Teleco Air Conditioner 12400H (1 Viewer)

[Margaux2]

Bought a new Hymer BML 890 at nearly 9 m long and had the above unit fitted
With external ambient at 26 degrees C one day last week I ran it on my drive for 5.5 hours and could only get the inside temperature down to 19 C.

Despite no one being I n the van and all the roof blinds closed along with the window blinds closed to keep the sun out.
The setting was 16 C and the fan was on full.

I don’t think this is good enough.
I can’t get any sense out of Travelworld or Teleco.
Problem is when we go to Spain and Italy and it’s in the Mid 30’s say 35 degrees C does this mean we can only expect to get down to 28 degrees??

The refrigerant is R32. Travelworld ( who recommended this model/ manufacturer) have told me that this unit is sealed and cannot be recharged with refrigerant. Teleco however tell me it can be.
Any thoughts please ? Am I being unreasonable?
Seriously unimpressed to say the least with Travelworld as have several issues still ongoing. This is the second new van we have bought from them.
Thanks for any input?

 

[Richard n Ann]

Yes it can be regassed, even if there is no charging stub, one can be added. R32 is a new gas so the unit can't be very old and I'd be surprised if the gas level is low already

To check gas level:
Look carefully at the evaporator, is it frosting anywhere? Shine a torch up into the fins. Low gas level means the pressure in the evaporator is low and that causes one end to frost up or if it's severely short just the pipe into the evap frosts.

Sometimes when systems are short of gas they make a hissing noise as vapour is hissing through the valve when it should be liquid.

Also check the fan is running on the roof and that the compressor is running continuously

 

[EuroTrotters]

A/C systems of any type are designed to “condition” the air. That is cool and dehumidify (though some are able to humidify) .They are not designed to turn your motorhome into a fridge.

Generally , expect the system to cool your van down to around 10c below the outside temperature.

In Italy last year, it was 42c. I set our ducted Truma a/c to 28c. It attained and maintained that temperature. But we had all the blinds closed, an internal and external silver screens.

But when we opened the door to enter the motorhome , you immediately felt the cool dehumidified air.

R32 is the latest refrigerant. It’s the same gas in the Daikin a/c system I have installed in our Villa. Very efficient, so should be working well.

I have a feeling, there is nothing wrong with your unit.

The evaporator will sweat condensate. It should not freeze like a freezer evaporator. As the evaporator temperature will be above freezing point. If you do have a partially frosted evaporator then you do have a problem.

As stated, if there is no access point on the system, one can be fitted. I don’t like Line tap valves. Though they are okay for analytic purposes. If I have to do any work on these types of systems, I would fit an access fitting for future testing and maintenance.

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[Margaux2]

Yes it can be regassed, even if there is no charging stub, one can be added. R32 is a new gas so the unit can't be very old and I'd be surprised if the gas level is low already

To check gas level:
Look carefully at the evaporator, is it frosting anywhere? Shine a torch up into the fins. Low gas level means the pressure in the evaporator is low and that causes one end to frost up or if it's severely short just the pipe into the evap frosts.

Sometimes when systems are short of gas they make a hissing noise as vapour is hissing through the valve when it should be liquid.

Also check the fan is running on the roof and that the compressor is running continuously

Thanks so much for your rapid feedback and advice. Yes you are right it was brand new in October and has only been used a few times due to the lock down in Wales where I am.
The van has been back with Travelworld for much of the time. I am due to take it back to them to have it checked but I suspect they will say it’s working fine.
I’m not sure if the fins are visible without disassembling the unit?
The fan runs constantly but I can hear the pump cut in and out after it runs for a while which I expect is normal?

 

[Richard n Ann]

I can hear the pump cut in and out after it runs for a while which I expect is normal?

If the compressor is switching on and off it would suggest the system is reaching the temperature set point. The sensor is usually at the air inlet point behind the air filter, can you put a thermometer there to see what the temperature is?

There should be cold air coming out of the louvres evenly when the compressor is running, roughly about 8°c all along

 

[John Barrett]

I have fitted aircons into my boats and from what you say the unit is working fine. If the outside temperature goes up to 30+ then the you will hear the pump cut in more often as it copes with the load.

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[Bessy765]

You have a big aluminium box with plastic windows, you have floor level vents for gas safety. It will not have the same insulation properties as a house. You also have a large van. we have a freshjet 2200 on our 7.5 mtr Burstner and found it a blessing when in France last year with temp 30c + it will never turn it into a fridge, if it reduces it to 10c below the outside temp it would be doing well. Lots of factors effect the temp. If you set it to 16c and it only gets to 19c when outside is 26c it does seem a little short of its target. If the compressor is cutting in and out the system is sensing the evaporator core is reaching its working temp, maybe try putting the remote control nearer a window on the sunny side, see what the display reads. Having the one unit in a 9 mtr van the cooling effect will be influenced on where it is located. On ours we had it put above the rear bed with the ducts angled forward so the area furthest from the large A class windscreen gets the coolest air first. On a previous van we found that having the air con near the front meant it was battling the heat coming through the glass, even with the blinds down and insulated cover over. The other thing to consider when abroad is the amperage at your hook up. We had the 2200 as it will run quite happily on a 6 amp supply.

 

[Raul]

Your ac is working well. The van is leaking heat and that’s the best it can cope with the leakage. Also it matters where the thermometer of the ac is located vs the thermometer you read the internal temperature. If it’s the same one, then the set temperature will not be reached due to heat leakage. The compressor can stop periodically if it’s been running all the time, despite not reaching the set temp. This highlights two possible causes: ac unit is well undersized, or the space being cooled is loosing heat faster than the ac can cope with it. The r32 is a efficient gas and only needs tiny amounts compared to the older gases. We run a daikin in the house with r32 and actual consumption is well below its rated consumption. Placement and insulation plays a big part in its efficiency.

 

[Margaux2]

If the compressor is switching on and off it would suggest the system is reaching the temperature set point. The sensor is usually at the air inlet point behind the air filter, can you put a thermometer there to see what the temperature is?

There should be cold air coming out of the louvres evenly when the compressor is running, roughly about 8°c all along

Thanks ever so much! Really helpful, will check these, at the first opportunity!

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[Neil S]

It was 104f (40c) in Provence July 19
The Truma Aventa Compact + I have fitted has 2200 watts of cooling power .
We had the Silverscreens fitted to help keep the heat out and the internal temperature hovered around a comfortable 22-23c but we switched it on before it got really hot

 

[Margaux2]

Interesting! How big is your van because it’s seems to be very much about the volume of air to be cooled. The Teleco unit is specified for 8-10 m long vans and has 2400 watts, but this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s more effective. So many factors will come into it such as fin size and design tube / pipe size and design, airflow rate. What I would say is the Atrleco unit is very noisy inside the van but barely perceptible outside the van. Of course we would selfishly prefer it to be the other way round!

 

[Neil S]

Interesting! How big is your van because it’s seems to be very much about the volume of air to be cooled. The Teleco unit is specified for 8-10 m long vans and has 2400 watts, but this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s more effective. So many factors will come into it such as fin size and design tube / pipe size and design, airflow rate. What I would say is the Atrleco unit is very noisy inside the van but barely perceptible outside the van. Of course we would selfishly prefer it to be the other way round!

That was my previous van which was just under 7m but found the most effective way to cool the van was to direct all the cool air towards the front and close the bedroom door

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[Margaux2]

You have a big aluminium box with plastic windows, you have floor level vents for gas safety. It will not have the same insulation properties as a house. You also have a large van. we have a freshjet 2200 on our 7.5 mtr Burstner and found it a blessing when in France last year with temp 30c + it will never turn it into a fridge, if it reduces it to 10c below the outside temp it would be doing well. Lots of factors effect the temp. If you set it to 16c and it only gets to 19c when outside is 26c it does seem a little short of its target. If the compressor is cutting in and out the system is sensing the evaporator core is reaching its working temp, maybe try putting the remote control nearer a window on the sunny side, see what the display reads. Having the one unit in a 9 mtr van the cooling effect will be influenced on where it is located. On ours we had it put above the rear bed with the ducts angled forward so the area furthest from the large A class windscreen gets the coolest air first. On a previous van we found that having the air con near the front meant it was battling the heat coming through the glass, even with the blinds down and insulated cover over. The other thing to consider when abroad is the amperage at your hook up. We had the 2200 as it will run quite happily on a 6 amp supply.

Thanks the temp drop over Ambient is around 7 degrees. The remote control does not display the actual reading it only displays that temp to which it is set. The actual reading is only visible on the AC unit on the ceiling. We found that on a 10amp site if anything else is switched on in addition to the AC unit it trips!

 

[Neil S]

Thanks the temp drop over Ambient is around 7 degrees. The remote control does not display the actual reading it only displays that temp to which it is set. The actual reading is only visible on the AC unit on the ceiling. We found that on a 10amp site if anything else is switched on in addition to the AC unit it trips!

According to the specs if I'm reading them correctly the Teleco Dual Clima 12400 is quite power hungry requiring 6.6amps in cooling mode
I think you will struggle to use it on a 6 amp hookup commonly found abroad

 

[Margaux2]

According to the specs if I'm reading them correctly the Teleco Dual Clima 12400 is quite power hungry requiring 6.6amps in cooling mode
I think you will struggle to use it on a 6 amp hookup commonly found abroad

Thanks Neil. Yes hence it tripping with a kettle or similar device!

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[Bessy765]

An away around the power requirements but not cheap, if you are going down the Lithium Battery route, what we are planning for ours is two 100 amp lithium, 3, 175 watt solar panels with 60 amp mppt regulator and a Victron 2kw inverter charger. With this set up you can set the incoming mains supply amps to what is available and the excess is provided from the batteries, as the air con cycles on and off the inverter charger will top up the batteries When the compressor is not running.