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cyberiankhatru's avatar
cyberiankhatru
Explorer
Apr 18, 2017

AC vibrating the whole camper!

Turned on my AC unit for the first time since last year and it sounds like it's beating the trailer to death! It ran great last year but something is not right now. Looking at the inside access I don't see anything weird. Squirrel cage spins nice and smooth but I don't know enough about the outside part to do anything but would like to know what might be wrong if you guys have had a similar experience. It does cool and blow air strongly. If I switch to high fan it sounds like it's going to take off and fly away. All I know is that it's a 2004 Rockwood trailer we bought used 5 yrs ago and the thermostat is a Dometic Duo-therm.
Thank you
  • Clay_L's avatar
    Clay_L
    Explorer
    Apr 18, 2017
    Chris may well be right. That is what caused mine to really vibrate once. I had to look carefully to find it.
  • Terryallan's avatar
    Terryallan
    Explorer II
    Apr 18, 2017
    Could be a nest, OR, could be the mounting bolts have worked loose. Happened to me.
  • John_Wayne's avatar
    John_Wayne
    Explorer II
    Apr 18, 2017
    You do know that every once in a while you need to take the inside cover off and tighten the four bolts that hold the A/C on. Just snug them down DO NOT over tighten them. Over time the rubber gasket that the A/C sits on compresses so you need to snug down the mounting bolts.
  • wa8yxm's avatar
    wa8yxm
    Explorer III
    Apr 18, 2017
    Chris Bryant wrote:
    I would bet the outside fan blade has a mud daubers nest on it.


    Second. I've seen only three things cause that
    1: Broken blower (Squirrel cage)
    2: Missing fan balde
    3: And this is #1 on the suspect list... Mud Daubers.
  • Espee's avatar
    Espee
    Explorer
    Apr 18, 2017
    Moisture and dust buildup on one side of the squirel cage can throw it out of balance, but sounds more severe than just that.... and is not typically referred to as having worked fine the last time, and not the next.
  • fpresto's avatar
    fpresto
    Explorer
    Apr 18, 2017
    Get on the roof, remove the shroud and as most have said clean off the mud dauber nest(s). While other things can cause the issue, daubers are by far the most common after the unit has sat for awhile.
  • cyberiankhatru's avatar
    cyberiankhatru
    Explorer
    Apr 19, 2017
    Thank you all so much! I'll venture onto the roof and take a look. Hope it's that simple!
  • cyberiankhatru's avatar
    cyberiankhatru
    Explorer
    Apr 22, 2017
    Well you guys were EXACTLY right!!! Dirt dobbers on the front of the fan spinner. Only a small nest but off center enough to cause major vibrations. The blades were clean. Also had 2 wasp nests under the shroud. Overall way to fix. Thanks everyone!!!
  • blofgren's avatar
    blofgren
    Explorer
    Apr 23, 2017
    Thanks for the follow up. This can be a great site for problem solving!

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