AC is not as cold as it was

[GoGoddess]

We have a 1977 28 foot argosy. Naturally the temps in the past two weeks have been very high, so maybe it is working just fine and we need to get used to what full blast AC can give us right now. I would like to check the filter? What else can I check? Thanks for any and all advice:-)

[Gene]

You can check the temperature of the air coming out. I think it should be in the low 50's for a household unit. From what I read, RV A/C doesn't cool as well, perhaps because of the poor insulation in trailers.

Is this a new or old unit? What is its BTU rating? It'll work better if the awning is out on the sunny side and there are trees over the trailer. I guess palm trees don't give much shade though. Is this a unit that has worked better in the past under similar conditions?

Gene

[idroba]

There should be a 20 to 25 degree temp difference in the air going in the return (where the filters are) to the air coming out of the outlets. The higher the humidity, the less the temp difference due to the energy condensing the water out of the air. A 28' trailer with a single AC unit in high humidity areas is pushing it to begin with and your unit, if original, is 34 years old. Little things add up to make cooling marginal.

[AIR-Quarius]

These Airstreams gather heat from the sun like crazy. It would help if you get to some shade. The unit might also be ready to be recharged with freon.

[GoGoddess]

Thanks for the advice, it is fun learning this stuff! We dont have any shade at all. I do believe the unit is original. Is there a how to on recharging the system? I havent even begun to look at the filter(s). Should be pretty easy, right:-)

[BigAl]

I the unit needs recharging then you have a leak!!
It makes no sense recharging if you don't fix the leak. You only add to ozone depletion with freon in the atmosphere.
Make sure to check the trailer for holes etc. that let outside air in.
As far as humidity goes the previous poster is right; that takes a lot of energy to remove. But if you don't open the door too often the air should dry out and then it should cool.
If you can cool the unit to 10 or 15 degrees below outside temps with low humidity in the trailer you should be fine.
I don't think it makes sense to have the trailer to cold. Then you won't go outside at all.
Al

[Taylormade]

If it's the original Armstrong A/C unit, it's R12 freon and that stuff is like gold. They stopped producing it (legally) in 1995, so whatever you can find is what's been stockpiled or recaptured from other systems.

It's not a DIY project as you have to be EPA certified to purchase it, so it's a call to the local HVAC company and they'll pad the price a little more to cover their expenses.

As far as the difference in supply and return air, the average is 18-20 degrees. If it's over 95 out, that changes to 15. If you're in Florida, the high humidity we've been experiencing makes it even tougher to keep up. Make sure your drain line is in tact and functioning. It should be dripping constantly underneath the trailer.

On my 31', I keep the bathroom doors shut and with the air cranked, I can only get it down to about 80. I'll be paying attention to your thread here and am interested to see the outcome... I may be calling an air tech myself!

Good luck!!

[perryg114]

Freon 12 is cheap on Ebay in the cans. It is old stock and it going to end up in the atmosphere at some point when the can degrades or it is used.

Perry

[BigAl]

You may be right Perry, but we should still try to minimize waste. Of course if you wanted to be eco friendly you would remove the old unit and have it disposed of at a recyling facility and buy a new unit that uses new acceptable gas.
Al

[inTransit]

Originally Posted by Taylormade

If it's the original Armstrong A/C unit, it's R12 freon and that stuff is like gold. They stopped producing it (legally) in 1995, so whatever you can find is what's been stockpiled or recaptured from other systems.

It's not a DIY project as you have to be EPA certified to purchase it, so it's a call to the local HVAC company and they'll pad the price a little more to cover their expenses.

As far as the difference in supply and return air, the average is 18-20 degrees. If it's over 95 out, that changes to 15. If you're in Florida, the high humidity we've been experiencing makes it even tougher to keep up. Make sure your drain line is in tact and functioning. It should be dripping constantly underneath the trailer.

On my 31', I keep the bathroom doors shut and with the air cranked, I can only get it down to about 80. I'll be paying attention to your thread here and am interested to see the outcome... I may be calling an air tech myself!

Good luck!!

Hey Scott when I got my '74 the Armstrong blew warm. Fan motor worked great, I replaced the filters, oiled the mech and picked up a replacement compressor as I was concerned it was leaking or bad. There is a guy over by Westshore who had surplus for marine applications for $100.

I called my home a/c guy and gave him a rundown on the unit. He got up on the roof, it didn't need a compressor but at 38 years old it could fail anytime. Just low on freon, after a charge the bill was $50. It blows cold but isnt blowing cubes in the summer. My only complaint is in extreme humidity the a/c drain can back up and drip out of the head unit in the trailer. In that case it can only be run on the low setting but overall the repair was preferred over replacement for me.

[Gene]

New ones are expensive, much more so than a window unit for a home. But they will work better. When we arrived in Santa Fe today it was 97˚ and in a couple of hours we got it down to the 70's inside. There is shade here, but the trailer had been heating all day in temps as high as 102˚ and it takes a long time to cool off the mass of the trailer.

Gene