A/c not functioning well, please help

[Margaret]

 

Please help.  My a/c unit is blowing cool, not cold, air out.  

It was in the 90s today.  When I arrived at the state park, and hooked up to electric, it wouldn't come on.  Then, the thermostat seemed frozen .  After that, it would only come in for short bursts, then stop.

A fellow camper fiddled around with the thermostat, and the a/c finally kicked on, but it has taken three and a half hours for the room temperature to go from 95 to 85.  

I got so hot trying to get things accomplished inside and out, I started to see black spots in my eyes, and to feel kind of drunk.  I went inside , but it didn't help.  And yes, I'm drinking water, but what's up with that Dometic?

I adjusted the thermostat to a higher temperature, so the a/c could inch down and not get stalled by a low temperature like 68.  It's on 79 now, but room temperature is 84.  It goes down about 2-3 degrees an hour.  Is that normal?  

Sorry, photos skewed, so numbers reversed.  The first is thermostat setting, and the second is room temperature.  

If it does this every time I travel, it's trouble, bc I don't tolerate heat well.  Thank you

 

 

[Townesw]

Is the return air filter clean? It is located under the grill shown in the photos below. Be careful removing the grill. It’s easy to break the tabs off and it’s not available as a separate part.

 

 

Do you feel air coming out of all four openings on the sides and the sliding grate on the bottom?
 

Your trailer is a 2017 so it has been in storage. Has anyone checked to see if the coils under the shroud on top are clean?

(Disregard arrows and text, I used these photos before to explain something else.)

 

 

 

 

What is the voltage shown on your Progressive Industries display?

[Margaret]

25 minutes ago, Townesw said:

Is the return air filter clean? It is located under the grill shown in the photos below. Be careful removing the grill. It’s easy to break the tabs off and it’s not available as a separate part.

 

 

Do you feel air coming out of all four openings on the sides and the grate on the bottom?
 

Your trailer is a 2017 so it has been in storage. Has anyone checked to see if your coils under the cover on top are clean?

(Disregard arrows and text, I used these photos before to explain something else.)

 

 

 

 

What is the voltage shown on your Progressive Industries display?

Hello Townes,

Those are all very good questions, as A noticed that the previous owner wasn't exactly the best at maintenance.

The air is coming out of three openings and the grate on the bottom.  Not much air coming out of 4th opening.  I will remove the grate when it's a bit less hot.  What is the best way for me to remove the grate?  

Negative to anyone checking the could.  What type of technician would do this?  HVAC?

Thank you!

[Margaret]

Hello Townes,

Those are all very good questions, as A noticed that the previous owner wasn't exactly the best at maintenance.

The air is coming out of three openings and the grate on the bottom.  Not much air coming out of 4th opening.  I will remove the grate when it's a bit less hot.  What is the best way for me to remove the grate?  

Negative to anyone checking the could.  What type of technician would do this?  HVAC?

Thank you!

[Townesw]

Stick your fingers in the opening on the front and gently press down on the return air filter/grill then remove the two and separate them. Clean the filter and grill. Leave them off if the filter is completely plugged and see if your air is cooler.  You will need to get an RV Tech to remove the a/c shroud on top and check for dirty coils. 

[SeaDawg]

@Margaret,  how is the a/c doing now, and are you feeling any better?

You're better off inside in the low 80's resting, than working  outside in the 90+ heat, with your symptoms. Rehydrate,  copiously, preferably with Gatorade or pedialite, imo..

Not a medical professional, just a mom, and that's the advice I'd give our daughter. 

 

[Margaret]

23 hours ago, Townesw said:

Stick your fingers in the opening on the front and gently press down on the return air filter/grill then remove the two and separate them. Clean the filter and grill. Leave them off if the filter is completely plugged and see if your air is cooler.  You will need to get an RV Tech to remove the a/c shroud on top and check for dirty coils. 

Hi Townes, I will try what you suggested, although I have noticed that the thermostat is acting wonky, so am wondering if the issue lies with the thermostat?  

The A/C suddenly came in on its own this morning, but I sadly had to turn it off, bc I took Jasmine (my Ollie) to car mechanic to get new batteries.  Some strange , and/or annoying issues still remain, the A/C being one of the most concerning .  

Temps reached 107 in some areas of the desert near town today.

[Margaret]

7 hours ago, SeaDawg said:

@Margaret,  how is the a/c doing now, and are you feeling any better?

You're better off inside in the low 80's resting, than working  outside in the 90+ heat, with your symptoms. Rehydrate,  copiously, preferably with Gatorade or pedialite, imo..

Not a medical professional, just a mom, and that's the advice I'd give our daughter. 

 

Thank you SeaDawg!  Got your message and replied in inbox.  I have electrolyte salts somewhere.  I do well with salt bc of low BP.  Thanks for the concern!🌹

[SeaDawg]

@Margaret, if you changed out batteries today, your thermostat may have reverted to factory settings.  Maybe, maybe not. If that's it, maybe your camper friend could take another look.

What do you mean by "wonky?"

If you are cooler now, and it's night, it might be a good time to check the return filter as @Townesw suggested. Many rv ac problems can occur when the unit is "starved" of return air. Dirt starves the air supply.

Are you near a good rv repair facility? Or, can the campground manager recommend a mobile tech? Ac problems rear their ugly heads when temps are high, as they are almost everywhere in the US today. 

A few things that can help keep it cooler:

Are you parked in shade, or sun? Obviously,  shade is better.

If it's not windy, can you deploy the awning to shade the windows?

Keep the shades down.

Don't cook inside the trailer, if at all possible,  especially in the heat of the day. Minimize door openings.

Is your campground crowded? Could also be too many people on a weak circuit trying to run ac in extreme heat, causing the ems to cut in and out. 

82 if it's 107 outside is not an unexpected difference, especially with a unit that may need cleaning. But, 82 at 90 isn't right, even though it takes awhile to cool the hull and cupboards, it should be better than that. 

Best of luck, and please keep us posted.

 

 

[Margaret]

11 hours ago, SeaDawg said:

@Margaret, if you changed out batteries today, your thermostat may have reverted to factory settings.  Maybe, maybe not. If that's it, maybe your camper friend could take another look.

What do you mean by "wonky?"

If you are cooler now, and it's night, it might be a good time to check the return filter as @Townesw suggested. Many rv ac problems can occur when the unit is "starved" of return air. Dirt starves the air supply.

Are you near a good rv repair facility? Or, can the campground manager recommend a mobile tech? Ac problems rear their ugly heads when temps are high, as they are almost everywhere in the US today. 

A few things that can help keep it cooler:

Are you parked in shade, or sun? Obviously,  shade is better.

If it's not windy, can you deploy the awning to shade the windows?

Keep the shades down.

Don't cook inside the trailer, if at all possible,  especially in the heat of the day. Minimize door openings.

Is your campground crowded? Could also be too many people on a weak circuit trying to run ac in extreme heat, causing the ems to cut in and out. 

82 if it's 107 outside is not an unexpected difference, especially with a unit that may need cleaning. But, 82 at 90 isn't right, even though it takes awhile to cool the hull and cupboards, it should be better than that. 

Best of luck, and please keep us posted.

 

 

Hi @SeaDawgand @Townesw

I think I figured it out.  I'm about 80 percent it's the thermostat.  It may need replacing?  It has some weird programming, so part of the issue may be the programming function, and it may also have needed more battery power, as I just got new batteries.  If someone can help me figure out the weird thermostat settings, we might be able to solve this! 

I have MCAS and P.O.T.S.  ( no need to look up, lol), but heat exhaustion would not be good for me.  A/C did suddenly come on this morning.  It did so yesterday too, but after I brought it back from car mechanic to get new 12 v batteries, there was nothing I could do to get it to turn on . . . .

 

THank you!

 

 

[Townesw]

@Margaret I have a newer thermostat so I can’t be any help with yours. Looks like there is a Dometic 3314080 and a 3314082. Do you have a manual for the thermostat? This might be it

 

 

https://www.dometic.com/externalassets/thermostat-control-box-ccc2_64755.pdf

 

Here is a users guide for a similar thermostat 

https://www.intechtrailers.com/images/info/PDF/Dometic/thermostat-guide.PDF

[Margaret]

1 hour ago, Townesw said:

@Margaret I have a newer thermostat so I can’t be any help with yours. Looks like there is a Dometic 3314080 and a 3314082. Do you have a manual for the thermostat? This might be it

 

 

https://www.dometic.com/externalassets/thermostat-control-box-ccc2_64755.pdf

 

Here is a users guide for a similar thermostat 

https://www.intechtrailers.com/images/info/PDF/Dometic/thermostat-guide.PDF

Yep, that's it alright @Townesw, but I have good news!  See below

[Margaret]

Good news @Townesw Bill and Martha, and @SeaDawg: It was the friggin' camper battery!  Apparently, battery was SO dead, that even shore power wasn't enough to maintain A/C, thermostat, and at times, some of the outlets.  A new battery takes time (I guess)?, as in overnight, and for now, A/C and thermostat are beginning to revert to working condition.  On to the next, err, hurdle, but I'll give it a few days.  The previous owner was nice, but I think she lived in Oliver for awhile , and then just at let it sit.   Thank you for the great info !

[John E Davies]

24 minutes ago, Margaret said:

Good news @Townesw Bill and Martha, and @SeaDawg: It was the friggin' camper battery!  Apparently, battery was SO dead, that even shore power wasn't enough to maintain A/C, thermostat, and at times, some of the outlets.  

I’m very sorry, but that really is not good news, it is very probable that they are ruined and will have to replaced. Do you know what kind and how old they are? Did you have the trailer inspected before you bought it? Is there a maintenance history or service records? If not, it would be very prudent to get a mobile RV service to come and give it a thorough inspection, including the electrical parts and appliances, and brakes and wheel bearings. If the batteries are sealed (AGM) then a load test must be done on each one individually to determine their health. Some campgrounds won’t allow that sort of work (disassembling the axle hubs), so you would need to check with the office. They would probably be OK with fixing the batteries, if it comes down to that.

John Davies

Spokane WA

. 

[SeaDawg]

Not for nothing, as a friend used to say, I doubt the new batteries made that difference.  Especially with 110 outlets, which have zero to do with your batteries (unless you'retalking about running them from the inverter. Plugged in, your charger/converter steps 110 down to 12v.)

Bouncing down the road could jiggle some connections.  A new campsite on return might give you more clean power. Or, fewer campers on the same run might give you better, cleaner power .

Glad everything is working,  and I have my fingers crossed. 

I'd still schedule a good rv tech and inspection,  were it me.

I'm certain replacement of the batteries was a good idea, though. 5 years is likely end of life, especially when your trailer may have not been well maintained  by previous owner. 

What batteries did you buy?

 

[John E Davies]

1 hour ago, SeaDawg said:

I'm certain replacement of the batteries was a good idea, though. 5 years is likely end of life, especially when your trailer may have not been well maintained  by previous owner. 

What batteries did you buy?

 

Well, I missed that entirely - my bad, I did not interpret her description as saying that they have already been replaced. But new batteries should NOT take any time to function normally, they come mostly charged. Margaret, my apologies, and please fill out your Signature with trailer and tow vehicle information.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Townesw]

@Margaret Do you have hull number 179?

[Margaret]

3 hours ago, Townesw said:

@Margaret Do you have hull number 179?

Not sure.  Sorry if I sound naive.  Where is hull number?  

[Townesw]

@Margaret At the time your Oliver was built your hull number will be the last 3 digits of your VIN number. Later production Olivers have a hull number not indicated in the VIN. The hull number indicates where in production history your Oliver was built. I have hull 313 so it was the 313th Oliver built. When you ask questions about your Oliver and readers know your hull number it gives us some idea of what might be going on with your Oliver. Some problems are known to be associated with a particular range of hull numbers. Owners that have Olivers built around the time yours was built may be able to provide help because they have already experienced the problem you are having. By listing your hull number in your signature line readers have some idea as to how to better respond to your questions. 
 

Look for VIN sticker on left front corner

Or on a sticker near the hinges on the door

Your Oliver might have a hull number plaque near the door

 

Some Olivers have the hull number on the top rear 

[John E Davies]

I will add that Oliver Sales or Service (?) will send you a complementary hull number plaque as shown above for you to apply near your entry door, normally it would be below the switches, but you can use your imagination. My 2017 LE2 Hull 218 did not have one, they sent me one a few years ago. It did not come with adhesive, I used double sided Scotch tape. You can also look at your trailer registration, the VIN is on there, so the last 3 digits should be the hull number. Normally when you submit a Service Department request (Ticket) they ask for that.

So did you in fact install new batteries? I was more than a little confused about that post. What kind and how many?

John Davies

Spokane WA