wamcneil

Why did they not set it up like that from the factory!?!!!?? That (IMO) is a heck of a lot more intuitive than the way Monaco did it. Cheers, Walter

Hmmm. Whenever I get around to lithium batteries... I think I'll go the route of DC-DC charger. That approach of just using a length of 10-12 ga wire as a current-limiting resistor doesn't sit well with me... Cheers, Walter

The CCC2 has four zones! At first, I thought about hanging all three units off of the kitchen CCC2. But then after scrutinizing the installation manual, it looks like each unit after Zone1 requires an external temperature sensor connected to each rooftop unit. The bedroom unit is Zone1 on the bedroom CCC, so it has no external temperature sensor now. And in order to hang a new bedroom unit off the kitchen CCC2, the bedroom unit will require a temperature sensor (in addition to a phone cable from the middle unit). So, I'll probably wind up replacing the bedroom CCC with a new CCC2 only for the bedroom unit. That'll also solve the problem of covering up the holes left from the bedroom CCC. Cheers, Walter

Well, the bathroom temperature sensor is connected to the rooftop unit, not the CCC. I’m not a fan of the temperature sensor being in the bathroom, but at this point I’m not planning to change it. The idea is to switch control of the middle unit from the bedroom CCC to the front CCC. Cheers Walter

Ok, so I've got 3 heat pumps controlled by 2 CCCs. One in the kitchen, and one in the bedroom. I'm sure this has been discussed before, but I might have a new twist. I just got done replacing the forward AC with a new penguin II/CCC2 and I'm starting to plan replacement of the other 2 units. Options... Here's the current situation: Front unit is all by itself, controlled by a CCC2 located in the kitchen. Rear unit in the bedroom is Zone1 on a CCC in the bedroom Middle unit (more like a 2ndary forward AC than 'middle' AC) is also controlled by the bedroom CCC as Zone2 and senses temperature using an external sensor located in the bathroom. Before I start planning a reconfiguration... is there some benefit in this configuration that I'm missing? To me, it's much more intuitive for the front unit to be Zone 1, and the middle to be Zone 2. I'd rather do away with the temperature sensor in the bathroom, but I think it's required to have an external temperature sensor on Zone 2+. So here's what I'm thinking. If I replace the middle AC with a penguin II, I could easily run the middle unit off of the front CCC2, right? The only problem would be connecting the two front units together with a phone cable from the front unit to the middle unit. It's only about 6' between the two. I could run that phone cable either beside the central duct in the ceiling, or inside the duct. Any problems with that plan? Thanks. Walter

Thanks guys. I'll pursue the hose first. Fingers crossed that it's the tube! Cheers, Walter

Thanks Richard. If I can't find any obvious issues around the filler neck I'll go ahead and replace the cap and hose. I sure hope it's the overflow hose... Walter

Hmmm. Mine were shipped free to home last year. And the free home-shipping option shows up on the HD product page for me now. I wonder why you're not getting the free shipping! The hightec panels from ebay were also free shipping. That being said... If I had HD close by, I would have had them shipped to the store. That way you could thoroughly inspect for damage before leaving the store and make them order more if dinged in shipment. Walter Interesting... the GS-STAR-200W panel doesn't show up on Grape Solar's website. Sure looks like the 190 panel but it has a separate datasheet and the dimensions are somewhat bigger. Comes with some extras, and it costs $25 less!

Thanks Ivan. I'll try and investigate that area. I've read of other cases of corrosion at the filler neck. My access is pretty bad! I can barely get my arm in there to remove the cap... Walter

Hi All, I've got some puzzling behavior in my aqha hot AHE-100-02S Last year I repaired a leaking coolant reservoir and replaced the coolant. I monitored the system closely for a couple months with reference marks to make sure the levels were consistent between hot and cold and the level wasn't dropping. All good, so out of sight/out of mind... It's normally turned off unless we're travelling. Then last week we got back from a trip and I looked at the reservoir and it was empty. So I filled it about to about 1/2 and watched it for a couple-days and determined that the reservoir wasn't leaking again. No signs of a leak. Hmmm. So I turned the unit on and let it heat up, with the assumption that the level must be low, and it would expel some air and then slurp in the coolant when switched off, and I'd use a couple heat/cool cycles to top up the level in the tank back up (getting to the cap to directly check level is REALLY a pain). Apparently the AH coolant level was not low because the unit expelled a pretty normal amount of coolant when it heated up. Which put the level right near the High mark in the reservoir. So far so good, but where did the missing coolant go??? And here's the part that really confused me: when I turned the unit off and let it cool down, the level in the reservoir only dropped about 3/8". About the only thing I can figure could cause this would be a small leak somewhere in the coolant overflow line. If it's pulling air into the system instead of sucking coolant out of the reservoir, that might explain it. If it was a leak in the pressurized part of the system it wouldn't have forced coolant out into the reservoir, right? But so far I haven't found any coolant dripping anywhere. Can anybody think of another plausible scenario that might explain this or where to start looking for a leak? Thanks, Walter

Grape solar panels are marketed as 190w. I bought 4 last year, but mine are 4-bussbar and were marketed as 180w at that time. From the pictures looks like they've gone to 5-bussbar, but it's not stated in the datasheet. Drop-shipped from manufacturer and packing was OK. Slight damage in shipment and 2 of the panel corners were dinged, but not bad enough to return them. The nice thing about HD is if you don't like them or if delivered damaged you can just return to a store. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Grape-Solar-190-Watt-Monocrystalline-PV-Solar-Panel-for-Cabins-RV-s-and-Back-Up-Power-Systems-GS-STAR-190W-US/313629211?mtc=Shopping-VF-F_D27E-G-D27E-27_31_CONTROL-MULTI-NA-Feed-PLA-NA-NA-CONTROL_OtherControl&cm_mmc=Shopping-VF-F_D27E-G-D27E-27_31_CONTROL-MULTI-NA-Feed-PLA-NA-NA-CONTROL_OtherControl-71700000053528212-58700005127833923-92700048704113429&gclid=Cj0KCQjwv7L6BRDxARIsAGj-34rH5YnCGpPxEu3P1I1VKYEg2G5sE2sqt0-y716kcQaH_csTiehLDecaAnstEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds The hightec solar panels on ebay are very similar, 5-bussbar and almost identical to Grape Solar dimensions and construction (maybe 1/4" wider). Search ebay for "hightec solar", seller ID is fred480v. Looks like he doesn't have single "200w" panels listed right now, but might be able to message him on ebay and ask to post them. https://www.ebay.com/itm/25-200-Watt-12-Volt-Battery-Charger-Solar-Panel-Off-Grid-RV-Boat-FACTORY-PALLET/273487915033?hash=item3fad266819:g:y5wAAOSwwZtacRkO I've got 2 of these. They're almost identical to the grape solar panels, but they come without the additional home depot retail markup ($232 at that time: $70 less per panel). The hightec packing is pretty bad though and one was damaged in shipment. I refused the first shipment and had to wait for a 2nd batch to be sent. He didn't fuss about the return and turned around the new shipment as soon as he received the return. While I do like these panels, I wouldn't base my purchasing decision on the claim of higher output than other brands that appear to all use the same cell wafers. Cheers, Walter

Here's what my old one looks like. So you're saying the new penguin II did NOT come with the base gasket preinstalled? The installation instructions for the A/C and the drain kit both mention it like it's already installed on the pan. Maybe I need to call Dometic and see if it should come with the base gasket. Walter

Thanks Ray I'm still not following on the gasket though. The drain pan drain instructions I found online make it sound like one square gasket is already installed on the A/C pan. I’m supposed to make two cutouts in this gasket for the drain tubes. Then install the tubes and fill in around the tubes with sealant. See attachment. Then there’s a 2nd square gasket in the drain kit that is installed over the first gasket. That's the way the old unit is: two gaskets on top of each other. The upper gasket is cut to pass the drain tubes. And there are two straight sections of gasket stacked at the rear of the base pan. Are you saying the A/C doesn’t come with the square gasket pre-installed? Or are you saying that your old unit had THREE stacked gaskets? Or are you talking about the straight sections of gasket at the rear of the A/C pan? Thanks Walter

Thanks guys. I’ve been thinking about that. I suspect that periodic retightening has has pulled the unit down and caused my duct compression. I figure that once the bolts are finger tight, then evenly tensioned till at torque spec, the gasket will eventually adhere and at that point the fasters aren’t really doing anything. So I plan to leave it and hope my OCD doesn’t force me to tighten the bolts in the future. cheers Walter

Thanks Ray. What do you mean about an additional gasket besides what comes in the drain kit? The drain kit instructions made it sound like the kit included all the additional foam gaskets. I pulled the old unit up this afternoon. Yeesh! It was stuck down good. Maybe I'll have some better insight when I see the new gaskets. Perhaps the gaskets have some kind of slow-cure adhesive that eventually bonds with the surface? Walter Here's what the duct interface looks like in case anybody is interested. There's a "Base Pan Duct Adapter" screwed to the bottom of the A/C pan, and this stub adapter slides down into the mating stub coming off the top of the coach ceiling duct. Once the foam seal against the roof is cut, the A/C just lifts up and the duct adapter slips out. There doesn't appear to be any caulk type sealant on between the foam and the roof, but oh-boy it's stuck good. It took a lot of effort, swearing, prying and cutting at the gasket with a sharp scraper to finally part the foam. I'm do something to pull the duct back up in position and hold it there so the duct isn't smashed down flat. Cheers, Walter

Keep in mind, the 200w panels will not actually produce 200w except on a really bright, clear and COLD day with the sun at 90 deg to the panels. You’ll probably get more like 40-45 amps out the controller with 4 panels. You’ll need to check the controller specs, but it should be ok to have more capacity in the array than the controller can output; it’ll just throttle back to its rated output whenever the panels exceed its capacity. If you’re wanting to add 2 more panels, I’d go for a 60+ amp controller now. Dual controllers are certainly an option, but will require running more wire down from the roof. Cheers Walter

Thanks again. I got up in there with a flashlight and mirror and now can see how the duct adapter on pan slips down into the coach duct. And I’ve got a good in-lb torque wrench, so I think I’ll be ready when it gets here Monday! cheers Walter

Thanks Tom. There's adhesive between the foam and the roof??? The installation manual doesn't talk about any adhesive there. Right. I have TWO thermostats. The front controls the front A/C only. And the rear thermostat in the bedroom controls the mid and rear A/Cs. The current project is to replace front unit only and its dedicated CCC. The installation manual shows an included "Base Pan Duct Adapter", which looks similar to what I can see attached to the old unit's base pan. So I just need to get a mirror up in there and figure out how that adapter is connected to the ceiling duct. The installation manual makes it sound like phone connectors are included, but I'll get new ones if they are not. I think I'm good on top-side parts. And the coach has wood frame return grills, so no Air Distribution Box required. Thanks again, Walter

Thanks. I might call Dometic and see what they recommend I saw HerbStark's post and it tells me a little about what to expect, but he's talking specifically about replacing a Penguin with a Blizzard. I'm not doing that. I'm replacing a Penguin Heat Pump with a Penguin II Heat Pump. Again, for the record, I do not need any information about the 12-button to 5-button conversion board. I have already ordered a new 15,000 btu Penguin II Heat Pump and new CCC2 to match, so unless there's something I'm missing, I do not need any kind of conversion board. My MH has a long duct in the ceiling, and I really can't see much from the bottom. So my main concern is what I'm going to find once I lift the old unit off and how the A/C interfaces with the ceiling duct. Cheers Walter

Yeah, it's not fun... We spent the last week way up in the TX panhandle near Amarillo. The front unit faded on the way up and stopped cooling. That left the two rear units functional, but not much of the bedroom cold air makes its way up front. It got kinda warm in those 106 deg afternoons.... If I can find somebody to buy my two old units I think I'll proactively replace my other two! Walter

Shout out to Ray Davis. Thanks for the heads-up on adventurerv.net! They confirmed the 15k heat pump in stock and available. Ordered one yesterday and it's already been shipped! Cheers, Walter

So, back on the topic of what to expect when I pull the unit off the roof... I can't find any meaningful pictures or youtube videos of replacing a ducted unit. After shining a light up into the overhead cavity, it looks like there's a short vertical sheetmetal transition duct screwed to the underside of the A/C base pan. The short transition duct appears to be bearing down on the top of the longitudinal duct in the ceiling (somewhat deforming the duct and pushing it down). Is this transition duct just pressing against the upper surface of the ceiling duct, or is there some mechanical connection between the two? I can see one sheetmetal screw on the transition duct flange, but I don't think I'll have enough access to reach these screw with the A/C unit in place. I can see myself re-engineering this connection so it doesn't deform the ceiling duct... Thanks Walter

A bit more info... I’ve got the battery switch In between the panels and the controller, as a disconnect for the panels pos cable. These wires don’t need overcurrent protection because the panels can’t produce enough amperage to get the wire hot. The wires between the controller and the battery need to disconnect AND overcurrent protection, so I’ve got a 90a circuit breaker on the battery end. I like the idea of using an AC disconnect for the panels. That’ll break both the positive and neg connections. I believe residential codes for solar require disconnect of both + and -. Even if the AC disconnect is not ‘certified’ for DC it should be more than adequate for this application. This option didn’t work for me because the box didn’t fit where I wanted the switch to be. Cheers Walter

Just for the record, this thread is not about thermostat compatibility matrix options. I asked about what to expect when I pull up the old unit and confirmation of specific part numbers needed to replace my solo unit. Moderators, if you want to delete all the posts about thermostat compatibility (especially the wrong and confusing one...), it's fine with me. Cheers Walter

I found a small battery disconnect switch on amazon that’s rated for 48v. Cheers Walter