Well I’m pasting this update over from the Truck Camper section in hopes that it may benefit some:
To recap, the below OP quotes is a brief summary, followed by an todays update - air conditioner is a Coleman mach 1 P.S. 11k btu, 9 years old...I just replaced my Honda 2000i with a 2200i
“3 tons wrote:
(First OP Update)
Thanks to All !!....So at 90df in my garage I took the cover off the rooftop Coleman 11k btu Mach 1 P.S. and using a clamp-on RMS meter at the compressor (excluding fan), I came up with this while 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 new 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
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the ‘outside-chance’ as to whether Coleman’s published spec’s for this particular unit are quite accurate or possibly outdated...Maybe just ‘wishful thinking’ here, admittedly, I have no other experience with a Coleman air conditioner...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”
Today’s OP update:
So I changed out the ‘Run’ capacitor with a new one, but first tested the OEM run cap and found (via multi-meter) that it had no charge and would not take a charge, though visually it appeared normal (no leaks or bulges) ...
I also checked the ‘start’ cap (though it is disconnected and unnecessary due to the installation of the Soft-start) and it checked out good...
After installing the new run cap, the compressor ONLY amps (measured after a 30 min warm-up - using clamp-on meter) had dropped from about 9.5 to 6.5, which puts it well within Coleman’s published rating - I applaud their accurate numbers!...However what begs the question is how the compressor could run with a faulty run capacitor, unless the HyperEngineering soft start somehow was able to meter out the power deficit ??
Either way, I’m satisfied for the time being, but what I’ve yet to mention is that during these many trials I also tried to restore the air unit back to OEM by disconnecting the Soft-start and reinstalling the start cap and found that the fan would run but after many repeated trys the compressor would not start... As I said, the start cap measured out just fine, but ultimately this may be an indication that the compressor when at LRA (locked rotor amps) trips its own internal overload device with the start cap in the circuit, whereas the soft-start (start cap defeated) apparently is able to meter out this high current inrush, so the compressor overload never bothers to engage...
Hope this added info helps!
3 tons
