Brand new a/c dometic unit start up concerns

[relic57]

Hi everyone, have been reading of all the concerns and issues with the unit and starting to get worried. This is how our very first run through with the unit is going

we just took delivery of our very first 5th wheel, a 2017 BC 3450(which we are very excited with but a little overwhelmed). Once I got the unit set up ,it was about noon, and 85 outside. I think inside temp was about 83,I got the main A/C unit going in auto mode. The first thing I noticed was that it was not as loud as I would have thought. After a while it was blowing out COLD air, which is good, just not a lot of it. I started checking the vents as I have read before to do and noticed the air passes right over the vents, which I have also read on here before. Anyway let the unit run and run, in fact let it run all night and it finally shut itself down at 8 am the next day. As it was cool enough and we were leaving a little later I just shut the unit off. The bedroom unit has yet to be turned on

Here are are a few questions I have .

After the unit was running a little while I noticed that the back of the coach rain gutters were dripping. I got up on the ladder and noticed that on both sides of the A?C unit water was running down to the gutter. Is this normal?

Noticed that the air blowing up front from the duck work was coming out of the first bedroom port, a pretty good amount ,which over time made the bedroom pretty cool. Is this normal or should the air stop at the hall way port all together.

Also the air going to the back of the coach is not coming out of the ports too much at all, maybe a little more at the port by the ceiling fan.

I also noticed that at all the intake ports there is a piece of foam covering all the vents, should they be there or are they like a filter???

Hope this is not a lot of info to take in, but I a getting pretty worried, and concerned with a freeze up as I hate water.

Any imput will be of great help,

Dave

 

[TravelTiger]

Hi everyone, have been reading of all the concerns and issues with the unit and starting to get worried. This is how our very first run through with the unit is going

we just took delivery of our very first 5th wheel, a 2017 BC 3450(which we are very excited with but a little overwhelmed). Once I got the unit set up ,it was about noon, and 85 outside. I think inside temp was about 83,I got the main A/C unit going in auto mode. The first thing I noticed was that it was not as loud as I would have thought. After a while it was blowing out COLD air, which is good, just not a lot of it. I started checking the vents as I have read before to do and noticed the air passes right over the vents, which I have also read on here before. Anyway let the unit run and run, in fact let it run all night and it finally shut itself down at 8 am the next day. As it was cool enough and we were leaving a little later I just shut the unit off. The bedroom unit has yet to be turned on

Here are are a few questions I have .

After the unit was running a little while I noticed that the back of the coach rain gutters were dripping. I got up on the ladder and noticed that on both sides of the A?C unit water was running down to the gutter. Is this normal?

Noticed that the air blowing up front from the duck work was coming out of the first bedroom port, a pretty good amount ,which over time made the bedroom pretty cool. Is this normal or should the air stop at the hall way port all together.

Also the air going to the back of the coach is not coming out of the ports too much at all, maybe a little more at the port by the ceiling fan.

I also noticed that at all the intake ports there is a piece of foam covering all the vents, should they be there or are they like a filter???

Hope this is not a lot of info to take in, but I a getting pretty worried, and concerned with a freeze up as I hate water.

Any imput will be of great help,

Dave

This is all normal. The AC removes humidity from the air, and it runs off from the unit on the roof, into the gutters.

The two ACs share a duct system, so the front AC can send cool air the back area, and vice versa.

The ports with foam should be the intake side of the system. The foam is the filter. They need to be removed and cleaned periodically.

It does take the system a long time to cool the rig down from 83 to comfortable in the heat of summer.

Once you get more comfortable with your unit, you can better decide if it cools effectively.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jmgratz]

If you have the Whisper Quiet system both ACs work to cool the ENTIRE coach. So there should be cool air blowing out of all of the 'exhaust' vents. The return air vents have a piece of foam on them which is the filter and should be rinsed out periodically to keep it clean. The water that drips from the outside is a normal function of the AC as it removes the humidity from the inside air and that water is deposited outside. We have a lot of water that drips from the roof on ours. We have found some of the modifications have helped the airflow on the inside such as making a block in the duct which will stop air from flowing into the front and rear caps past the last vent opening. The duct extends past the last vent opening into the front and rear cap. This has really helped the air flow. Also some have blocked the duct between the bathroom and living room to create two separate systems. There are several threads that discuss this. We do remove the last vent cover to allow more air to escape out the opening. The design of the vent cover has a 'lip' which sticks up into the ducts partly blocking airflow. I am not an AC guy but have tried several things and have found which works and which does not but you do have to be careful not to block ductwork as it could (theoretically) cause a duct blowout. Also the factory engineers are working on solutions to several of the problems.

As a side note we are in the Texas heat and have found we cannot cool the coach below 77 when the temps go 90+. Some other things we have done are put thermo tint on the inside of the coach windows even though we have dual pane windows, keep our both day and night shades down all of time when temps are above 85, and run both ACs all the time, and we have covered both the bathroom vent and skylight and the kitchen vent. You have to get a head start on keeping it cool to cool it down during the day. Also do not hold open the front door any more than you need to. That hot air coming in heats the coach up quick.

 

[Bob&Patty]

If you have 2 A/C units....use them both. Start early in the day to start cooling your coach. This is not a S/B home that has thick walls. Sometimes we forget a key word in air conditioning......that is "conditioning". For your coach to get cool.....1st....the A/C's have to remove all the heat from the coach, That includes carpet, furniture,etc,etc. This also works the same in a car/truck, but your dealing with a lot less cubic/square feet of space.

 

[Garypowell]

Something else we did to help was block off the end of each supply duct. At least on my coach if they were supposed to block these ducts off they did not. Anytime I removed a recessed light fixture, for example, I would feel cold air coming out of the hole. It did not take me long to figure out that this was probably coming from the ends of the duct that were open and simply blowing my cool air into the ceiling area.

Very simple to do with several layers of tape stacked together. Still can't store fresh meat in the rig but I am now getting all the cold air that is being put out.

 

[SNOKING]

You might want to call Heartland CS and ask if TSB 98-01-19 applies to your new BC. You need the last 6 numbers of your vin number. This a TSB about Dometic Blizzard AC water migration into the return air cavity. Chris

 

[relic57]

Thanks everyone for all your imput, I feel a lot better. Will be putting both A/C units through there paces this week end, will give an update early next week. I will also call Heartland about the TSB
Thanks to all.
Dave

 

[relic57]

Got conformation today , our brand new unit is part of the TSB concerning the Dometic A/C issue with water. Not really all that thrilled right now. We have no truck and the unit is still pending getting plated. So now I have to call the dealer and see what we can do. I did check today to see if I have the blocks installed at the front and back, and I do, the front blocks are 9" from the last vent,and the back ones are 50" from the last vent, so at least thy are in place. Other than that still not getting a heck of a lot of air out of the unit.

 

[danemayer]

relic57,

Occasionally an RV in this country gets built and doesn't have even 1 warranty problem. But you probably shouldn't expect it to be your unit.

Unless you made some prior arrangement with your dealer for them to service you on site, you may need to start looking into mobile servicers and get prior approval from Heartland for one of them to do your warranty work. RV parks, and particularly RV Resorts, usually have contact info for mobile service.

 

[BigJim45]

Dometic Blizzard A/C

Just got this notice from Heartland....

It has been determined that due to improper build specifications from Dometic on its Blizzard AC System air flow requirements, the AC system has too high of a static air pressure. This static air pressure causes the accumulated standing water to splash into the return air duct. This condensation can cause damage if not corrected immediately.

Heartland has work closely with Dometic to indentify the appropriate repair and will have an authorized dealer correct this situation at no expense to you, the owner.

At your earliest convenience, you will need to call your local Heartland dealer and schedule an appointment to have this corrected as soon as possible.

 

[TxCowboy]

Re: Dometic Blizzard A/C

Is there a list of units affected by this recall/issue? Also, is the repair to replace the entire AC unit? If so, can this work be performed by a mobile tech with HL shipping the replacement unit/repair parts directly to the mobile tech -- following approval of the repair by HL, of course.

 

[SNOKING]

Re: Dometic Blizzard A/C

Is there a list of units affected by this recall/issue? Also, is the repair to replace the entire AC unit? If so, can this work be performed by a mobile tech with HL shipping the replacement unit/repair parts directly to the mobile tech -- following approval of the repair by HL, of course.

The TSB 98-01-19 list a vin range of trailers. This TSB is a repair to existing units, and not a replacement program. Everyone within the VIN range should be receiving the letter. If you have water dripping issues, and do not receive the letter, then Heartland may need to adjust the VIN range.

As always I believe that Heartland on approval of a quote will allow the use of a mobile tech if you pay for the tech travel time out of pocket. The TSB allows for 1.5 hours of labor per unit.

TSB covers three issues:

1. Seal some extra mounting holes.
2. Drill additional drain holes.
3. Inspect or repair thermostat data cable connection at the AC unit.

Chris

 

[richheck]

Re: Dometic Blizzard A/C

Chris: is there any way for me to get a copy of the instruction to complete this, I to received the recall and am interested in completing the fix myself or pay to have a Mobil tech complete at my location.

 

[SNOKING]

Re: Dometic Blizzard A/C

Chris: is there any way for me to get a copy of the instruction to complete this, I to received the recall and am interested in completing the fix myself or pay to have a Mobil tech complete at my location.

It was requested that I not sure the TSB. You can call CS at Heartland and ask for the instructions to do it yourself and they will be able to note in your file that you are handling it yourself.

The biggest caution beyond being on the roof is working with the foam enclosure inside the unit.

I would suggest a small rope in your tool bag to hoist up items you forgot via your ground support staff!! Our trailer is at a membership park where the bottom of the ladder is at least 4' off the ground, so going up and down the ladder is a bit of a chore. I need a step ladder just to get onto the trailers ladder. And we have an Elite series with the higher rear roof line.

Chris

 

[nander]

Re: Dometic Blizzard A/C

The TSB 98-01-19 list a vin range of trailers. This TSB is a repair to existing units, and not a replacement program. Everyone within the VIN range should be receiving the letter. If you have water dripping issues, and do not receive the letter, then Heartland may need to adjust the VIN range.

As always I believe that Heartland on approval of a quote will allow the use of a mobile tech if you pay for the tech travel time out of pocket. The TSB allows for 1.5 hours of labor per unit.

TSB covers three issues:

1. Seal some extra mounting holes.
2. Drill additional drain holes.
3. Inspect or repair thermostat data cable connection at the AC unit.

Chris

How can you repair a data cable? Seems to me you would replace it. We already had the board replaced by a mobile tech, but the unit was still freezing up.

I called for an appt today and they want to keep it about a month. We have already sealed the extra mounting holes. Where would you drill additional drain holes?

 

[SNOKING]

Re: Dometic Blizzard A/C

How can you repair a data cable? Seems to me you would replace it. We already had the board replaced by a mobile tech, but the unit was still freezing up.

I called for an appt today and they want to keep it about a month. We have already sealed the extra mounting holes. Where would you drill additional drain holes?

Maybe you should find a mobile tech that can work on it, and send the bid to Heartland for approval. Also Heartland will most likely provide you with the TSB on request.

There are tools to crimp new ends on data cables. The cable its self within the trailer structure would be difficult to replace. The data cable coupler is hanging right in the air flow, that is why I suggested dielectric grease on it. Work within the system, so that Heartland can keep their records up to date, which they seem very good at. Chris

 

[nander]

Thanks for the info!


Nancy
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[relic57]

Hello everyone,

Got hold of my dealer today and he has received the TBW. We have set up July 5th for him to send one of his guys out, which is real nice of him considering i am 44 miles from him. Will give an update when done.

 

[relic57]

Update on the TSB for the fix on the A/C . The service tech came out from our dealer yesterday and spent about 1-1/2 hours on both units. The extra 4 mounting holes were already sealed from the factory, which was good, he added more goop and then did the drilling of the new holes, for the extra condensation to run out. He did a real nice job, and hopefully now they are all set.

 

[BigJim45]

Update on the TSB for the fix on the A/C . The service tech came out from our dealer yesterday and spent about 1-1/2 hours on both units. The extra 4 mounting holes were already sealed from the factory, which was good, he added more goop and then did the drilling of the new holes, for the extra condensation to run out. He did a real nice job, and hopefully now they are all set.

Question for you....

Did you have to pay for the trip charge or did Heartland pay that??

I can't get into a dealer until the middle of Aug.