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Old 08-07-2018, 06:58 AM   #1
Skiho3020
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A/C compressor cycling

Have a question about my air conditioner. Noticed the compressor cycles on and off. Not sure what might be going on or if its something to address. It was 87-90 degrees but the ac kept the camper at a cool 74 degrees. I did notice that when I went to unplug the camper to leave, the two prongs for power had gotten hot. It was difficult to unplug from the post. I have never had a problem before with the plug. I am wondering if there is something wrong with the pole that may have caused things to get hot thus causing my ac to cycle??

I talked to the hosts and asked them to have the maintenance crew look at the box to see if there were issues. We will be in the same site this coming weekend. My EMS didn't shut off so I don't really think damage was caused to the camper but I wanted to toss it out for discussion.

Todd
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Old 08-07-2018, 04:00 PM   #2
JimMach1
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Ac compressor

I have had issues with low voltage at campgrounds in the past never had a campground pay for anything yet cost me 600 to rewire my old camper and replace cord . Would definitely get a surge protector with voltage reading and amps on it.
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Old 08-07-2018, 04:10 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Skiho3020 View Post
Have a question about my air conditioner. Noticed the compressor cycles on and off. Not sure what might be going on or if its something to address. It was 87-90 degrees but the ac kept the camper at a cool 74 degrees. I did notice that when I went to unplug the camper to leave, the two prongs for power had gotten hot. It was difficult to unplug from the post. I have never had a problem before with the plug. I am wondering if there is something wrong with the pole that may have caused things to get hot thus causing my ac to cycle??

I talked to the hosts and asked them to have the maintenance crew look at the box to see if there were issues. We will be in the same site this coming weekend. My EMS didn't shut off so I don't really think damage was caused to the camper but I wanted to toss it out for discussion.

Todd
You do realize that the compressor DOES cycle off and on, based on the thermostat setting. When the thermostat is satisfied, temperature wise, the compressor will cycle off. The differential setpoint is reached (room temperature has come back up) the thermostat will call for cooling again and the compressor will come back on! Your description makes it sound like everything was operating normally!
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Old 08-08-2018, 09:19 AM   #4
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apologies on not being more clear. The compressor would shut off for 5 seconds or so then come back on. The unit fan would still be running though. My other campers never did the quick shut down and kick back on. Once temperature was satisfied by the thermostat, the whole unit would turn off like normal until the inside temperature triggered. Honestly, I'm not a fan of the thermostat that is in there. On my 2010 heartland, I put a 15 dollar thermostat in and it did a much better job than the stock one. I need to study what the temperature swing is on this dometic digital jobber really is.

Also, I do have a 50amp EMS so I am protected from low/high voltage and several other things. It has saved me in the past. I'd assume if there was a issue it would have told me but we were good all weekend.
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Old 08-08-2018, 03:27 PM   #5
Tom N OH
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I'm guessing that this is the thermostat that you have.

https://www.campingworld.com/images/...structions.pdf

Set the mode to 'Cool", then press the "Fan" button until it shows "Auto". Then, push & hold "Program & the down arrow at the same time, "diF2" should display on the screen. This will set the temperature differential to 2 degrees from your set temperature before the A/C or heat turns on.
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Old 08-09-2018, 02:47 AM   #6
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The main A/C in my 5th wheel was doing the same. Took it back to the dealer (under warranty) and they said that the installation of the unit wasn't "quite complete." The internal baffle that separates the hot and cool sides was leaking, letting fresh conditioned cool air be sucked right back into the return causing the unit to shut off. Just a few seconds later it would cycle back on and repeat this cycle endlessly.

Bad news is this seems to be a VERY common problem with how quick keystone throws these units together. Good news is it seems to be relatively easy to fix. I only had the dealer to mine because I didn't have any camping plans made, it was still under warranty, and I actually have a good dealer that works with me on anything I need.
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Old 08-09-2018, 08:37 AM   #7
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5th wheelin, thanks for the info and I will look into that. Sounds exactly like what mine is doing.

Tom, No, mine isn't exactly like yours. That one is slightly larger and has more buttons than mine. I need to dig and see what model I really do have! Seems like when we are camping we are never in the unit....always out doing something. One darn expensive bed if you ask me!
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Old 08-10-2018, 02:34 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by Skiho3020 View Post
apologies on not being more clear. The compressor would shut off for 5 seconds or so then come back on. The unit fan would still be running though. My other campers never did the quick shut down and kick back on. Once temperature was satisfied by the thermostat, the whole unit would turn off like normal until the inside temperature triggered. Honestly, I'm not a fan of the thermostat that is in there. On my 2010 heartland, I put a 15 dollar thermostat in and it did a much better job than the stock one. I need to study what the temperature swing is on this dometic digital jobber really is.

Also, I do have a 50amp EMS so I am protected from low/high voltage and several other things. It has saved me in the past. I'd assume if there was a issue it would have told me but we were good all weekend.
Don't put off getting this fixed. Your ac unit is short cycling. If you contact the dealer about the issue and tell them it's short cycling they should understand. That is very harmful to the unit because when the compressor shuts down the refrigerant pressure will rise considerably and not given sufficient time to stabilize the compressor starts under great strain and can seize.
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Old 08-10-2018, 05:04 AM   #9
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From the OP first post, You need to address the "Hot" terminals on the plug, if no damage was done get some dielectric grease at the auto parts store and use it on your plug blades. You only need a light coating. Once there is overheating of the plug and receptacle the female receptacle looses its ability grasp the plug tightly. Now we have a connection with high resistance witch generates more heat and is doomed to fail. This will take out your EMS and is not covered under warrantee.

Bottom line, when you plug in the it should take some effort to push the plug in.

Most air conditioners have one or more internal sensors that can shut them down and allow them to restart. It may or may not be your thermostat short cycling the system. There is also supposed to be a internal timer preventing short cycling.

Do you realize how many members would like an internal temperature of 74 with an outside temp. of 90deg..
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Old 08-10-2018, 08:41 AM   #10
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hmm, found something new here. My Ac is doing the same thing. It will shut down and about 5 seconds later come right back on. it doesn't always do it, but when it starts it will do it about every five minutes or so, shut off and turn right back on. My camper is at the dealer right now getting a ton of warranty work, what should I tell them to look for?
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Old 08-10-2018, 11:00 AM   #11
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stolly,

First you need to understand how the air conditioner works, then make the determination about whether it's normal or if something is wrong.

First, if it is a Dometic/Air Excel/Coleman and you have the thermostat fan switch on High or Low, the fan will run continuously and the compressor will start/stop as cooling is needed. The fan continues to run, providing air circulation at the registers.

If the thermostat is in AUTO, the system responds entirely differently.

When the thermostat set temperature is reached, the compressor will start, followed momentarily by the fan (HI) and the system will operate until the thermostat temperature is within 4F of the set temperature at which time the fan will stop (compressor continues to run) and the fan will switch to LOW speed. Once the temperature is reached, the compressor will stop, fan will continue for about 1 minute, to blow all the cool air out of the ductwork. If, by chance, once the fan switches to LOW, the temperature sensed by the thermostat rises, the fan will stop (compressor continues to run) and switch back to HIGH and continue to run on HIGH until the thermostat again reaches within 4F of the thermostat setting.

It sounds complicated, but you need to pay attention to what "starts and stops" on your A/C before you report that it's not working properly. There is an excellent description in the thermostat manual that describes how it all works.

I'm not suggesting that you're wrong and your system is normal, but rather that you may be facing normal operation without realizing it. From what you've posted, it's difficult to determine the status of your system.
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Old 08-10-2018, 11:35 AM   #12
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So all of that I understand. I'm running in auto. The entire unit shuts down for for about 4 or 5 seconds and starts right back up. No where near set temperature as my unit is unable to get anywhere close to where I set it. At night when it does work and reach desired temp, it shutts off and doesn't come back on for half an hour or so.
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Old 08-10-2018, 11:53 AM   #13
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Discuss with your dealer's service writer, see what he/she says....
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Old 08-19-2018, 07:56 AM   #14
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Return air

Check return air ducting for collapsed ducts.
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Old 08-19-2018, 10:07 AM   #15
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I second checking the return air vents for that AC to see if one is collapsed. You can fix this by working a 1 1/2 inch diameter section of pvc pipe into the duct of collapsed to open it back up. This fixed my bedroom AC cycling issue.
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Old 08-19-2018, 03:24 PM   #16
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FYI guys. If the temperature is high and the humidity is high and you run the ac on low fan it will short cycle because it is Freezing Up. Run the a/c on fight fan or auto and it should work fine.
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