AC Cycling ???? - Dutchmen Owners
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Old 04-10-2014, 10:52 PM   #1
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AC Cycling ????

Hi, New to this forum!!
I have a 2013 Denali RK 246 with a Dometic 13k roof air and the digital thermostat. The ac runs & blows cold, then shuts off and within 15-45 SECONDS turns back on again. Then runs for 2-3 minutes goes off and we repeat the cycle on and on!
Outside temps maybe 80-90 degrees low (5%) humidity (not freezing up) shades down, extra tinting on windows etc. I bought another (same) thermostat to see and have same results. Has anybody found a way to have this irritation go away? The thermostat is 12v DC so options for replacement are limited. Dealer has been no help. Thanks in advance Pete
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Old 04-10-2014, 11:29 PM   #2
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That rapid on/off cycling sounds like the system is low on refrigerant.
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Old 04-11-2014, 12:26 AM   #3
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I wonder... but the output temp is at least 40 degrees colder than the input so I think it would blow warm if the Freon was low.
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Old 04-11-2014, 12:56 AM   #4
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There may be just enough refrigerant to satisfy the low pressure switch allowing the compressor to run for a short time and remove the heat from the air.
When the refrigerant changes state the low pressure switch no longer stays closed and then cycles out the compressor until the gas changes state again.
I'm not an A/C guy but I have experienced this problem with auto air conditioning systems. Add more refrigerant and the system operates as normal until the system leaks down again.
You've replaced the T-stat so the refrigerant charge would be the next thing to check I think.
There is the possibility the filter is extremely dirty or clogged but you have a relatively new unit but worth checking still.
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Old 04-11-2014, 12:48 PM   #5
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You might also check the ducting as explained in many posts on this site. It might be putting out cold air but is it getting the volume of air into the unit to really cool it down. The outside temp may be overwhelming the capacity if the ducts are messed up.
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Old 04-11-2014, 11:09 PM   #6
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Thanks for the replys and feedback...
OK, checked a few things out and did some documentation... The unit runs for about 10 minutes and then turns off for 3. The longer I kept it running, the shorter the run times became. I'm guessing as the coach cooled off. But, this was inside a garage so there was no sun load (but 90+ degrees). This thing blows real cold like 40 deg. at the register.
On the ducting all flow a sufficient volume of air to make me think the ducts are ok.
I did find out that I have another 8 months of warrantee so now I know I may have some resources. I'm going to call Dometic Monday to see if I can talk to a tech as the thought of taking it in to the dealer makes my skin crawl!!
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Old 04-12-2014, 12:53 AM   #7
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Pretty simple really. If your thermostat is set for say 75 degrees and the unit runs 10 minutes and shuts off. What is the temperature when the unit shuts off. If its 75 degrees then your golden. If it runs ten minutes and shuts off at 83 degrees with the thermostat set at 75 degrees then you have a problem.

Today, I was running all three of my AC units. Trailer was sitting in full sun and it was 96 degrees with 2% humidity. The only AC unit that would shut down was the bedroom unit. Temperature in the main living area would only get down to 76 degrees. All the units were working hard, except the bedroom unit. And the main AC unit does blow cold air. About 44 degrees, with a wind speed of 14 to 15 MPH from the ducts. That gives a wind chill of low 30 degrees coming from the ducts. So my trailer AC is working.

My conclusion on these trailers is the R factor rating they give them is total BS.
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Old 05-01-2014, 12:18 AM   #8
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I want to "close" this thread out as it drives me nuts when we are left hanging ...
After talking to a tech at an out of state dealership (CA) I got another thermostat from them, same (Dometic) type just for kicks and lo and behold the system works fine now. Turns out that the original one and one replacement from a web site were defective.
I do believe the 13.5k system is somewhat under rated but we don't RV in the desert and when we do its up until late May.
Thank you all for the responses!
Pete
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Old 05-03-2015, 06:00 PM   #9
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I'm having the same problem. Are you saying you replaced the thermostat or the thermocouple?
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Old 07-22-2015, 05:24 PM   #10
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the thread you replied on is a year old, sounds like his thermostat was bad and he took a chance and replaced it,, I would look at your aC filter, then up inside the unit and make sure your thermocouple didn't fall off the evaporator, they are just kinda jammed in there..
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Old 07-23-2015, 02:25 AM   #11
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The first time it cycled was because the thermocouple came loose and was hanging there. The second time was because when i secured the thermocouple I secured it too close to the coil so it registered frozen too quickly. Real problem was high humidity. By moving the thermocouple away from the coil and putting it closer to the outside of the fins, and then slowly lowering the internal temp of the trailer, 2 degrees at a time, it allowed the AC to cycle enough to prevent freezing on the coils. Trailer is now brr cold.
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Old 07-23-2015, 02:08 PM   #12
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I wish I could say the same for mine, but it gets to 104+ here, my slide out get to 160 degrees on the panels ( shot with laser temp gun),, I just slid a camera into my bedroom duct and there is a big hole behind where my tv sits, where they ran power and such, my wall was 70 degrees and little air coming out vents,, have my work cut out to stop the lights from being cold etc, and get the air out the vents like it should,, will camera the other side today..
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Old 05-10-2020, 01:14 AM   #13
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Now that the weather has warmed up, I was having the continuous cycling problem with my Dometic ac with a touch control digital thermostat in my 2019 Dutchmen Atlas. After reviewing all the comments (here and elsewhere) and trying several possible fixes, I decided to try setting my fan speed from auto to high, and then low. That solved the problem! Apparently the control board kept changing the fan speed, thinking it was cool enough, and everytime it did, the unit would cycle off then restart. By setting the fan speed off auto, our trailer cooled down appreciably and the ac runs steady. The only drawback is the fan runs constantly while the thermostat is set to ac, but that's a small price to pay for ease of mind. Now the compressor sounds normal and it holds the temperature steady. Worth a try if you haven't already.
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Old 05-10-2020, 11:58 AM   #14
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Mine does that too. The fan will stop (the compressor keeps running) and a second or two later the fan will start up again. Since the fan system only has two speeds, I think it's checking to see what the temp is then adjusting the fan to run slower or faster. In the meantime, the compressor keeps humming along.

I wish they would put a simple soft start and a VFD on the fan like my home AC and I'm too lazy to install a soft start (Easy Start) on the compressor (although highly recommended).

By the way Jim, welcome to the forum!
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Old 05-11-2020, 10:31 AM   #15
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Congratulations JimG

I believe you win the award for reopening the oldest post ever reopened on this site! (Aug 2014 last reply)

Glad you solved your issue!
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