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01-18-2015, 09:26 PM
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#1
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2 Rivet Member
1965 24' Tradewind
Henderson
, Nevada
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 39
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Does the AC unit need freon ?
Does the AC unit need freon ?
New to game here and just got a 66 Trade wind. The AC works but doesn't get to cold.
Thanks
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01-18-2015, 09:29 PM
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#2
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1987 Avion 34W owner
Vintage Kin Owner
Good Ol'
, USA
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 2,090
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If it is not cooling, the simplest fix will be a recharge. You'll be lucky if that's all it needs. Seals could be leaking, which would make just a recharge useless.
__________________
I this great country!!!!
1987 Avion 34W
1995 Ford F250 7.3L PowerStroke
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01-18-2015, 09:48 PM
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#3
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Rivet Master
1974 Argosy 20
2014 20' Flying Cloud
Kooskia
, Idaho
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 4,591
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Rooftop AC units have no recharge ports, they are a sealed unit from the factory and are not designed for any refrigerant service. There are no seals which leak. Yes, you can have a charge port installed, but it is hard to find anyone to do that work in most cases. Removal from the roof, and re installation is expensive.
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01-18-2015, 09:54 PM
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#4
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1987 Avion 34W owner
Vintage Kin Owner
Good Ol'
, USA
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 2,090
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Sorry, that's exactly what I did..... removed the unit, had an A/C guy install some recharge ports. Worked good. There's a possibility that the fan is running but the compressor won't come on due to a bad start capacitor.
__________________
I this great country!!!!
1987 Avion 34W
1995 Ford F250 7.3L PowerStroke
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01-18-2015, 09:54 PM
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#5
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2 Rivet Member
1965 24' Tradewind
Henderson
, Nevada
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 39
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Thanks guys..is the original AC worth saving or messing with ??? I live in the desert and need to cool )
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01-19-2015, 08:17 AM
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#6
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Vintage Kin
Fort Worth
, Texas
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 8,014
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Does the AC unit need freon ?
Having done a couple of them recently with another on the horizon I cannot imagine wanting to drag one on and off and back on again just counting down to failure after a repair.
That said, if it is the original Armstrong unit there is more than one thread on rebuilding. Modern units are essentially disposable.
I expect that full time use of current units may be more than 1000-days, but I use it as reference for planning nonetheless. Full time TT use in hot and/or humid environments exacts a toll.
The vacationer has things better as limited use preferably in more comfortable climates extends service life out to many, many years.
The discussions around use of a dehumidifier and in painting the roof top plus use of awnings are all germane.
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01-19-2015, 08:37 AM
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#7
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Rivet Master
1972 31' Sovereign
1975 31' Excella 500
Currently Looking...
Benton
, Arkansas
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 5,868
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As stated, if the unit is an Armstrong, I would seriously consider repair or rebuilding. That unit has been in place for near fifty years, my reading of this forum leads me to believe that five years is a pretty good run for "modern improved" units.
It is also my understanding that the hole in the roof is too small for a replacement unit.
1/2 Ton 4WD Truck, 72 Sovereign Hensley Arrow
__________________
The fact that I am opinionated does not presuppose that I am wrong......
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01-19-2015, 10:52 AM
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#8
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2 Rivet Member
1965 24' Tradewind
Henderson
, Nevada
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 39
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Great.. In a nut shell if it's an Armstrong IT'S WORTHY of fixing THANKS TO ALL
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01-19-2015, 10:55 AM
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#9
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Rivet Master
1978 25' Tradewind
Metro Phoenix
, Arizona
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 1,524
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My 1978 Armstrong had a suction access port from the factory. Only needed about 8 ounces of R-22.
__________________
"Between what matters and what seems to matter, how should the world we know judge wisely?" - E.C. Bentley, Trent's Last Case
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01-19-2015, 11:10 AM
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#10
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2 Rivet Member
1978 31' Excella 500
Huntington Beach
, California
Join Date: Sep 2012
Posts: 27
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We own a 1978 31' Excella. Our A/C does not operate, most likely due to Long Term storage. How do I determine if it is an Armstrong Unit and worthy rebuilding?
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01-19-2015, 11:37 AM
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#11
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Vintage Kin
Fort Worth
, Texas
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 8,014
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Does the AC unit need freon ?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocker66
Great.. In a nut shell if it's an Armstrong IT'S WORTHY of fixing THANKS TO ALL
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IF it is DIY and use is limited to vacations in less than extreme temps, yes.
MAYBE if done by highly conscientious A/C tech and otherwise same as above.
NO if other. Labor becomes prohibitive quickly. A Mach 8 looks far better, then.
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01-19-2015, 12:44 PM
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#12
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Rivet Master
1972 31' Sovereign
1975 31' Excella 500
Currently Looking...
Benton
, Arkansas
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 5,868
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Does the AC unit need freon ?
Well,,, frankly I would rather spend five hundred to a thousand bucks fixing a unit that was designed to last forty years than to spend the same money on a unit that has a designed lifespan of five years.
That is just me.
Now, there is the problem of finding a person competent and willing to work on the Armstrong, but this is also an issue where a similarly competent person is going to be required to cut the hole bigger in the 66, and to get the new unit to drain condensation properly.
1/2 Ton 4WD Truck, 72 Sovereign Hensley Arrow
__________________
The fact that I am opinionated does not presuppose that I am wrong......
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01-19-2015, 12:49 PM
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#13
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Rivet Master
1972 31' Sovereign
1975 31' Excella 500
Currently Looking...
Benton
, Arkansas
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 5,868
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You might be in a place where the compressor and major components are fine, your unit might just need a capacitor or a relay, etc.
As far as I can tell my forty two year old a/c is still stock, and it cools great.
The only issue I had with it at all is that a screw dropped out of the main relay rendering it inoperable for the fifteen minutes it took me to find the problem and replace the screw.
I keep waiting for it to break but it has not. When it does break, I will fix it.
1/2 Ton 4WD Truck, 72 Sovereign Hensley Arrow
__________________
The fact that I am opinionated does not presuppose that I am wrong......
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01-19-2015, 02:24 PM
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#14
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Vintage Kin
Fort Worth
, Texas
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 8,014
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Quote:
Originally Posted by J. Morgan
Well,,, frankly I would rather spend five hundred to a thousand bucks fixing a unit that was designed to last forty years than to spend the same money on a unit that has a designed lifespan of five years.
That is just me.
Now, there is the problem of finding a person competent and willing to work on the Armstrong, but this is also an issue where a similarly competent person is going to be required to cut the hole bigger in the 66, and to get the new unit to drain condensation properly.
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I agree. But even that Armstrong will wear out eventually. Same as with a home unit. Thus the caution about labor and skill if hired out.
Cutting a hole is a matter of care more than experienced skill. And the drain can be run from the condensate pump to the black water pipe vent.
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01-19-2015, 02:47 PM
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#15
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Site Team
1974 31' Sovereign
Ottawa
, ON
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 11,219
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Best posts I have seen so far on Armstrong upgrade
Here is a link to THE most impressive overhaul and upgrade that I have seen regarding the Armstrong.
Jim Pratt's '69 Ambassador got upgraded to more power output, and Jim even added a reversing valve that turned his Armstrong into a heat pump as well!
He didn't seem to have any problem finding the parts to do it, either.
__________________
“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.” ...John Wayne...........................
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01-19-2015, 07:27 PM
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#16
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Vintage Kin
Fort Worth
, Texas
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 8,014
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Thanks, Aage.
It is.
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01-19-2015, 09:02 PM
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#17
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Rivet Master
1972 31' Sovereign
1975 31' Excella 500
Currently Looking...
Benton
, Arkansas
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 5,868
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That link is very impressive. It is the first link I bookmarked after I joined the forum.
Before I started reading about the Armstrong units and others on this forum I had decided to scrap the old dinosaur in favor of a new unit for the sake of reliability.
I owe a debt of gratitude to the posters who have praised these old units, they kept me from making a big mistake, so I try to pay it forward every time I get the chance.
So far that cooler has run A LOT for two long hard summers without any issue. (Other than the screw I mentioned above)
1/2 Ton 4WD Truck, 72 Sovereign Hensley Arrow
__________________
The fact that I am opinionated does not presuppose that I am wrong......
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01-19-2015, 09:16 PM
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#18
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Vintage Kin
Fort Worth
, Texas
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 8,014
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I had to pass on one of the factory custom shrouds for one from a Streamline. Still irritated at that.
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01-21-2015, 05:35 AM
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#19
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2 Rivet Member
1976 25' Tradewind
Tulsa
, Oklahoma
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 96
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What about changing a compressor? Is that a D.I.Y. project?
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01-21-2015, 06:05 AM
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#20
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King of the Zebra Speedo
Obrien
, Florida
Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 1,439
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Replacing a compressor is a do it yourself job if you have all the tools needed to change an a/c compressor and know how to change one. A/c gauges, vacuum pump, freon reclamation unit, acetylene torch and silver solder, compressed nitrogen, and a can of freon... You have to purge the system with the nitrogen while soldering in the new compressor, you have to vacuum all of the air out of the system before recharge, you need to know how much of a recharge is needed...
It's not just a yank it out and slap in a new one kind of operation. You need to know what you're doing...
-Red, it's what I do...
__________________
Somebody ought to clean these windows. There is a tremendous buildup of gook all over them...
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