House AC Question

[sillyRVmom]

What are we missing with the house AC? I turn on the generator. Wait. Once the microwave beeps and turns on, I turn on the AC. At first, it would blow cold immediately. Now, it will turn on fan only. At its own will, it may or may not kick on the actual AC portion. I have checked, doubled checked, and triple checked the thermostat settings. It even happened last weekend while we were hooked to electricity. I want to rule out user error before I start looking at the unit for repair.

Thanks. This learning curve has been so steep. I am considered the "tech" one in our family. Owning an Airstream Interstate has humbled me beyond words!

[lewster]

Try a thermostat re-set before anything else.

The problem could be many things including a weak/failing compressor start capacitor or intermittent communication cable between the T/stat and the upper relay control board.

[Mjgman]

If it's anything like mine I have to set the clock to get the compressor to kick on.. Doesn't have to be the current time.. I just hit clock till I get the hour glass..

When the hour glass comes up the compressor kicks on.. If I don't then the fan just runs which just blows hot air.. Kind of like a boss I had years ago!!😀

[Ron_CA]

The fan always comes on first and then the compressor kicks in after 10 or 15 seconds.

On your thermostat, hit the power button once and then the mode button I think 3 times to get it to cool mode. Make sure your temp is set at 77 or so.

[sillyRVmom]

Ok. So, we sat and turned this thing on and off. On and off. I'm not sure it is a problem. Maybe an observation. What we found. Once the generator starts, it takes a while for the microwave to beep. That isn't the correct beep. You have to wait for all the green lights to come on on the panel that shows the amps you are using. It is a second beep. If we turned the AC on before the second beep, sometimes the compressor would kick on after a few minutes. Sometimes not in almost 10 minutes. And sometimes we never heard a second beep. Every time we waited for a second beep, the compressor started right up. We timed it. It has its own time clock. Sometimes fast! Sometimes really slow. And sometimes amazingly slow. That is what we are going to go with. Wait for the second beep.

[ijustlee]

I really like the old fashioned thermostats that had no brain. Actually, now I'm old fashioned and have no brain! There could be a connection.

[don000]

Originally Posted by sillyRVmom

Ok. So, we sat and turned this thing on and off. On and off. I'm not sure it is a problem. Maybe an observation. What we found. Once the generator starts, it takes a while for the microwave to beep. That isn't the correct beep. You have to wait for all the green lights to come on on the panel that shows the amps you are using. It is a second beep. If we turned the AC on before the second beep, sometimes the compressor would kick on after a few minutes. Sometimes not in almost 10 minutes. And sometimes we never heard a second beep. Every time we waited for a second beep, the compressor started right up. We timed it. It has its own time clock. Sometimes fast! Sometimes really slow. And sometimes amazingly slow. That is what we are going to go with. Wait for the second beep.

I wonder whether the problem lies with your Mini-PCS unit that manages the system loads. I presume that the beeps you describe emanate from this unit ? It is supposed to automatically reconnect power as it verifies that the overall load is within the 30 amp (or 20 amp) limit. If the a/c calls for power during the verification process, perhaps on your unit this disrupts the verification process and results in the erratic performance that you describe.

[Ron_CA]

Originally Posted by don000

I wonder whether the problem lies with your Mini-PCS unit that manages the system loads. I presume that the beeps you describe emanate from this unit ? It is supposed to automatically reconnect power as it verifies that the overall load is within the 30 amp (or 20 amp) limit. If the a/c calls for power during the verification process, perhaps on your unit this disrupts the verification process and results in the erratic performance that you describe.

I think this is probably what is happening or something along those lines.

[BillyBoy]

OK, I'm gonna throw my 2 cents in here. I had this same problem last week; high temperatures outside (Hilton Head Island, SC), and the AC kept cutting out, then restarting after a few minutes. I'm not sure if it was cause and effect, but it started happening only after I tried closing some of the inside vents to redirect the cooled air. My wife suggested that I re-open all the vents, and that solved the problem. I'm hoping someone comes up with a better explanation, because I hate when she's right. Anyway, are all your vents open when this happens?

[Ron_CA]

That is interesting. I just got back from a trip to Dallas and back. We ran the generator and AC at rest stops at over 100 degrees and didn't experience the AC shutting down.

[sillyRVmom]

We keep all the vents open on the AC. Honestly, as long as we wait for the green lights and second beep it has worked flawlessly. We just ran it through the California desert. We spent two days in the dessert going to Joshua Tree. That heat is NO JOKE! Our Sprinter said the outside temperature was 117. It was between 114 and 115 for almost three hours! The only thing we found is that it used a little oil. We added oil and it kept on going. A few days later we even took it through Death Valley running the entire time. Again. The heat was no joke! The Sprinter temperature gauge read 121 and the thermometer at Furnace Creek said 122. But the AC ran and ran. No problems whatsoever. We just have to wait for the second beep every single time BEFORE turning on the AC. We are going to have it serviced. We of course continue to try and tear this vehicle up piece by piece. So, while it is in the shop, we are going to have them look at it just to make sure.

[Ron_CA]

Glad you got it figured out.

121 degres is no joke, our sprinter said 117 a couple weeks ago in El Centro, CA and we vowed off travel in such extreme temperatures. Just not as much fun.