In my opinion, it’s a stupid design as all it takes is for one or two of these drains to block up and you have the potential for condensation to run onto the heat exchanger radiator fins icing up or leaking back into the roof space. Over time, these holes get blocked with dust and eventually prevent the condensation from draining away. These are all isolated from each other by plastic mouldings. In the case of the AirCommand III, there are a series of holes around the outside of the base. Now all air-conditioners will be slightly different but they should all have a drainage system of some sort and it is likely to be very basic. When I looked at ours, I was shocked at how filthy it was under that cover.ĬAUTION: Ensure your caravan is disconnected from the 240v mains before cleaning the roof-top unit.Īfter blowing out all the loose leaf matter and other debris, you need to check the drain holes at the base of the unit. It involves removing the plastic screws around the lower portion of the unit and lifting off the cover to expose the inner workings. This is not a job for anyone afraid of heights or not confident on a ladder. Once having ensured the internal filter was clean, the next task is to check the roof-mounted unit itself. The internal dust filter on the AirCommand III requires very thorough cleaning on a regular basis. We used a blower tool to remove the bulk of the dust and then cleaned the rest off using a bucket of soapy water and a small brush capable of getting into the grooves of the filter. You need to be very careful cleaning these filters. Cleaning the filter is not difficult but you need to ensure you do a thorough job. Sometimes as often as once every couple of days. We already knew that this needed to be cleaned regularly but what we found out was, because we were running the air-conditioner all day, it required more frequent cleaning. The next thing to check is to ensure the internal air filter(s) is not clogged up with dust. By setting the thermostat to a temperature between 23 and 25 degrees, the unit doesn’t need to work as hard and can cycle effectively maintaining the set temperature. This builds more condensation on the radiator fins which can freeze into ice, further reducing the cooling effect. The compressor will run continuously trying to keep up. If the outside temperature is above 35 degrees and the relative humidity is above 50%, the unit will struggle to get the internal air down to the set temperature. These air-conditioners are good but they can not perform miracles. One thing our research revealed is that, like most owners who experience issues with their rooftop units, we had the thermostat set at too low a temperature. It was time to do some investigation into what was causing the problems.Īfter researching the issues on the internet and taking apart our air-conditioner, we found these five common problems and what to do to try to fix them. For the next 20 minutes, we could hear what sounded like chunks of ice falling inside the unit. We switched it off, bewildered as to what the problem was. At the same time, an error code flashed on the LED display. It also started leaking a steady stream of water through one of the lights in the ceiling. It wasn’t cooling down the van anywhere near like it used to. Then, during an extended stay in Townsville, Queensland, we started to experience some problems. That was despite the fact we had done almost no maintenance to it during that time. For 5 years, it had operated without any issues at all. Our caravan was fitted with an Ibis AirCommand III rooftop air conditioner. We show you 5 things you can check to get your rooftop air-conditioner working again this summer. Fortunately, most issues can be traced back to a lack of maintenance or incorrect operation. Most caravans and motorhomes will have an air-conditioner mounted on the roof where it tends to be out of sight and out of mind, that is until it breaks down.
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