The solution is to 1) get a new a/c unit (it should be replaced completely free of charge if on warranty) or 2) find an a/c repair guy during low-season and ask him to repair the crack in the pipe, weld an input nozzle and fill it back up with coolant.  So the next time this happens (and it will happen again) it'll just need the crack repaired and the coolant refilled.

Solution #2 is apparently the best way to go if you're off warranty as these a/c units are notorious for cracking their pipes on bumpy rides and leaking coolant.  So buying a new machine doesn't guarantee a certain lifespan. 

 

 

What's your basis for this comment?  I don't believe I've read of anyone else on this forum that had a refrigerant leak.  I've had my squeaky fan kit replaced, but that's it for the A/C.

 

 

 

I'm glad you said this, as it jogged my memory that may help the OP.  To the OP, the A/C is warranted a bit longer than the standard R-Pod.  I forget the specifics, but it's something like "if the R-Pod has a 1-year warranty, the A/C has 2-years".  Something along those lines.

 

 

 

 

Our local RV dealer saw the crack as soon as the cover was taken off the a/c unit.  The crack/leak is where the coils go into the compressor.  We were told that this is the weakest part of this system.  The design of an RV a/c allows for a certain amount of movement cause by normal driving & towing, but when bad luck + hitting a big bump in the road at some point (may be prior to your receiving the unit) + the a/c tech at the a/c factory didn't secure the copper coils as much as they could've = stress on the weakest area.  At some point that area cracks and the coolant leaks.  Sometimes it's a larger crack and sometimes it's a tiny hairline crack that gets bigger until suddenly it all leaks out. The a/c is designed as a closed system so in addition to having the crack repaired, the weak areas need to reinforced to help prevent future incidents and a valve needs to be added to the system to enable the coolant to be refilled.

The RV dealer said the cost of the repair after dealer mark-up would be close to that of a new unit.  So most RV dealers say it cannot be fixed and suggest buying a new one.  If the unit is under warranty, they just replace it with a new one as it is easier than trying to schedule with an a/c tech during high season.

In our case, our local dealer gave us the contact info for a local a/c repair guy and told us to deal with him directly (for ease of scheduling and cost savings). They said the whole job should cost no more than half the cost of a new unit if that.  Since the a/c itself is less than 2 years old and the rest of the system tested ok, the dealer thought it was worth repairing. 

Greg's parents' neighbour is an RV dealer and also told us the same thing, plus since it's all off warranty because we are the second owners, we can try and do the repair ourselves if we are comfortable with soldering.

 

Just wanted to add that our local dealer is not the dealer that sold us our unit (which was bought from WI as the model was discontinued).

 

 

Any non-ducted unit in such a small space is going to be loud.

 

Hodge-Podge, I've had an ongoing discussion of that very thing on this thread.  Found an expensive option at first, then a cheaper one (but still not cheap), now at the suggestion of another member I'm considering trying to modify a window A/C which could be mounted on the tongue.  I would add ducts to it, and as a proof of concept I would mount them through one of the windows.  I wouldn't mount it through the wall or a window!  http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1433&title=possible-replacement-for-the-a-c - http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1433&title=possible-replacement-for-the-a-c

 

 

Different acoustics between the two campers.  Good luck with whatever you do.