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Cruisair Mirage XL
Hey Guys,
I’ve got a mirage XL (1992) here with 3 cruisair units – they don’t seem all that effective, so I figure the refridgerant needs refilling.
Does anyone know where condensor/refidgiderant tank is located ?
thanks in advance
James
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9 Replies
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the units are behind the front bumper (two) the other will be in the middle of the coach second bay. There should be access from first bay wall
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it’s not a tank,it is a condensing unit just like the unit outside of a house just smaller,the coach might need all 3 condensers cleaned,I would start there.if any need freon it is really important to adjust it by getting the low side (suction)temperature as low as possible right at the low side valve.Cruise Airs are very sensitive to freon charge and most technicians will want to look at the sight glass and adjust the freon until there are not any bubbles present,the performance will be horrible as they will be overcharged by a significant amount.When they are charged properly and clean they will cool very well.
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James,
It would help if you let folks know who your converter is, that way they can get more specific.
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James, have 3 on my 91 XL also. All behind front bumper. The first 2 hinge right and left and have to crawl in for last one. They always check or add freon right at unit.
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James,
When I took delivery of my coach, with the three units located as described above, they all needed servicing. I went to a local Carrier Transicold shop. They found some leak locations, fixed them, and converted to R134 instead of the R12 refrigerant. That was six years ago and they still make it frigid inside the coach when hooked to shore power or running the generator.
If you have a CT shop nearby I’d recommend you establish a dialogue with them about repairs to your units.
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Whoa…………
Cruiseairs, or at least what I know as Cruiseairs are all R-22.
Everybody needs to be on the same page because too many people throw around terms like OTR (over the road air) to describe their particular coach air conditioning when it is meant to mean the whole coach air conditioning system as installed by Prevost. The same holds true for the house AC systems. The Cruiseairs are a brand name split system with the condensers in the belly of the bus and the evaporators in the house.
Folks have converted R12 AC units (such as some roof top units) to run on 134A, but I am not aware of anyone converting a Cruiseair from R-22 to 134A.
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Jon,
I’ll have to check my receipts next time I go to the coach. I know I have changed the R12 in both CC OTR compressors to R134. A can of R12 was something like $300-400 whereas the friendly to the environment freon was about $100 a can.
Just got back from visiting the coach. Should’a checked the postings before going. Oh well, later …
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Carole/Will & All, I was less than happy with the output of my cruiseairs (sister ship to Wills) and stopped by Wolf Creek Marina in Mobile, AL enroute to Oyster Fest 2011, They let me stay for 3 days for free (like that), had the 3 units cleaned,serviced and shiny (Jon should like that) in about 1 hr. Cost was very reasonable. I would suggest a Marina that services the bigger boats. I did and would again.
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Cruiseairs are very sensitive to the Freon charge. A fraction of an ounce one way or another can impact the efficiency.
As several of us have learned, reasonably acceptable performance can be if the charge is providing a 15 degree temperature differential between supply and return air, but as some have pointed out the temperature spread can be as high as 21 degrees which is a significant improvement.
The key is making certain the condenser coil is clean and free of debris. Then insure the Freon charge is correct, with the clue being a cold suction line at the condenser. The visual sign the charge is correct is when the sight glass is a foamy liquid. If it runs clear the unit is usually overcharged, and if it is nothing but bubbles it is usually undercharged. When everything is right those units are very effective.
Don’t forget the evaporator coil and its filter also needs frequent cleaning.
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