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AC woes
First post here asking for assistance, so I guess this is my introduction. Sorry in advance for the long post but I had tried to do as much research and testing before actually posting something.
Background.... We bought a used 2018 Thor Aria in December of 2019. This unit has two of the AirXcel Mach 10 15K BTU Heat Pumps. While heading to camp the other week, both appeared to have failed at the same exact time. We were able to tolerate it with leaving the windows open and having some fans run but now I need to fix them.
After troubleshooting, it appears I have two different problems.
The unit in the front, upon turning it on, the fan works, the compressor tries to start, buzzes for a few seconds, then stops. After another 15 seconds give or take it repeats. I would expect this to have been a capacitor problem but after changing them, even though visually they appear ok, the problem persists. There is high pressure relay switch that I am going to try next. In the event that neither of these work, I am assuming it means my compressor is locked up and that the entire unit will need to be replaced.
The unit in the rear, upon turning it on. the fan works and the compressor actually does start. The issue is that it is not blowing cold air. The tube going to the evaporator coil is cool to the touch, not cold. I am assuming there is a freon leak and it is just not cooling enough to blow air. Since these are sealed units, again, it appears the entire unit will need to be replaced.
So, here we are in 2020, crazy times, and everybody is out camping. As a result, it appears that there are shortages where the air conditioners/heat pumps are out of stock.
On to my questions...
-Do the above scenarios I have described make sense? Is there something else I could test or replace?
-I believe I can replace these units myself. If so, should I strive to get the same model? Dometic has units and I have read in other places that you can keep the same thermostats, control panel, etc. I have the Firefly control panel system. Other people/places have said the wiring won't match and I would need to replace other components like the thermostat.
-There is a newer model AirXcel unit, Mach 15, but it is air conditioner only. You can buy an optional heating element. Different than a heat pump but still provides heat. I also have an electric fireplace and propane furnace. Would there really be a benefit to replacing with a heat pump or would an AC with heating element be fine?
-If I replace the unit with an AC with heating element, any idea if that would work with the existing system/wiring? Vague question here I know but figured I would ask.
Thanks in advance for reading all of this. I look forward to any input.
-Bill
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