Camping in hell

Hi everyone,

I need some help here.  A couple caveats: No, I'm not an idiot.  Yes, I do have common sense and, No, I'm not crazy wealthy.  That being said: I have a 2016 Lance Toy Hauler, 2612 is the model #.  From what I've read, it has a Coleman Mach 8 on the roof that supposedly is about 13,500 btu's.  We bought it a year ago, used - I wasn't there for the transaction - my husband picked it up.  Needless to say, I was given nothing in the way of manuals other than the one for the oven.  SO...last year we went to Lake Powell....in JULY...with my husband and I, 2 kids and 2 100+lb dogs.  I wanted to die.  It never got above 90 degrees in that camper.  A few mistakes we made: we didn't park under the ONE TREE in the whole campground (morons - yes, we know now) AND we parked in the front of the line of camper spots because we wanted to have room for our mutts, who are Italian Mastiff's and super rude (we're working on this).  We had FULL sun almost constantly...

We're doing things different this year: we're going to get that spot under the tree and/or park in the middle of the line of spots so that we won't be smack in the sun.  It was about 100 degrees every day --- there's no way to cool down inside....is there?  I'm going to have to sit in hell again, aren't I?  Can I get the rooftop a/c unit charged up?  It doesn't freeze up, but it never reaches the temp I set it at -- probably because it's too hot to get there...right??  Any suggestions? 

I've been looking up portable coolers but the reviews make me worry that we'll get nowhere.  What about those "as-seen-on-TV" Arctic Air personal a/c thingies?  Like I buy 3 of them and stick someone in front of it?  They apparently work well when you're no more than 2 feet away.  And I can't get a window unit because my husband won't go for that...

Any ideas?  It was brutal last year...

Thanks in advance,

Sunne

Is it blowing cold air?
Are all the vents open?
Is the filter clean? (if there is one)
I am sure you do have it on AC and not fan only.

Air definitely does not feel cold.
We have the vents directly under the unit open as we figured this would mean less loss of cooling by not traveling the other vents to other rooms.
The filter is in the ceiling right under the unit, right?  If so, yes - it's clean.
And yes, the switch was in Cool position and the fan was on Auto.

If the air being pulled in the return is 100 degrees, the best you can get out of it is about 80 degrees.

80 degrees would be amazing - seriously, it never got below 90 and was running constantly.  If it was a car a/c, I would've assumed that the freon needed to be charged - but these things don't have freon, right?

Sunnedays said:

80 degrees would be amazing - seriously, it never got below 90 and was running constantly.  If it was a car a/c, I would've assumed that the freon needed to be charged - but these things don't have freon, right?

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They do use a refrigerant, Freon is a brand name.  It is possible to charge them if special valves are installed, but usually if it needs charged it would be replaced.

Google Coleman Mach 8 troubleshooting, you need to find out if the compressor is working.

lynnmor said:

They do use a refrigerant, Freon is a brand name.  It is possible to charge them if special valves are installed, but usually if it needs charged it would be replaced.

Google Coleman Mach 8 troubleshooting, you need to find out if the compressor is working.

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Ah, ok - never knew it was a brand name.  It's a relatively new unit; it'd be unusual for it to need to be replaced already, right?

I did read up on the troubleshooting part: I'll need to get an ammeter....and see if the current it's drawing is more than what's listed on the tag; where the hell do I rent an ammeter?  Is this the same as a voltmeter?

I'd say just go turn it on now and see if it feels cool.
One can usually hear the compressor kick on.
Turn fan to low to make it easier to hear.
Indeed an ammeter would show if compressor turns on as this draws a lot of power(amps) for a short period.
Harbor Freight has cheap clamp on ammeters.

Koodog said:

I'd say just go turn it on now and see if it feels cool.
One can usually hear the compressor kick on.
Turn fan to low to make it easier to hear.
Indeed an ammeter would show if compressor turns on as this draws a lot of power(amps) for a short period.
Harbor Freight has cheap clamp on ammeters.

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I can't go do it now, it's in our storage yard.  I can do it tomorrow though.  I swear I've heard the compressor come on, but I could certainly be wrong...
And I have a voltmeter, if that's the same...if not, there's a Harbor Freight in the city - I could go get one tomorrow too.  Where do I test it to see what current it's pulling?

Turn the A/C on and let it run for 10-15 minutes to stabilize. Stick a thermometer in front of the air intake grill for a minute or two and note the reading. Now stick the thermometer in front of the discharge grill for another minute or two, and note that reading. If the difference is close to 20 deg.F, then the A/C is working as it should. That doesn't mean that it's capable of removing heat faster than the walls and ceiling are gaining heat though. Is there another roof vent available for a second A/C unit installation?

NY_Dutch said:

Turn the A/C on and let it run for 10-15 minutes to stabilize. Stick a thermometer in front of the air intake grill for a minute or two and note the reading. Now stick the thermometer in front of the discharge grill for another minute or two, and note that reading. If the difference is close to 20 deg.F, then the A/C is working as it should. That doesn't mean that it's capable of removing heat faster than the walls and ceiling are gaining heat though. Is there another roof vent available for a second A/C unit installation?

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Ok, I'll try that tomorrow.  And I guess that's the catch, huh?  If the walls and ceiling are boiling, then it's just pointless...

What do you all think about those little Arctic Air things?  Waste of money?

Sunnedays said:

Ok, I'll try that tomorrow.  And I guess that's the catch, huh?  If the walls and ceiling are boiling, then it's just pointless...

What do you all think about those little Arctic Air things?  Waste of money?

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Your current A/C should help with the heat gain, it just may not be enough help. The Arctic Air units are a type commonly called "swamp coolers", and they don't play well with conventional A/C's. Swamp coolers work fairly well for their size in dry climates, but they do raise the humidity as the water evaporates to absorb heat. A/C units on the other hand, are trying to remove moisture from the air along with the heat, so using them together is not a good idea.

NY_Dutch said:

Your current A/C should help with the heat gain, it just may not be enough help. The Arctic Air units are a type commonly called "swamp coolers", and they don't play well with conventional A/C's. Swamp coolers work fairly well for their size in dry climates, but they do raise the humidity as the water evaporates to absorb heat. A/C units on the other hand, are trying to remove moisture from the air along with the heat, so using them together is not a good idea.

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Ugh, of course - didn't think about that.  Putting in another a/c unit is not an option at this point and from what you're all saying it looks like it's going to be another week roasting inside my tin can.  Oh wow...I really hope to goodness that we can get that one shady spot...

I guess you could hope for a cloudy week... 

Our air conditioner sometimes works fine, but sitting in the sun in Sturgis in August at 95 degrees it will struggle, especially if people are constantly running in and out. We did buy one of those portable air conditioners and it actually works really well during extreme conditions.  It was a little of a pain figuring out how to exhaust the hot air to the outside, but not insurmountable.  Our camper is pre-wired to install a second roof AC, but I?m not really interested in doing that.

NY_Dutch said:

Turn the A/C on and let it run for 10-15 minutes to stabilize. Stick a thermometer in front of the air intake grill for a minute or two and note the reading. Now stick the thermometer in front of the discharge grill for another minute or two, and note that reading. If the difference is close to 20 deg.F, then the A/C is working as it should.

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X2. This is the fastest, easiest and cheapest way to see if you need to dig further. If it?s making about a 20 drop, you can stop wondering if it?s working. Aside from making sure filters are clean that?s it.


A couple things. The room temp is irrelevant. Be sure and place the thermometer as Dutch suggests. Second, best thermometer to use is an instant read cooking thermometer. And I?d poke the probe up into the grills, not just in front of them.

I'd forgotten about the portable A/C units. With a little inventiveness for the hose connections, one could certainly help with Sunnedays situation. An 8-10,000 Btu/H unit will run around $200 to $250 or so.

NY_Dutch said:

I guess you could hope for a cloudy week... 

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Ha.  Lake Powell in July, cloudy?!  That'll be the day... 

NY_Dutch said:

I'd forgotten about the portable A/C units. With a little inventiveness for the hose connections, one could certainly help with Sunnedays situation. An 8-10,000 Btu/H unit will run around $200 to $250 or so.

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Yep, I am indeed in for another RV crock-pot cooking session.  I'll try the thermometer thing tomorrow.  Not sure the hubs is going to go for the portable a/c unit - he's still in denial that anything can be done to help the heat.  Maybe he got heatstroke with lasting effects...  : 

Good luck convincing him then!  8) ;D