Anyone ever have the AC come loose and slide around in the AC compartment in the mypod while being towed? There's 3 inches of space behind the AC to allow hot air to blow out the grid under the pod, and when the AC slides to the back it blocks the air flow and doesn't work. There's a simple fix but involves time. There's a screw on either side of the AC compartment to "hold" it in place. Bumping around while towing rounds out the holes and the screws pulled loose. The fix is to screw two pieces of 2 by 4s (cut down to 2 7/8 inch wide) and screw them into the back panel of the AC compartment box to keep it from sliding forward. Notches are cut out so I don't have to drive the screws through the whole width of wood. (picture showing one of 2 boards mounted). Run one screw in then back it out, run a wire into the hole to check that you have enough space between the panel and the fiberglass body of the pod. I used 3 screws for each board then stuck a strip of wide adhesive backed weather strip over the boards for cushion. Redo the insulation in the box with metal foil duct tape and around the back of the AC to isolate the intake air from the hot air going out. Slide the AC back into the box up against the boards, the front of the AC should protrude out about 1 1/2 inch before reattaching the square "picture frame". BTW, you'll need to take the radio and the fuse box out to back out the original "mounting screws". The AC takes some work to slide it in and out so I don't see it sliding back out while towing. I haven't taken the pod out yet but I post a follow up if that happens.
WHEN IS IT REQUIRED TO USE THE EXTRACTOR FAN BEHIND THE AIRCONDITIONER?
@tamara4104 The fan should always be be running when the AC is on. Heat from the coils needs to be blown off or it could damage the AC. Normally the unit would be mounted in a window and is not a problem. In the pod it's enclosed and needs the extra fan to do that.
My myPod is 2018 (my retirement present to me!). I used when air conditioning wasn’t needed so did not use the switch. Not much contact with where I bought it. Switch should be up? down?
@schweinfurth7cox-net The fan switch is to help blow the heat off the AC when it's running. No need to have it on if the AC if off. With the AC off so you can hear the fans, flip the switch, you should hear the fans turn on. Leave it off if you're not running the AC, it won't do any but put a little drain on the battery if it not plugged into an AC outlet. The fans (two) are the same ones you find in a computer to cool the CPU,
... There's a screw on either side of the AC compartment to "hold" it in place. Bumping around while towing rounds out the holes and the screws pulled loose. ...
My AC doesn't appear to have moved but it seems to be overheating with the compressor reluctant to restart after running its first cool-down cycle. I found your post and thought I'd dive into the problem.
When I remove the power controller and radio I can't find the 2 mounting screws so checking for guidance where you found yours?
With the front trim off I can see that the bottom of the AC looks to be simply sitting on the camper floor and the top looks to have a 1-by screwed into the back of the cabinet front and I believe the AC bracket possibly screwed into that for the top is secured to the cabinet. The walls for the AC surround are solid with no gaps to reach in except for the very back that is too far back for me to reach in. Mine is a 2018 model so built by Liberty Outdoors maybe explaining the differences. It looks to me that I will have to free the shelf behind the cabinet doors tilting that up in order to gain access and that will require breaking free glued cross bracing so I'm hoping that I'm simply overlooking something.
As for my problem, with the trim piece removed I can see that the insulation tray isn't well formed around the AC unit and when running the bottom of the cabinet front near the AC unit is very warm to touch so the exhaust fans aren't removing all the hot air with some instead getting mixed with the cooler intake air. The exhaust vent had little air flow so I checked the screens for possible clogs. When I removed the two intake rain covers the air flow volume increased noticeably so these covers are too shallow. For now I've added 1/4 spacers to each of the three mounting screws - I'll search for larger covers later but I feel that I'm still adequately protected from water getting in even with the covers no longer flush to the floor. The exhaust cover louvers were mostly smashed closed so I pried them open. With these adjustments the fans are now circulating much more air but I still have too much hot air escaping from the insulation box.
Thanks so much for posting the details of your work and any additional help you may provide.
You haven't been able to slide the AC out? Here a picture where the AC is out and where the screw comes through the AC cabinet. The radio is setting in its cutout in this picture. If yours is like mine you should should be able to reach into the cutout and feel the head of the screw, or see it with a mirror. With the trim out, can you see into the gap between the AC and the cabinet and see the screws? Once you get it out, if I remember correctly, the AC should have metallic duct tape sticking around the back edge of the AC. Where it sticks out, it contacts the sides of the cabinet when the AC slides into the box and hangs there to keep the hot and cold air separate, if it doesn't get crumpled sliding in. You can get a roll of tape at a hardware store if it gets crumpled. Don't use regular duck tape, the adhesive dries out in a year or so and falls off. The tape somewhat seals the sides of the AC (where cool air is sucked in) from the back of the AC where the hot air blows out and down and out the grid under the camper. Let me know if this helps.
@drdave thanks for the update and picture. I'm afraid it confirms that my AC isn't held in the same way. I couldn't find my inspection mirror and the gap with the trim piece removed is too small to get my phone in to snap a picture so I'll head over the Harbor Freight to get a cheap mirror to better see what I'm up against.
Again, thanks for your help.
The hole where the radio or power panel sits is where you access the screws on mine. You should be able to get a face mirror and a small flashlight in the radio cutout to see around the edge of the hole once the radio or power panel is out. If there are no screws there, feel around on the top shelf behind the TV for screw heads. Underneath the AC there should be a metal tray that will also slide out. Maybe there are no screws in your case. Can you insert a large screwdriver under the AC and wiggle up and down and slide it out? In the picture the AC is out and turned around, so the camera is to the side of the AC pointed to the front of the AC. I inserted the screw for the picture. Also, reach into the cutout and feel up and down of the inside of the corner for the screw head, you won't be able to see where you're feeling.
@drdave thanks for the update. We were out camping in our T@B so I didn't see your reply until today. I'll get back to this next week when I have a free morning since the days are too hot. I have a replacement inspection mirror so hopefully will get further this time around.
Update: The AC is out! For my 2018 model, manufactured by Liberty Outdoors, the upper cabinet must be separated from the lower cabinet. The upper is held on to the lower with 6 screws - 3 directly behind each cabinet door. You will need to remove the Television then unscrew the cable clamps freeing the TV wiring before taking the upper cabinet away from the lower. The AC is screwed to the cabinet via a bracket mounted to the top of the AC unit. Once those screws and the bracket are removed, it will slide out the opening.
My AC was mounted too close to the right side wall causing the insulating box in the back to rip apart allowing hot air to escape back into the fresh air intake. I haven't worked out the details for my repairs but thought I'd put up some pictures of the tear-down.
It seems I'm not being allowed to attach files - maybe because I'm still classified as a New Member. I'll update adding pictures once I'm allowed.
@derrick: Well, the AC got stabilized, the hard way. I think my way of screwing 2x3s against the back wall of the AC compartment (front of the camper) to keep it from sliding forward and keeping the space open for hot air to vent out is not as complicated. About the AC sliding right or left, that doesn't seem to have been an issue but the 2x3s could be modified for lateral stability easy enough.
@drdave not really a matter of hard way or easy way, it is the only way to get to the mounting screws with how mine is assembled. Once you know how the top comes off it actually is fairly easy and with it off the access is great. I've ordered replacement fans bumping up from 51.5 CFM to 65 CFM so I'm hoping that moving a greater volume of air combined with fully sealing off the intake and exhaust paths will improve things.
Something I worked on today with everything out was anchoring the front of the cabinets. If I reached in the doors and pulled the top of the cabinets they would tilt back several inches. I put a backing plate underneath between where the two fans exhaust and directly above that I used a large "L" bracket screwing the horizontal part through the fan mounting board and fiberglass down to my backing plate then attached the vertical part of the bracket to the backside of the wall behind the AC unit. Nice and secure now.
