My Duotherm Penguin II rooftop ac unit has been running fine all year until last week. If we are using the generator, AC startup will immediately shut down the generator, the unit hums for a few seconds and tries to start again - this cyle will repeat until I throw the AC breaker. I have not been able to find a manual specifically for the duotherm 610015.103 and really can’t afford a service tech right now. Any ideas?
Swamp cooler time!
It sounds like capacitor(cap), start relay, locked compressor.
This manual is for an older model,but gives you a circuit diagram.
What was it humming? :D
What was it humming? :D
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Swamp cooler time!
It sounds like capacitor(cap), start relay, locked compressor.
This manual is for an older model,but gives you a circuit diagram.
I'd add a burnt/loose connection, or open winding in the compressor to Rodney's list.
My Duotherm Penguin II rooftop ac unit has been running fine all year until last week. If we are using the generator, AC startup will immediately shut down the generator, the unit hums for a few seconds and tries to start again. Any ideas?
1. Do you start the generator and allow it warm-up for 2-3 minutes before turning on the AC?
2. Have you tried to operate the AC from 30A shore power?
I found the following on-line A/C troubleshooting article helpful, Troubleshooting and Maintaining Your RV’s Air Conditioner | AxleAddict (https://axleaddict.com/rvs/How-To-Service-And-Repair-A-Motorhome-Air-Conditioner-AC) . It provides a step-by-step process for troubleshooting.
Look forward to hearing back from you.
Voltage regulator in generator.
As implied here, if the AC runs from shorepower, but not the generator, then suspect a problem with the generator output. Check the voltage at a socket when the AC tries to start - if it drops too low, then that is your problem.
Steve
We had something similar happen in our '94 26' MB. The 'squirrel cage' seized up. We had it repaired while on the road but ended up replacing it with a Carrier a/c as soon as we returned home.
Hope the problem is easy to diagnose and repair.
Juli W
I had a wire nut loosen up on romex in the metal box connected to auto power transfer switch, AC'r would run fine on shore power but when Genset turned on and transfer switch changed load to Romex that was grounding to box it would trip Generator breaker & give slight burning smell. replaced Generator Breaker thinking it was bad , ended up finding the problem by following the burn smell behind power converter. Trimmed Romex back and recapped wire nuts, no problems since.
We are finally getting around to really looking at this.
The Air Conditioner runs on shore power just fine, but when we turn it off (buttons on Air Conditioner Unit), it keeps running (fan turns off but we think the compressor is still running).
We are trying a good cleaning today (coils, etc.), to see if that fixes the problem.
Jane
We found 2 hornets nests in the Air Conditioner. It was not horribly dirty but not clean either. We cleaned it up (coil cleaner), checked the board connections (all tight), and used some compressed air to clean off the circuit board.
Still the same problem (compressor does not turn off).
We will check replacing circuit boards (inside at the controls and maybe the one under the shroud).
If the compressor still runs when the rotary switch is in the 'off' position, most likely the switch is the culprit .
Power to the compressor is delivered through the rotary switch.
Larry
Larry, domestic tech support agrees with you - old relay is stuck on. Circuit board that holds the relays can not be purchased (too old) and I am not up for replacing a relay ion a board.
We did a cleaning but the coil is starting to disenegrate.
A new AC is on the plans.
Jane
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"Circuit board that holds the relays can not be purchased (too old)..."
Not even from Dinosaur, that's hard to believe! ::)
"Circuit board that holds the relays can not be purchased (too old)..."
Not even from Dinosaur, that's hard to believe! ::)
Dinosaur only builds circuit boards for RV refrigerators, water heaters, furnaces and Onan generators.
If the compressor's relay is mounted on a circuit board, replacing the relay is beyond the ability of 99% of us.
Being that the A/C unit is so old, the odds of finding a new board isn't good. Finding an exact replacement relay isn't too promising either.
A new A/C isn't all bad, after 15-20 years the exterior cooling coils can corrode badly, decreasing the A/C's ability to reject heat.
Some older LDs had 13,500-btu A/Cs, upgrade to a 15,000-btu model when replacing it, you can never have too much cooling power in the mid-summer heat.
LD glues the A/C's roof gasket to the roof. Make sure the new gasket is waterproof and glued down.
The rooftop A/C causes a low spot in the roof, know as "Lake Newton", as it collects any water that lands on the roof.
The seal needs to be absolutely waterproof since it can be in water for weeks and months at a time.
Larry
Larry, thanks as always for the advice. Yup at 30 years old I think the AC is done for.
We are planning on a 15000 btu unit.
I read Atwood (bought out by domestics 2 years ago) was better than the dometic units (quieter, less power usage, cooled better) But I finally found reviews by someone who actually used it and said it didn’t live up to expectations.
Anyone have experience with Atwood air conditioners?
Jane
We are still reviewing models...
Larry, thanks as always for the advice. Yup at 30 years old I think the AC is done for.
We are planning on a 15000 btu unit.
I read Atwood (bought out by domestics 2 years ago) was better than the dometic units (quieter, less power usage, cooled better) But I finally found reviews by someone who actually used it and said it didn’t live up to expectations.
Anyone have experience with Atwood air conditioners?
Jane
We are still reviewing models...
Here is a review of AC units that you may have already seen.
Best Rooftop RV Air Conditioner - Your RV Lifestyle (https://www.your-rv-lifestyle.com/best-rooftop-rv-air-conditioner.html)
Jim
Larry is right, of course.
“The rooftop A/C causes a low spot in the roof, know as "Lake Newton", as it collects any water that lands on the roof.
The seal needs to be absolutely waterproof since it can be in water for weeks and months at a time.“
If your RV is not in use, park/level it so one corner is clearly lower than the others. That will drain the water to prevent Lake Newton from forming.
If camping and it’s raining, when the rain stops, move enough to drain the “lake” then level up again.
Ed
"If your RV is not in use, park/level it so one corner is clearly lower than the others."
Unless of course if you keep your fridge on 24/7 as I do, anticipating the next trip, even if that is a month away. My new concrete parking pad was leveled with a laser device and yet I still use my levelers to compensate for the nose down attitude of my coach. Yet I've had no trouble with leaks due to Lake Newton. ::)
We are planning on a 15000 btu unit. I read Atwood (bought out by domestics 2 years ago) was better than the dometic units (quieter, less power usage, cooled better) But I finally found reviews by someone who actually used it and said it didn’t live up to expectations. Anyone have experience with Atwood air conditioners? We are still reviewing models...
Did you find any additional information on the Atwood Air Command AC units? For what it's work, a good many Foretravel Owners report excellent results with this unit to include that it is much quieter than Dometic AC units. Finally, did you replace your AC unit and if so, what was your decision? Thanks in advance.
Hi, our research on the Atwood was the support is extremely limited. Dometic customer service didn't have any info on it and local dealers/services knew nothing about it. We were concerned that Dometic was not really going to support this like the old Atwood company did. We also heard some reviews from people that had put them in that the energy savings and noise savings were not really there as advertised by Atwood. I don't know if Dometic changed the design or the hype was better than the product.
We went with a Brisk Air HE. We really wanted to go with a Coleman - much better support (I could actually talk to a tech support person). But for several reasons did not choose that.
I put more info on our choice in the post This post includes our Air Conditioner Choice decisions (http://www.lazydazeowners.com/index.php?topic=32016.0)
Now we are figuring out how not to have the RV too cold - lol. We get a 30 degree drop during day time highs of 110 ish (we do have mylar on windows/vents).
Jane