Air conditioners

[Larry bi]

I have dual Dometic air conditioners. They don't seem to be putting out much cool air. On a 2021 Yukon. Do these require any annual maintenance to operate efficiently?

[sourdough]

The Yukon is a Dutchmen product. I have tried pulling their information on your unit but nothing tells me anything about the airconditioning other than "automatic". What size of A/C units? Are the filters clean? Did they work previously and now failed or ??

[Larry bi]

Originally Posted by sourdough

The Yukon is a Dutchmen product. I have tried pulling their information on your unit but nothing tells me anything about the airconditioning other than "automatic". What size of A/C units? Are the filters clean? Did they work previously and now failed or ??

I believe they are original 13.5 btu. Yes I cleaned the inside filters. They do blow air
This unit 320 RL has very high ceilings ( 8ft ) with outside Temps in the 90,s. Not sure I can expect much cooling under these conditions. Thanks for your reply.

[dutchmensport]

RV air conditioners are sealed units. You can't do anything with them except blow off the condenser coils on the roof and keep the filters clean on the camper ceiling. You cannot recharge them if coolant is low. Some folks have figured a way to cut one of the cooling lines so they could put a valve in so they could add cooling fluid. But they are not designed for the "owner" to do this.

If it is not cooling to your satisfaction but blowing air, it could the wall thermostat is failing. Have you attempted to take the temperature of the air blowing right at the air conditioner vent? You may find it's actually blowing pretty cold, but the space in the camper is too big so the affect is minimal.

[Larry bi]

I will check the temperature at the AC output vent. What temperature should I expect? Thanks for your reply

.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by Larry bi

I will check the temperature at the AC output vent. What temperature should I expect? Thanks for your reply

.

You should get approx. 17-21 degrees cooler air out of the vents than the temp going into the intake (room temp).

[Alpine Custom Upgrade]

Originally Posted by Larry bi

I have dual Dometic air conditioners. They don't seem to be putting out much cool air. On a 2021 Yukon. Do these require any annual maintenance to operate efficiently?

We have an Alpine 3650RL. It came with 2 15,000 watt ac units. They would cool ok until about mid 90's outside but struggled above that. We found that the 2 units would take 3 hours or more to get to the right temp when we first set up at the campground in hot weather. We added a 3rd ac in the powered roof vent opening and now the camper cools down in 30 minutes and stays 76 inside no matter what outside temp is.
If your units are putting out cold air but not enough, you might consider adding a 3rd ac unit. Even at 105 outside and bright sun, our 3rd unit cycles on and off during the hot part of the day. We also added slide toppers that shield the sun from the slide out roofs. That also helped a lot.

[Firehawkdoug]

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1194205284570850?fs=e&s=9RfQYY&mibextid=wa05Vy


Also try this to assist

[Domino3665]

First. You are never going to hang meat in your trailer. 20 degrees lower than outside ambient air temp is the BEST you will ever get.
Next, check your duct work connections to the A/C unit. The tape that connects the ducts to the unit comes loose over time. You could be losing cold air into the attic space.
Good luck. ��

[Alpine Custom Upgrade]

Originally Posted by Domino3665

First. You are never going to hang meat in your trailer. 20 degrees lower than outside ambient air temp is the BEST you will ever get.
Next, check your duct work connections to the A/C unit. The tape that connects the ducts to the unit comes loose over time. You could be losing cold air into the attic space.
Good luck. ��

Actually, the air coming out of the ac into the living space should be about 17 20 degrees cooler than the air going IN to the return air, not dependant on outside air. As the inside "ambient" air gets cooled by the ac units the temp WILL continue to drop unless the heat gain coming in from the outside overcomes the btu of the ac unit(s). Old time water coolers were limited but not refrigerated units.
Once we added a third ac unit, the units cycle on and off as they should and I am quite convinced that they would drop the inside air temp into the 60's if I set it that low. I keep mine at 76 in the summer.

[Starfleetmarj]

We had the same issue on our past fifth wheel with our two ac units and when we took the ceiling covers off in upper bedroom and looked inside the units. You need to go deeper than just pulling the filters out to clean and it requires unscrewing the covers. Be sure to remember how the cover goes back on, so you don't block the intake with the cover. What we found is, the foam wall between the intake and exhaust had fallen down. So all cold exhaust air coming in from roof unit was going back up the intake and not into the duct work. We took plumbing and heating tape, duct tape might work, and reattached the foam board back up to the walls to segregate the intake air from the cold exhaust air. This made a huge difference in ducted air flow. And it is something we checked constantly, especially after long road trips.
I do agree the higher the temp outside the harder your ac works, especially if you try to cool off an already hot interior. If this is the case, it may never go to the temp you want. We found the rv stayed cooler in 90+ weather if we started the a/c much earlier in the day before it got hot. We also covered the west windows in the afternoon and used the awning as much as possible to keep out direct sunlight.

[JRTJH]

The "line workers" at Keystone this week will be "line workers at Grand Design" next week, then they'll show up in the employment line at Jayco sometime this April/May and may well be working at Dutchman in June and back to Keystone in July or August.....

In other words, the "line workers at any factory" are either past or will be future workers at most of the other RV manufacturing plants sometime in their employment.....

That means that all the RV's coming out of northern Indiana are pretty much built the same way by the same workers, using the same tools and components, so what you see in any trailer will pretty much be what you'll find in any brand on the dealer's lot.

It is no "accident" that the foam blockages, poor workmanship in sealing the ductwork in the ceiling and the "air leaks into the attic space" found in one trailer brand is, for the most part, present in every brand on the lot.....

Take a look at what owners on this forum have found and how they fixed/improved their A/C airflow and you'll find the same threads/comments/solutions on nearly any RV forum you search for solutions.....

[Mikelff]

I went through my entire ventilation system, sealing with the aluminum duct tape all the inside roof ducts, as several were not sealed or partially sealed. Then made sure all my ductwork was clear and NOT collapsed. Next took down plenum covers and made sure all filters were clean and seals around the return and output were airtight and dividers between intake and output sealed correctly. I actually replaced the dividers with new foam and taped them in so there was good smooth airflow. Next went topside and cleaned coils. So I know I am getting max performance out of my a/c units. Still, in the hot Texas 100+ degree weather my a/c units were not enough to cool the unit like we wanted, especially when setting up. Our answer is a portable 12K btu a/c unit that is vented out the slide side window. Really helps cool things down quickly and we can keep things about 75 degrees in all heat. We have it in a corner that keeps it out of the way and is very quiet. In cooler weather below 90 degrees we take it out. I only need it in the hottest weather, and only cost me about $300 vs $1500 plus install for a third a/c. Works great for me and may be an alternative for those of us that don’t want to, or can’t afford to shell out $1500 plus install for a third roof a/c. Stay cool!

[bill6531]

Don't buy any air conditioning unit off the Internet. I bought one and all it was doing was blowing the outside air, Naples, FL: 90 at least. Buy a new Dometic from a well known dealer like: the RV Doctor. The Dometic he installed in my bedrroom I used to cool the whole RV. The other unit in my living room. I can't feel it cooling the room. The new one I bought off the Internet, I gave it to the RV Doctor.

[TXiceman]

Originally Posted by sourdough

You should get approx. 17-21 degrees cooler air out of the vents than the temp going into the intake (room temp).

This 20 degF across the unit is inside temperatures and has nothing to do with outside temperature. Have the fan running on high for at least 10 minutes before you measure.

Also do NOT use an infrared sensor to read air temperature. These infrared or "laser" sensors read heat radiated from solid surfaces. WHat you will read is the ceiling vent or the duct. Use a bulb type thermometer or a thermocouple stuck in the air stream.

Also check the voltage and amperage into the unit .

Ken

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by TXiceman

This 20 degF across the unit is inside temperatures and has nothing to do with outside temperature. Have the fan running on high for at least 10 minutes before you measure.

Also do NOT use an infrared sensor to read air temperature. These infrared or "laser" sensors read heat radiated from solid surfaces. WHat you will read is the ceiling vent or the duct. Use a bulb type thermometer or a thermocouple stuck in the air stream.

Also check the voltage and amperage into the unit .

Ken

That's what my post said that you quoted??

[TXiceman]

Originally Posted by sourdough

That's what my post said that you quoted??

I just wanted to reiterate that it is indoor temps as there is always some Google PhD that will say they can't more then 20 degF below the outdoor temperature.

I sent my career in applied heat transfer and thermodynamics in the industrial refrigeration industry. I hate seeing people misuse or misapply equipment, because they just parrot the internet or never bother to read the instructions.

Ken

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by TXiceman

I just wanted to reiterate that it is indoor temps as there is always some Google PhD that will say they can't more then 20 degF below the outdoor temperature.

I sent my career in applied heat transfer and thermodynamics in the industrial refrigeration industry. I hate seeing people misuse or misapply equipment, because they just parrot the internet or never bother to read the instructions.

Ken

Thought that might be the case but wasn't sure so thought I'd ask.

[Rick58]

Originally Posted by Larry bi

I have dual Dometic air conditioners. They don't seem to be putting out much cool air. On a 2021 Yukon. Do these require any annual maintenance to operate efficiently?

Have a 2023 retreat Air conditioner not blowing cold air out ducts. Sent probe camera through ducts. Chipmucks had chewed all through them. Found pine cones. It was purchased this way. Been screwing around since June. They picked up Trailer a month ago and still sitting in lot. They were going to take it back in Indiana, now they said no. Now rip the ceiling down to replace ducts. Dealer said they never have done this before. Think its time to get a Lawyer. Don't know if there is a lemon laws for 60,000 Trailers

[Rick58]

Originally Posted by Mikelff

I went through my entire ventilation system, sealing with the aluminum duct tape all the inside roof ducts, as several were not sealed or partially sealed. Then made sure all my ductwork was clear and NOT collapsed. Next took down plenum covers and made sure all filters were clean and seals around the return and output were airtight and dividers between intake and output sealed correctly. I actually replaced the dividers with new foam and taped them in so there was good smooth airflow. Next went topside and cleaned coils. So I know I am getting max performance out of my a/c units. Still, in the hot Texas 100+ degree weather my a/c units were not enough to cool the unit like we wanted, especially when setting up. Our answer is a portable 12K btu a/c unit that is vented out the slide side window. Really helps cool things down quickly and we can keep things about 75 degrees in all heat. We have it in a corner that keeps it out of the way and is very quiet. In cooler weather below 90 degrees we take it out. I only need it in the hottest weather, and only cost me about $300 vs $1500 plus install for a third a/c. Works great for me and may be an alternative for those of us that don’t want to, or can’t afford to shell out $1500 plus install for a third roof a/c. Stay cool!

Have a 2023 retreat Air conditioner not blowing cold air out ducts. Sent probe camera through ducts. Chipmucks had chewed all through them. Found pine cones. It was purchased this way. Been screwing around since June. They picked up Trailer a month ago and still sitting in lot. They were going to take it back in Indiana, now they said no. Now rip the ceiling down to replace ducts. Dealer said they never have done this before. Think its time to get a Lawyer. Don't know if there is a lemon laws for 60,000 Trailers