‘wishful thinking’ here, admittedly, I have no other experience with a Coleman air conditioner...

3 tons

HadEnough wrote:
Hmmm. Can't measure amps at the compressor with the killawatt. Are you using a true meter at the compressor or at least at the exact input point to the unit where the unit is wired to the RV electric line?

If not... a long wire run to the killawatt and/or bad connections between the Coleman and the power source are likely culprits.

As metioned, I used a clamp on meter at the compressor...

3 tons wrote:

dougrainer wrote:
Your model specs are based on 115 volts/95 degree ambient
6.7 amps compressor
2.3 amps LO Fan= 9.0 LO fan
2.9 HI Fan = 9.6 HI fan

I am not familiar with a Kill a watt meter system. WHERE and WHAT dies this actually measure? JUST the AC power line circuit? OR, the complete AC amp draw of the RV? If the complete amp draw of the RV, you CANNOT isolate just the AC amps easily. 125 volts????? Where are you getting 125 volts? The Electricity in my area rarely exceeds 121 volts. On GENSET you can get higher voltages. At 125 volts times the 9.6 will yield 1200 watts. 120 volts times the 9.6 will yield 1152 watts. So, your problem may be the higher voltage you have. The RVP SPEC running watts at 115 volts at 95 degrees is 1048 watts. The ONLY sure way of determining the amps is with a digital amp meter AT the AC 120 supply wire. Doug

Thanks to All !!....So at 90df in my garage I took the cover off the rooftop Coleman and using a clamp-on meter at the compressor (excluding fan), I came up with this having no other appliances on...

On shore power:
Shore power volts, no load 117v
Shore power volts w/compressor running 113v
Volts at compressor 111 to 112v
Amps at comp motor (minus fan) 9.2a

On Honda 2200i:
Volts at Generator, no load 127v
Volts at Generator, w/compressor running 124v
Volts at compressor 120v
Amps at compressor (minus fan) 9.4 to 9.5a

The results seem a bit ambiguous, but it appears that the compressor amps are high - If I can believe Colemans specs of 9.0 total amps (incl. fan) at 95df (90df during my test), and the fan is supposedly using about 2.5a, then the actual compressor only amps should be about 6.5a, which (if correct) means that the compressor is using 2.5-3.0 extra amps than the specs call for. Seems like quite an overage to me, yet the air runs fine otherwise - maybe a bad omen awaits - lol

3 tons

You are correct, You need to be concerned about the compressor. How OLD is the unit? 3 extra amps is not good. You have a low amp compressor and without you doing these checks, you would not be aware of the compressor having a problem. Have you checked the wire connections ON the compressor? Doug

pianotuna wrote:
Hi Doug,

I don't understand line #2 and line #3.

Here is a link to a Kill-a-Watt meter:

http://www.p3international.com/products/p4400.html

And a picture:

dougrainer wrote:
Your model specs are based on 115 volts/95 degree ambient

#1 6.7 amps compressor
#2 2.3 amps LO Fan= 9.0 LO fan
#3 2.9 HI Fan = 9.6 HI fan

I am not familiar with a Kill a watt meter system.

Lines 2 and 3 are TOTAL amp draw per Lo and Hi fan with compressor on. Since AC units do NOT have a 3 prong plug to power the AC(some do like Pop up Campers, but those are not what we are talking about), that is why I asked about how the Kill a Watt worked. Doug

Hmmm. Can't measure amps at the compressor with the killawatt. Are you using a true meter at the compressor or at least at the exact input point to the unit where the unit is wired to the RV electric line?

If not... a long wire run to the killawatt and/or bad connections between the Coleman and the power source are likely culprits.

dougrainer wrote:
Your model specs are based on 115 volts/95 degree ambient
6.7 amps compressor
2.3 amps LO Fan= 9.0 LO fan
2.9 HI Fan = 9.6 HI fan

I am not familiar with a Kill a watt meter system. WHERE and WHAT dies this actually measure? JUST the AC power line circuit? OR, the complete AC amp draw of the RV? If the complete amp draw of the RV, you CANNOT isolate just the AC amps easily. 125 volts????? Where are you getting 125 volts? The Electricity in my area rarely exceeds 121 volts. On GENSET you can get higher voltages. At 125 volts times the 9.6 will yield 1200 watts. 120 volts times the 9.6 will yield 1152 watts. So, your problem may be the higher voltage you have. The RVP SPEC running watts at 115 volts at 95 degrees is 1048 watts. The ONLY sure way of determining the amps is with a digital amp meter AT the AC 120 supply wire. Doug

Thanks to All !!....So at 90df in my garage I took the cover off the rooftop Coleman and using a clamp-on meter at the compressor (excluding fan), I came up with this having no other appliances on...

On shore power:
Shore power volts, no load 117v
Shore power volts w/compressor running 113v
Volts at compressor 111 to 112v
Amps at comp motor (minus fan) 9.2a

On Honda 2200i:
Volts at Generator, no load 127v
Volts at Generator, w/compressor running 124v
Volts at compressor 120v
Amps at compressor (minus fan) 9.4 to 9.5a

The results seem a bit ambiguous, but it appears that the compressor amps are high - If I can believe Colemans specs of 9.0 total amps (incl. fan) at 95df (90df during my test), and the fan is supposedly using about 2.5a, then the actual compressor only amps should be about 6.5a, which (if correct) means that the compressor is using 2.5-3.0 extra amps than the specs call for. Seems like quite an overage to me, yet the air runs fine otherwise - maybe a bad omen awaits - lol

3 tons

Hi Doug,

I don't understand line #2 and line #3.

Here is a link to a Kill-a-Watt meter:

http://www.p3international.com/products/p4400.html

And a picture:

dougrainer wrote:
Your model specs are based on 115 volts/95 degree ambient

#1 6.7 amps compressor
#2 2.3 amps LO Fan= 9.0 LO fan
#3 2.9 HI Fan = 9.6 HI fan

I am not familiar with a Kill a watt meter system.

Hi,

Yup--that is until your brother in law turns on the microwave and the air conditioner at the same time--then you have fried Kill-a-watt for dinner! Moral of the story is "don't exceed 1800 watts" (15 amps). It was plugged into a 15 amp shore power outlet and still went to Kill-a-Watt heaven.

I think the newer ones do power factor as well.

I did wonder why it was beeping. *soft smile*

MrWizard wrote:
the KILL-A-Watt
plugs into a 15amp outlet, you then plug your appliance into the it

it can display volts, amps draw of anything plugged into it
watts,

In addition to low voltage, a bad run capacitor will result in the motor pulling more current than it should.