Coach A/C compressor shuts off June 07, 2014, 08:12:52 pm Yahoo Message Number: 146799I'm plugged into the house currently & since it's hot outside, I turned on the Coach A/C. I went back inside for a few and when I came out, I realized that I had blown the fuse on my house's circuit breaker. I reset the house breaker and then waited a good 15 minutes before turning on the coach A/C again. When I did, the compressor came on and then shut off after maybe 5 seconds. I looked for some ideas here & on Techsnoz to troubleshoot, but haven't come up with any.Now I'm a bit nervous & looking for a hand in sunny Sacramento...Ray '97 TK
Re: Coach A/C compressor shuts off Reply #1 – June 07, 2014, 09:17:17 pm Yahoo Message Number: 146800Hi Ray 1) Did you blow a fuse in the house or trip a circuit breaker? AFIK it is one or the other, usually a breaker, because fuses are less common now days.2) Is the fuse/breaker 15A, 20A, or what? 3) What is the gage of the extension cord, and how long is it?Tom
Re: Coach A/C compressor shuts off Reply #2 – June 07, 2014, 09:52:28 pm Yahoo Message Number: 146801I thought it is not a good idea to run the air conditioner from the house circuit as the amperage from the house may not be enough.
Re: Coach A/C compressor shuts off Reply #3 – June 07, 2014, 09:56:39 pm Yahoo Message Number: 146802I think a better test would be to run the air conditioner using the on board generator and then see what happens.
Re: Coach A/C compressor shuts off Reply #4 – June 08, 2014, 12:58:58 am Yahoo Message Number: 146807Phew! Breaker blew in my house, not the rig. It works with the generator though. - I was plugged in with the rig's line into my garage. This confirms that there's apparently not enough amperage. Thanks for your input!
Re: Coach A/C compressor shuts off Reply #5 – June 08, 2014, 10:30:35 am Yahoo Message Number: 146813Just East of Sacto, I've run a similar AC on A 20 A circuit successfully. I did overheat one extension cord (too long, too thin). LD calls for 30A.Have run the AC on the new rig here yet. Joel
Re: Coach A/C compressor shuts off Reply #6 – June 08, 2014, 12:04:09 pm Yahoo Message Number: 146815If the breaker blows when running the air conditioner, you might be able to get it to work by running the fridge on propane so it doesn't add to the electrical load when it cycles on.bumper
Re: Coach A/C compressor shuts off Reply #7 – June 08, 2014, 01:47:26 pm Yahoo Message Number: 146818This may not apply in your case, but here's a tip for those situations where you're plugged into a household (15 amp) outlet. If you're using an extension cord, as is often the case when you can't park the rig close enough to the house, make it a 30 amp one.In other words, instead of plugging the end of your shore power cord into a 30 A-to-15 A adapter and then running a 15 A extension cord the rest of the way, use a 30 A extension cord (available in the RVing department of most Walmarts), with the adapter at its far end, where you plug into the household outlet.You might think that since the outlet limits you to 15 A in any case, it wouldn't matter--but it does, as I can testify from practical experience. Using a 30 A extension cord minimizes power loss in the cords, and that can make the difference between tripping a breaker, or not having enough voltage to start your air conditioner's compressor, and a smoothly working system.Also, don't coil up any excess cord. Coiled-up wire is more likely to heat up, and hot wire carries less current than cold wire--the last thing you need.Here's another tip: if you're doing this, make sure your refrigerator is set to "LP" rather than "AC". When running on electricity, the fridge is an intermittent 350 watt load--3 amps at 120 VAC--that can put you over the edge in an already marginal power situation, resulting in a tripped breaker.Finally, check to see what other appliances are on the same circuit inside the house. If somebody's trying to run a room air conditioner or a coffeemaker on the same circuit, you're probably not going to have enough power to run the rig's air conditioner as well.Andy BairdTravels with Andy
Re: Coach A/C compressor shuts off Reply #8 – June 08, 2014, 02:57:41 pm Yahoo Message Number: 146822Here's one more tip that just occurred to me. If your air conditioner's compressor shuts off for any reason--a tripped breaker, or just because you turned it off manually--don't turn it on again for five minutes. If you try, the compressor may not be able to start up, and you could even cause damage to the unit. (The reason has to do with the unit's circulating fluids and vapors.)Andy BairdTravels with Andy
Re: Coach A/C compressor shuts off Reply #9 – June 08, 2014, 07:42:35 pm Yahoo Message Number: 146831Here's another tip: if you're doing this, make sure your refrigerator is set to "LP" rather than "AC"" Just had phone conversation with another LD owner last week with the questions on the same subject . We have spend numerous nights driveway camping at friends and relatives and have always been able to use the rooftop A/C, running on a 15 or 20-amp circuit, by using these basic tips.1 Use only 10-gauge (30-amp) extension cords. Make sure the 15-30-amp adapter is in good shape and does not over heat and burn the contacts. I have not had good results with the single piece adapters, preferring to use the 'dog bone' style of adapter, which are better able to dissipate heat buildup. Single piece adapter. http://www.amazon.com/Conntek-Male-Female-Connector-Adapter/dp/B001TO4WCS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1402269742&sr=8-3&keywords=30+amp+to+15+amp Dog-bone adapter. http://www.amazon.com/Camco-55165-PowerGrip-Dogbone-Electrical/dp/B000BUU5YA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1402269742&sr=8-2&keywords=30+amp+to+15+amp Older, pre-2003 LD's power cords are permanently attached to the RV and are stored in a side compartment. The cord is pulled out when needed. Make sure to fully pull the cord out when running an A/C to prevent the cord from overheating. Try not to coil any excess cord too neatly, also potentially causing overheating. 2 Turn the converter off and use the batteries and solar to run everything else. Converters can use large amounts of 120-VAC power, when charging or when 12-VDC appliances are use in the RV. If your rig does not have adequate solar, run the converter whenever the A/C is off to replenish the batteries. 3 Run the refrigerator on propane. Saves about 3-amps of 120-VAC power but does use a little 12-VDC battery power (about 1/2 AH continuously). . We have found that sometimes you need to try more than one of the host house's circuit before finding one that is free of other loads.Larry As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Coach A/C compressor shuts off Reply #10 – June 08, 2014, 10:38:41 pm Yahoo Message Number: 146833Thanks for all the great input. I had just got a new adaptor at WallyWorld (Walmart) since the previous one was cracked. I connected it to the 10 gauge cord that's attached to my 97 TK and was only running the a/c, getting ready for a trip in a couple of weeks.I could swear that I'd run the a/c previously from this outlet, but maybe not. So from your comments I have a couple of possible culprits other than the outlet.My main concern was damaging the compressor if I trip the breaker again - any risk there? Next time, I'll find a different outlet.Thanks again, Ray( a brisk 99F at 7:30 pm in Sacramento)
Re: Coach A/C compressor shuts off Reply #11 – June 08, 2014, 11:34:24 pm Yahoo Message Number: 146834"My main concern was damaging the compressor if I trip the breaker again - any risk there? Next time, I'll find a different outlet."RayTrying to start the compressor with low voltage isn't good on the compressor. Power monitors shut the power off at 104 VAC. A short duration attempt to start should not be a problem, The A/C makes a distinctive sound when the compressor is energized and spins up to speed. If it just hums and doesn't start within two to three seconds, shut it off.Consider adding a power monitor, such as the Progressive Industry EMC-MC30C, for protection from iffy power. EMS-HW30CLarry
Re: Coach A/C compressor shuts off Reply #12 – June 09, 2014, 09:24:19 am Yahoo Message Number: 146839I melted a good extension cord using a 15 amp plug in. I did not know better than to leave the excess length coiled in the nice Home Depot wire spool that I used keep things tidy. I was lucky we didn't have a fire. The wire insulation and spool had fused together and the spool was to hot to hold at the axis. The circuit breakers at either end did not trip.I will never leave cords spooled or coiled again when they are in use. John
Re: Coach A/C compressor shuts off Reply #13 – June 09, 2014, 09:49:30 am Yahoo Message Number: 146840We humans seem to believe that something that rarely happens will never happen. I would never play with my life over using cheap or inadequate wiring. Risking your life is one thing but risking others it not something we have permission to do.What most folk don't know is once an object has been heated close to its flash point it's flash point is reduced. What this means in the real world is the wire insulation flash point is being reduce every time you overheat it. At some point it will catch fire well below its stated flash point temperature. Btw this also means your friends or relatives house that so kindly let you use their outlet is also being reduced. Their wiring is also being put at rick.The best practice is to re-wire the house safely.Glen
Re: Coach A/C compressor shuts off Reply #14 – June 15, 2014, 07:01:30 pm Yahoo Message Number: 146979Very smart advice, Andy, to squeeze out that slight "extra" bit of current to start the AC compressor.
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