# Air Conditioner Problem - Update



## Fanatical1 (Jan 9, 2006)

Hi Guys,

I have a 26KBRS bought in April from Lakeshore and have been very happy with it during our trips this summer. The first half of the summer we did
not use the air much but the last 4 trips we have used the air and have had problems. I did not post on this ealier because I thought I could correct it
but now, I'm not as sure....

So here goes with the saga...

The Carrier unit trips and the green light begins to blink and the unit will not run. This happened at the last 4 camping trips (4 different campgrounds) maybe 50 plus times. It typically happens between noon and about 8 PM and will usually run through the night but sometimes it has happened during the night
as well. I re-set the unit by disconecting the battery and 110 for 5 minutes and the unit re-sets itself. Sometimes it will run for 5 minutes after the re-set
and other times hours. Occasionally it will run for a whole day and night and not kick off at all.

I contacted carrier and they told me that it could be one of 3 things wrong. Low freon (sp?), a sensor on the cooling fins that fell off, or voltage in the park
that falls below the pre-set point that triggers the trip. I told them that It has happened at all the parks that I have visited over 50 times and no other
campers, including Outbackers, were having their air tripped. I checked the senser probe and it was indeed on the cooling fins so I don't think its that either.

A few weeks ago I broke down and brought it to my local dealer who ran it for 2 days and it did not trip on them once so they gave it back to me. The next
campout I went on it tripped a dozen plus times. Recently it started re-setting itself after about 5 minutes without me pulling the power on it? It then might run for 5 - 10 minutes and then trip off again. Other times it trips and the only way to re-set is disconecting the power.

I called carrier again in frustation and they told me that it could be low freon and I should contact the dealer and check if they did an amp draw and anything
less than 13.5 would indicate low freon and the entire unit should then be replaced under warrantee. Local dealer said they checked the amp draw and it was 
10.9 and the range was 10.9 - 11.1 so everything was good. I call carrier back and they said the dealer is wrong and the unit should be replaced. I called the dealer back and scheduled the next available time (3 weeks) and they said they would check the amp draw again but questioned the information I had so i gave them the name and number of the tech at Carrier. This dealer is actually pretty good and they seemed very confident in their techs knowledge of the unit and have been good about working with me on it.

I guess I'm venting more than than anything, but if anybody has had a simular problem, I would love to hear it.

Thanks


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## H2oSprayer (Aug 5, 2006)

I can feel your frustration, when it's hot outside and you think that you have a nice cool place to retreat to and







. It sounds like you are being diligent with contacting Carrier as well as your dealer. Your dealer has already told you where the amp draw was and it's low. I'm sure that when they contact Carrier, it will all get worked out. Be sure to keep us updated on how Carrier is handling the situation.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Low freon may present itself as low current draw but 10 to 11 amp would be very normal. Now if it was 4 or 5 maybe it would be an issue.


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## biga (Apr 17, 2006)

What was the voltage at the campgrounds where you were camping? If you don't have one, get a volt meter that plugs in so you can monitor the voltage.


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## Fanatical1 (Jan 9, 2006)

I did not check the voltage at the campground but do have a voltmeter that I planned on taking it with me on the next campouts. But, I find it
hard to believe that all of the parks I visited this year have voltage low enough not to let the Carrier run. If that was the case, I think
there would be a lot more posts about air problems with these units. When I go to the campgrounds I take the cover off the tanks
so that I can more easily access the battery in preperation for the unit to trip. That can't be normal.

As far as the freon being low with 10.9 amps, I only know what Carrier told me and that is if the amp draw is less than 13.5 the unit
needs to be replaced because the freon level is too low. They were very specific about it. I was suprised that they want to replace the unit
versus adding freon?

Mark


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## huntr70 (Jul 8, 2005)

Did you have a lot of other electrical stuff plugged in and running??

It would explain why the dealer had no issues. If the water heater was running, a coffe pot, curling iron, etc, all at once, it may knock the unit off.

Steve


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## Fanatical1 (Jan 9, 2006)

No. We made sure we were not using any additional electricity when we were having the air issues. It was not unusual for the air to run for a day
or more without issues. The dealer tried it 4 hours one day and 2 hours the next according to their paperwork.


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## N7OQ (Jun 10, 2006)

First thing I would do is get a AC volt meter and make sure you do in fact have enough voltage. I use a Kill-a-watt meter plugged into on of the sockets and then I can tell with a glance to see if my voltage is high enough. When I'm running the AC at 120 volts I draw just over 14 amps. 10 amps would indicate a problem and it might be low on refrigerant. Look at the evaporator coil and see if it has any ice building up on it that is also a indication of low refrigerant.

If you would like a copy of the service manual then click here

The manual says the compressor pulls 12.5 amps and the fan motor draws 2.58 so 10 amps would be to low. Now if there is a leak they should be able to fix it and then recharge it. I do this every day so I don't know why they say you need to replace the unit.


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## Paul and Amy (Jul 8, 2007)

Have you tried plugging it at home to see if problem exists, if not, perhaps it is the voltage at campground, which is rather easy to correct. On other posts, people had mentioned to call a repair person from Carrier rather then taking the TT to the dealership, which is what I would do instead of wasting my time traveling with it there and back. Look in yellow pages to see if anyone would come out. Paul.


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## kyoutback (Jul 12, 2004)

Fanatical1 said:


> I did not check the voltage at the campground but do have a voltmeter that I planned on taking it with me on the next campouts. But, I find it
> hard to believe that all of the parks I visited this year have voltage low enough not to let the Carrier run. If that was the case, I think
> there would be a lot more posts about air problems with these units. When I go to the campgrounds I take the cover off the tanks
> so that I can more easily access the battery in preperation for the unit to trip. That can't be normal.
> ...


I believe they are sealed units much like window air conditioners and can't add freon. That's why they would replace rather than add.


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## N7OQ (Jun 10, 2006)

kyoutback said:


> I did not check the voltage at the campground but do have a voltmeter that I planned on taking it with me on the next campouts. But, I find it
> hard to believe that all of the parks I visited this year have voltage low enough not to let the Carrier run. If that was the case, I think
> there would be a lot more posts about air problems with these units. When I go to the campgrounds I take the cover off the tanks
> so that I can more easily access the battery in preperation for the unit to trip. That can't be normal.
> ...


I believe they are sealed units much like window air conditioners and can't add freon. That's why they would replace rather than add.
[/quote]

I work on these small units every day they all have stubs all you have to do is use a self puncturing temporary valve, evacuate the system solder on service valves then clean and recharge the system. I can evacuate, solder on service ports and recharge a system in about a hour, no bug deal. Plus once a system has been evacuated it is then easy to then weigh in the correct amount of refrigerant, no guessing.


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## photosal (Nov 16, 2004)

N7OQ said:


> I did not check the voltage at the campground but do have a voltmeter that I planned on taking it with me on the next campouts. But, I find it
> hard to believe that all of the parks I visited this year have voltage low enough not to let the Carrier run. If that was the case, I think
> there would be a lot more posts about air problems with these units. When I go to the campgrounds I take the cover off the tanks
> so that I can more easily access the battery in preperation for the unit to trip. That can't be normal.
> ...


I believe they are sealed units much like window air conditioners and can't add freon. That's why they would replace rather than add.
[/quote]

I work on these small units every day they all have stubs all you have to do is use a self puncturing temporary valve, evacuate the system solder on service valves then clean and recharge the system. I can evacuate, solder on service ports and recharge a system in about a hour, no bug deal. Plus once a system has been evacuated it is then easy to then weigh in the correct amount of refrigerant, no guessing.
[/quote]

As a retired Carrier employee, if Carrier is telling you it should be replaced, then replace it. Carrier does not lightly make those judgments. If they say replace it, there is a good reason. Fight with your dealer if you must, but get them to ask Carrier for a replacement unit.

But please do not ask me for advice. Yes, I worked for Carrier for 31 years, but don't know a lot of A/C. I just know from working with our Consumer Assurance Dept that they only order a replacement when there is a known problem which they can refer to as justification for such an order.
Fay


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## nails2001 (Dec 29, 2006)

I had that problem in Utah and I figured out that I had the temp. set to low . From what I understand if you have it set to low it will keep tripping. Does the breaker in the panel trip too ?


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## Fanatical1 (Jan 9, 2006)

Thanks for everyones input... It makes me more assured that I'm going in the right direction to getting this fixed.

To answer a few of your questions

- Today I'm going camping and will be bringing my voltmeter 
- I have an appointment to bring my camper in the begining of September for repair, so if they varify the 10.9 amp draw, I think Carrier
will tell them to replace the unit. If I still can't get it reparied I will look for a Carrier repair person (good tip!)
- I never saw any indication of icing up.
- The unit trips no matter what temp I have it set at - I tried at all different temps
- Thanks for the conformation on the amp draw 
- I'm not going to handle adding the freon myself by adding the valves although I agree if you have the gages and skill this would be the
correct and most cost effective way to fix (if the problem is low freon). I don't think Carrier will do this based on what they told me about
replacing the entire unit.
- Never trips the breaker

I really hope they replace the whole unit because then whatever the problem is it should be fixed.


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## N7OQ (Jun 10, 2006)

- I'm not going to handle adding the freon myself by adding the valves although I agree if you have the gages and skill this would be the
correct and most cost effective way to fix (if the problem is low freon). I don't think Carrier will do this based on what they told me about
replacing the entire unit.
- Never trips the breaker

I really hope they replace the whole unit because then whatever the problem is it should be fixed.
[/quote]

I was not saying you should service your own AC, you need a EPA certificate to even put on a set of gauges let alone add or remove refrigerant. I was just saying your dealer should be able to service it with little problem. But I agree with Fay, if the manufacture says it need replacing then you should get it replaced.

Keep us posted on how this comes out,


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## Julieu (Jul 15, 2007)

We are having the exact same problem with our AC in our 26RKS. The trailer still has 30 day tags on it and we've had to reset the AC
at least 5 times on each trip we've taken. The AC seems to run great during the day but when we attempted to change the temp.
it would cut off, then run for one cycle and then stop -- blinking green light. During the morning when I had a coffee pot, TV and lights
on it did just fine and did not cut off. We've taken it to our dealer but I know it probably won't do for them what it does for us. 
The dealer is going to look at it this week so I'll keep you posted on the outcome.


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## Julieu (Jul 15, 2007)

Update on our unit: The dealer ran all the spec's (not sure exactly what they are) with Carrier and Carrier states they are with in the normal range. I mentioned this website to my dealer and that we're not the only folks having this issue so armed with that info they then called
Keystone who told them replace the AC circuit board in the unit. The new circuit board is on order now ..........again I'll keep you all posted of the results after it's installed and we take it out for a weekend.


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## Sayonara (Jul 23, 2007)

Good luck to both of you. Hope it all gets sorted out and you get the support you need from the dealer/manufacturer.


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## Julieu (Jul 15, 2007)

New Update on our AC:
Well after three weeks at the dealer (pretty sad since we've only owned it - brand new- for five weeks) and MULTIPLE phone
calls I think we've finally got the issue resolved. I'll spare you all the details on the poor customer service at my dealership -
unless of course your looking to buy an RV in Virginia -- if you are contact me and I'll be glad to tell you where NOT to purchase.

Ok - to the point. The dealer replaced a circuit board on site while where we were camping (this was a result of all the customer
service issues we had). The tech that showed up told us that "our problem" was that we were running the fan on auto instead of on high.
When he opened the unit he found that the thermastat was not connected, this I believe was causing the unit to reset whenever we attempted
to change the temp. So we now have a new circuit board and a working thermastat and so far so good. We camped for 4 nights after the 
repairs and no problems. We did not however keep the fan on high as advised by the tech.


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## outbackgeorgia (Jan 28, 2004)

Total B.S. on the fan.
I have has two Outbacks all over the country, no problems on high, low or auto.

Dave


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## Campforthenight (Apr 1, 2007)

outbackgeorgia said:


> Total B.S. on the fan.
> I have has two Outbacks all over the country, no problems on high, low or auto.
> 
> Dave


10-4 on the high. If it had to stay on high than they would not have put in the other two speeds.

Gilligan must have dropped his screwdriver and then forgot to hook up the t-stat.


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## Fanatical1 (Jan 9, 2006)

OK - Update on the Air Conditioner problem...... Just picked it up from the dealer after 3 weeks. The tech who worked on it ran
the air everyday for 2 and a half weeks and of course it did not kick off for them.








I was starting to lose patience and questioned them about their previous amp draw reading of 10.9. According to Carrier this was too low.
Apparently the 10.9 reading was taken directly at the compressor and now their telling me that they are getting 13.1 (including the fan) 
and with the current ambient humidity and temp this is within spec.

Anyway, after 17 days of running it finally started kicking off for them and the tech found several loose wires in the breaker box, 
one of which was feading the air conditioner. He said when he just touched the wires in the fuse box the air would kick off. 
So, he tightened everything up and feels that was the problem. 
Hopefully this takes care of it.

Starting to get cold around here, so I probably won't know for sure that it's fixed until next summer, but I'm hopefull....









Mark


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

I am very surprised that was not one of the first check they made. Loose wire are the bane of trailers as all the movement tends to work things loose. Hope it is the fix.


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## smashinski (May 12, 2007)

I have worked in the air conditioning field for 30 years (commercial and industrial not mobile) and it is very possible that the problem was just loose wires. Based on the description of the problem and the explaination of the different amp draws the experience of the tech has a lot to do with how thorough a check is done. Unfortunately a lot of inexperienced techs and experienced techs have blinders on when they are checking the on a problem. They try to zero in on just one component. I always remind our techs to look at the big picture, check all the basic stuff first, 90 percent of the time this finds the problem.

Sorry it took so long to get corrected.


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## rascal (Sep 30, 2007)

Fanatical1 said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> I have a 26KBRS bought in April from Lakeshore and have been very happy with it during our trips this summer. The first half of the summer we did
> not use the air much but the last 4 trips we have used the air and have had problems. I did not post on this ealier because I thought I could correct it
> ...


Problem is with your Cable connector, your wires are lose inside the connector


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