Need help from others with window/wall style ac units.

[Gsragtop]

I need help from anyone who has a window/ wall style ac units installed by the factory.

Has anyone had there unit out if it's hole, if so was there a vent hole cut in the ceiling for it??

I ask because I'm still having issues with my AC, and I'm about ready to burn it to the ground. As some may remember I took it out for its first weekend out and was very disappointed in the performance of the ac.. After getting the run around from both the manufacturer and the dealer about the factory 8,000 btu ac (unit built that way and the ac seemed to work fine).. I installed a 12,000 btu.. Which had issues, tuned out the condenser fan had cracked and fell apart. So now the unit is fixed, bench tested 100% and re installed and I'm having issues with it running for 10 min then shutting down for 5-7.. I believe the compressor is overheating due to lack of ventilation of its box. I believe this is the issue because putting a fan under it helped it run longer between shut downs.

My questions is because there is a vent on the roof of the camper, but no hole to access it.. I am now debating if there should have been one but it was left out during the build and that's my problem. What are your thoughts ???

[westend]

Yes, the more fresh air you can get to travel over the condenser, the better. It is a matter of heat dissipation so look over the chassis on your AC unit and see how the fan pulls the air through the condenser. Try to improve that flow.

[Gsragtop]

So after going back and forth with Gulf Stream, they are telling me that they are not cutting the holes any more.. Apparently the unit was designed that way, and the original run had it.. However they claim it did not help ac performance at all, so they stopped cutting the holes.. They did not know why my unit had the vent installed... They did say if I wanted the hole cut to bring it to the dealer and they would ok the work.

So do you guys think it should help ?? Any down side you guys can think of ??

Thanks
Josh

[ScottG]

The outside wall vent is not sufficient. Someone forgot to cut the rectangular opening for the roof vent (which is a fridge vent).
I would remove the roof vent and cut it out. It will work fine after that.

[colliehauler]

You need a hole in the roof where the vent is to draw in air for the A/C to work correctly. That's why they put in a vent on the roof. Someone at the factory was to lazy to cut a hole.

[Gsragtop]

No the hole in the cabinet is for the plug, the outlet is inside the cabinet.

If I put my hand next to the side vents of the ac unit while it is running (there is about 1/4-1/2 inch clearence between these vents and the wall), I can feel it sucking air... I can also feel that its hot.. I'm really thinking there should be a hole so it can draw in more air to cool itself. I'm gonna call gulf stream tomorrow (again and see if I can get an answer from them).. I don't want to cut a hole in the roof, so if they say there should be one it's going to the dealer. Hope they don't give me******about the mods I made to accommodate the larger ac unit.

As a side note I'm using the 8,000 btu ac unit that came in the coach in my bedroom at home and it works great.

[Boband4]

If i read correctly, 100% bench tested means going for extended run, uninstalled, with no shut down? If so, then it is really pointing to an obstruction in the installation. Looking to eliminate possibilities - have you confirmed the power quality? Any chance that as it loads down running the compressor it is overtaxing the system and going to a low voltage problem?

[Mr__C]

The grill in the wall is for the hot air discharge from the condenser coil, not air intake. What's the hole in the side of the cabinet? Does it lead to the vent on the roof? If it does, it's not allowing enough air to be drawn thru...

[beemerphile1]

The wall vent should be sufficient.

[Gsragtop]

This is a picture of the roof top vent.. It's right above the AC unit, and the kitchen is clear on the other side of the coach..





This is what you see when you look at the roof, above the AC unit.(below the roof vent) as you can see it's solid.. No holes or anything..



So I'm guessing this maybe the problem..

[campinia]

We just sold a 2 year old trailer that had the side A/C because it came with a 5000 BTU unit that could not keep it cool enough in temps above 90. The company switched to 8000 BTU units soon after we bought ours and when I contacted them about putting a larger unit in ours, they told me not to as the framing was designed around the unit and it would compromise the structure. Just before we decided to sell it, I pulled it out of the wall to see if I could find a 6000 BTU to fit hoping that may make a difference. I was not able to find any thing that would work. Mine had a vent directly above the unit and the roof was cut out so that air could get in through that vent. It does not make sense that you would have the vent, yet, the hole has not been cut out. I would call the factory customer service if I were you and ask them what the roof vent is for if no air can get in.

[jfkmk]

I have a thru the wall ac on my 17 ft tt and haven't had any problems in three years. If you were to mount this ac in a window in your house it would be surrounded with a metal frame except for the back, so I'm not totally convinced that's the problem. Did you have the same problem with the original ac? I know it didn't cool enough, but anything other than that ?

[Mr__C]

If the A/C is in a box with no ability to draw air from the outside thru the condenser coil, it will not operate properly. The vent is on the roof for a reason. Have you checked with the factory or the dealer about this? 12000 BTU should drive you out of there.

[Gsragtop]

Update- after my last post it started poring and it dropped the temp a good 10-15 degrees.. So now the unit (with the fan blowing in it) is running fine, has the inside temp down to 71 vs an outside temp of about 78 and very humid.. It seems to be running steady with no shut off in the 10-15 min I have been inside it.. So this kind of backs my theory up that the air around the unit is getting too hot and it's over heating and during down.. Maybe an aux fan better placed is the answer, or ducting done AC'ed air onto the compressor?

Any thoughts? Thanks as always

[Bumpyroad]

when I was looking at TTs with this type of AC, it just stuck out an inch or so and all venting was directly outside. it looks like there is a grille high up on that side of your RV so I would think that it is built the same way. I can't tell if the grille outside is the same height as the AC unit inside however.
bumpy