I live in my 22 forest river Salem 32bhds. I run my shit on auto and keep it at 75 cause my dogs stay inside all day. This is my exact mentality. I have a warranty as well cause I bought it brand new but even if I didn’t, this Is still my mentality
Hello, new subscriber, as a full time RV'er, I have learned that the rooftop AC that came with my 5th wheel takes a lot of power to run and it never did any good at all. I bought a new one when it broke, then the new one stopped working(it's probably a simple fix ) I went and got a window AC, this is my 3rd summer with it and my electric bill went down, I couldn't be happier 😎. It has been running on high non stop since temps got above 85°F.
32 ft Class A in CenTex: I use my front unit (15000 BTU) at night and it keeps the whole rig cool enough. During the day, I use two portable units - one in front, one in bedroom/rear. I think both are 6,000 BTU, both energy sippers. I do not use my rear roof-mount 8,000 BTU - too much energy-use during the day, and I don't like it blowing down on me at night. It is old and not efficient. This Fall I'll swap it out for a combo unit so I can ditch my furnace, which I also never use. The joys of staying temperate!
Holy cow, you need a second AC for a 30 footer. I bet you only have 30 amp service though so you’ll have to be smart about using the electric water heater and microwave with two ACs running
I have a 31 foot 5th wheel with 2 AC’s with 50 amp service. If taking both off auto and running full time and set at 70 degrees f, will it go below 70 since they won’t shut off?
@@scottmichaels12 I’m in a 43’ in Texas with triple ACs and would highly recommend you install the third one. With all 3 I can keep nice and cold inside at 69, but recently one of them failed (I think it’s just the capacitor). With the loss of the living room AC the other two run non stop from around 10 AM until 10PM or so, during the morning with the sun on the bedroom it heats up to the low 70s. From midday on the living room is an unbearable 80 degrees average, 82 on the Sun side and mind you all windows are covered in reflectix. So, yes, the third AC makes a huge difference on rigs like yours especially if you’re the type that likes a cooler room temperature.
Been full time RV living in Florida and Arizona since 2016. Bought our 27 foot tt new that year. I did make a few upgrades to the coleman mach 15 that was up there including an RV airflow. I run my air conditioner 24 hours a day pretty much uear round. Ill set the thermostat to 69 even if its 100 out and Im able to achive that temp if I jave a little shade from a tree or put reflectix in my windows. I reall beat the hell out of AC that came with the rig, after 7 years of hard use but regular maintenance (including swapping out run and start capacitors before they failed amd a new fan motor around year 4) I finally retired it once the compressor starting showing signs of weakness (and rust). Been running the newer build of the colman mach 15 for about a uear. This one came with a white shroud and seems to actually work better. 2 months ago I installed a soft start module (not the cheap hard start cap) and since then I can enjoy meat locker status in my camper and my kilowatt hour usage actually dropped in that time despite me running nonstop day and night.
Dude this is sick. I just moved into a 2022 forest river Salem 32 bhds my fiancé and I bought at wholesale off the lot. I’d love to pick your brain a lil or if you have some links you could share for some wisdom. Our ac kicks ass and takes names, but I want it to stay that way. We live in norcal so we really only need ac in the summer but like I said I won’t my shit to last like yours did after 7 years of Florida heat
was doing house remodel and moved into the RV in Tucson just this past 3 months and it ran continuously the whole time . was AWESOME , may June and July
We had original a/c unit x2 in our old pace arrow motorhome and we ran them all the time even going down the road with the generator. I am thinking it is better for them to be used lots vs sitting unused
Our 28’ vintage Airstream has a 15000btu Dometic. It’s parked in our Florida yard under a live oak tree, plugged into power with the thermostat set at 80 all summer long, no problem.
I initially thought this Tech Tip was about running an A/C off-grid continuously. In other words, what kind of battery/solar system one would need to do so. Maybe that will be addressed in another episode. If others clicked on this Tech Tip thinking that was the subject, all we can do is give our experience on the subject. We run our EG-4 12k Seer-28.5 heat pump 24/7 off grid with our system. Our 4,400w solar array, racked 15" off our roof usually makes enough power (stored in a 16.4kwh LiFePo-4 48v battery) to run my 14.5k Micro Aire equipped Furrion rooftop A/C for a few hours in the afternoon when the sun starts to warm the interior more than my mini split can keep up with. Of course, when it's cloudy or overcast and it's making less power, our mini split can keep up with the heat load, so there's no need to run our second, power hungry A/C. If we had two mini splits it would be even better as they only draw about 1/3 the power of our RV rooftop A/C. I have another 620w side mounted, liftable array and 560ah 12v battery that handles all of my coach's 12v needs, so my 48v battery is dedicated to 120v ac power. We do have a 12v inverter, mainly as a back-up for mission critical equipment, like our residential fridge, desktop computer, 55" HDTV, etc. if needed, and I highly recommend component redundancy too, because if inverter or charge controller ever fails, it will do so at the most inopportune time. We also have a 5,500w generator that came with our Class A for back-up but haven't run it in over a year and a half, except to exercise it, of course. Our older 35ft motorhome is well insulated with dual pane windows and our lifted arrays provide lots of shade to minimize our A/C needs, so you may need more batteries and solar than we do if you have a larger or poorly insulated coach or fiver if you want to live FT off-grid with 24/7 A/C like we do. Where you spend the summer is critical too, as we never stay where it gets over 100 degrees. If you want to spend the summer in the 110-115-degree desert southwest then all bets are off. But who wants to live in that kind of heat anyway? That's why we have wheels.
I found my Brisk a/c (have had two now)lasted longer running 24/7 in the summer and when I shut it down during non use time or winter months it would always have issues (making weird noises) and getting back into a groove when we fired it back up again.
new scriber here bud,thanks for sharing ,any ideas are helpful as it makes good conversation and wheather or not one chooses to use them tips and tricks go a long way
I have a question about my thermostat it worked for the last 2 weekends then it sit for a week and now it won't turn on period I was plugged into a Wall outlet 15amp to 30 amp now it only running off the battery no water heater as well
How about the water pump? I tend to boondock 75 percent of the time (full time RVer) and don’t have access to city water but I am concerned about it dying. How long do they last?
Todd, got a question. I have the Coleman Mach 3 in my Jayco. It only has knobs in the ceiling unit to control temperature and air flow. I can’t really control room temperature. Any advice on this type of unit? Thanks
Why does my RV roof AC cut out intermittently for a short couple of seconds then come back on ? Then their are times when it just blows normally with no issues? I keep an RV AC cover on it during winter months and then remove it at the start of the season. Any comment or idea would be appreciated. Thx Pat Edmonton alberta Canada.
I watched the video again and he said that the compressor runs continuously. Someone did mention that the RV would only get to 20 degrees below the outside temperature. So if it’s 100 outside I’m lucky to get to 80 even if I have it set on 70.
This is incorrect. The delta between the air going into the evap coils and on the other side is average of 20. BUT if the doors are closed, and you limit incoming heat. that delta 20 will COOL the existing air inside the RV and after each cycle the ambient air inside the RV can be whatever desired temp based on the BTU output and total cubic feet of air space in the RV.
My 38' is cooking. Been trying to just keep it under 89⁰ inside. One ac unit and a small portable. But i ca t run anything else or i trip the 15amp breaker and can feel it radiating heat if i run fans or a tv while its plugged in.
Can you switch your water heater and fridge to propane? That should allow you to run your AC on constant low and use the portable on the other side of the unit
The capacitor does NOT damage the compressor when it starts. W/O the capacitor the compressor would be damaged. When run 100% of the time it cycles on and off and the capacitor gives it's boost at the beginning of each cycle . 50 years plus as a master electrician.
So a failing capacitor CAN and WILL send the wrong MF to the compressor. The paper capacitor fails over time the electrolyte dries over time. sending the wrong inrush causing the desired effect of an EMF around the compressor to reach full speed would be delayed. Which causes the compressor to struggle. Now a working capacitor does send a higher current for an instance but heat is on those coils if we can convert the huge hit to a VFD then we can keep the current lower thus keeping the compressor electrically from failing. Thank you for the input and Im not stating your 50 years as a master electrician is for not. Ill Always listen to input. But there are reasons that a capacitor does wear down the life of a compressor vs a motor that can reach RLA without the need of a capacitor.
@Tech Tips with Todd and Tony,I have a smaller travel trailer that has AC that isn’t controlled by a thermostat. Are there any additional considerations to take into account when using this type of AC? Is there a way to connect a thermostat to this type of AC that would allow for tighter control?
So the lower control unit is where you turn the dials to turn on the AC. There is NO 12v needed to in those types of ACs and chances are that you dont have 12v running up to that AC if it came installed from the factory. While there are things you can do (switch out the control board, run the 12v lines, then add a thermostat) typically it wouldnt be worth it.
Our dealer recommended to switch fridge and water heater to propane if AC is being used. AC needs all the power avaialble to run properly. Also, use the shortest cable possible to power post to reduce current drop. Also, make sure power is 120 VAC...check with multi meter. Low voltage will destroy your AC unit.
So there is enough power in the pedestal delivery to take care of the ACs without having to switch to propane. You are correct that low voltage will destroy the AC
@@mikefoehr235 My RV is 30 amp and has an app that allows me to limit current draw from the pedestal and monitor everything (input voltage, current consumption, temp, etc) on my phone - and my observations agree with your dealer. Especially when it’s really hot.
@TechTipTNT I have a 2019 Forest River Sandpiper 368FBDS. It has two AC units (front & rear) and I have both thermostats set to cool / auto / high and the temp set at 72°. So the AC automatically kicks on when the temperature rises and shuts off at the desired 72°
How is the auto setting just for the fan? When inside temp reaches the thermostat set point the compressor and fan turns off. So how do you make it run continuously? Set the thermostat to 70 degrees when it’s 99 outside?
Yeah you can ask those same people what the best roof lap sealant is and they will tell you Dicor brand, but ask them to name one brand that is worse and they can't. Shade makes a ton of difference, the lighter AC will make a difference
@@justinr9753 How would it, when the air is hot from the temperature? You think putting a shade on a unit would somehow would lower the outside temp outside? You may make the protection cover slightly cooler to touch but air temp it's pulling in will remain the same.
The RV being in the shade will reduce radiant UV gain - thus reducing the amount of heat coming into the camper thus reducing the load on the AC. Basic science - heat energy moves by three means - conduction, convection and radiation. Shade reduces the amount of radiant heat coming into the RV.
@@cruisinguy6024 We just went to Home Depot and got a multisurface spray paint. May of been Rustoleum. It has been at least 2 years ago that we did it. Shrouds are still white with a few “grayish” areas. Probably time to do it again.
@@cruisinguy6024 Painted mine with white latex house paint works great for 7 years and still working. What gets me is black propane covers. In Florida black gets up to 175 F and propane needs to be stored under 120 F. What are RV manufacturers thinking??? Do they think RVs don't come to Florida??
@@rvdogflthe black color adds UV protection thus preventing it from deteriorating in the sun a little better than the white. That’s my only guess. I’m sure the main reason is probably cost
My windows units at home run a lot. I try to turn them off once in a while just to let them cool down and rest. I assume the same would be good for an RV?
The A/c unit does not know "rest". If charged to correct amount the returning refergerant on suction line into compressor keeps it cool. If the temp indoors get hotter before the unit is switched on again, the compressor gets much more stress as greater heat removal boils the refrigerant in evaporator and the referigerant coming back to compressor is all gas and does not cool compressor. The unit works hardest and with highest stress when temp of incoming air is higher.
Most modern ACs come equipped with what is called an overload switch on the compressor that would cut the 120v to the compressor if it gets too hot due to heat. (to heavy of a load, to low of voltage, to low airflow across the coils) so that being said, you dont need to turn it off perse. It will manage itself.
Should be fine to have AC on "all the time" however compressor is never on 100% of the time.....compressor always cycles based on thermostat......fan may always be on but compressor always cycles....always
They would not receive enough impact to damage the blades and the blades are not that big anyway. Unless you are hammer down over Slickrock in Utah, I can't imagine a road rough enough to damage an AC blade, and I've been on plenty of rough ones. The coach will absorb the shock. I'm 150,000+ miles in three Class A's and never busted an AC.
Do you have a cleaning video. I work in a food truck and ac freezes up and i clean the inside vents but would love a video on how to safely take care of it. 122 average temp in this trailer.
The capacitor does not "hit it with high amperage".. Capacitors do NOT store AC, they store DC. The high amperage when starting is due to the lack of CEMF in the compressor and fan motors when they are not turning.
Your absolutely right but... RV. 🤣 I have customers (I'm an rv tech) that buy 40 foot fifth wheels with a black nose and front glass and have 2 air-conditioners and can't get thier units under 80°F. I've even seen Vanleigh Vilanos and Grand Design Solitudes have 3 air-conditioners not be able to get below 80°F when it's full sun and 90°F+ outside. These things have have almost no insulation and absolutely none in the slide slideouts. 3 airconditioners is basically a 6-8 seer 3 ton systems with the airflow of a portable air conditioner. I've had to add ducts to units just so they can breath! Lol
So again, these ACs are equipped with an overload on the compressor that would cycle the compressor off due to heat. Some are internal to the compressor (Coleman and penguines) and some are external (entry level dometics and GE). The compressor loses its 120v in the event the overload switch activates and will not reset until the compressor kicks off. Do I agree that you shouldnt run your AC all the time? Well sure for the AC to last far longer but there are too many factors (heat, airflow, humidity, electricity delivery) to come up with 20%. Which more than likely came from a particular brand some 10-15 years ago.
@TechTipTNT I see more of a problem with the air-conditioner kicking off for 30-90 seconds ans right back on. Most have a delay timer built in but I constantly running ac for 10 hours a day isn't good either. The overload switch shouldn't need to activate unless there's a problem or the voltage to the compressor drops too low causing the amperage to gradually climb which is usually caused my everyone else's acs running full time. 4th of July is a prime example at a campground for this. Also if airflow is restricted at all from dirty filters or mixing at the distribution box from output to intake then the ac evaporator to freeze up causing the freeze sensor to shut down the compressor. I've seen alot of coleman machs lately whith the plastic control boxes melting the compressor relay. And that was due to 30 amp rv pulling 34 amps with the water heater going with a voltage of 105v. Can you guess what else I found melted? You guessed it. The power cord end. Lol
Never put the subscribe to this channel BEFORE the content. Makes the video an automatic thumbs down for me, telling me to subscribe before producing anything of value. Put yourself in the viewers shoes who has not seen your show before.
Taking note from a handle that has 281 subs. Got it. If it was my very first video sure, if its to an audience that has seen videos and maybe doesnt think to click subscribe then its a friendly reminder.
You can run any ac compressor all the time. They are rated for continuous duty.
3 years running full time both still doing great.
We are fulltimers. Our AC runs all the time. We did replace all 3 a couple of years ago but they were 10 or 11 years old, so no complaints.
If it's hot run the AC, if the AC fails replace it.
Exactly. The other solution is sit inside without air in the 102 degree temps.
Another solution is to drink more cold beer 👍
I live in my 22 forest river Salem 32bhds. I run my shit on auto and keep it at 75 cause my dogs stay inside all day. This is my exact mentality. I have a warranty as well cause I bought it brand new but even if I didn’t, this Is still my mentality
I ran the ac in my RV 24/7 for a summer - and it was great for years!
Hello, new subscriber, as a full time RV'er, I have learned that the rooftop AC that came with my 5th wheel takes a lot of power to run and it never did any good at all. I bought a new one when it broke, then the new one stopped working(it's probably a simple fix ) I went and got a window AC, this is my 3rd summer with it and my electric bill went down, I couldn't be happier 😎. It has been running on high non stop since temps got above 85°F.
30ft TT in triple digit Oklahoma heat w a single 15k BTU....u bet i am running it all day
32 ft Class A in CenTex: I use my front unit (15000 BTU) at night and it keeps the whole rig cool enough. During the day, I use two portable units - one in front, one in bedroom/rear. I think both are 6,000 BTU, both energy sippers. I do not use my rear roof-mount 8,000 BTU - too much energy-use during the day, and I don't like it blowing down on me at night. It is old and not efficient. This Fall I'll swap it out for a combo unit so I can ditch my furnace, which I also never use. The joys of staying temperate!
Holy cow, you need a second AC for a 30 footer. I bet you only have 30 amp service though so you’ll have to be smart about using the electric water heater and microwave with two ACs running
I have a 31 foot 5th wheel with 2 AC’s with 50 amp service. If taking both off auto and running full time and set at 70 degrees f, will it go below 70 since they won’t shut off?
I'm at 42' in a 2yr old 5th wheel, also in Oklahoma, with 2 a/c units and thinking about adding a 3rd. You must be cooking with only one unit in 30ft.
@@scottmichaels12 I’m in a 43’ in Texas with triple ACs and would highly recommend you install the third one.
With all 3 I can keep nice and cold inside at 69, but recently one of them failed (I think it’s just the capacitor). With the loss of the living room AC the other two run non stop from around 10 AM until 10PM or so, during the morning with the sun on the bedroom it heats up to the low 70s. From midday on the living room is an unbearable 80 degrees average, 82 on the Sun side and mind you all windows are covered in reflectix.
So, yes, the third AC makes a huge difference on rigs like yours especially if you’re the type that likes a cooler room temperature.
We painted our black covers with white paint and it made a world of difference.
Been full time RV living in Florida and Arizona since 2016. Bought our 27 foot tt new that year. I did make a few upgrades to the coleman mach 15 that was up there including an RV airflow. I run my air conditioner 24 hours a day pretty much uear round. Ill set the thermostat to 69 even if its 100 out and Im able to achive that temp if I jave a little shade from a tree or put reflectix in my windows. I reall beat the hell out of AC that came with the rig, after 7 years of hard use but regular maintenance (including swapping out run and start capacitors before they failed amd a new fan motor around year 4) I finally retired it once the compressor starting showing signs of weakness (and rust). Been running the newer build of the colman mach 15 for about a uear. This one came with a white shroud and seems to actually work better. 2 months ago I installed a soft start module (not the cheap hard start cap) and since then I can enjoy meat locker status in my camper and my kilowatt hour usage actually dropped in that time despite me running nonstop day and night.
I've never ever seen ice form on my RV AC. I'm pretty sure a unit freezing is a sign of a problem, not a sign of overuse.
Dude this is sick. I just moved into a 2022 forest river Salem 32 bhds my fiancé and I bought at wholesale off the lot. I’d love to pick your brain a lil or if you have some links you could share for some wisdom. Our ac kicks ass and takes names, but I want it to stay that way. We live in norcal so we really only need ac in the summer but like I said I won’t my shit to last like yours did after 7 years of Florida heat
was doing house remodel and moved into the RV in Tucson just this past 3 months and it ran continuously the whole time . was AWESOME , may June and July
These are great videos. 110 degrees F in Idaho today. I got some reflectix for the windows yesterday evening to keep some of the radiant heat down.
We had original a/c unit x2 in our old pace arrow motorhome and we ran them all the time even going down the road with the generator. I am thinking it is better for them to be used lots vs sitting unused
Our 28’ vintage Airstream has a 15000btu Dometic. It’s parked in our Florida yard under a live oak tree, plugged into power with the thermostat set at 80 all summer long, no problem.
really good info my brother .... appreciate the tips ...
I initially thought this Tech Tip was about running an A/C off-grid continuously. In other words, what kind of battery/solar system one would need to do so. Maybe that will be addressed in another episode. If others clicked on this Tech Tip thinking that was the subject, all we can do is give our experience on the subject. We run our EG-4 12k Seer-28.5 heat pump 24/7 off grid with our system. Our 4,400w solar array, racked 15" off our roof usually makes enough power (stored in a 16.4kwh LiFePo-4 48v battery) to run my 14.5k Micro Aire equipped Furrion rooftop A/C for a few hours in the afternoon when the sun starts to warm the interior more than my mini split can keep up with. Of course, when it's cloudy or overcast and it's making less power, our mini split can keep up with the heat load, so there's no need to run our second, power hungry A/C. If we had two mini splits it would be even better as they only draw about 1/3 the power of our RV rooftop A/C.
I have another 620w side mounted, liftable array and 560ah 12v battery that handles all of my coach's 12v needs, so my 48v battery is dedicated to 120v ac power. We do have a 12v inverter, mainly as a back-up for mission critical equipment, like our residential fridge, desktop computer, 55" HDTV, etc. if needed, and I highly recommend component redundancy too, because if inverter or charge controller ever fails, it will do so at the most inopportune time. We also have a 5,500w generator that came with our Class A for back-up but haven't run it in over a year and a half, except to exercise it, of course. Our older 35ft motorhome is well insulated with dual pane windows and our lifted arrays provide lots of shade to minimize our A/C needs, so you may need more batteries and solar than we do if you have a larger or poorly insulated coach or fiver if you want to live FT off-grid with 24/7 A/C like we do. Where you spend the summer is critical too, as we never stay where it gets over 100 degrees. If you want to spend the summer in the 110-115-degree desert southwest then all bets are off. But who wants to live in that kind of heat anyway? That's why we have wheels.
I found my Brisk a/c (have had two now)lasted longer running 24/7 in the summer and when I shut it down during non use time or winter months it would always have issues (making weird noises) and getting back into a groove when we fired it back up again.
new scriber here bud,thanks for sharing ,any ideas are helpful as it makes good conversation and wheather or not one chooses to use them tips and tricks go a long way
I have a question about my thermostat it worked for the last 2 weekends then it sit for a week and now it won't turn on period I was plugged into a Wall outlet 15amp to 30 amp now it only running off the battery no water heater as well
How about the water pump? I tend to boondock 75 percent of the time (full time RVer) and don’t have access to city water but I am concerned about it dying. How long do they last?
Todd, got a question. I have the Coleman Mach 3 in my Jayco. It only has knobs in the ceiling unit to control temperature and air flow. I can’t really control room temperature. Any advice on this type of unit? Thanks
Why does my RV roof AC cut out intermittently for a short couple of seconds then come back on ? Then their are times when it just blows normally with no issues? I keep an RV AC cover on it during winter months and then remove it at the start of the season. Any comment or idea would be appreciated. Thx Pat Edmonton alberta Canada.
If you take AC’s off auto and run on high will the inside temp go below the temp setting on the thermostat?
No, the fan will run continuously on high, but the compressor will only run when the ambient temperature goes above the threshold set.
Thanks for the info.
I watched the video again and he said that the compressor runs continuously. Someone did mention that the RV would only get to 20 degrees below the outside temperature. So if it’s 100 outside I’m lucky to get to 80 even if I have it set on 70.
This is incorrect. The delta between the air going into the evap coils and on the other side is average of 20. BUT if the doors are closed, and you limit incoming heat. that delta 20 will COOL the existing air inside the RV and after each cycle the ambient air inside the RV can be whatever desired temp based on the BTU output and total cubic feet of air space in the RV.
My 38' is cooking. Been trying to just keep it under 89⁰ inside. One ac unit and a small portable. But i ca t run anything else or i trip the 15amp breaker and can feel it radiating heat if i run fans or a tv while its plugged in.
Can you switch your water heater and fridge to propane? That should allow you to run your AC on constant low and use the portable on the other side of the unit
The capacitor does NOT damage the compressor when it starts. W/O the capacitor the compressor would be damaged. When run 100% of the time it cycles on and off and the capacitor gives it's boost at the beginning of each cycle . 50 years plus as a master electrician.
So a failing capacitor CAN and WILL send the wrong MF to the compressor. The paper capacitor fails over time the electrolyte dries over time. sending the wrong inrush causing the desired effect of an EMF around the compressor to reach full speed would be delayed. Which causes the compressor to struggle.
Now a working capacitor does send a higher current for an instance but heat is on those coils if we can convert the huge hit to a VFD then we can keep the current lower thus keeping the compressor electrically from failing.
Thank you for the input and Im not stating your 50 years as a master electrician is for not. Ill Always listen to input. But there are reasons that a capacitor does wear down the life of a compressor vs a motor that can reach RLA without the need of a capacitor.
If I’m not mistaken, don’t RV ACs use the condensate produced from dehumidification to splash the condenser like window units do?
Thanks for the info.
@Tech Tips with Todd and Tony,I have a smaller travel trailer that has AC that isn’t controlled by a thermostat. Are there any additional considerations to take into account when using this type of AC? Is there a way to connect a thermostat to this type of AC that would allow for tighter control?
So the lower control unit is where you turn the dials to turn on the AC. There is NO 12v needed to in those types of ACs and chances are that you dont have 12v running up to that AC if it came installed from the factory. While there are things you can do (switch out the control board, run the 12v lines, then add a thermostat) typically it wouldnt be worth it.
Our dealer recommended to switch fridge and water heater to propane if AC is being used. AC needs all the power avaialble to run properly. Also, use the shortest cable possible to power post to reduce current drop. Also, make sure power is 120 VAC...check with multi meter. Low voltage will destroy your AC unit.
So there is enough power in the pedestal delivery to take care of the ACs without having to switch to propane. You are correct that low voltage will destroy the AC
@@mikefoehr235 My RV is 30 amp and has an app that allows me to limit current draw from the pedestal and monitor everything (input voltage, current consumption, temp, etc) on my phone - and my observations agree with your dealer. Especially when it’s really hot.
Great Tech Tip!!
So, having the thermostat set on "auto" is probably not so good for the unit in comparison with running it continuously???
So auto on the RV thermostat is for the fan. Temp is how you would set the AC. The AC will auto cycle.
@TechTipTNT
I have a 2019 Forest River Sandpiper 368FBDS. It has two AC units (front & rear) and I have both thermostats set to cool / auto / high and the temp set at 72°. So the AC automatically kicks on when the temperature rises and shuts off at the desired 72°
@@unafraid7628 That would be perfect. although I prefer 70 myself. ;)
@TechTipTNT
Thanks for the advice and your timely response... much appreciated. Stay safe out there, and stay cool 😎
How is the auto setting just for the fan? When inside temp reaches the thermostat set point the compressor and fan turns off. So how do you make it run continuously? Set the thermostat to 70 degrees when it’s 99 outside?
So many ac techs say being in shade, paint white. Won't make any difference.?
Yeah you can ask those same people what the best roof lap sealant is and they will tell you Dicor brand, but ask them to name one brand that is worse and they can't. Shade makes a ton of difference, the lighter AC will make a difference
@@justinr9753 Lol. Absolutely not.
@@SSMWRX11 you don't think shade makes a difference when it's over 100F outside?
@@justinr9753 How would it, when the air is hot from the temperature? You think putting a shade on a unit would somehow would lower the outside temp outside? You may make the protection cover slightly cooler to touch but air temp it's pulling in will remain the same.
The RV being in the shade will reduce radiant UV gain - thus reducing the amount of heat coming into the camper thus reducing the load on the AC. Basic science - heat energy moves by three means - conduction, convection and radiation. Shade reduces the amount of radiant heat coming into the RV.
We spray painted our shrouds white!
What paint did you use and how well is it holding up? I think I’d try that before replacing a functional shroud.
@@cruisinguy6024 We just went to Home Depot and got a multisurface spray paint. May of been Rustoleum. It has been at least 2 years ago that we did it. Shrouds are still white with a few “grayish” areas. Probably time to do it again.
@@cruisinguy6024 Painted mine with white latex house paint works great for 7 years and still working. What gets me is black propane covers. In Florida black gets up to 175 F and propane needs to be stored under 120 F. What are RV manufacturers thinking??? Do they think RVs don't come to Florida??
@@rvdogfland you think white only gets to 120°’?🤦🏻♂️
@@rvdogflthe black color adds UV protection thus preventing it from deteriorating in the sun a little better than the white. That’s my only guess. I’m sure the main reason is probably cost
My windows units at home run a lot. I try to turn them off once in a while just to let them cool down and rest. I assume the same would be good for an RV?
The A/c unit does not know "rest". If charged to correct amount the returning refergerant on suction line into compressor keeps it cool. If the temp indoors get hotter before the unit is switched on again, the compressor gets much more stress as greater heat removal boils the refrigerant in evaporator and the referigerant coming back to compressor is all gas and does not cool compressor. The unit works hardest and with highest stress when temp of incoming air is higher.
Thank you sir.
Most modern ACs come equipped with what is called an overload switch on the compressor that would cut the 120v to the compressor if it gets too hot due to heat. (to heavy of a load, to low of voltage, to low airflow across the coils) so that being said, you dont need to turn it off perse. It will manage itself.
Should be fine to have AC on "all the time" however compressor is never on 100% of the time.....compressor always cycles based on thermostat......fan may always be on but compressor always cycles....always
My low setting eventually starts to sound like static. Now my high has a static birthing 😢.
But it's advisable not to run your A/C while your driving as the fan blades could be damaged when you ride over a rough road.
They would not receive enough impact to damage the blades and the blades are not that big anyway. Unless you are hammer down over Slickrock in Utah, I can't imagine a road rough enough to damage an AC blade, and I've been on plenty of rough ones. The coach will absorb the shock. I'm 150,000+ miles in three Class A's and never busted an AC.
@@contender730 I personally know several RVers who have damaged their fan blades in just that fashion. And these are on top quality Renegades.
Only found a foam air filter on my Dometic AC unit. That’s all?
Yes that is it. Airflow is more important. This is why cleaning them often is the fix.
Good unit will run 15 years constantly.
Good one
Do you have a cleaning video. I work in a food truck and ac freezes up and i clean the inside vents but would love a video on how to safely take care of it. 122 average temp in this trailer.
Yes we do! we will get that lined up very soon.
Thanks god bless
Great info!
👍👍👍👍👍
The capacitor does not "hit it with high amperage".. Capacitors do NOT store AC, they store DC. The high amperage when starting is due to the lack of CEMF in the compressor and fan motors when they are not turning.
Thus soft start
Counter electric motive force
You are not correct..Air conditioners require a 20% off cycle and should be sized accordingly...Continuous running will kill it....
Your absolutely right but... RV. 🤣 I have customers (I'm an rv tech) that buy 40 foot fifth wheels with a black nose and front glass and have 2 air-conditioners and can't get thier units under 80°F. I've even seen Vanleigh Vilanos and Grand Design Solitudes have 3 air-conditioners not be able to get below 80°F when it's full sun and 90°F+ outside. These things have have almost no insulation and absolutely none in the slide slideouts. 3 airconditioners is basically a 6-8 seer 3 ton systems with the airflow of a portable air conditioner. I've had to add ducts to units just so they can breath! Lol
So again, these ACs are equipped with an overload on the compressor that would cycle the compressor off due to heat. Some are internal to the compressor (Coleman and penguines) and some are external (entry level dometics and GE).
The compressor loses its 120v in the event the overload switch activates and will not reset until the compressor kicks off.
Do I agree that you shouldnt run your AC all the time? Well sure for the AC to last far longer but there are too many factors (heat, airflow, humidity, electricity delivery) to come up with 20%. Which more than likely came from a particular brand some 10-15 years ago.
@TechTipTNT I see more of a problem with the air-conditioner kicking off for 30-90 seconds ans right back on. Most have a delay timer built in but I constantly running ac for 10 hours a day isn't good either. The overload switch shouldn't need to activate unless there's a problem or the voltage to the compressor drops too low causing the amperage to gradually climb which is usually caused my everyone else's acs running full time. 4th of July is a prime example at a campground for this. Also if airflow is restricted at all from dirty filters or mixing at the distribution box from output to intake then the ac evaporator to freeze up causing the freeze sensor to shut down the compressor. I've seen alot of coleman machs lately whith the plastic control boxes melting the compressor relay. And that was due to 30 amp rv pulling 34 amps with the water heater going with a voltage of 105v. Can you guess what else I found melted? You guessed it. The power cord end. Lol
beating the heat, while wearing black because its makes him thinks he's cool, but been that weight he's not cool, either way.
OMG ! If it freezes at all it needs to be serviced ! Low refrigerant ! Do your research FIRST !
Untrue. Less than 16 oz of refrigerant and no taps. Most of the time its low airflow and dirty coils.....research done for years.
People usually think it's because of low refrigerant but most cases are because of it's having bad airflow from lack of maintenance.
I disagree
@@ToddandTonyshow
Obviously you don’t understand the pressure temperature chart !
Never put the subscribe to this channel BEFORE the content. Makes the video an automatic thumbs down for me, telling me to subscribe before producing anything of value. Put yourself in the viewers shoes who has not seen your show before.
Taking note from a handle that has 281 subs. Got it.
If it was my very first video sure, if its to an audience that has seen videos and maybe doesnt think to click subscribe then its a friendly reminder.
@@toddhenson6220 Again, I was writing as a viewer not a producer.
You're too uptight. It's a free video. Feel free not to watch it.
@@dbruce9035 I broke the rule . "never give advice unless asked"
noted.