Have an older 97 Holiday Rambler Endeavor LE with two dometic low profile ac units with heat pumps. The old units have a little trouble keeping up in hotter temps so I am looking to upgrade them both. That being said I want to see if anybody on here has gone before me and can offer any advice. I have the older 4 button comfort control thermostat which I am sure will also need to be replaced with something more modern. Looking in to getting two new penguin 13.5 units and a new thermostat to control them. Where my worry comes in is that the existing furnace won't respond to the new thermostat. Again....any advice anybody can throw my way would be helpful.

I would leave well enough alone. Unless the A/C units are icing up or short cycling which is an indication of a low Freon charge, they are likely producing as much cooling as any new unit.

You will have no problem. It is ALL plug and play. I would get the 15k(HE) Penguin Heat Pumps. You will need the 10 button CCC tstat and the existing wiring is identical for connections at each HP and at the Wall tstat. ALL you have to do, is set to Zone 2 on the rear HP and set the Furnace on the Zone 1 HP control board. EACH Penguin comes with the control board(10 button) already installed. Doug

Yeah, after 21 years I think you're doing the right thing.Several years ago I upgraded my 2001 Newmar Mountainaire's aging ACs to the new Penguin IIs with heat pumps. One of my better decisions.My two, 13.5s work great and the digital 10-button thermostat (CCC2) is like having a real home unit. BTW, my furnace works fine with the CCC2.

My coach is currently in the repair shop getting a new rear AC unit installed. 13.5 Penguin. Front was replaced last year by the prior owner and they upgraded the thermostat. He told me they had to purchase a control board for the new ac to talk with the other one and the thermostat. New AC is a 13.5 penguin and the shop is telling me I need another control board??

FLmedic41 wrote:My coach is currently in the repair shop getting a new rear AC unit installed. 13.5 Penguin. Front was replaced last year by the prior owner and they upgraded the thermostat. He told me they had to purchase a control board for the new ac to talk with the other one and the thermostat. New AC is a 13.5 penguin and the shop is telling me I need another control board??NO, ALL Penguins come with the 10 button control board. When the previous Penguin was replaced, your Rear Penguin DID have to have a 5 to 10 button retrofit kit installed to operate with the new control system. 5 and 10 button control boards cannot talk to each other. Doug

Dometic AC with Heat Pump Upgrade | Good Sam Community

14 Replies

FLmedic41
Explorer
May 30, 2018
My coach is currently in the repair shop getting a new rear AC unit installed. 13.5 Penguin. Front was replaced last year by the prior owner and they upgraded the thermostat. He told me they had to purchase a control board for the new ac to talk with the other one and the thermostat. New AC is a 13.5 penguin and the shop is telling me I need another control board??
TechWriter
Explorer
May 30, 2018
Yeah, after 21 years I think you're doing the right thing.

Several years ago I upgraded my 2001 Newmar Mountainaire's aging ACs to the new Penguin IIs with heat pumps. One of my better decisions.

My two, 13.5s work great and the digital 10-button thermostat (CCC2) is like having a real home unit. BTW, my furnace works fine with the CCC2.
dougrainer
Nomad
May 29, 2018
You will have no problem. It is ALL plug and play. I would get the 15k(HE) Penguin Heat Pumps. You will need the 10 button CCC tstat and the existing wiring is identical for connections at each HP and at the Wall tstat. ALL you have to do, is set to Zone 2 on the rear HP and set the Furnace on the Zone 1 HP control board. EACH Penguin comes with the control board(10 button) already installed. Doug
DownTheAvenue
Explorer
May 29, 2018
I would leave well enough alone. Unless the A/C units are icing up or short cycling which is an indication of a low Freon charge, they are likely producing as much cooling as any new unit.

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Dometic AC with Heat Pump Upgrade

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