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Air Conditioner Problems In Our RV

by Trisha
(Near San Antonio, Texas)

My A/C was running fine and then we started having problems with it shutting itself off. It would run fine and then after a while it would only run for about 15 min. and the fan would stop and you could hear a humming noise. We would leave it off and start it again and the same thing would happen.

We cleaned out the ceiling filter and the top compartment on the RV, removing the shroud and blowing out the filter, and continues to do the same. The Shroud seems to be in good condition. The temperatures and humidity are rising in our area (Texas), with no relief in sight, and we need our A/C. Is there anything we can do?

ANSWER: Hi Trisha thanks for submitting your question on our Ask An RV Question Page.

Based on your description it is hard for me to tell you the exact problem with the Air Conditioning unit on your RV. The humming sound you are hearing when the fan shuts down could be the compressor running or it could be the fan motor getting ready to freeze up. So your problem could be a bad fan motor, a bad Control Board in your Air Conditioner, etc.

It sounds like you have taken some steps to properly maintain your AC unit. Listed below are the complete maintenance steps I recommend you should take to see if you can get your RV's Air Conditioner working again.

1. Clean the AC filters. Dirty AC filters can reduce the cooling capacity and efficiency of your Air Conditioner/s. The filters for RV Roof air conditioners are located inside the RV under the air distribution bezel on the AC unit.

Most RV Air Conditioner filters are made of washable materials and should be washed in warm water carefully and

thoroughly. Let them air dry before you replace them. If the filter is torn or will not clean up you should replace the RV Air Conditioner Filtericon. You should check and clean these filters at least once a month.

2. Once the filter/s is removed on most RV Air Conditioning units you will be able to see the evaporator coils. Get a flashlight and look at those coils to see if there is any type of accumulation of dirt or debris present, if there is use a very soft bristle vacuum attachment to carefully remove the dust and dirt.

3. If you are comfortable going on the roof of your RV you should also clean the outside condenser coils on your Air Conditioner/s. This will require removing the shroud on the air conditioner which is normally held on with several screws.

Once the shroud is removed you can use some compressed air to blow out debris that may have gotten into the Condenser Coils. Remember to blow the air from the inside out (that’s why you have to remove the shroud). This should be done at least once a year.

Below is a video by Professor Of RVing Jim Twamley that demonstrates everything that I just outlined above.

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Once you have completed this routine maintenance try running your AC again and see if it starts working properly. If you are still experiencing problems you should take your Motorhome in and have a Certified RV Technician check out the AC system on your RV.

Hope this helps.

Happy RVing

RVing Al

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Replacement parts
by: Anonymous

Air conditioner comes on but it shakes the whole intire house Can you get replacement parts or will I have to buy the whole unite

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