A/C Issues??

[Alex_and_Tee]

Brand new coach - 2 months old. In Casa Grande, AZ. Outside temp is 85 degrees. Both front and rear A/C’s are set at 75. Rear of coach is 74, front of coach is 84. All solar shades are down and windshield solar and night shades are down. Front of coach faces generally west.

Do I have an issue with the front A/C unit? Do I need to cover the windshield better?

Appreciate your input.

[dougrainer]

Groover wrote:
I am having problems with the idea that you have 42 degree air coming out of the vents but it is still 84 degrees inside. Either you are not getting much 42 degree air or you are getting a whole lot of 85 air. Check the flow rates of the front vents vs the rear ones and check for possible air leaks up front, including roof vents.

You didn't say what time of day it is but late in the day the sun can put a lot heat through a west facing windshield. And you have a 36ft long side catching sun all day.

If you read ALL the comments you will see NOBODY at his end has or can read a correct Thermometer. So, there is NO WAY he is getting 42 degree air. Doug

[Groover]

I am having problems with the idea that you have 42 degree air coming out of the vents but it is still 84 degrees inside. Either you are not getting much 42 degree air or you are getting a whole lot of 85 air. Check the flow rates of the front vents vs the rear ones and check for possible air leaks up front, including roof vents.

You didn't say what time of day it is but late in the day the sun can put a lot heat through a west facing windshield. And you have a 36ft long side catching sun all day.

[Alex_and_Tee]

Thank you for your insight. I will be sure to mention it when they come to install the replacement.

[dougrainer]

Alex and Tee wrote:
A/C update

Service tech came today. Outside temperature was 58 degrees. Tech said unit was pulling 9 amps. Said it should be around 7. Recommending unit replacement. It’s under warranty so no skin off my nose but seems like an extreme resolution. Still going to invest in a set of window covers to cover the windshield and side windows.

He was also able to quickly switch the wires on my Spyder control so the front and rear now operate properly.

AS you stated, no skin off your nose. Plain fact is RVP will replace the Unit. BUT, YOUR PROBLEM WILL NOT BE FIXED BY A NEW UNIT. So, it will continue to be a time drain and waste of time for you to get your unit properly fixed. Hopefully when they remove the old unit, they will check for the separation gasket, see that it was missing or not installed correctly, INSTALL that gasket on new unit and if so, your "new" unit will then function as designed. Then everyone except the Technician will think the old unit was faulty. Doug

PS, after I had more time, I crunched the numbers. My previous numbers were a guess. Your 15k (452X4*8XX2) will pull 11.8 amps(compressor ONLY) at 95 degrees. I will go with 60 degrees ambient since it appears NOBODY at your end has or can read a correct Thermometer reading. So at 60 degrees ambient the compressor should draw 7.6 amps. Since NONE of the Techs seem to be able to comprehend what they are doing, lets assume it IS 9 amps. That tells me it is pulling a little over 1 amp HIGHER than spec, which will NOT cause a great loss of cooling. 9 amps would indicate an overcharged system, I have NOT seen an overcharged RV AC unit in years and hundreds of AC's I have worked on. When they come back, ASK about the SEPARATOR gasket if you have not already. If they give you a blank look or do not seem to understand your question----YOU HAVE YOUR ANSWER.

[Alex_and_Tee]

A/C update

Service tech came today. Outside temperature was 58 degrees. Tech said unit was pulling 9 amps. Said it should be around 7. Recommending unit replacement. It’s under warranty so no skin off my nose but seems like an extreme resolution. Still going to invest in a set of window covers to cover the windshield and side windows.

He was also able to quickly switch the wires on my Spyder control so the front and rear now operate properly.

[CA_Traveler]

Alex, I'm so happy for you as you're learning how to spell RV.

Cheers

[Alex_and_Tee]

I have a more experienced tech scheduled to come out on the 10th. I’ll wait until he gets there and see what his findings are. I have zero confidence in what the other guy did and I told the mobile service manager that as well as whatever he used to measure temps was either no good or horribly out of calibration. At 81 degrees outside temperature this unit struggles to get the coach to 77 degrees. Just runs constantly.

You just can’t find good help these days.

[dougrainer]

OK, you should have the RVP Coleman 15k Heat Pump. At 85 degrees outside ambient, the TOTAL amp draw will be 14 amps to 14.3 amps. Hi Fan. Discount the 2.5 amps for fan draw, your compressor should be pulling 12.0 amps. NOT 9 amps. Where did this so called tech measure the amp draw and did you see what kind of amp draw tool he used? At 9 amps, that would indicate a charge problem. But I doubt any of his diagnostics is correct or accurate. I still lean towards the separator gasket missing or not installed correctly. You HAVE to pull the top unit to verify this. Click this link and scroll towards the bottom where he has the AC on its side. That center gasket is the seperator gasket. Doug

https://www.amazon.com/Steele-Rubber-Products-Mounted-Gasket/dp/B07TW7QY16

[dougrainer]

THERE IS NO WAY ANY RV ROOF AC WILL PUT OUT 28.8 DEGREE COLD AIR. PERIOD. The best it will do is around 39 to 40 degrees in lower ambient temps. Besides, IF it could put out lower than 40 degree temps the Freeze thermister would shut the compressor off. There seems to be a BIG problem with how you and this so called tech are using their Temp measurement devices. One thing that will cause a problem is IF the bad AC was replaced. AND they did not install the separating gasket. That would cause the cold air to be pulled back into the AC unit and cause a lack of air volume. It could have happened at Tiffin when it was built, but I have never seen the separator gasket missing from the OEM. Doug

[Ray_IN]

Alex and Tee wrote:
Measurements done with a digital thermometer set on house mode. Will invest in some reflective shades for the front window. Front of coach is primarily black so I’m sure that isn’t helping much.

To obtain the best heat shield it should be on the OUTSIDE of the window.

[Alex_and_Tee]

No repair was done and the mobile tech was from the dealer I bought it from.

All ductwork in tact.

[CA_Traveler]

Repairs not authorized by Tiffin may have the warranty denied ie mobile tech.

[MountainAir05]

Have you check the inside of the ducts to ensure that the tape has not come loose and the air is spilling out above the ceiling.

[Alex_and_Tee]

A/C Update - Mobile tech came out today and checked amperage draw on the front unit and it was a little over 9. He said when it is working hard it will draw a little over 12. He measured the vent temp with a probe hooked up to his multimeter. I knew something was off as it measured ambient temp at 55.4 degrees and it was 74 in the coach. That said, it measured the cold air at 28.8 degrees, close to a 30 degree difference.

My infrared measured 74 ambient and 44 at the vent so they agreed more or less. Still no explanation as to why a 15,000 BTU unit can’t get the coach below 85 when it’s 88 outside. I’ve ordered reflective screens for the front window so we’ll see what difference they make, if any.

The tech they sent knew nothing about how to rewire the furnace controls so I will be getting another visit from someone who knows something and during the week so they can contact Tiffin. I looked at the panel in the front drivers side bay and nothing was marked “furnace”.