QuestionWe hooked up the RV cord to a 5000 watt generator and had all the appliances off, turned on the a/c, it worked for about 40 seconds and again powered down but came back on. It did not trip the breaker but the air was not cold. The fans inside and out ran properly. I turned the thermostat up and the a/c turned off as expected. It seemed like it wasn't getting enough juice/power. We had it running for about five minutes and it powered down several times but it did stay on.
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It was plugged into the 30 amp service at the campground with the RV cord.
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I have a duo therm dometic and this weekend was extremely hot in Michigan. The a/c ran great and than it made a noise like it was trying to start and stop and then it popped the breaker (a/c breaker) in the RV. It would run for about a minute and then sound like it was going to die. Any clues?
Answer -
Hi Anita:
Don't feel to bad, your not alone with many of our fellow campers experiencing the same type of problems. It sounds as if the A/C was not getting enough electrical current to properly operate, especially at these extreme temperatures we have been experiencing lately.
What source were you getting the power to supply electricity to your RV? Was the main cord of the RV plugged into an receptacle designed for the rv power cord or was it being run off of an expension cord? This question is very important for me to properly help you find the cause of your AC problems.
I will be awaiting a reply to these questions.
Regards, Larry
Answer -
Hi Anita;
Thanks for the reply. Have you tried running the a/c since you have been home? Please use a heavy duty cord, and be sure all other appliances in rv turned off, like water htr.; refrigerator; the other a/c; etc. Then turn the a/c on again; check to find out if it starts and operates ok. If you do not have a cord, start the generator, then ac and check out the operation of the air conditioning unit. If it still fails to start and run correctly, you will need to do further testing. While you were in the park, and having the problem with ac tripping breaker, was the indoor fan running all the time, and especially when the ac was making the noises you described. This is very important to check out the fan operation. If the fan is cutting off, leaving the compressor running, the compressor will get extremely overloaded and make noises similar to what you were describing. I realize this is a lot of things to check on, but were are working through the problem in sequence.
After you have checked the few steps, would you please let me know your what you find.
Regards, Larry
AnswerHello Anita:
We have done all of the more obvious testing, eliminating any external problems. Without me physically being there, to test the unit, I would say that your compressor is the source of the tripping out problem. It sounds as if it is stuck internally, not being able to start. When a compressor is stuck, it pulls more than three times the amount of normal starting current, which is certainly more than enough to trip the breaker. Depending on the age of the unit, it often cost more to repair than to purchase a new one that has a 5 year warranty on compressor. If you were to buy a similar model, you would not have to purchase the inside ceiling section, which is over a hundred dollars more. Camping world is a good supplier of a/c units, as well as many other suppliers. I like them because their cust. svc. dept is very knowledgable. Im sorry I could not do more to assist you getting it up and running.
Regards, Larry
