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Old 07-09-2013, 08:21 AM   #1
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AC not working

I'm new to RVing and I have a 1994 Excella 1000.

It has been very hot in the Midwest. Up until yesterday my Duo Therm Penguin AC and all electrical was functioning properly.

After taking a shower I was using a hairdryer when the main breaker tripped. FYI the microwave and AC were running. I was told this is a no no when using a hairdryer.

Anyway the main circuit at the outdoor post tripped. After resetting I when inside the unit to reset the breakers in the bedroom and the 12 volt breakers behind the sofa.

Most lights, frig and tv returned. What did not return was the AC unit and most overhead lighting.

One circuit breaker in the 12volt panel will not reset.

Any Ideas?
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Old 07-09-2013, 09:28 AM   #2
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Not to be harsh, but you've done this to yourself.

Microwave+AC should have been enough to trip the main and/or the campsite pedestal breaker, adding in the hairdryer clinched it.

ON first read I thought you were saying you had a 120v breaker that won't reset, thinking it may be damaged by overheating and require a new breaker. On the 2nd read I see it was a 12v breaker. Are you sure all of the 120V breakers correctly reset? (turn each one off then on again and pay attention to the feel of each breaker as you throw the switch.) If all the breakers are good and you have 120v service to the AC unit but it won't start, it may have been damaged from running in a low-voltage condition during the overload. Does the fan run but not the compressor? Or is it stone dead?

I guess the 12v device that won't reset controls the circuit for the overhead lights, but I can't see why it would be affected by the overload of the 30A 120V system.
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Old 07-10-2013, 06:16 AM   #3
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For the 120 volt: You have to switch the breaker off then back on again. My wife manages to trip the breakers now and then too.

For the 12 volt (lighting): You have a short circuit somewhere most likely. Strange that it would happen at the same time.
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Old 07-10-2013, 06:18 AM   #4
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I would just replace the breaker with a new one.
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Old 07-10-2013, 07:24 AM   #5
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Thanks for everyone's suggestions.

I will not make the hairdryer mistake again!!!!!

"If all the breakers are good and you have 120v service to the AC unit but it won't start, it may have been damaged from running in a low-voltage condition during the overload. Does the fan run but not the compressor? Or is it stone dead?

I guess the 12v device that won't reset controls the circuit for the overhead lights, but I can't see why it would be affected by the overload of the 30A 120V system".



The AC is stone dead. Zero power. I flipped the breakers several times.
They do not feel lose.

I'm trying to schedule a technician to stop by. I am not an electrician or HVAC person.

Mark
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Old 07-10-2013, 07:43 AM   #6
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Avoid running the microwave while the AC is running, too. Pulling excessive current can damage the internals of the AC unit, from what I have heard.

If you are certain that all resets have been done, then if you are not comfortable repairing your electrical system, time to call an electrician.

To note: replacing breakers, either 12V or 120V must only be done with the main TT power disconnected.
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Old 07-10-2013, 08:02 AM   #7
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There is something missing here.

The 12 volt system does not have manual resettable breakers. They are thermal and reset themselves. Also there is no connection to the AC with the 12 volt system. I hope you did not have a fire in the ceiling, AC line melting, and short out the ceiling lights. Both wire run in the overhead and may come in contact with each other.

As for the AC being Stone dead and the fan not running that indicates there is no power to the unit. If you fried the breaker try swapping the AC line to another breaker of that you know is good. The fan should run if there is power to the unit. The compressor may have been damaged while running on Low Voltage. Voltage below 105 will cause it to overheat and do damage.

Airstream used to wire their trailer so you could not run the AC and Micro at the same time. But using a hair dryer and the AC is surtain trouble.
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Old 07-10-2013, 09:09 AM   #8
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My Airstream has solar power. There is a fuse panel behind the sofa.
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Old 07-10-2013, 09:10 AM   #9
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The panel looks like this

http://cdn.airforums.com/forums/atta...1&d=1174090073
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Old 07-10-2013, 09:39 AM   #10
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Solar is just a charging system for your batteries.

However now that you have access to the 12 fuse panel. test the output side of each of the breakers for 12 volts. A test light or voltmeter between the heavy black terminal and each of the colored wire sides of the breakers should show 12 volts. If there is one that doe not that may be your ceiling light problem. If you attempt to replace it REMOVE BOTH NEGATIVE TERMINALS on your batteries before you stick a screwdriver in there.
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Old 07-10-2013, 09:46 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HowieE View Post
The 12 volt system does not have manual resettable breakers. They are thermal and reset themselves.
Mine don't automatically reset, and mine look just like the picture he posted. It's a little weird, but the switches to reset is in between the two sets of breakers in the picture he posted.

If they are supposed to be self-resetting, mine don't, as I determined when I tripped one with the jack once.

Note, some A/Cs need 12 volt power too. Now that I think about it, that includes ours (which is only one year newer than yours, so it's probably very similar) - I've noticed that the lights on the A/C's panel can be even when the A/C's breaker is tripped. So I suspect you have just one problem - the 12 volt issue.
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Old 07-10-2013, 09:52 AM   #12
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I will not dispute your comment that some AC need 12. The thermostat may be 12 volts. Never seen one but.

If it could be a 12 problem effecting both check the output od the 12 breakers. They sure look like self resettable thermal breakers to me.
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Old 07-10-2013, 09:58 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HowieE View Post
I will not dispute your comment that some AC need 12. The thermostat may be 12 volts. Never seen one but.
Yeah, and I'm not entirely certain it is 12 volts, but I know for certain the lights have been on in the control panel while that 120 volt circuit has been off - and the easiest way to do that would be a 12 volt circuit. (It drove me nuts trying to figure out what was going on the first time... "The lights are on!! Why isn't it running!?")

Quote:
If it could be a 12 problem effecting both check the output od the 12 breakers. They sure look like self resettable thermal breakers to me.
Okay. Mine definitely didn't self-reset the one or two times I tripped one, possibly just worn out or something (and I tripped the same one each time, so it's not like I've tested more than one). The reset method seemed a little dangerous - "slide your finger in there next to the 12 volt bus bars..." - so I wondered if there was a better way.

The best thing would be to break out a multimeter and start checking for power on the connections to the circuit.
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Old 07-10-2013, 10:30 AM   #14
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I called Airstream and spoke with a service person. He told me to flip all breakers to the off position and disconnect the 12volt batteries. Unplug power at the outside meter. Return to the interior and flip breakers to the on position, reconnect 12 volt batteries. Hope this does the job!
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Old 07-10-2013, 10:59 AM   #15
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mark, in my 94 34' the 12 volts powers the control board(s)nfor the air conditioner. the 12v breakers manually reset by pressing the little (hard to get to) white button between the breakers.

it is also possible the the switch that toggles between the microwave and air conditioner has failed.
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Old 07-11-2013, 07:16 AM   #16
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Thanks to everyone who responded to my AC question.

Last night a local electrician stopped by. He discovered one of the 12volt breakers was bad. He was able to temporarily bypass the bad breaker so I could have air. He is returning today to proceeded with the final repair.

Mark
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Old 07-11-2013, 07:35 AM   #17
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i bet it is nice to be cool again :-)
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Old 07-22-2013, 08:48 AM   #18
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Thermostat AC issues

Mark: I too have an older AS. Last week when my AC did not come on I knew it was the Duo-temp 4 button themostat's "on-off" switch. I replaced it with a rebuilt and then discovered that my shore power source of power was a little weak in the amps dept. I had my shore power line hooked into a regular 15 amp outlet in my garage. I thought that would suffice. A friend advised that I try another outlet in the kitchen (20amp) and bingo it made a difference. He also advised to watch the ampere's needed as the AC worked it's way up to full compressor mode. It started with 5 amps, then went to 12 amps, then finally to about 15/16 amps. I should have hooked it up to my portable generator right from the start to see if that was the problem. You may have other issues than mine, but I believe my AS sat without much if any AC use the previous year or two. Good luck Ron
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