Problem with A/C install in '97 Camplite

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IrishBrewer

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Aug 9, 2006
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74
I recently purchased a roof-mount A/C and heater unit for my '97 Camplite pop-up and went to install it last night. 

I was under the impresson that the camper was fully wired for A/C because there is a dedicated circuit for A/C and there was a piece of Romex cable coming out through a grommet where there was a roof vent installed.  I removed the roof vent and installed the outside unit and then wired up and fitted the inside control panel.  The existing roof vent was a standard 14"x14" which is what the A/C unit required so no additional cutting was required.  However, when I turned the unit on, I got nothing.  After some troubleshooting, I found that the cable that was at the roof vent was not live.

I noticed that there was a junction box with a cover on the ceiling near the edge of the roof and it had a sticker with some information about the A/C circuit.  I was wondering if this junction box might have some wires that needed to be connected to complete the A/C circuit.  I removed the cover and found only one cable in the junction box and it was not live either.  As you might have gussed, this was the same line that was going to the roof vent. 

The junction box is directly over the sink and the cabinet below the sink also had a junction box for the A/C circuit and this box does have a live connection to the A/C circuit.  So, what is missing is a line connecting the under-sink box to the one in the ceiling directly above.  I'm not sure why this unit would have been wired for A/C with everything needed except that connecting line. 

I had previously put a receptacle in the under sink junction box so we could use the previously unused A/C circuit for a space heater.  So, as a temporary fix for my A/C, I took a spare end of an old extension cord and wired it into the ceiling box and plugged it into the receptacle.  Then I flipped the switch on the A/C and it worked beautifully.

So, after all of this, I'm wondering how the missing line would have been run for a factory installed A/C.  It has to be flexible to run through the tenting and I assume that it is concealed in a channel in the tenting but I'm not sure of the details on how this line should have been run.  Would it be best to run automotive primary wire for this application?  Any thoughts?
 
Is there a breaker (or a open position ) in the braker box for the AC unit? The wiring maybe pre wired but the braker is off or needes to be added.
 
No, the breaker is on.  As I mentioned, I had previously wired a receptacle into this circuit at the junction box under the sink.  We were using this previously unused circuit for heaters because this was a 20A circuit and the other circuit was only 15A.

I have everything working now but the cord going from the ceiling junction box to the under sink junction box is not concealed.  I opted to drill a hole in the cabinet behind the sink and wire directly into the junction box.  Initially, I had the one end plugged into the 20A receptacle but that was too tempting for my inquisitive 3 year old son who decides that he needs to unplug and plug in the cord so he can make the A/C go on and off.

One thing I did notice is that the 12V wiring for the ceiling lights goes up through a pocket at the back corner of the tent.  If I were to use this pocket for the AC wiring, it would have been a lot longer of a  run of wire.
 
What we did with my Sons PUP,  He couldn't roof mount his A/C so we cut a hole in the side and added a cargo hatch. The A/C sits on a tray that slides out.  Used a  heavy 12ga. extention cord and ran it under the read sofa and  installed a cord cover in the wall. This allowed him to use either the 30 amp (with adapter) or the 20 amp outlet for the air conditioner. It could also be used for a heater if he ever cammped when it was cold. This way we didn't have to worry about overloading the PUP's fuse box, since he does use a microwave. 
 
I installed an AC unit on my 97 Camplite a few years ago. It should be all set up for it. The wire is already in the roof. There should be a blank electrical box on the roof and another blank electrical box on the wall near the back of the trailer. You will need to run a wire between the two electrical boxes to complete the circuit.
 

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