John sigmone

[John Sigmone]

My front a/c on my 2014 big sky is not blowing cold. Can i charge it with freon or is it a closed unit?

[Daryles]

It is a sealed unit, however, I have read of someone with AC experience putting a saddle Tap on the pipe and successfully recharging the system.

[John Sigmone]

Thank you for the info. Being the unit is almost 10 yrs old would it be a good idea to put a new one in?

[High5er]

I certainly would. I've heard mixed feedback on modifying and recharging these units. If you have the strength or means to get a new AC up on the roof of your RV, it's a pretty easy job. When we replaced ours, we backed up to the house, put the new unit out one of our upstairs windows and walked it on to the roof of the trailer. Of course, that was some time ago, so they could be much lighter weight than they used to be.

[DutchmenSport]

Well, here's my thoughts.

First, if you are comfortable attempting a fix on your own, then go for it. You can try the "tap" and see if it actually works.

But, if it does not, then go out and get a new AC unit.

But, before doing the attempted self-fix, located the new unit first and make sure you can actually get it, in the event you totally fudge up the old air conditioner and your attempted "fix" does not work.

My opinion.... if it's already broke, then try to fix it myself. If I can fix it, I've saved myself a bunch of money. If I can't fix it and end up breaking it even MORE, well .... I've not lost anything since it was broken to start with.

[rohrmann]

Our front A/C failed at less than a year. Still blew air but no cold. When a tech removed the shroud, there was compressor oil everywhere,, so, it was toast. Getting an eyeball on it might be the first option.

[Bourbon County]

I am a member of the fix it yourself club also, and admire the other members.

A couple of things to think of before trying the saddle valves. You will need a set of gauges to determine if the charge is low and to do an accurate charge after repairs. If the charge is low or totally gone; where did it go? It's a sealed system and if it's low, you have a leak. If you have a leak, can you find it and repair it? If it's inside one of the coils, forget it.

I too would advise removing the shroud and taking a good luck before buying anything. If it has leaked there is a possibility you will see some compressor oil.

[John Sigmone]

Thanks to everyone's input on my a/c problem.

[cgeis48]

Another thing to try on a unit as old as yours is to buy some cleaner for the air conditioner fins. My neighboring RVer friend had that problem. The air conditioner would come on, but then soon it would go back off allowing the RV to warm up inside. After his was cleaned, it worked like brand new.
It may be time for all of us to think about cleaning the fins because they certainly do collect dirt and debris. I’ve seen insect bodies and lots of black dirt flow out of the fins.
Cleaning will extend the life of an AC unit and the unit will produce cooler air.
Here is a link to the cleaner he used:
https://a.co/d/etNIF3f
The cap has a comb that can be used to straighten any bent fins. Another step that helps improve efficiency.

[MuddyPaws]

My rear AC unit did the same thing. I was thinking I would have to replace the whole thing but once I pulled the cover off and looked at the capacitors the cause was obvious. The compressor motor simply couldn't get enough 'oomph' to start. I replaced all three capacitors 'just because' and it runs like new. Total cost was about $130.

If you find oil all over it's a leak but that's much less likely than a blown cap.

[dvines]

Check the capacitors before doing anything expensive. You need a special multimeter for that purpose (Amazon) and YouTube has the testing procedures. Always start troubleshooting with the easy/cheap things unless the problem is obvious. Good luck