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Poor Dometic A/C on 2019 Jayco Jayfeather X23E

chrispitude
Explorer
Explorer
Hi all,

A few weeks back, we took delivery of a brand new 2019 Jayco Jayfeather X23E. Our first camping trip was on a hot weekend, and the A/C (Dometic Brisk II) struggled to cool the interior. But it wasn't running flat-out. Even with the temp set to full-cold and the fan set to 3, it would alternate between A/C and fan-only every few minutes.

So I popped the filter cover and noticed that there was lots of cold air leaking into the intake side, blowing right onto a copper thingy (temperature sensor?) that is hanging down:



The unit stays in A/C mode for as long as I put my hand around this copper thingy.

The air leaks appear to be shunting around the cold/intake divider along where Jayco boxed in the roof opening with a Luan-like material:




(The paper towel in the second picture was an attempt to plug one of the gaps where cold air was blowing in.)

Should I just take this back to the dealer and ask them to properly isolate the cold side from the intake side? I've read about coil freeze sensors and stuff too - I guess they'll check all that out?

Thanks in advance!
14 REPLIES 14

dougrainer
Nomad
Nomad
chrispitude wrote:
dougrainer wrote:
While you have a lot of testing info. It does not really help. The SIMPLE thing is to have a qualified Dometic Service center do
1. Temp corrected amp draw of the compressor. This will tell you if the system is correctly charged and operating correctly for cooling
2. Verify and seal off those areas you stated the foil tape seemed to NOT be sealed correctly still.
3. Verify the Temp probe for the tstat is in the correct place. Doug


Respectfully, I disagree that my testing did not help. It confirmed that all the stuff you said is necessary. ๐Ÿ™‚




You did a lot of testing. But, it was a waste of time. But, it helped you figure out certain things. AND, you had the time to waste. What I stated to do would tell you in 15 minutes what all your testing failed to do. I did not mean to fault you personally, but your testing was not what you do in the real world. Doug

chrispitude
Explorer
Explorer
Looks like I'm not going to get any A/C-testing weather for the rest of the year. I'll wake this thread back up once I have more to report.

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts!

chrispitude
Explorer
Explorer
marcsbigfoot20b27 wrote:
Slightly important piece of info is missing....

What is your cold air output temp?
What is the delta......comparing air in to air out?

If you are only blowing lets say 68 degrees, or 55 degrees? this may help indicate which way to look. Blowing so cold (due to air remix) it is short cycling? Bad sensing bulb?


The delta T is the difference between the inside (darker) and outside (lighter) temperature curves. They are superimposed on the same graph.

Yes, I should have measured outlet temperature! I will get a reading on the next comparably warm day. With the crazy fall we've been having, that shouldn't take long.

marcsbigfoot20b
Explorer
Explorer
Slightly important piece of info is missing....

What is your cold air output temp?
What is the delta......comparing air in to air out?

If you are only blowing lets say 68 degrees, or 55 degrees? this may help indicate which way to look. Blowing so cold (due to air remix) it is short cycling? Bad sensing bulb?

chrispitude
Explorer
Explorer
dougrainer wrote:
While you have a lot of testing info. It does not really help. The SIMPLE thing is to have a qualified Dometic Service center do
1. Temp corrected amp draw of the compressor. This will tell you if the system is correctly charged and operating correctly for cooling
2. Verify and seal off those areas you stated the foil tape seemed to NOT be sealed correctly still.
3. Verify the Temp probe for the tstat is in the correct place. Doug


Respectfully, I disagree that my testing did not help. It confirmed that all the stuff you said is necessary. ๐Ÿ™‚

dougrainer
Nomad
Nomad
While you have a lot of testing info. It does not really help. The SIMPLE thing is to have a qualified Dometic Service center do
1. Temp corrected amp draw of the compressor. This will tell you if the system is correctly charged and operating correctly for cooling
2. Verify and seal off those areas you stated the foil tape seemed to NOT be sealed correctly still.
3. Verify the Temp probe for the tstat is in the correct place. Doug

chrispitude
Explorer
Explorer
I took the trailer to the dealer a couple months ago, and as most of you suspected, they applied foil tape. On our next camping trip, the A/C was still poor. When I removed the access cover, I saw some of the foil tape had lifted. I pressed it back down. I still felt cold air in the intake, but I didn't have angle of sight to see where it came from.

I purchased two Lascar EL-USB-2-LCD+ datalogging temperature/humidity probes and a Wemo Insight datalogging smart outlet. When everything arrived, I set up the trailer in our driveway and logged the performance over four days.

For the experiment, all bunks had Reflectix inserts installed, all bunk curtains were closed, all interior lights were off, no people were in the trailer, the A/C was set to lowest temp and highest fan speed, and I had a box fan on its lowest speed to circulate the air inside the trailer. The inside temperature probe was placed on the dinette table:



During the experiment, we had a strong thunderstorm and overnight power outage. I reset the breaker the next morning.

After a few days, I pulled all the data. Here's a graph of the power consumed by the entire trailer:



The trailer's baseline power consumption was 100W (probably the inverter) at the very left. With the A/C on, the trailer power oscillated between 400W and 1500W as the compressor switched on and off. However, it was difficult to determine how hard the A/C was running because all the up/down lines just kind of blobbed together.

So, I wrote some perl scripting to compute what percentage of time the compressor was on versus off (the duty cycle). Then I plotted that against the temperature, relative humidity, and dew point data from the temperature sensors. Here's the result:



Despite the A/C being set to maximum cooling, the interior temperature remained between 70F-75F during the day. The A/C ran at around 50% duty cycle during the hottest part of the day. During the fourth day, which was the hottest, the A/C yielded only a 6F delta between the outside (80F) and inside (74F) temperature. At night, the humidity in the trailer rose to 75%-80% because the A/C was not inclined to run.

Not sure what to do next.

mileshuff
Explorer
Explorer
Common problem. Improper installation at the factory. Took mine to an RV shop who did a great job sealing it up with A/C foil tape under warranty.
2014 Winnebago 26FWRKS 5th Wheel
2007.5 Dodge 2500 6.7L Diesel
2004 Dodge Durango Hemi 3.55 (Used to tow TT)

Old-Biscuit
Explorer
Explorer
As stated.....
Seal it up with A/C Foil Tape
Return side (warm) and discharge side(cold) should not mix

That 'copper thingy' is the air temp sensor for the panel mounted thermostat
not a 'freeze probe'

Ceiling grille....
2 sheet metal screws in 'return'
8 wood screws ---2/each side

That will expose the metal ceiling template
The 'black' divider block in rear appears to be one row too tall
(divider block is trimmed to fit----then slides into channel on template when template is installed)
With it a bit too tall the ceiling template is not being pulled up TIGHT against the foam seal allow cold air to leak over into return side
4 Mounting bolts hold template to ceiling AND A/C Unit to roof


Pgs 8 - 11
http://www.dyersonline.com/downloadfile/download/aitfile/aitfile_id/2562/
Is it time for your medication or mine?


2007 DODGE 3500 QC SRW 5.9L CTD In-Bed 'quiet gen'
2007 HitchHiker II 32.5 UKTG 2000W Xantex Inverter
US NAVY------USS Decatur DDG31

midnightsadie
Explorer II
Explorer II
X2 they don,t know how to do it right,, just fast.

Tyler0215
Explorer
Explorer
Do it yourself. A quick fix and not worth the hassle with the dealer. Plus, you'll know it's done right

Wild_Card
Explorer
Explorer
Seal it up. The "copper thingy" is your thermostat sensing bulb.
2015 Ram 3500 Dually
Sundowner 2286GM Pro-Grade Toyhauler

chrispitude
Explorer
Explorer
dougrainer wrote:
You can take it back for warranty or save the time and trouble. BY, using AC foil tape and seal those areas. That is what the dealer will do under warranty. Doug


I feel like at the very least, the plastic part below the roofline (air distribution box?) should be dropped to get proper access to all that stuff. It looks like some wood screws around the perimeter and two bolts behind the intake cover. Is this reasonably straightforward for a DIYer?

dougrainer
Nomad
Nomad
You can take it back for warranty or save the time and trouble. BY, using AC foil tape and seal those areas. That is what the dealer will do under warranty. Doug