My "new" 2004 T@b teardrop camper A/C unit can't keep up with the heat

sboesenberg

We are taking our first summer trip in our new camper.  We are unfortunate enough to be at a campground in a spot with little afternoon shade.  Our air conditioner could not keep up with the heat.  It was about 89 degrees today and 91 degrees in the camper with the a/c working accruing to our a/c guy.  It has been discouraging.

Sue

XPADREX

First, is the air blowi g cold? Could it be leaking freon?

Second, are you running your ceiling vent fan first, to expel hot air prior to running the a/c?

Is your a/c filter clogged?

TABoo

I've been camping in mine since may 21st and it cools just fine in upper 80s and low 90s. Maybe you have a bad unit? You aren't running your heater are you?

Michigan_Mike

The unit should be putting out cold air and as Taboo noted above, it's a possibility that you have a bad A/C unit?   And as noted by Rex the filter could be plugged up.   

Here are some troubleshooting tips from another RV forum:

Quick RV Air Conditioner Trouble Shooter- Here are a few common air conditioner problems and few things you can easily check prior to calling for service.

No A/C Operation- 1) Verify power to the RV by checking any wall outlet for 110v. Tip- It is a great idea to keep a voltage meter plugged into a wall to monitor your voltage from getting too high or too low. Poor voltage can cause shortened life of your air conditioner. 2) Check the AC breaker in the RV´s breaker panel. 3) Check for a blown12v fuse in your fuse panel. Although the air conditioner operates on 110 volt, the electronics that operate the thermostat and other functions operate on 12 volt and are required for operation. 

AC Hums But No Cold Air is Blowing Out- There are a few good possibilities here. 1) The compressor is running and the fan is not which would indicate the fan motor is bad or 2) it may have mud daubers or insects that have gotten inside and caused problems. 3) The coils have iced up not allowing the air to pass through. As mentioned previously, the air could be mixing causing this condition or it could be that there is a refrigerant leak in the system that will give the same symptom. There is also potential thermostat or electronic control problems or the AC is undersized for the current conditions (too hot outside for the air conditioner to keep up).

AC keeps humming after it is turned off- This is an indication of a thermostat or electronic control problem that will require a technician to diagnose.

AC runs but won´t cool- There are several possibilities here. It could be that the air conditioner cannot keep up with the outside temperatures. The easiest way to verify proper cooling would be to run for 20 minutes and then test the temperature of the intake air at the filter and then test the outgoing temperature at the closest outlet to the air conditioner. There should be a temperature difference of 18-22 degrees. If there is, the air conditioner is working as hard as it can. You might try to find a shady spot to park or consider adding a second air conditioner to the RV.

sboesenberg

Thanks, the fan is blowing but not getting cold.  It has worked fine for the last 2 weeks.  We have the Kool Kat heat pump and there is no filter and the unit is self-contained.  We had previous problems with the 12 volt relay (when my a/c guy looked at it).  It does take a while to cool down and we use the top vent to help push out the hot air.  I looked up some helpful hints too. We are close to Johnson City Tn. and may have to find someone to look at it.  

Michigan_Mike

I would check the fuses in the fuse panel too just in case one of the 12 volt fuses are blown.   I'm certainly not an A/C expert by any means, but did find (while looking for a solution to your problem) that some people found 12 volt fuse blown even when the unit was running off shore power.  

sboesenberg

Well the bad news is the unit is probably shot.  There is no freon left in it, a leak.  We were quoted 990.00 for a new unit and undetermined time frame.  We are sitting in a hotel with our 2 dogs on a holiday weekend.  My husband wants to take it out and put in a window air unit.  The repair center doesn't have time to do it in the next few days.  He's going to give it a shot in the parking lot.  We have a tower a/c unit that we used when camping in our van with us but it is tall and skinny.  The camper has an extra outlet wired in the bottom of the closet that the previous owners used to run their microwave.  He will need to cut a hole into the a/c unit box area to run the plug.  I guess that will be the biggest challenge.  I hate to backtrack to my brother's house in Nashville to use his garage.  We still have 4 weeks of vacation before school starts.  Wish us luck!

XPADREX

I certainly do... keep us informed.

TABaker

A T@B owner on the Yahoo forum has a Cool Cat for sale in WI.

Ours cools wonderfully.  We attended a wedding in southern MO when temps reached over 100.  Our site was in the sun, and the Cool Cat was able to keep us comfortable.  The Cool Cat should have a filter in the front.

Before going with a window unit, I would talk with those who have done that.  There are mixed results.  We almost purchased a T@B that used a stand alone floor unit vented to the exterior.  Good thing about those, and window units, is that you can leave them home during cool months.

sboesenberg

Our a/c friend fixed our leak in the air conditioning/heat pump system.  It apparently moved and rubbed against the wall, for how long I don't know.  We took out again this summer and still have trouble stopping in the afternoon and getting the camper to cool down lower than the 90's weather outside.  It takes a good 3-4 hours.  We do run the fan during the drive to expel the hot air inside.  That does help but not enough for my liking.  We had a great time in Colorado and South Dakota where the weather was cooler.  BUT - we live in Florida and our family is all in Tennessee and Arkansas.  I love my little camper but I may have to look into different options for camping in hot weather.

TABaker

A properly working Cool Cat has absolutely no problem cooling the T@B.  In fact, ours will cool our add-a-room as well.  Our temps here lately have been mid 90s with humidity in the 70-85% range, and the Cool Cat has the T@B cool in less than 10 minutes.  Something in yours isn't working correctly.  You're certain it's not kicking on in "heat" mode?  Some valves will stick and cause this to happen.  Did you mean to say you travel with the fan running in the T@B?  You should travel with the fan closed and off or there is risk of damage.

Lisa33

The Cool Cat in my T@DA cools as Crystal said--fast and very cold!  My T@DA is a 2008 model.  Surprisingly enough, I ran across this little gem on the Fan-Tastic Vent website.  Of course your T@B probably has a Northern Breeze fan.  I swapped mine out for the low amp draw Fan-Tastic fan model (now the 7350).  

jkjenn

Lisa33 said:

The Cool Cat in my T@DA cools as Crystal said--fast and very cold!  My T@DA is a 2008 model.  Surprisingly enough, I ran across this little gem on the Fan-Tastic Vent website.  Of course your T@B probably has a Northern Breeze fan.  I swapped mine out for the low amp draw Fan-Tastic fan model (now the 7350).  

Wow, I find this a bit shocking. Let us know how it works!

Lisa33

I know, me too!  It has been fine so far and really keeps the temp in the trailer down.