2nd AC installed - Penguin II - Cold enough?

xanth wrote:
We installed a 2nd AC in our 30ft Fifth Wheel a couple months ago. Decided to go with the Penguin II low Profile 13.5 BTU over the bedroom area.

Everything seems to work, it powers on and you can tell a difference when the compressor kicks on, but it just doesn't seem to get as cold in the bedroom area as I expected. Now I haven't had it on that much (we haven't taken any trips in it yet), but overall, i'm underwhelmed by its performance. I've only run it off the household current (20V).

We have a 15K BTU AC as the main AC unit, and I can leave it on all day and the trailer will get chilly inside, but the bedroom one just tends to get somewhat cooler.

I've done a bit of research, and some people say the 2nd AC makes the bedroom area an ice box when it is left on. Of course, others say it just cools it down.

What makes me really wonder, is I had left the 2nd AC on all night (on high) the other night (forgot it was on) and when I went into the trailer the next morning, it didn't seem cool at all. Figured it might have froze over the night, so I let it sit all day and turned it on the next day. Same results, I can tell the air is cooler (coming out of the AC unit), but it is not as cold as I was expecting.

Before I call Dometic to see what they say, or if they might warranty it, does anyone have any first hand experience?

Are my expectations too high? It cools the bedroom a few degrees, but doesn't make it cold.

Some of my research tells of a Dometic trouble shooting guide for the AC units, but my google-fu is failing me, and I can't find it.

Thanks for the help!

Roger10378 wrote:
There are several videos on u-tube showing the sealing of the air passages to correct the problem. I would start there. If there is air leakage between the cold air and the return you will get those exact symptoms.

smlranger wrote:
A simple test to see if the unit is cooling properly is to use an infrared thermometer and read the temp of air on the input side and output side on high cool. If the output temp is at least 20 - 25 cooler than input temp, it is working as designed.

jaycocamprs wrote:
Our Dometic 13.5 won't really do the "hang meat" thing either. It cools good but the builtin thermostat cuts the compressor out about 67 degrees. Cools it quick, but only just so cold. But it is enough that combined with main ducted 15K the trailer stays comfortable even on the hottest days.

Roger10378 wrote:
There are several videos on u-tube showing the sealing of the air passages to correct the problem. I would start there. If there is air leakage between the cold air and the return you will get those exact symptoms.