Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
Open Roads Radio forum for Ham, Amateur Radio and RV camping


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 07-09-2015, 12:12 PM   #1
Radio
Administrator
 
Radio's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Fayetteville, GA, USA
Posts: 3,017
Question AC mystery - where does the little orange wire go?

I wish this was a "fun" puzzle, but this is a real life "wish I knew the answer" kind of deal...

Opened up the filter grill on my Dometic 13.5 ducted air conditioner and happened to notice this little orange wire sticking out by itself. All the other wires have mates, blue to blue, brown to brown so on, although the mating wires are not always the same color.

There is no orange wire for it to mate to. There is no other wire of any color that does not have a mate. The little wires seem to be in a bundle or cable.

The A/C works fine.

The furnace has never worked right. For the furnace to come on an run one heat cycle a switch on the side of the furnace must be cycled on and off.

Maybe this is the problem? Where does the orange wire go?
Attached Images
File Type: jpg DSCF0005 (2).jpg (55.5 KB, 42 views)
__________________

KU4OJ "Wade" Ships Captain, CFO, Chief Engineer
KG4DQQ "Kathy" 1st Officer, Navigator, Best Friend
2007 F-150 SuperCab - 2009 Rockwood 8280SS
Lot's of mostly Kenwood stuff

Radio is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2015, 12:25 PM   #2
Jpatrickc
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Belleville, PA
Posts: 13
Default

It's hard to tell from the picture so I'm not sure if it is coming from the AP unit or a cable that is going out of the unit. If it's in the cable from the thermostat I would check at the thermostat and see if it is connected.

Just guessing if it could possibly be an antenna for a remote control?

Pat
__________________
Pat - WA3UOE
2011 Carriage Cameo K37KS3
2006 Chevy 3500 Dually (LBZ)
Belleville, PA
Jpatrickc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2015, 12:35 PM   #3
electricflyer
Senior Member
 
electricflyer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Douglasville, GA
Posts: 417
Default

Did you read that label that says "caution". You were in forbidden territory, you could get hurt. But, does that diagram give you any clues?
electricflyer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2015, 03:03 PM   #4
Radio
Administrator
 
Radio's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Fayetteville, GA, USA
Posts: 3,017
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by electricflyer View Post
But, does that diagram give you any clues?
I think that is all internal to the A/C unit.
__________________

KU4OJ "Wade" Ships Captain, CFO, Chief Engineer
KG4DQQ "Kathy" 1st Officer, Navigator, Best Friend
2007 F-150 SuperCab - 2009 Rockwood 8280SS
Lot's of mostly Kenwood stuff

Radio is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2015, 07:36 PM   #5
kd2iat
Member
 
kd2iat's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Northville, NY in the Adirondacks
Posts: 33
Default

Here's one possibility...

The RV manufacturer purchased a stock of cable with x number of conductors, but only ended up needing x-1 for your rig. Therefore the dangling wire. I found that to be true on two different rigs over the years. If you can locate the other end of that cable, you may well find the same dangling orange wire. Proper wiring practice suggests that unused wires should be taped back or cut away in some fashion, but a lot of RV manufacturers tend to skimp on these practices. Just pull any 110vac wall socket and examine the wiring. It ain't up to what we expect in residential or commercial wiring.

I'd pull the thermostat off the wall and see if the cable feeding it has that extra wire. It's also possible that it's in a bundle going to the furnace.

As for your furnace not be properly controlled by the thermostat, something's not connected right would be my guess. You'd probably need to have the install manuals for the thermostat, A/C, and furnace laid out side-by-side and trace out all the wiring. It's tedious and mind-numbing, but necessary. I've done several conversions of the thermostat from the standard Dometic Duo-Therms to a Hunter or other unit. Each time, I ended up tracing wires and wire colors. Seems that RV manufacturers don't always purchase multi-conductor cable that has the same wire colors as needed by the various appliances. They use what they have in stock and that can create issues for owners down the road.
__________________
'12 Ford Super Duty & '11 Cougar MKS326

Motorola CDM1250 on 146.520
kd2iat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2015, 09:12 PM   #6
NN5I
Carl, nn5i
 
NN5I's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Posts: 1,441
Default

I googled "rv air conditioner wiring dometic" and found several Dometic manuals with wiring diagrams for various models. Each of these showed orange for a common lead to a thermostat.

On Colemans, orange goes to an overheat sensor (bimetal thermostat) that opens when the heater gets too hot. But you said yours is Dometic.

You can probably download the installation manuals for your particular equipment from Dometic. Your photo isn't clear enough to read the wiring diagram on the label.
__________________
-- Carl
NN5I is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-10-2015, 05:24 PM   #7
TXiceman
Senior Member
 
TXiceman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Near Houston, TX
Posts: 553
Default

Some A/C units have wiring to add a PV cell on the unit. There is a connection diagram next to the wires in your photo, but I cannot rear it. It should show an orange wire if it is used and what it connects to.

Ken
__________________
KE5DFR
2013 HitchHiker Champagne 38RLRSB, 2012 F350 Dually crew cab, 6.7L,
Mobile- Yaesu FT857D w/ Lil' Tarheel II antenna and Larsen dual bander, Turbo Tuner.
Base unit...Kenwood TS480HX, LDG AT200 Pro tuner, Eagle One Vertical and Windom 80 meter dipole.
Standard Schnauzer..her call is K9WOOF
TXiceman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-10-2015, 05:44 PM   #8
NN5I
Carl, nn5i
 
NN5I's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Posts: 1,441
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by TXiceman View Post
Some A/C units have wiring to add a PV cell on the unit.
Trying to figure out what possible function a photovoltaic cell could perform in an air conditioner. I give up, though; I'm stumped.

Quote:
Originally Posted by TXiceman View Post
There is a connection diagram next to the wires in your photo, but I cannot rear it.
Yah, I can't rear it either. Also, I can't read it.
__________________
-- Carl
NN5I is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-10-2015, 08:20 PM   #9
TXiceman
Senior Member
 
TXiceman's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Near Houston, TX
Posts: 553
Default

Some units are wire to put a solar cell up top and wired to trickle charge the batteries.

Both of my Colemans have a plug up top and one below that can be connected to a solar charge controller and the battery. But the wires are identified.

Ken
__________________
KE5DFR
2013 HitchHiker Champagne 38RLRSB, 2012 F350 Dually crew cab, 6.7L,
Mobile- Yaesu FT857D w/ Lil' Tarheel II antenna and Larsen dual bander, Turbo Tuner.
Base unit...Kenwood TS480HX, LDG AT200 Pro tuner, Eagle One Vertical and Windom 80 meter dipole.
Standard Schnauzer..her call is K9WOOF
TXiceman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-10-2015, 09:26 PM   #10
NN5I
Carl, nn5i
 
NN5I's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Posts: 1,441
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by TXiceman View Post
Some units are wired to put a solar cell up top ... to trickle charge the batteries.
Ah so. A thoughtful solution, that, to the vexing problem of getting a circuit from the roof to the interior. I wish my two Colemans had that.
__________________
-- Carl
NN5I is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2015, 08:14 AM   #11
wa8yxm
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Mobile, on the road
Posts: 1,139
Send a message via AIM to wa8yxm Send a message via Yahoo to wa8yxm Send a message via Skype™ to wa8yxm
Default

The top of the A/C cover is an ideal place for a solar panel so why not add a charge line?

I keep wondering what this wire is about... Will keep reading till hte O/P posts "Figured it out it's the________"
wa8yxm is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2015, 05:23 PM   #12
N3LYT
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Maine
Posts: 709
Default

I see a orange wire for a freeze protection switch for Colman AC heat pump systems.
N3LYT is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-14-2015, 08:19 PM   #13
NN5I
Carl, nn5i
 
NN5I's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Posts: 1,441
Default

Wade, I figured it out. It doesn't go anywhere! It just stays right wherever it is.
__________________
-- Carl
NN5I is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-15-2015, 04:15 PM   #14
N3LYT
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Maine
Posts: 709
Default

Yes I would be very surprised if it ended up behind the fridge one day.
N3LYT is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-18-2015, 01:32 PM   #15
wa8yxm
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Mobile, on the road
Posts: 1,139
Send a message via AIM to wa8yxm Send a message via Yahoo to wa8yxm Send a message via Skype™ to wa8yxm
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by NN5I View Post
Ah so. A thoughtful solution, that, to the vexing problem of getting a circuit from the roof to the interior. I wish my two Colemans had that.
They do.... if you think about it hard enough.
wa8yxm is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:23 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
×