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Old 07-22-2017, 03:58 PM   #1
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2016 rbsl AC not cooling

Greetings

Long time lurker 1st time poster. North Texas area.

Relatively new 2016 RBSL TT AC worked last night until 4am this morning. High humidity woke me up.

It has run fantastic since we bought it last June. No issues anywhere even in our extreme heat.

I have reset the breaker, unplugged from shore power, removed the filter.

No cooling. Just ambient temperature coming out of the vents.

I'll probably head to the roof to check out any obvious issues up top

Any. recommendations? We've called a few TT/RV service places around here with limited success.

Thanks in advance and look forward to posting more here.


/R
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Old 07-22-2017, 09:06 PM   #2
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Its a dometic 13.5 or 15k but unit. Repair guy wants to replace it for $1500. I see new units for under $600.

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Old 07-22-2017, 10:38 PM   #3
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I replaced my 15k unit with this one for $595. It took all of an hour to replace it. One electrical connection and 4 long bolts, it does take 2 people to get it up there safely.
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Old 07-23-2017, 01:29 AM   #4
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Originally Posted by dawniewest View Post
I replaced my 15k unit with this one for $595. It took all of an hour to replace it. One electrical connection and 4 long bolts, it does take 2 people to get it up there safely.
This is exactly why I check FIRST to see what you would do. Lol
I'm not even gonna worry how long the thing lasts.
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Old 07-23-2017, 02:44 PM   #5
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This is exactly why I check FIRST to see what you would do. Lol
I'm not even gonna worry how long the thing lasts.
They don't last long when you try to pull through a car wash instead of backing out.
I pay lots of stupid tax, happy to pass on the cheapest fixes.
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Old 07-23-2017, 06:19 PM   #6
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I've done some research and aside from hoisting the 80lbs on the roof it doesn't look to bad.

That being typed I will still try to negotiate with the installer.

I'm not doing the "I can get it on Amazon" ultimatum. Just negotiate.

If he doesn't budge I'm doing it myself.

At least I can just throw the old unit on the ground for ease of movement.

Thanks for the feedback

Let you know how out goes.
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Old 07-23-2017, 08:23 PM   #7
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I dunno folks. I loosened and took most everything from the cabin inside unit per comments.

We will see what the installer comes back with. I'm ready to do this myself now

Here's from underneath

https://photos.app.goo.gl/pZfN9vIxYae6MyIo2

Someone might have to show me how to post a single pic or I'll just look around

This ain't my first forum rodeo but pic posting can be different.

I should know regarding the price this pm.
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Old 07-24-2017, 02:23 PM   #8
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If it is a 2016 then the AC unit has a 2 year warranty and your dealer should replace it for free.

Dometic had a long run of bad units that hit the 2015 and 2016 models. Happened to us too.
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Old 07-24-2017, 02:37 PM   #9
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I appreciate the reply.

We bought it used and didn't purchase any warranty - we got a good deal.

Having done all of the mechanical prep yesterday I can see it's not to big of a deal to replace with a new Unit hopefully of a better pedigree.

We just purchased the $600.00 unit from Amazon. 2 week shipping is free. Hopefully it will arrive in good shape.


Tell you what - the design of the whole AC vent system/top unit is pretty simple.

Not that I'd want to jump in and rip out ceilings and mess with ductwork but the central plenum for the rooftop unit is simple and effective.

/R
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Old 07-29-2017, 12:39 AM   #10
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The unit is Going in tomorrow morn during the cool period in Texas

Anyone with this ac unit know where the freeze control sensor is plugged into on the evaporator coils?

It looks like it uses an electrical tape wrapped end that is wedged in the coils (filter side of unit).

I'm thinking it is wedged but don't know the location.

Maybe it doesn't matter?

Thanks in advance
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Old 07-29-2017, 02:24 AM   #11
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Read a dometic install PDF. It goes thru the fins to a coil 1" up from the lower left( facing rear of TT.

I'll try to clip it there while the new one is fully accessible. Zip tie or something else
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Old 07-29-2017, 03:37 PM   #12
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Read a dometic install PDF. It goes thru the fins to a coil 1" up from the lower left( facing rear of TT.

I'll try to clip it there while the new one is fully accessible. Zip tie or something else
I just went and looked at mine. It's about 1" or so up from the bottom of the coil facing the front (that's if the bottom of the coil is lined up with the edge that's sitting in front of it)
That will make sense if you look at it . I remember just matching the placement with the old one, mines dead center and it's just gently pushed into the fins, shouldn't be any need to zip tie. I'm also reminded to clean my filter, so thanks for that.
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Old 07-29-2017, 03:43 PM   #13
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With my son in laws help we finished the work in 45 minutes.

The most difficult part was getting the bulky units from the roof and to the roof.

Two guys or a guy and a gal with decent body strength, a ladder, pipe insulation on the top of the ladder to protect the TT roof, a pusher and a puller, two 2x4 plywood sheets to distribute the weight while on the roof, the packaging box and a before picture of the wiring. In this case only the freeze sensor and power needed to be reconnected.

Had the cabin down to 65 this morning after install. Nice! Its not using the ducts right now since I wanted to test it.

Overall a simple install that saved us $900 or so which includes the $24 spent at home depot for wood, rope and insulation.

We will camp in the back driveway tonight

Good to have the AC operational again.

\R
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Old 07-29-2017, 09:59 PM   #14
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along with the assistance of this forum I also used the below from a user review on the big "A"


===============================

"From: Dometic B59516.XX1C0 Brisk II Polar White Air Conditioner (15,000 BTU 410A) (Automotive)
This 15k btu air conditioner is perfect. We needed to replace both air conditioner on top of our RV (low branch incident...need I say more), and I decided to stick with what I already had brand wise. I have experience doing a lot of maintenance type work with my job, but was not sure how this would go as I had never worked on an RV system.

This turned out to be super easy, so easy in fact, that I believe anyone can do it. The hardest part was getting it on top of the RV. After that it was simple.

This item does not come with instructions, so I looked at a few blogs and articles as well as some YouTube videos before starting. Here is the basic breakdown of what you need to know if you are going to do the same thing.

First off, the only tools needed are a Philips head screw driver and a 3/8" socket or wrench. You may need a flat head screw driver as well, but having done two in a day, I didn't.

Secondly, the only thing this comes with is the roof top unit and the gasket. That's it. So if this is a new install, you will need the electrical connection kit and the ceiling kit of your choice.

Back to what I had to do. First thing is to remove the filter/ceiling unit cover using a screwdriver. Once the cover is off, you will see the ceiling template (metal bracket that holds the whole thing in place) as well as the electrical connection box. Make sure the power is off before moving on...got it, ok. Ok the outside of the box is a white plug with six wires...simply squeeze the sides and pull off...its that easy. Now, you should see two black wires going up into the a/c on the return side (filtered side), reach up and carefully pull out the freeze control sensor off of the evaporator coils (looks like a radiator). Make note of where it was placed as you will place it in the same spot on the new one.

The next step requires the 3/8" socket/ratchet. There are four bolts that hold the unit in place along the outer edges of this metal frame. Loosen them all up and remove them. At this point the metal frame will want to hang on all the wires. I just let it hang personally, lowering it slow enough so as not to damage anything.

At this point you can go up too and remove the a/c unit. It might stick to the roof as it's probably been there a while, but it's no longer connected. Be careful, the a/c unit is 80-85 pounds which while not outrageously heavy, due to its shape and size is awkward and can cause a back injury.

So now I'll skip ahead and assume you've moved the old unit out of the way and have the new one on the roof. Before moving the new unit completely into position I would first make sure to clean the area the old unit was in. Also do not drag it around and slide it too much as you could damage the gasket. Try to move it as close as you can to the right position, with the gasket being an not a 1" thick I was able to look underneath and get pretty close just by seeing the line of the old a/c gasket on the roof. Once your satisfied, go back down below.

Looking up into the hole you want to see that the unit is centered pretty well. From down here you can actually reach up and push/slide it around a little to get it just right, making sure that the gasket will seal all around. Once you're satisfied with its placement, now comes the easy part. Grab those 4 long bolts and your 3/8" socket again and put the ceiling template back in place. Tighten them in a cross pattern a little at a time, the manual (I found it online) says to tighten to 40-50 inch pounds (not ft pounds). This means 3-4 ft lbs which you probably don't have a torque wrench that will work at that low a value. Let's just say it's not super tight. You can crush your roof as well as bind the unit if you over tighten. I will say that the 1" gasket will compress down to between 1/2-3/4" when tightened properly (if you do get any leaks you can tighten a little more, but if you over tighten you won't be able to and you will have big issues).

Moving on. Once the a/c is as tight as it needs to be, place the freeze control sensor on to the new unit's coils, reach inside the new unit and pull out the power plug and plug it into the electrical box.

At this point I would turn power back on to test the unit. If you turn it on and everything sounds right you're good to go, simply reattach the ceiling unit/filter housing and relax. Congratulate yourself on a job well done!"

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