Air Conditioner Not Cooling as Efficiently

[bkterbush]

Hi all,
I have a 2018 Thor Freedom Elite 26HE. It seems that the air being circulated by the air conditioner is not as cold as it once was. It is a rooftop model. I'm wondering if these things recharge like an automobile air conditioner by buying the canned refrigerant and running the unit. Just curious if the fix could be that easy.

Any thoughts are welcome.

Brian

[OldWEB]

Originally Posted by bkterbush

Hi all,
Any thoughts are welcome.

Brian

Just a thought... Maybe it is too hot where you are, try heading back to Michigan, with your windows open.
Sorry, had to say that and no, I cannot help with your a/c woe.


Stay cool

[bkterbush]

Originally Posted by OldWEB

Just a thought... Maybe it is too hot where you are, try heading back to Michigan, with your windows open.
Sorry, had to say that and no, I cannot help with your a/c woe.


Stay cool

I have to admit...that was funny.

[halfprice]

Originally Posted by bkterbush

Hi all,
I have a 2018 Thor Freedom Elite 26HE. It seems that the air being circulated by the air conditioner is not as cold as it once was. It is a rooftop model. I'm wondering if these things recharge like an automobile air conditioner by buying the canned refrigerant and running the unit. Just curious if the fix could be that easy.

Any thoughts are welcome.

Brian

I believe, but could be wrong, that its a closed system and refrigerment can not be added

Make sure the a/c is on at the thermostat, Im sure it is. Get a thermometer and check the temp of the air coming out. It should be around 25* cooler than room temp.

Hopefully someone else can answer your question. Good luck.

Jerry

[OldWEB]

Rethinking it, if you are in a high humidity area, there may be a frost build up. Search the internet, a lot of different answers there.
From RVTravel

[simidrm]

Chances are the refrigerant that is in that system is not R-134a and if your not sure how much is in the system you could overfill it and that will burn up the compressor.

I would do as mentioned earlier put a thermometer in the a/c duct as close as you can get to the evaporator with a/c on max and see what the out temp is, as it should be about 25-35 degree colder than room temp,but remember that reading will vary depending on the sun load and humidity, so close all the blinds to reduce the sun load.

Did you check the a/c intake filter, if its plugged up then not enough airflow is passing by the evaporator core which would cause a warmer out temp.

If the system is low on freon you will have to find out the type it takes and the amount
it holds, find the source of the leak repair it and evacuate the whole system and charge to the proper amount, thats the correct way.

Some of those units come precharged with freon and they wont have a schrader valve inline,but might have ports on the high and low side of the compressor.

[nosticks]

Sealed system. Throw away. No way to refill. As above, clean filters, check roof top coils and clean if necessary, and check temp output.

[Trkyte@msn.com]

On my unit, there isl a divider under the cover that fell over. That let the cold and return open to each other. It is only a friction fit. I made a bracket to hold it in place.

[cavie]

No ports to add Freon. As stated pull the inside cover and be sure there is division between in and out air. The difference should be 18 to 20 degrees. That's is all it is designed for. Clean the filter lately?????

[Mo_Mike]

Originally Posted by Trkyte@msn.com

On my unit, there isl a divider under the cover that fell over. That let the cold and return open to each other. It is only a friction fit. I made a bracket to hold it in place.

Same with ours. I put the divider in proper place and secured it. Now the cold air flows out and the warm air flows in...

We also placed a vent in the bottom of the air conditioner cover pointing downward toward the living area. This allows a straight shot of the cold air to the coach and males a world of difference. Definitely makes the interior of our VEGAS comfortable, even in 95-100 degree heat.

Only 8.00 on AMAZON and one of the best mods we have done.

I thought I had a picture of the modification, but don't see it on my computer

[halfprice]

This

[abjbrtd]

Here's a good long read with a lot of good ac info.

http://www.thorforums.com/forums/f27...ice-12980.html

Here's another good thread, post 36 show my inside the rv mods to our Dometic ac.
The mods on the roof are the same as for Coleman units.

http://www.thorforums.com/forums/f17...h-12604-2.html

[MJC62]

As posters have said it is a sealed system, BUT it can be charged and I will qualify this by saying if the work is done by a qualified HVAC tech. My neighbor who is a qualified HVAC Tech, (the HVAC tech for the local Hospital campus), recharged the system in my last coach by installing a "piercing" valve on the low pressure line of my Gulfstream's rooftop unit and recharged it. The coach was 9 years old at the time and he said a little Freon leaking around the compressor seal of these small units is normal overtime. He said the window units in the old sections of the hospital buildings are pretty much the same as a rooftop MH A/C unit and the hospital recharges them the same way.
There is no charge port on most RV's A/C units and it is not a procedure most RV service departments want to undertake though my guy did the work in less than half an hour. Most service departments would much rather sell you a new A/C unit.

[azadv]

I was out at Quartszite RV show weekend before last and stopped by a booth that sells a diverter that installs in the plenum area of the AC unit and smooths out/directs the flow to the ducts. https://rvairflow.com/ It did have a much higher air flow, I think the efficiency increase was definite over how the air normally blows into the plenum and from that turbulent area has to find its way to ducts. They had systems set up with air flow meters. I probably would have bought one but they are about $200 and it's basically a piece of dense closed cell foam. I know, it's the development that costs, but I just couldn't plop down $200 for that. $50-$75 maybe.

Here's an install video:
https://youtu.be/Znb6Ji4kAR4

[Judge]

That insert is slick.... but like you... I don't think I could pay $200 for it. I have two A/C units so that would be $400!

[powerboatr]

pretty pricey piece of foam.

i did a similar "smoothing" in my plenum to "guide" air more smoothly into the side ports with 1/2" foam insulation board.

[OldWEB]

Originally Posted by powerboatr

pretty pricey piece of foam.

i did a similar "smoothing" in my plenum to "guide" air more smoothly into the side ports with 1/2" foam insulation board.

I do like this idea of making my own, I have not seen one of these RVairflow pieces, but my first thought watching the video was that installing those plastic items into the side ports would reduce the open area, thus reducing airflow. I would (will?) use foil tape to smooth the cutout area as required. Figure a good way to seal between the inlet/outlet to prevent a cross-mixing of the two airs. Then maybe use some foam tape to seal between the duct hole and the fabricated insulation board.
The tricky part would be on a good design to use in fabricating the new piece. Any pictures out there?
The other thing is this purchased diverter still seems 'boxy' and may restrict airflow somewhat.

[Brad2018]

Originally Posted by bkterbush

Hi all,
I have a 2018 Thor Freedom Elite 26HE. It seems that the air being circulated by the air conditioner is not as cold as it once was. It is a rooftop model. I'm wondering if these things recharge like an automobile air conditioner by buying the canned refrigerant and running the unit. Just curious if the fix could be that easy.

Any thoughts are welcome.

Brian

Have you done anything to your vents? If not, I have some improvements to suggest. I have the same model.

On the end vents I sprayed expanding foam. Once it dries you can shape it. Use rags to test it first. Plug the ends just past the vents. Front and back vents. You'll likely find that most of the air was blowing right past the vents. With it plugged I get a lot more air out the vents.

I also took off the inside AC cover and found the divider was loose. Also found the air diverter that sends air back to the bedroom on the driver's side wasn't properly installed. I had a lot of wasted AC going nowhere. I used some AC Duct tape and covered every space inside that same cover. It also helped reduce a lot of noise. There was air blowing across all sorts of surfaces.

[Oneilkeys]

Unfortunately, the RV roof top A/C’s are not rechargeable, unless they have changed things in the past few years. They are a sealed unit and basically a throw away if the refrigerant leaks out. Stupid, I know. It happened to me in Alaska. I have heard of some shop in Florida that will cut into the system and install a recharge valve, but there is no guarantee that after they do and you recharge the system, that it will work. The only check to see if the system is workin* correctly, that I know of is to check the temp of the air coming out if the A/C.

[powerboatr]

Originally Posted by OldWEB

I do like this idea of making my own, I have not seen one of these RVairflow pieces, but my first thought watching the video was that installing those plastic items into the side ports would reduce the open area, thus reducing airflow. I would (will?) use foil tape to smooth the cutout area as required. Figure a good way to seal between the inlet/outlet to prevent a cross-mixing of the two airs. Then maybe use some foam tape to seal between the duct hole and the fabricated insulation board.
The tricky part would be on a good design to use in fabricating the new piece. Any pictures out there?
The other thing is this purchased diverter still seems 'boxy' and may restrict airflow somewhat.

my ducts are smoothed already with foil tape. I did all the vents and air cut outs years ago.


for me cutting some foam and making it into a smoother flow is easy