2405 Southwest 6th Avenue, TX 79106
RV Air Conditioning Service in Amarillo
Rooftop air conditioners on travel trailers, fifth wheels, truck campers, and motorhomes. Not the same equipment as a house system.
Campers and motorhomes
A rooftop unit, not a house air conditioner.
Most camper and motorhome air conditioners are packaged rooftop units, usually 13,500 or 15,000 BTU. Dometic and Coleman-Mach are the brands on most rigs. The fan, compressor, and coils sit on the roof and blow through a ceiling assembly, either straight down or through ducts. That is a different machine from the central air on a house, and it gets diagnosed as one.
Travel trailers and fifth wheels
One rooftop unit is common on smaller trailers. Larger fifth wheels often have two. A single 13,500 or 15,000 BTU unit is about the size of a window unit cooling one room, and it is being asked to cool the whole camper.
Motorhomes
Class A, B, and C coaches use the same style of rooftop air conditioner, sometimes two or three. The front and rear units are separate systems. One can cool while the other is the one that failed.
Truck campers
The rooftop unit is the same idea in a smaller shell. Access and the roof rating still decide how the unit gets opened up.
What fails
The calls we actually get.
Fan runs, air is not cold
Clean the ceiling filter before anything else. Dust in the Panhandle packs that filter and the evaporator above it. If the filter is clean and the air is still warm, the compressor, the charge, or the thermostat is next.
Hums, then clicks off
A fan with a compressor that hums and will not start is often a capacitor. Capacitors are the first part that fails on these units, and they hold a charge after the power is off. That is a technician job, not a ceiling-panel job.
Nothing comes on
Check the camper breaker first. These units run on 120-volt shore power. Campground voltage that sags under about 105 volts can keep the compressor from starting even when the unit is fine.
Coils and dust
The condenser sits under the roof shroud. Road dust and Panhandle wind coat it until the unit cannot dump heat. Cleaning the coil is maintenance. Ignoring it cooks the compressor.
Fan motor and controls
A noisy fan is usually the motor bearings on the way out. Digital thermostats and control boards fail too, especially on ducted ceiling assemblies. Road vibration loosens connections.
Low charge
The refrigerant system is sealed. A low charge almost always means a leak. Topping it off without finding the leak does not fix the unit. When the compressor itself is done, replacing the rooftop unit is usually the sane repair.
Power, in plain numbers.
While it is running, one rooftop unit often draws about 12 to 16 amps. The compressor can briefly pull around 30 amps the moment it starts. A 30-amp hookup can run one unit, with little room left for a microwave or a hair dryer. Two units at the same time generally need 50-amp service. A soft start lowers that startup spike so a tired 30-amp pedestal or a small generator can get the compressor going. It does not make the unit use less power once it is running, and it is not required on every coach.
Amarillo heat
One unit will struggle past 100 degrees.
Amarillo’s summer highs average in the low 90s, and the temperature reaches 100 about five days a year, according to the National Weather Service. A single rooftop unit cooling a camper in full sun on one of those days will not hold the rig like a house system. Two units, shade, and a clean filter are what make the difference. An electric heat strip or a heat pump on the rooftop unit is not the furnace. A Panhandle cold front, which can drop the temperature 50 to 60 degrees in half a day, still needs the camper’s furnace.
While the shroud is off, the mounting gasket gets checked. A dried-out seal leaks rain into the ceiling. Some roofs are not meant to be walked on, so access is part of the diagnosis, not an afterthought.
Questions
RV air conditioning questions.
Do you work on Dometic and Coleman units?
Yes. Those are the rooftop brands on most travel trailers, fifth wheels, and motorhomes. Other rooftop brands get the same diagnosis when the unit is still serviceable.
Is this the same as home air conditioning?
No. A house system is a split or packaged central unit. A camper unit is a 120-volt rooftop package, usually 13,500 or 15,000 BTU, blowing through a ceiling assembly. The parts and the power supply are different.
Why does the fan run but the air stay warm?
Start with the inside filter. If it is clean, the compressor may not be starting, the charge may be low because of a leak, or the thermostat may not be calling. A hum followed by a click is a classic capacitor symptom.
Can both air conditioners run on a 30-amp plug?
Usually no. One unit fits a 30-amp hookup. Two units running together generally need 50-amp service. A soft start can cut the startup spike so the second compressor has a chance on limited power. It does not reduce the running load.
Will the heat setting warm the camper in an Amarillo winter?
No. A heat strip or heat pump on the air conditioner is a mild-weather feature. Use the furnace when a cold front comes through.
Where do you cover?
Amarillo, Canyon, Claude, Panhandle, Happy, Tulia, Vega, and nearby towns. Call (806) 576-9259 and say whether the rig can come to the shop at 2405 Southwest 6th Avenue or needs to be looked at where it sits.
Schedule
Tell us the rig and what the unit is doing.
Fan only, hum and click, or no power at all. The brand on the shroud helps. Call (806) 576-9259 or use the contact form.