Coleman Mach basement air conditioner

tbomn · 12-13-2015, 07:31 PM

I have the Coleman Mach basement air conditioner in my 2003 Adventurer and I don't think it is working as it should. I called a couple RV dealers in the area and they all tell me that they don't work on this AC unit. Just who have you found that works on them?? I would guess that seeing they are a residential AC unit any HVAC company should be able to check it out, am I correct in this assumption??? Who have you had work on your units???

rk911 · 12-13-2015, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tbomn

I have the Coleman Mach basement air conditioner in my 2003 Adventurer and I don't think it is working as it should. I called a couple RV dealers in the area and they all tell me that they don't work on this AC unit. Just who have you found that works on them?? I would guess that seeing they are a residential AC unit any HVAC company should be able to check it out, am I correct in this assumption??? Who have you had work on your units???

you're going to want someone familiar with RV air cond systems. your owner's manual for the AC should have a list of authorized service centers. or check the coleman mach web page for auth svc centers.

what's not working properly?

FleetMan · 12-13-2015, 08:03 PM

Your assumption is correct. Search this forum for basement A/C threads and you'll find a wealth of information.

Keith K · 12-13-2015, 08:11 PM

I had success by calling A/C Heating repair places and explaining that I had a residential unit installed in my motor home. A technician removed and replaced the outside blower motor at what I thought was a reasonable cost. Not many want to work on it, but it's worth giving it a try.

charles tuit · 12-14-2015, 05:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith K

I had success by calling A/C Heating repair places and explaining that I had a residential unit installed in my motor home. A technician removed and replaced the outside blower motor at what I thought was a reasonable cost. Not many want to work on it, but it's worth giving it a try.

If you are at a place where you can remove the unit from the coach and take the top off, I'm sure after seeing the inside of it, they can and will repair it. It takes standard replacement parts.

Do a search for basement air removal by Duner. The unit can be removed while the electric is still connected and bench tested.

ChasA · 12-14-2015, 06:47 AM

Call 3168324357 and ask them where to find the nearest repair shop.

Patrol 65 · 12-14-2015, 08:19 AM

This is a link that was posted a while ago for a map of repair sites.
Airxcel | RV Products | Service

Duner · 12-14-2015, 01:30 PM

Your 2003 Adventurer will be identical to my 2004 Chieftain. I repaired my unit in 2008 and documented what I did and included info from other iRV2 members.

You can download the procedure HERE

I recommend taking a look at the procedure and get a good idea of what is required and how it looks inside. I've got about 30 illustrated photos that show what's involved.

There's a very good chance that the compressors are working fine and the problem is some major leaks in the duct work inside the rear cap. When the aluminum foil tape starts to give way, the seam just continues to open up and you'll lose a huge amount of cooling (heating too, but not as big effect inside).

Good luck,
Bill

1ciderdog · 12-15-2015, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tbomn

I have the Coleman Mach basement air conditioner in my 2003 Adventurer and I don't think it is working as it should. I called a couple RV dealers in the area and they all tell me that they don't work on this AC unit. Just who have you found that works on them?? I would guess that seeing they are a residential AC unit any HVAC company should be able to check it out, am I correct in this assumption??? Who have you had work on your units???

Why do you think it is not working as it should? I'd suggest you place a thermometer at the return air intake and run the unit for several minutes and note the temperature. Them move the thermometer to an air conditioning outlet and check after a few minutes. If the temperature difference is somewhere around 18 degrees that'll be as good as it gets (at least that's the way mine is). If the temperature difference is not much then yes you have an air conditioning problem. As mentioned above these are household units and are not difficult to remove so I'd think the best solution would be to remove it and take to a shop that works on air conditioners (not automotive or RV).

Starsekr · 12-15-2015, 03:37 PM

1CiderDog's advice is good. Duner's article is indispensable if you are a do-it-yourself guy. And a heck of a lot cheaper!
Some FYI about my experiences. Last year I had insufficient air flow due to previous owners not changing filters and lint build-up on the inside condenser. Matted up to a parchment. Had to pull the unit and clean it off, got a couple of good ol boys to help me get it out and back in. Cost about $150 for their time<cheap!>. And $30 for metal tape and new foam seals (Home Depot). Symptom was A/C would run for about 5 minutes, shut down for two and run again. Inside condenser was freezing up due to low air flow.
This fall A/C started popping breaker when the 1st Stage compressor kicked in. Disconnected and taped off the power lead to 1st stage and ran it on 2nd stage only for a couple of months. Cooled and heated, just not as well.
Took it to Redlands RV in Redlands, CA in November. $3000 later (and a couple of weeks) it runs fine so far. They found that the 1st. Stage compressor/motor was frozen. Possibly due to voltage sag in the RV park where I was staying.
They also changed out the bearings and the blower wheel while it was out. Extended warrantee picked up $1900, the rest was mine.
Facts about the 1st stage compressor/motor replacement. Coleman made at least 3 models of this that went into RV's. Each has different compressor/motor manufacturers, each needs different size run capacitors on the compressor. The only replacement compressor/motor available is made by Tecumseh and needs a 30 uFd run capacitor. My unit had Panasonics, and used 45 uFd capacitors. It also needed a little copper tubing replumbing to match the Panasonic design, which added 1-1/2 hrs labor to the bill.
There is no information about the capacitor included with the replacement compressor, and unlike the blower motors, the proper size cap isn't marked on the compressor either. I have new capacitors (one 45 ufd for the 2nd stage and one 30 uFd for the first) and two new hard start kits on order, and will get them installed soon.
If I had the 1st stage repair to do over, I might look into a complete A/C replacement from a cost benefit point of view.

1ciderdog · 12-15-2015, 04:35 PM

Not going back and reading the previous posts you might need to check the ducking that goes up the inside of the rear cap. I've read that on some RV's it has come apart allowing the air to escape and not go into the RV.

codgerbill · 12-16-2015, 09:24 AM

There is a place on the north side of Shipshewana Indiana (National RV). The owner is a Amish Gentleman (Leon Hershberger Ph (260) 768-7059). We had problems with our Basement air and had the factory replace a compressor. It still did not work and we took it to a "dealer" they replaced the same compressor. It still did not work. We took it to Leon and he had it on the shop floor to trouble shoot it. The same compressor was bad. The last place to replace it put in a wrong size capacitor (not sure if it was start or run capacitor) and did not purge the system. We had a choice of repair or replace the unit. We had Leon order a brand new unit and install it. We have a 2 year guarantee on it and it runs great in either heat or cool mode. He also specializes in repairs to the "nocold" RV refrigerators.the website is:
National RV Refrigeration