High AC current draw

Volusiacrazy · 06-30-2018, 10:15 AM

Hello fellow Jayco owners. I recently had a repairman put stop leak and refrigerant in my AC. It's supposed to have a amp draw around 15 amp, but when it's hot outside during the day it will draw around 22 amps and trip the breaker , then when the sun goes down it will pull the right amps and run good. Anyone know why it does this ?

Grumpy · 06-30-2018, 10:23 AM

Could be low voltage in the park from all the a/c's running, that will cause an increase in current draw.

Volusiacrazy · 06-30-2018, 10:29 AM

If this would be the case I guess there really isn't much you can do right?

Grumpy · 06-30-2018, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Volusiacrazy

If this would be the case I guess there really isn't much you can do right?

Complain to management....

Volusiacrazy · 06-30-2018, 10:39 AM

somehow can't see that getting me anywhere

bap · 06-30-2018, 01:47 PM

When you say the repairman put both stop leak and refrigerant in your AC unit, that raises a Red Flag with me. A good AC person would not add stop leak, but find the leak and repair it. Did he have the proper equipment to check both the high and low pressure? Did he put too much or too little refrigerant in? Both will make the compressor work harder. Also, did they clean or make sure they are clean both the Evaporator and Condensor cores? If they are plugged up pressure will spike causing higher amps to be drawn. There is a lot of people who claim to know AC repair but there is much less that actually truly know how to do it properly.

us71na · 06-30-2018, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bap

When you say the repairman put both stop leak and refrigerant in your AC unit, that raises a Red Flag with me. A good AC person would not add stop leak, but find the leak and repair it. Did he have the proper equipment to check both the high and low pressure? Did he put too much or too little refrigerant in? Both will make the compressor work harder. Also, did they clean or make sure they are clean both the Evaporator and Condensor cores? If they are plugged up pressure will spike causing higher amps to be drawn. There is a lot of people who claim to know AC repair but there is much less that actually truly know how to do it properly.

I completely agree. Stop leak should not be used in an A/C system.

Volusiacrazy · 07-01-2018, 05:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bap

When you say the repairman put both stop leak and refrigerant in your AC unit, that raises a Red Flag with me. A good AC person would not add stop leak, but find the leak and repair it. Did he have the proper equipment to check both the high and low pressure? Did he put too much or too little refrigerant in? Both will make the compressor work harder. Also, did they clean or make sure they are clean both the Evaporator and Condensor cores? If they are plugged up pressure will spike causing higher amps to be drawn. There is a lot of people who claim to know AC repair but there is much less that actually truly know how to do it properly.

I'm not a AC repairman, I'm an electrician. The man was recommended to me by my local RV dealer, they said that's who they get. All I know is he took gauges and a tank of refrigerant to the roof, told me if he tried to find the leak I would have more in it than buying a new one so he usually puts stop leak in that works 80%of the time so I told him to go ahead. As I first stated the only time there is a problem with the amperage is during the day when the sun is beating down on the roof. When the sun goes down the amperage goes back down and there isn't a problem. I know that sounds strange but that's what I'm seeing.

Bullitt6283 · 07-01-2018, 05:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Volusiacrazy

I'm not a AC repairman, I'm an electrician. The man was recommended to me by my local RV dealer, they said that's who they get. All I know is he took gauges and a tank of refrigerant to the roof, told me if he tried to find the leak I would have more in it than buying a new one so he usually puts stop leak in that works 80%of the time so I told him to go ahead. As I first stated the only time there is a problem with the amperage is during the day when the sun is beating down on the roof. When the sun goes down the amperage goes back down and there isn't a problem. I know that sounds strange but that's what I'm seeing.

IMO that was a totally bogus AC repair. No way stop-leak should be used.

Adding too much refrigerant can result in higher operating pressure and drawing too much power when it's working hard during the day.

Unless he properly purged his gauge set, he could have admitted some outside air into the system while adding refrigerant. This also increases operating pressures.

If the stop-leak partially clogged the evaporator orifice, that could also raise operating pressure.

.

Volusiacrazy · 07-01-2018, 05:48 AM

As much as I hate to think about it, I think the best thing to do would be to replace the whole thing with a new unit and be done with it. I paid that guy $180.00 so I think a new unit is the way to go. Thanks for all the replies.

us71na · 07-01-2018, 06:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Volusiacrazy

I'm not a AC repairman, I'm an electrician. The man was recommended to me by my local RV dealer, they said that's who they get. All I know is he took gauges and a tank of refrigerant to the roof, told me if he tried to find the leak I would have more in it than buying a new one so he usually puts stop leak in that works 80%of the time so I told him to go ahead. As I first stated the only time there is a problem with the amperage is during the day when the sun is beating down on the roof. When the sun goes down the amperage goes back down and there isn't a problem. I know that sounds strange but that's what I'm seeing.

With a sniffer, finding the leak should take a few minutes. Brazing the leak could take a few more minutes. If the leak is in an inaccessible place sealing it could be a problem.

us71na · 07-11-2018, 11:27 AM

Upon further research Stop leak is sometimes used as a cure for leaks inside the coils where they are inaccessible. However, stop leak can also gum up the compressor and or the orifices in the system. It should be used sparingly and as a last resort.

Volusiacrazy · 07-11-2018, 01:22 PM

we recently bought the trailer in spring and after I thought about it a little we discovered the AC didn't cool on our first trip out over Memorial Day and it tripped the breaker then which was before the repairman ever looked at it so the compressor must be screwed up anyway. In any case it goes tomorrow and getting a new AC installed in it.

Volusiacrazy · 07-11-2018, 01:24 PM

I am bringing the old one home to so I can tinker with it.

Dustdevil · 07-12-2018, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Volusiacrazy

I am bringing the old one home to so I can tinker with it.

In the end, it's probably the only way to fix it correctly. I would probably do the same as you, and bring the old one home to work with. But in reality, it's likely not salvageable beyond its educational value.

There is a lot of merit in the earlier comment that low voltage would cause higher current draw of the compressor motor. That would also make perfect sense if the current draw drops as the sun goes down, as the air usually gets cooler, and the voltage rises again in the RV facility. The reason it drops is usually because the service at the transformer output is barely able to keep up with demand on a hot day, and the number of AC units running at the time. The load would drop considerably when the air cools, and thus lower demand on the output side of the transformer, as the operating AC units actually cycle on and off, and aren't likely all drawing full load amperage at the same time.

Sometimes, it also helps to know where the transformer is located, as the pedestals closer to the transformer tend to have higher voltage.

By the way, continual use of an AC system on voltage that is low enough to trip circuit breakers is usually too low for the motor to operate efficiently. That low voltage is probably wreaking havoc on your compressor motor's insulation.

wags999 · 07-12-2018, 04:19 PM

I was told most RV AC's were sealed systems and not designed to add any coolant.. That being said, my 15,000 unit is running now and total amperage draw on the TT is 16 amp...nothing else major is on except the normal background draws. Also for what it's worth there is no spike at start up...my progressive hard wired shows 15 amps typically. The startup spike is only an instant and doesn't trip breakers. It sounds like a low voltage which would cause the amps to rise.. Get a good EMS and solve your issue...where we are at this year the typical voltage in the morning is about 122 123....With full load AC and water heater it may drop to 119 never seen it lower. When really hot like today (90's and humid) we turn the water heater to propane (makes no difference we get free electric and free propane). Then we can use MW etc with AC running and no issues.

Good Luck.

kblast523 · 07-12-2018, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by us71na

I completely agree. Stop leak should not be used in an A/C system.

Although there are companies that manufacture refrigerant 'stop leak' having worked in the refrigeration install business years ago, that's got to be qualified. The only stop leak I found was for R134a. I just removed a Dometic BriskAir unit with R22 in it, built around 2010. It has never had a tap installed and appears never to have had refrigerant added. It was tripping the 20 amp breaker even on 'warm' days. When the cover was damaged by hail, I decided to replace it and upgrade to a 15k model.

After removing I disassembled the unit and found the evap coil was totally matted and about 60% blocked. The condenser coil was also dirty. Bottom line, refrigerant would not have helped. Cleaning the unit is the remedy.

My experience with mostly residential air systems has ranged from mediocre to pathetic. I've had better luck getting a/c in a Volvo fixed by a dealer. This is the first time I have had RV a/c trouble, and I fixed it myself.

I do not personally believe I would like 'stop leak' in my a/c but for those who do feel the need- https://www.rectorseal.com/ac-leak-freeze/

Volusiacrazy · 07-13-2018, 09:29 AM

My biggest problem with the whole deal is I'm disabled and unable to go to the roof to mess with it myself. I had the repairman come and work on it and it still isn't working right. So I figured that in my condition and not wanting to pay a repairman another 180 dollars and still might not work, we would just replace the unit at the camper shop and be done .

Dustdevil · 07-13-2018, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Volusiacrazy

My biggest problem with the whole deal is I'm disabled and unable to go to the roof to mess with it myself. I had the repairman come and work on it and it still isn't working right. So I figured that in my condition and not wanting to pay a repairman another 180 dollars and still might not work, we would just replace the unit at the camper shop and be done .

I think it's the wise approach. Just keep that information tucked in your back pocket for the power situation. Low voltage can destroy a compressor motor very quickly in high ambient temperatures. Someone suggested earlier a power monitor, which will pinpoint such things. Before I bought one, I used to use a multimeter in the summer to check line voltage at the pedestal before plugging in. I was popping circuit breakers one year in 115 degree heat, and ended up having the kids sleep in a friend's motorhome, because his worked ok. Voltage was down below 104, which will overheat a motor under normal conditions, much less 115 degrees ambient.

bdreinv · 07-13-2018, 10:05 AM

Hey Wags are you in Surprise now? We are in Wittmann,running ac now sucked out 2 gallon of water since 6am this morning. So much for the dry heat! Thanks

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