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Air Con

American Motorhome air conditioning units come in 2 varieties; with or without heat pumps.

Without Heat Pump

Most people think that air conditioning units lower the temperature of the motorhome simply by blowing cooler air in. What is actually happening is the warm air is being removed from the motorhome and cycled back in as cooler air. This cycle will continue until the desired temperature is reached, at which point the air conditioning unit will turn itself off. An air conditioner is essentially a refrigerator without the insulated box. It uses the evaporation of a refrigerant such as Freon to provide the cooling to the air. For this reason, the mechanics of the air conditioning are similar to that of a fridge.

The Freon gas is compressed using an oscillating sealed compressor, compressing the gas to between 150 and 300 lb/sq in. At this pressure the gas changes into a liquid which flows into the evaporator, which appears similar to a radiator on a car. As the liquid flows slowly into the evaporator, the pressure drops, turning it colder. A fan then blows the air through the evaporator, which warms the evaporator but cools the air passing through it. As the liquid is heated it becomes a gas again on its cycle back to the compressor to begin the process again.

When the gas is being compressed it becomes very hot. In order to make the unit efficient the gas must first be cooled before it reaches the evaporator. This is normally done by passing the liquid through a condenser. The same motor is used to drive the fan which pushes cool air into the motorhome and to drive the fan which blows the air through the condenser to cool the liquid.

With Heat Pump

If an air conditioning unit has a heat pump, it can not only cool the motorhome, but also heat it up when desired. This happens quite simply; by reversing the cycle of the unit which is mentioned above, meaning that the gas travels in the opposite direction. Obviously the compressor still compresses the gas, but the evaporator now becomes the condenser and the condenser becomes the evaporator. Now, the cold air is what is sucked into the unit and the hot air is blown out into the motorhome.

LAS have the knowledge and equipment not only to diagnose problems with your air conditioning units, but to repair or, where necessary, replace them.

For more information, call us now on 01604 861 999