Outside temperatures

[Steven P]

I thought I'd post an update after adding foam gaskets to my ACs and also drilling holes in the shroud where holes were optional to allow the hot, fan blown air to escape easier.   Much better!!  Yesterday the heat index here was just over 100 and the bedroom was actually cycling on/off staying at 72 degrees.  The front unit ran the whole time but kept it comfortable around 77 deg.   My front area has always been harder to keep cooler like all these motorhomes.  The one thing I could use some help with that has started since I made these changes is I have a drip from only the front AC.  When I added the foam, I checked it over good and saw no blockages.   When I remove the inside cover, the drip appears to be condensation coming off the blower housing.  I tightened the 4 housing bolts w/no success in stopping the drip.  I haven't tried opening the register fully at the AC to dump the air there as it gets so much louder.  Thoughts?  Thanks in advance.  

[Chuck B 2004 Windsor]

Let me add something to this thread.  Has anyone opened up the area where the air flow leaves the AC going into the duct?  You might be surprised to see what you find.  Chuck B 2004 Windsor

[Ivylog]

Congrats on increasing the cooling and the condensation. I would say the drain line is plugged…it comes out in front of the left front tire and is probably white in color. I would try running a wire up it to open the plug.

[veraken]

12 hours ago, Steven P said:

I thought I'd post an update after adding foam gaskets to my ACs and also drilling holes in the shroud where holes were optional to allow the hot, fan blown air to escape easier.   Much better!!  Yesterday the heat index here was just over 100 and the bedroom was actually cycling on/off staying at 72 degrees.  The front unit ran the whole time but kept it comfortable around 77 deg.   My front area has always been harder to keep cooler like all these motorhomes.  The one thing I could use some help with that has started since I made these changes is I have a drip from only the front AC.  When I added the foam, I checked it over good and saw no blockages.   When I remove the inside cover, the drip appears to be condensation coming off the blower housing.  I tightened the 4 housing bolts w/no success in stopping the drip.  I haven't tried opening the register fully at the AC to dump the air there as it gets so much louder.  Thoughts?  Thanks in advance.  

Didn't  know there were locations for optional  holes. Any pictures? 

[Guest Ray Davis]

1 hour ago, veraken said:

Didn't  know there were locations for optional  holes. Any pictures? 

 you can buy them with or without the holes.

Edited July 27, 2021 by Ray Davis

[Scotty Hutto]

15 hours ago, Steven P said:

... also drilling holes in the shroud where holes were optional to allow the hot, fan blown air to escape easier.   

You knew we would want pictures, right?  Or maybe a video on YouTube of how to drill said holes. 🙂 

[Steven P]

22 hours ago, Chuck B said:

Let me add something to this thread.  Has anyone opened up the area where the air flow leaves the AC going into the duct?  You might be surprised to see what you find.  Chuck B 2004 Windsor

I did that very thing last year.  Took my inside covers off and w the ACs running it was pulling part of the ceiling into the duct.  Of the 4 ducts total (2ACs), only one wasn't partially blocked.  One was about 75% blocked.  That helped a lot. 

 

22 hours ago, Ivylog said:

Congrats on increasing the cooling and the condensation. I would say the drain line is plugged…it comes out in front of the left front tire and is probably white in color. I would try running a wire up it to open the plug.

Thank you for the congrats.  Maybe I'm wrong, but I do not think the Diplomats came with drain lines. @Scotty Hutto @Doug Hoegh do you guys know?

 

9 hours ago, Scotty Hutto said:

You knew we would want pictures, right?  Or maybe a video on YouTube of how to drill said holes. 🙂 

I don't have pics I took, but drilled based on this pic.

 

[Scotty Hutto]

8 minutes ago, Steven P said:

Thank you for the congrats.  Maybe I'm wrong, but I do not think the Diplomats came with drain lines. @Scotty Hutto @Doug Hoegh do you guys know?

Confirmed… 2006 Diplomats do not have condensate drain lines.  They just drain onto the roof.  I wish they did have them, but that would be very difficult to add…

[dandick66]

I am wondering if I need to add the foam insulation to my 3 rooftop units?  As you can see, the condensers do not have the foam insulation, but since everything else is encased in sheet metal I don't know if the insulation is required.  The cover has both top and side vents, too.  These are Coleman/Airxcel units.  Looking for advice/recommendations.  Thanks.

Dan D       

2012 Diplomat 43 DFT

[Steven P]

On 8/4/2021 at 6:42 AM, dandick66 said:

I am wondering if I need to add the foam insulation to my 3 rooftop units?  As you can see, the condensers do not have the foam insulation, but since everything else is encased in sheet metal I don't know if the insulation is required.  The cover has both top and side vents, too.  These are Coleman/Airxcel units.  Looking for advice/recommendations.  Thanks.

Dan D       

2012 Diplomat 43 DFT

Maybe someone familiar w those will chime in.  Did you look on the underside of the covers?  My gasket was supposed to be there but wasn't on the replacements.  Also, get the model #s and Google original documents and maybe you can find a schematic or pics showing them.   Good luck. 

[dandick66]

1 hour ago, Steven P said:

Maybe someone familiar w those will chime in.  Did you look on the underside of the covers?  My gasket was supposed to be there but wasn't on the replacements.  Also, get the model #s and Google original documents and maybe you can find a schematic or pics showing them.   Good luck. 

I looked under the covers and there is no evidence of any gaskets ever being there.  Thanks for the idea of looking up the original docs.  I’ll try that and see if I can find anything.  Thanks.

Dan 
2012 Diplomat 43DFT 

[saflyer]

On 6/10/2021 at 10:23 AM, Nevada Rob said:

I was under the impression that an A/C unit in good operating condition should be able to exchange heat temps in the 22 -24 degree range. Humidity will play a roll in the overall big picture. Lower RH conditions will be better for an A/C unit. 

Recently I watched a video by a factory expert who said the units are good if they lower the temperature 16-22° between the inlet and outlets. This confirms what I have heard in the past.

Ed           
‘05 Ambassador 

On 6/11/2021 at 6:57 PM, Frank McElroy said:

Sometimes pictures are worth a thousand words.  Here is a picture of how Monaco at the factory installed the foam seal to the AC top.  The other picture shows how I correctly installed the seal to the condenser and associated other areas so that all the fan air now flows through the condenser coils.

I'm the original owner and after 10 years I was wondering why there wasn't much debris collecting on those coils.  Well, now I know why.  What I can say is that it made a huge difference in the AC cooling capacity after I properly installed those foam seals on my 3 rooftop AC units.

Which picture is which?

[Dr4Film]

Ed.

The general rule of thumb for RV Air Conditioners is that they will keep the RV 20 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than the outside ambient air temperature. If the RV is in direct sunlight on a hot day the AC unit will even have a harder time keeping up. A shaded RV campsite will help improve the cooling efficiency of the Air Conditioner.

[saflyer]

On 6/12/2021 at 7:49 AM, Frank McElroy said:

Yes, I also have the Penguin heat pump.  I believe part numbers 15 and 16 are the gaskets.  Somewhere I found a picture of how to properly install them but now I can't seem to find it.  It will be interesting to see what you find when you pull off the top cover.

I purchased replacement top covers from eTrailer.com for my A/C units and they came with foam insulation strips cut to fit and instructions for placement. The instructions showed to attach the foam to the unit itself and not the cover. 

On 6/13/2021 at 8:40 AM, Dr4Film said:

Steven,

The original Penguin-I had the gasket foam attached to the covers. Both sets of Penguin-I's that I installed were that way, The covers of the second set became brittle and were damaged. So I purchased two new covers from Icon-Direct and had to install new foam as the replacement covers did not come with it installed. I bought the gasket material from one of the big box stores and put in directly on the AC not the cover.

The two new Penguin-II's that I installed in 2018 had the foam installed directly onto the AC and not the covers.

The two models are basically identical in structure so you can install the foam exactly like how it is on the Penguin-II.

Photos attached showing the differences.

Off topic but were the IIs quieter than the Is?

On 6/13/2021 at 12:35 PM, Dr4Film said:

Dometic thinks these strips are Gold based on the price.

https://www.dyersonline.com/dometic-a-c-penguin-foam-kit.html

Dometic also sells the four gold screws to attach the cover to the base for about $22.

Edited August 6, 2021 by saflyer

[Dr4Film]

1 hour ago, saflyer said:

Off topic but we’re the IIs quieter than the Is?

I tend to think so but I have custom made AC Muffler's installed on mine so I really don't know.

[saflyer]

On 6/19/2021 at 9:58 AM, Steven P said:

I found my pic from my original cover where the service dept broke it.  No holes in passenger side.  No pics of driver side.  

I have same covers and there are no holes in either side.

Ed            
‘05 HR Ambassador 

On 7/26/2021 at 8:07 AM, Chuck B said:

Let me add something to this thread.  Has anyone opened up the area where the air flow leaves the AC going into the duct?  You might be surprised to see what you find.  Chuck B 2004 Windsor

One question. I noticed today that the rear A/C has four registers. Two on one side blow OK, one on other side blows a little and the other doesn’t seem to have any air movement at all. I wonder what are the possibilities of fixing this problem and where to look?

Ed         
‘05 HR Ambassador 

Edited August 6, 2021 by saflyer

[Steven P]

18 hours ago, saflyer said:

 

One question. I noticed today that the rear A/C has four registers. Two on one side blow OK, one on other side blows a little and the other doesn’t seem to have any air movement at all. I wonder what are the possibilities of fixing this problem and where to look?

Ed         
‘05 HR Ambassador 

Ed,

I pulled my interior covers (4 screws and whole plastic cover) and w the ACs running I found that my ceiling liners were being sucked into the ducts.  With it not running, they hang free and it's not noticeable.  I easily trimmed those parts and that greatly improved airflow in the affected registers.   It's well worth checking.  One duct was blocked about 80%!

[Scotty Hutto]

Thought I’d share one bit of advice and pictures of my re-do. 
 

Advice: Buy the true “AC” foam rubber mentioned in a link above. Either from Amazon or a local HVAC supply. I originally used the 1” x 1” foam insulation from Home Depot, and it disintegrated in about two years…  that’s why I have a “re-do”. 
 

Since I harassed Steven about pictures, here are my before, during, and after holes drilled. 
 

 

 

I used blue painters tape to create a straight line, then makes it every 2”. I staggered the holes on each line (hard to see on a phone, but if you expand it you can see the marks) I drilled 1” holes, first with a hole saw, then cleaned up the hole with a step bit. 
 

 

 

[96 EVO]

I recently put my elbow thru my front cover 😣, so I think mine are a little too old and brittle to bother improving airflow.

[Dr4Film]

4 minutes ago, 96 EVO said:

I recently put my elbow thru my front cover 😣, so I think mine are a little too old and brittle to bother improving airflow.

The place to get virtually indestructible AC covers is from ICON Direct. They come ventilated or non-ventilated.

Well worth the money.

https://www.icondirect.com/dometic-penguin-duo-therm-air-conditioner-shroud-pw/

[96 EVO]

Yeah, that's likely where I'll order from!

 

[Guest Ray Davis]

1 hour ago, 96 EVO said:

I recently put my elbow thru my front cover 😣, so I think mine are a little too old and brittle to bother improving airflow.

Gorilla,  Eternabond, or Flexseal,  your good as new.    😁

[96 EVO]

18 minutes ago, Ray Davis said:

Gorilla,  Eternabond, or Flexseal,  your good as new.    😁

Ray, I had to sacrifice one of the wife's rubbermaid tote covers 🤫!

Couple of strips of Eternabond, and good as new, as long as nobody looks down from above! 

Edited October 9, 2021 by 96 EVO

[Guest Ray Davis]

1 hour ago, 96 EVO said:

Ray, I had to sacrifice one of the wife's rubbermaid tote covers 🤫!

Couple of strips of Eternabond, and good as new, as long as nobody looks down from above! 

Atta boy,   did you ask first?  Are you in trouble?  Maybe she won't even miss it.   Like you said can't see from down here anyway.

[96 EVO]

Oh it didn't go anywhere! 

It just has a 9"X 6" hole in the center 😀! I'm sure she'll find it some day, and I'll have to blame it on mice!