In a Texas summer an RV air conditioner is not a comfort item, it is the reason the trip is still happening. Most of the ones we are called to are not broken in the way the owner has been told.
Start with what it is actually doing
“The A/C is not working” covers at least five different faults with five different prices. Before you accept a quote from anyone, it is worth knowing which of these you have:
- It runs constantly and never gets cold enough. Nearly always airflow — a blocked condenser coil or a filthy return filter. Cheapest fix on this list.
- It hums but the compressor never starts. Classic failed capacitor. Small part, quick job.
- The fan runs but the air is not cold. Condenser fan, compressor, or a genuinely failed sealed system.
- It ices up, then works for a while after it thaws. Airflow again, or a thermostat/sensor fault.
- It trips the breaker on the hottest afternoon of the week. A compressor working against a condenser that cannot shed heat.
The measurement that separates them is the temperature split — return air versus supply air, taken with the unit settled. It takes two minutes and it is the first thing we do, because it tells you immediately whether the refrigeration side is working at all.
The thing nobody tells RV owners
A rooftop RV air conditioner is a sealed system. Unlike the one in your truck, it is built closed, with no service ports. There is nothing to top up and no way to attach gauges. If a rooftop unit has genuinely lost its charge, it has failed internally, and the answer is a replacement rather than a recharge.
So if you have been quoted for “a recharge” on a Dometic, Coleman, Advent or Furrion rooftop, the fair question is where the hoses are going to attach. In practice the overwhelming majority of those calls are airflow, a capacitor, or a fan motor.
*One hour minimum labor charge required with all service calls. Contact us for current labor rates.
A real service call — before, during, after
Weak cooling on a rooftop unit. No parts needed: the coil could not pass air.
When replacement is the honest answer
A separate RV, and a replacement rather than a repair — a Furrion Chill Cube.
What we take on
- Rooftop A/C diagnostics — ducted and non-ducted
- Condenser and evaporator coil cleaning, and return filter service
- Capacitor, fan motor and control board replacement
- Thermostat replacement and calibration
- Complete rooftop unit replacement and upgrades, including the Furrion Chill Cube
- Furnace service and ignition troubleshooting
Why coils fill up faster here
Central Texas is harder on rooftop units than the manuals assume, for reasons that are specific to where we are: cedar and cottonwood on anything parked under trees, the fine caliche dust off unpaved drives and storage yards, and mud daubers, which regard a rooftop shroud as prime real estate.
The real reason, though, is that nobody looks. The coil is on the roof, under a shroud, behind screws. The most common answer we get to “when was it last cleaned” is that it never has been.
Before summer, not during it
A service before the heat arrives costs a fraction of an emergency call in August, and the August call is the one where the part is on back order and the campground is fully booked. If you only do one thing to an RV each spring, make it this.
Our service call fee of $150 covers travel to your RV and a complete diagnostic of the fault. You get a clear explanation of what we found and a firm repair quote before any work starts — including, when it applies, the news that a clean is all it needs.
RV Air Conditioning FAQ
No, and neither can anyone else. Rooftop RV air conditioners are sealed systems built without service ports, so there is nothing to connect gauges to and nothing to top up. If a unit has genuinely lost its charge it has failed internally and needs replacing. Almost every call that arrives described as low on refrigerant turns out to be airflow, a capacitor or a fan motor.
Most often a blocked condenser coil or a clogged return air filter. The compressor is working, but the heat has nowhere to go and the cold air has no way of reaching you. It is the cheapest fault on the list and the most commonly misdiagnosed as a failing unit.
Ask for the temperature split between return and supply air, and confirm the coil has actually been cleaned and the capacitor tested. If those are ruled out and the sealed system has failed, replacement is the right answer. It is also worth replacing when a unit needs two significant parts at once, or is old enough that parts are on back order in June.
Yes, both service and complete replacement. A Chill Cube is a lower-profile unit than a traditional rooftop, which matters if you have ever measured your rig against a covered storage bay. It is not a universal drop-in though: the roof opening, the roof structure around it, the available amperage and whether the interior ceiling assembly is being reused all decide whether it fits.
Yes. Everything here is done on site — at home, in a storage lot, at a campground or in an RV park across the Highland Lakes, greater Austin, the Hill Country and San Antonio.
Ready to get your RV back in service?
Schedule online in about two minutes, or call and talk to a real technician. Either way, we come to you.
*One hour minimum labor charge required with all service calls. Contact us for current labor rates.