So, in middle August of 2025 we had to put a new AC on our camper. We had literally gotten here to CA for only a week and our old one went out. So, I drove 3.5 hours the next day to a Camping World in Fresno and picked up a new Furrion 18K Chill Cube, non ducted AC unit. Unfortunately, at that time, all the air boxes for the ducted model were out of stock, so I got the non ducted version. Got it back and installed it. It was quite easy as it was only the 3 wires from the AC side. Install went fine and we have been using it with no problems until last week... I started hearing a knocking noise so I went up on the roof yesterday and pulled the shroud off. I looked around and nothing was loose and or vibrating against anything causing the sound. With the shroud off, it was obvious that the sound was coming from the compressor itself. While it was running and knocking, I applied a little pressure to the top of the compressor to see if maybe the mounting bolts were loose (seed in the first video), but that didn't help. Instead I could vey assuredly tell that the vibrations were coming from inside the compressor... so, I figure the compressor is on its way out. It is still blowing cold air, but the knocking sound is a bit annoying, and that tells me that it is just a matter of time... so, I will call Furrion tomorrow and see what they say. I still have my receipts from Camping World. I imagine they are going to want me to at minimum pay a tech to come out and diagnose it. Unfortunately though, in less than 3 weeks we are leaving out for a 2 month, 8000 mile trip and there isn't any time built in to be stopping for unknown lengths of time for repairs...

So, anyone have any experience with AC warranty repairs/replacements? With Furrion? I want to call to get it on the books, but not sure what sort of rabbit hole they will have me going down for it... So, part of me wonders if I should of course go ahead and call, but then try to wait it till we get back in August and deal with it again, or if I should just buy another one and be done with it. I have read in other places that if they do decide to warranty it, they won't cover any of the labor costs, only replace the unit. Installing the AC is super easy, so I hate to spend hundreds of dollars out of my pocket to have something done that I can easily do mysel... Or worse, spend a few hundred to have someone come and diagnose it, and then Furrion denies it for whatever reason anyway... I'd rather just pt that money towards another one I think... So, what are all's thoughts?

And here are a couple of short clips I took while on the roof with the shroud of. You can even hear it slow down as the compressor speed changes in one of the clips. Heck, maybe someone can point out something I missed?!?

 

Definitely on borrowed time.

Bob

 

That's what I am afraid of... and we are about to be on the road for all of June and July... I do like the AC unit though. It has been extremely energy efficient and it is quieter than our previous, smaller 13.5k unit. I have somewhat regretted it from the day we got it though cause I wanted the ducted version, but we were in a situation where we needed it then and couldn't wait for an unknown amount of time for them to restock the ducted units. I am curious to see what Furrion says when I call them tomorrow... I may have to make another trip to Fresno camping world and just buy another one... I can't keep buying new AC units every year though! lol.

Oh, and I didn't add it earlier, but this unit has a variable speed compressor that is not tied into the fan's, so the fan can ramp up or down, or off, depending on what's needed, while the fan runs non stop. But I am 100% certain it is coming from the compressor since it comes on with the compressor and goes off with the compressor. Much of the time the fan only is running and the compressor is off, during those times though the knocking is gone, so I know it's not the fan.

 

I can’t imagine that you can just replace the compressor on that unit. By the sound of it the compressor is making metal particles internally. The entire chiller section will likely need to be replaced but that is likely the normal repair anyway.

Bob

 

From what I have read, if the compressor is going out they just swap the whole unit. I dunno though. I’ll give them a call tomorrow and see what they say… I wish this would have started a month ago when we had more time…

 

Hope you get good response from Lippert. Have the same unit with not issues, so far. Good luck and keep us informed

 

Update so far. I called Lippert this morning. It took about 25 minutes to get through to someone after pressing buttons to identify that I needed to speak to someone about Furrion products. My conversation with the CS rep went rather pleasant. He recommended getting a RV technician involved just in case the video/photo documentation I sent in wasn't enough evidence, and so that if they did decide to replace it, the RV tech may have quicker access to the items rather than waiting for them to ship them out. I did express the I felt that videos demonstrated the concern with the bad compressor well enough to isolate it as the problem, not to mention that I may not even be able to get an appointment before I leave in 18 days. Along with the videos, I also had to send in a VIN and purchase date for my RV, along with all the receipts for the AC unit. He informed me to give them about a day and then call them back, which should give them time to review the information. So, I will call them back tomorrow afternoon with my case number and see what they say.

He did inform me that if it is the compressor they would ship out an entirely new unit. I would imagine (and would be fine with) them simply shipping out a new rooftop unit as my ADB is still good and I wouldn't think it needed to be replaced. However, if all goes well and they do decide to warranty it out, I will ask them what the odds are that I could swap it out for a new ducted version, even if I have to pay for the ducted ADB out of my own pocket.

Anyway, we have really enjoyed this 18k Furrion Chill Cube unit. It is much quieter, and even though it runs all day long, I feel like it is way more energy efficient than the previous 13.5k Dometic Brisk Air 2 unit we had. It does suck that only 10 months after installing it we are experiencing this, but at this point it wouldn't sway me from installing another one. (Now if the second went out, that would be different...) But, I have not found any other complaints of the compressors on these units online, so it doesn't seem like it is an actual reoccurring issue and mine is likely just that one that made it through when it shouldn't have.

I will update this after I speak with them again tomorrow.

Until then though, based on those videos I shared, what is everyone's thoughts on how definitive those videos alone would point to a faulty compressor and not some other issue?

 

Woke up to some good new this morning! I got an email from Lippert saying an order has been placed and explained that it would take 5-7 days to process the order, and then it would ship freight. It does sound like it would be arriving about the time I am leaving CA to head back to MS, so they are shipping it to my MS address. Now I just need my current unit to last another few weeks! Of course this unit has only been installed 10 months, but I must admit, so far, the warranty process has been very welcoming. I was really afraid I would have to have a technician come out and submit the warranty request at the least, if not take it in somewhere. I do hope that this problem was a one off though... as I mentioned earlier, I haven't really been able to find any other complaints of compressor failure on these units. And as I also stated, I do like the unit much more than my previous unit!

 

You got better service from Furrion than I did for my refrigerator. Their response was essentially CTRL-ALT-DEL. I put in a DIY fix that is redneck engineering.

Furrion quality is quite lacking. Lippert has taken over the industry and the industry is poorer for it.

 

Sorry to hear about that. I will admit, I was quite surprised with how things have gone. I was about 49% sure I would just have to outright buy another AC unit and 51% hoping that they would cover it under warranty. IMO, it's pretty obvious that it is a defective unit, but I was still nervous about what I would have to do to get it approved... so I was pleasantly surprised that it went so well. Now I just hope that the second one lasts longer... to be fair, we are full time in our camper, and these things run nonstop 24/7... well, at last the fan does... the compressor kicks in when more cooling is needed, but it is in full time use and I know that a lot of RV components are rated with a part time service in mind. Still... I would think that they would last several years, even in full time use though. And I do see a number of other Chill Cubes here at the campground, and while I do see service guys out often, it's usually for appliances inside the camper or black tank flushes... lol.

A couple of months ago there were campers on both sides of me getting new fridges, however, one was a residential fridge. We have a 6 cu/ft Norcold fridge and it has worked pretty good so far. It's 9 years old now. I installed an ARP Fridge Defend on it a few years ago. But I have often thought of what I would replace it with when it does fail... I like the AC/Gas option, but have often thought about a DC fridge... I dunno, but I hope I don't have to figure it out any time soon! I know if/when our hot water heater goes out I will go with a tankless unit for sure! lol

 

The DC refrigerators are pretty slick. Lots more room compared to a propane unit. No need for a roof vent. Safer.

An AC unit is a good route too but the DC refrigerator avoids the DC-AC conversion when not connected to shore power/generator.

I don't think there is significant weight savings of a DC refrigerator over the traditional propane refrigerator. I was surprised there wasn't.

Still, I would hold out as long as you can in the hopes that the DC refrigerators will mature and improve.

 

Yeah, I wouldn't complain about a little more room... but I am for sure holding off til it's necessary!

 

Just to round this out, my new AC unit was delivered this afternoon, and was completely covered under warranty. From my first contact with Lippert/Furrion to day of delivery was 12 days. Not too bad!

Since we are about to be on the road for a while and we didn't know how long it would all take, we opted to have it shipped to my dad's house in MS, instead of to us here in CA. We will leave here next week and then it will take a week to get there, so in about 2 weeks I will remove the old one and install the new one! I am going to keep the old one just in case I need any parts off of it, and as expected, they only shipped the roof top unit, so I will continue to use the same ADB I already have. Thankfully, the old one is still kicking, which is a good thing because on some of our stops along the way we will say temps in the mid 90's during the day!

 

Glad you got it sorted out, and Lippert took care of you! Safe travels!

 

Glad to hear this as well! I'm mostly lurking in this thread, but interested as my 26-year-old Dometic units on my F-53 are bound to get tired soon (although they keep surprising me). When they do, I'm planning on replacing likely with units similar to this. Seems like these new ultra-efficient units worked their bugs out pretty quickly and are proving themselves in the real world.