Bedrm A/C blowing white smoke + oil on roof

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TravelinCircus

Member
[SUB]​[/SUB]We are pretty new to RVing and are doing it full-time now for the next 12-18 months while working in Georgetown, TX.

We have a 2012 Big Country 3650RL. This evening, the bedroom A/C unit started pouring out white smoke that filled the whole RV. My husband checked up on the roof and saw a fairly large puddle of clear oil next to the unit.

We can't contact Heartland until they open back up on Monday. Has anyone experienced this problem before, and if so, advice?


Thanks so much,
Doug & Joyce
 
danemayer

danemayer

Well-known member
Hi Doug & Joyce,

Thinking back a couple of years, I don't recall anyone posting about an A/C failure like you've had.

Is there a reason you're waiting to talk to Heartland rather than taking it to an authorized service location to be repaired? Mobile service techs are also an option if you pay the travel time, and they're authorized.
 
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donr827

Well-known member
Did the smoke you are talking about smell like a electrical fire smell or something else? Unusual for a compressor to dump all of it's refrigerant at one time.
Don
 
ParkIt

ParkIt

Well-known member
donr827 said:
Did the smoke you are talking about smell like a electrical fire smell or something else? Unusual for a compressor to dump all of it's refrigerant at one time.
Don
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Agree with Don, it would be unusual for it to dump refrigerant all at once. I'd pull any fuses and unhook from any power source if you can to that part of the coach until you can have a shop look at it.
Very rare indeed, you may want to contact Dometic directly. If you can find the SN or model number that may help while talking to them. Hopefully you can get it resolved quickly with the heat wave we are having.
 
J

jbeletti

Well-known member
Wonder if the clear oil could be a leaking starting capacitor? May get lucky with an RV store that has a well stocked service center.
 
porthole

porthole

Retired
An AC failure in the sealed system can indeed dump oil and blow white smoke into the enclosure. RV or car, the refrigerant has oil in the mix.
 
ParkIt

ParkIt

Well-known member
porthole said:
An AC failure in the sealed system can indeed dump oil and blow white smoke into the enclosure. RV or car, the refrigerant has oil in the mix.
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This is where I fail. So used to stripping them off for weight (racing) I haven't paid attention to how the larger AC unit is built. Time to haul the cover off and see what's what but it still sounds like a rare occurrence.
Could that happen when run under a heavy load?
 
porthole

porthole

Retired
ParkIt said:
This is where I fail. So used to stripping them off for weight (racing) I haven't paid attention to how the larger AC unit is built. Time to haul the cover off and see what's what but it still sounds like a rare occurrence.
Could that happen when run under a heavy load?
Click to expand...

You are racing RV's - cool!

It is a rare occurance. I don't recall any other Heartlanders ever having this issue. I don't go on RV.net too often so don't know if it has come up there. I did spend 20+ years in the automotive field and have seen this probelm occur in cars and light trucks.
 
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TravelinCircus

Member
.
danemayer said:
Hi Doug & Joyce,

Thinking back a couple of years, I don't recall anyone posting about an A/C failure like you've had.

Is there a reason you're waiting to talk to Heartland rather than taking it to an authorized service location to be repaired? Mobile service techs are also an option if you pay the travel time, and they're authorized.
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for the replies to our question. We had to wait until Monday morning to contact Heartland because (as usual for us), the problem happened on a Saturday night when nothing is open, including the authorized service center. Sigh.

Doug contacted the service center in Georgetown, TX this morning. We have to take the RV in on Friday morning so that they can diagnose the problem. Then they will order whatever parts necessary to fix it. A few weeks later, we will have to take it in again for them to fix the problem. This is going to be a very obnoxious process, since we live in our RV full-time and we have our four dogs living with us too.
 
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TravelinCircus

Member
donr827 said:
Did the smoke you are talking about smell like a electrical fire smell or something else? Unusual for a compressor to dump all of it's refrigerant at one time.
Don
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No, the white smoke didn't really have any discernible smell, and it felt cool when I put my hand near the bedroom a/c vents that it was billowing out of. It did make us cough and choke when the whole RV was filled with it, before we could get the windows, door, and exhaust fans open.
 
danemayer

danemayer

Well-known member
Doug contacted the service center in Georgetown, TX this morning. We have to take the RV in on Friday morning so that they can diagnose the problem. Then they will order whatever parts necessary to fix it. A few weeks later, we will have to take it in again for them to fix the problem.
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Dealers are pretty busy during camping season. You might try to find a mobile servicer who can respond more quickly. Heartland is pretty flexible about authorizing service techs. Just get the authorization from Heartland in advance. You'll probably be responsible for the travel time charges, but it might be better than going to the local dealer.
 
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TravelinCircus

Member
danemayer said:
Dealers are pretty busy during camping season. You might try to find a mobile servicer who can respond more quickly. Heartland is pretty flexible about authorizing service techs. Just get the authorization from Heartland in advance. You'll probably be responsible for the travel time charges, but it might be better than going to the local dealer.
Click to expand...

Thank you for that advice. Doug clarified that when he called Heartland this morning, they told him he had to call Dometic directly since it is a warranty issue. So Dometic is who told us to call the authorized service center. Doug will call Dometic back tomorrow and inquire about a mobile tech option. That would make this whole thing so much less of a hassle!
 
ParkIt

ParkIt

Well-known member
TravelinCircus said:
Thank you for that advice. Doug clarified that when he called Heartland this morning, they told him he had to call Dometic directly since it is a warranty issue. So Dometic is who told us to call the authorized service center. Doug will call Dometic back tomorrow and inquire about a mobile tech option. That would make this whole thing so much less of a hassle!
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Wonder if they will pay for a mobile tech, can't say I've been overly impressed with Dometic through the decades. Maybe they've stepped up their game and can get you a repair/replacement without going the route of reimbursement.

And yes Duane, racing towables is a huge sport now. It's dicey to cut a good time on the tree but its fun to watch them explode just before hitting the end of the quarter ;)
 
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TravelinCircus

Member
ParkIt said:
Wonder if they will pay for a mobile tech, can't say I've been overly impressed with Dometic through the decades. Maybe they've stepped up their game and can get you a repair/replacement without going the route of reimbursement.
Click to expand...

Doug called a mobile tech this morning who was recommended to us by the RV park residents. He said he works on Dometics a lot. He will stop by today, diagnose the problem, and get all of the info and paperwork necessary for Dometic.

He said an extra $200 would make it worth it for him to do the job. We are thrilled to not have to go through all of the hassle and expense of taking it to the service center twice!

Thanks so much for all of the helpful advice! :)
 
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