Air Conditioning Unit Change Out - 2015 T@B Max S

Tabaz · August 2016

Looking at the Frigidare website, the 8,000 unit is larger than the 5,000.

rfuss928 · August 2016

I totally agree. Looking at the pictures posted it appears that this is a more compact unit than the one I used. There may not be higher capacity units in that cabinet size. I would think a large inlet/fan on the roof to provide ample fresh air to the sides and top of the AC units cabinet and a cowl to assure the hot air from the rear exits the side vent on the T@B would be the best that could be done in that space. The air flow outside needs to be similar to what you expect from the inside fan. There should be an obvious very warm breeze from that side vent on the T@B. It is basically the complement to the cool air flow you get inside. The better job you can do rejecting that heat outside the more cooling will be available inside.

Sharon_is_SAM · August 2016

With all the discussion of venting fans during use of the AC, is there any benefit to using the ceiling fan in the venting position during at least initial AC use?

rfuss928 · August 2016

My discussion above is about air movement across the outside (condenser) of the AC unit.
The ceiling fan may help circulate the cool air in the interior. I don't find it much help in our CS.

Fatman1966 · August 2016

Which 8000btu model fits the opening in S model

elmeaux · August 2016

Thanks for blazing the trail guys. Did this swap yesterday in about 35 minutes. Super easy. Thought I'd add this pic since my 2016 has a plastic rail instead of the screws to hold the A/C in. Just in case someone else with the same set up does the swap.

jkjenn · August 2016

Will an 8,000 BTU unit fit into that space?

Verna · August 2016

@jkjenn, since no one has answered, it may be safe to assume no one has tried to fit an 8,000 BTU A/C in the T@B. I would suggest getting the measurements of an 8,000BTU and measure height, width and depth to see if it would fit. Someone else already asked which would fit and no one answered.

jkjenn · August 2016

Verna said:

@jkjenn, since no one has answered, it may be safe to assume no one has tried to fit an 8,000 BTU A/C in the T@B. I would suggest getting the measurements of an 8,000BTU and measure height, width and depth to see if it would fit. Someone else already asked which would fit and no one answered.

I only asked because @Ratkity mentioned the 8,000 BTU unit. It appears as though the 5,000 BTU unit is the only one that will fit without further modification.

tabasco_jim · August 2016

I just received my AC from Home Depot and am happy to report it's the same as Mike's and Verna's. Tab will not be here till next month.

Redufresne · August 2016

We replaced our AC, too. Had it done by professional. In this heat, it works like a champ, but once we turn it off and travel, water drips all over the cushions below. We have to put plastic to protect it now. Is this just a function of how crazy hot it is, or should we fix something? We are not very handy in this way. No drips except when travelling.

jkjenn · August 2016

It doesn't sound like the drip pan has a chance to empty. When you set up camp, make sure it is a little lower towards the front driver side. You might also want to make sure the drain tube from the drip pan isn't plugged up.

Ratkity · August 2016

Redufresne said:

We replaced our AC, too. Had it done by professional. In this heat, it works like a champ, but once we turn it off and travel, water drips all over the cushions below. We have to put plastic to protect it now. Is this just a function of how crazy hot it is, or should we fix something? We are not very handy in this way. No drips except when travelling.

This is what I experience. I can drop the nose of the T@B to the ground and it won't all drain. Some of the little 5000 btu ACs use water to help cool the coils, so some stays in the AC itself before going into the T@B drip pan. We had dew points of 77 with temps at 111F - felt like you were swimming when you walked outside! The AC ran constantly, but rarely dripped. I have had this happen before and was ready. I have 2 Costco mats (nice non slip back - color coordinated!) and I place those on the cushions before traveling after running the AC. At those temps and dew points that we had this weekend in the East, there was eventually water going into the drip pan, but it took a while for it to accumulate enough to drip down the tubing. I have made sure the tube from the drip pan is clear. I even blew compressed air through it prior to going to the campground and at the campground.

I could pull the AC unit and drill holes in the bottom of the AC bottom to force the water to drip into the T@B drip pan, but the efficiency of the AC will drop. It's not soaking the cushions through, just sort of surface wetness.

I think it's just a design flaw. I will have to say that despite the temps/dew points this weekend and being in direct sun in the afternoon, the little AC kept the T@B nice and cool. I'm afraid if I drill holes to circumvent the water accumulation, it won't be able to keep up with very hot and humid days.

Redufresne · August 2016

Ratkity, you have given me heart with this. I agree it must be the water condensing in the unti after it turns off and then gets shaken out during travel. It sn't much, but I sleep on that side, so will be vigilant about covering it. Thanks for input.

Tabaz · August 2016

Any idea where its leaking from - the bottom of the cabinet or the front vents of the A/C?

jkjenn · August 2016

I have been living in my T@b (still) since returning Saturday, du to a broken home a/c. The weather here in good ole' PA has been miserably humid since my return and I have noticed that a few drops will drip from the a/c. It appears that water will come out of the front. I would imagine if I have to move it before it dries out, I would also have some leakage.

This was not a problem in CO/UT/AZ where there was no humidity.

jkjenn · August 2016

In a rather odd turn of events, I ended up ordering virtually the same model everyone is getting from HD, from Amazon (surprise!)

When I returned to my home in Pittsburgh, I found my a/c and fridge both not working. I had previously decided not to put too much more money into the money put that is my a/c at home. My home has a boiler, and the a/c was, at some point before I purchased it, retrofitted to the house. That means that they added duct work after the fact and it has never been extremely effective. I have spent a fair amount of money, already, on the a/c with various issues and it has been nothing but a headache, so I had decided that the next time there was a major problem, I was going to abandon it and go with the window units. So, when I discovered that my a/c was not working and it was going to be a hefty cost to have it repaired, I bailed. I thought, "I will just run to Home Depot and pick a couple of units." Well, due to the horrible humidity that has overtaken the area, there were none available that would fit my windows. It turns out that this is the case for all of the places that sell these things in my area. So, I ordered one of those new fangled ones that stand upright for the downstairs and I ordered the Frigidaire for my bedroom.

When I went to check out with the Frigidaire at Amazon, the shipping options page was all goofy and I contacted customer support. They agreed to give me free overnight shipping - yeah! Not so fast. My shipping update email, today showed a Monday delivery date. I contacted them and as a courtesy, they are giving me a 50% discount on the air conditioner, so I am getting it at half price.

I will use it in my bedroom for the rest of this year - hopefully it won't have to be too much longer. Then I will do the a/c swap with it in the T@b over the winter. I might end up with a second of those new fangled a/c units if I like the downstairs one, well enough.

The moral of the story: leave for Colorado before summer hits and stay until ends.

Ratkity · August 2016

Jenn, don't be surprised if your electric bill goes up. When I had 3 window units working full tilt to keep the closed off rooms at 75-78F, my electric bill could reach $400. With a central unit, my summer electric bill is around $150.

jkjenn · August 2016

Ratkity said:

Jenn, don't be surprised if your electric bill goes up. When I had 3 window units working full tilt to keep the closed off rooms at 75-78F, my electric bill could reach $400. With a central unit, my summer electric bill is around $150.

Another good reason to keep spending summers in CO.

Seriously, had I not sprained my ankle badly, I would still be there and if I had to do it over, again, I would still be there. This weather is for the birds! I can't take it. Bring on the winter weather advisories!

Chris_and_Sarah · August 2016

Thanks for all the folks here sharing some great info.

I started another thread about freon, but today when I saw the local Best Buy had this same unit in stock (on sale, no less), I decided it was time to make the switch.

Honestly, I should have done it two weeks ago when I first realized there was a problem with the a/c. It was SO easy. It took less than an hour, and the most difficult part was cleaning the inside of the cabinet.

I, like @Redufresne, have also experienced water dripping out while traveling (or, more accurately, when raising the tongue to drop it over my hitch). Today I found out why: the a/c cabinet isn't level. Once I yanked out the old a/c and could see the whole drip pan, I noted that, at the back, the pan was almost full. However, the drain hole, all the way at the front, was completely dry. This is with my trailer being completely level (alternatively, I suppose the level bubblers that the previous owner stuck on the side and back of the t@b might have been installed incorrectly). Here's a photo of the left side of the drip pan:

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021717/uploads/editor/lc/9yycuni1itx6.jpg

And here's the right side:

Ultimately, it doesn't matter whether it's my cabinet or my level bubbles that are wrong. Now I know that I need to make sure that I'm skewed to the passenger side and front -- just being level isn't going to cut it.

It was a good thing to learn and now I'm SO HAPPY to have my first cool night in the t@b since the Northern California desert in June.

One final note: Make sure that the screen on the external vent completely covers the opening. Today I found this:

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5021717/uploads/editor/lf/hgilro19up8m.jpg

Nomad · August 2016

One note about stick on levels - That foam tape backing in heat does not keep the level in place. it moves/shifts slightly. Not enough to outright notice but enough to throw the bubble off a notch. I solved it by removing the foam tape and using a double layer of 3M Command Strips - Hasn't moved at all this year.

jkjenn · August 2016

I can't tell from the image what you found hanging there from the screen not covering the vent. Is that mud or some type of bug thing?

Ratkity · August 2016

Jenn, wasp nest. only takes a tiny hole. They like to make nests in unsuspecting owner's gas grills or corners on porches. The one he found is empty. You can tell if there are baby wasps in it (or it's an active nest) because the holes have larvae in them and are filled (microbiologist's know vectors, i.e. arthropods and insects, as well

).

Even though my AC is working, I think I might put this on my list to check the pan level.

@Chris_and_Sarah, how did you level the pan (after fixing the screen)? I'm wondering if mine is not level, although dropping the front of the tongue as far down as it can go doesn't make any more water drip out. I think it might just be a "peace of mind" type thing if I check the pan.

Chris_and_Sarah · August 2016

@Ratkity, I'm not really into carpentry projects. It's enough for me to know that when my bubbles say "level" it really means "water will collect at the back of the pan."

Moving forward I will just skew the tab toward the tongue. I might have to get some leveling blocks in order to drop the tongue lower than the wheel will allow. That's a much better project.

Nomad · August 2016

Doesn't take much - Just slightly down and to the passenger side.

Ratkity · August 2016

Wouldn't it be a better fix to make the pan slope towards the drain than to change the level of the T@B. The frig really doesn't like to be unlevel (neither does my bed... I don't want to roll off!).

Verna · August 2016

@Ratkity, it really isn't off level enough to not allow the fridge to run, nor for you to roll out of bed

. Now, the Teddy Bear...I don't know what he will do though !

Ratkity · August 2016

Pffft, Harvey is usually rummaging in the snack bag eating all the nacho Doritos!! That or on the internet ordering things off Amazon. I know he's eating the Doritos cuz I see the orange crumbs in my bed and I sure have a lot of empty Amazon boxes stacked up in the basement.

jkjenn · August 2016

Ratkity said:

Pffft, Harvey is usually rummaging in the snack bag eating all the nacho Doritos!! That or on the internet ordering things off Amazon. I know he's eating the Doritos cuz I see the orange crumbs in my bed and I sure have a lot of empty Amazon boxes stacked up in the basement.

Ah, Amazon. Now you are speaking my language.

Chris_and_Sarah · August 2016

Yeah, I don't think being mildly skewed is enough to affect anything. Besides, I've done enough Walmart parking lot nights where the tab is pretty strongly skewed to the back. The fridge runs just fine then on propane and it's no trouble sleeping either.

Seems like way less work than pulling the a/c back out to pull and re-set the drain pan.

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Air Conditioning Unit Change Out - 2015 T@B Max S

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