Mike Rizzo Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 Good Morning Just wondering if anyone had any thoughts ... I have a 2005 Dynasty with 3 roof airs ( 13500 Duo-Therm heat pumps) ... They have all worked great up until this week.. The #2 is only blowing about 70 degrees.. I have changed out some parts to see if it would help (I have quite a collection of spares) ... Control Board, Capacitor, Start Capacitor, and the reversing solenoid valve... The compressor does com on but doesn't seem to pull as many amps as the other units... It hovers around 9.9 amps while the other units hit around 13 amps . I have looked at the lines and don't see any obvious leaks.. According to my wife, the unit was making a noise like it was dropping ice a couple days before it stopped working ... So the fan works, the compressor comes on but its just not that cold ........... Am I missing something ? Thank you for your help Mike 2005 Dynasty w/ 2019 Wrangler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pampero Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 All AC units, no matter if are car's, home or RV work with the same principle. All have a pressure switch that will allow the compressor to come on if the system has refrigerant in the system, or it will shut off the compressor if the pressures are too low (not enough refrigerant) or too high (the condenser fan not working or expansion valve clogged) The easy way to check is to reach the two pipe lines that are in the unit, one skinny (high side pressure) and the bigger one (low side Pressure). If the Low side is warm at the hand touch then you system is low in refrigerant. If it is low, adding refrigerant is NOT the proper way to service the unit, if you add to little may not cool enough, if you add to much you will blow the release pressure valve at best or the compressor at worst.. System should be recovered, evacuated, a little of refrigerant oil with dye added and properly charged to the right amount. You need to find out what gas they are using on the unit, and if it an old type, how "SAFELY" can be converter to a new type. Hope it helps, but the answer is, you may be able to diagnose it, but you need equipment to service it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Pratt Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 When your A/C is running you should see between 12.0 to 13.5 amps with the compressor running. Low amps is indicative of low Freon. The Dometic Units do not have any service valves installed to service the units, They are basically throw away units when they fail.. You can install Saddle Valves to the lines to service the Unit and get some more life out of it until it gets low on Freon again. The problem doing this is if you have not identified where the leak is in the unit and fix the leak it is only a Band Aid fix.. I know of several members who have installed the Saddle Valves and got a little more time out of the unit only to end up replacing them anyway. There has been a lot of discussions on the roof top A/C units on this forum in the past. You should go to the files section and do some research on what others have done when these units have failed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cruzbill Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 New Dometic Penguin II heat pumps come in two ratings, 13,500 and 15,000. We had two new 15k units installed two years ago. They run much quieter, have a staggered start with the compressor coming on after the fan comes on (lower start up amps). Much improved over the old Penguins. You must change your t-stats to the newer CCC2 10 button type. The new Brisk Aire is also much improved, although its a bigger unit and will add 2-3 inches to the height of your rig over the Penguins. Stay cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vito.a Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 One of our talented members soldered service ports to his Dometic A/C and successfully recharged it. Sometimes they will slowly leak down around the seals while sitting through the winter and recharging can add some additional service life. I replaced one of our 13,500 Penguin Heat Pumps with a new high capacity Penguin II. They used to label them as 15,000btu but now refer to them as high capacity. I only replaced one of three units so I installed a retrofit control board so it was compatible with my 5 button Dometic thermostat. I agree it produces more cold air and cools down faster than the older units. If you decide to install one new unit I recommend you install it in the center position. This position is able to cool both the bedroom and the living room. PPL Motorhomes runs some great sales on these units and they also have the retrofit control boards. There are only four bolts holding it on the roof. Once you get it up on the roof they are fairly easy to replace. The adapter control board is Dometic #3313107.107 (control board adapter kit). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bklaes Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 I had my guy install a saddle valve, which held Freon for a week. Then I drove for 1 hour down the interstate. No bumpy roads. And, no more Freon. I installed a new A/C unit. Naturally I don't recommend gambling on the band aid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ivan K Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 The only practical way is to solder in a correct copper T ($3) with a port and you must know where the leak is and that it is fixed. It isn't hard at all with correct AC repair tools, and it takes a few of them. Saddle rubber seals will not hold for ever. If you just fill it without sniffing out the leak, you are just gaining some time, maybe none. Since the system will be empty by that time, there is no doubt how much freon to put in. If you can't do it yourself, may not be worth the expense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr4Film Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 (edited) Why throw money away on a failing unit??? Replace it with the new Dometic Penguin II HC A/C and be done with it. Trust me, you won't regret it. I replaced both of mine back in the fall of 2018. They are so much better built and far better insulated than the old Penguin's were. Edited July 15, 2020 by Dr4Film Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Rizzo Posted July 15, 2020 Author Share Posted July 15, 2020 I would like to thank everyone for your help ... Looks like I will be ordering a new AC .... Penguin II HC with heat pump ..... Mike 2005 Dynasty w/ 2019 Wrangler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pduggs Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 2 minutes ago, Dr4Film said: Why throw money away at a failing unit??? Replace it with the new Dometic Penguin II HC A/C and be done with it. Trust me, you won't regret it. I replaced both of mine back in the fall of 2018. They are so much better built and far better insulated than the old Penguin's were. Do they also use fewer apps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr4Film Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 9 minutes ago, pduggs87@gmail.com said: Do they also use fewer apps? 2-3 amps once the fan comes on then another 10 amps once the compressor kicks in. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pduggs Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 Do you know if that is a lot less amps than a 2007 model. If memory serves, I believe my OEM units use 20 amps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Pratt Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 20 amps is way to high. Factory specs say under normal operation with fan in Auto Mode and Compressor running the Amp draw should be from 12 amps lowest to 13.5 amps highest. Amps lower than 12 amps indicates a good possibility that the system is low on freon. Amps higher than 13.5 amps can indicate that the unit needs to be serviced, such as Filters changed or cleaned and the Evaporator or Condenser coils need to be change or maybe a mechanical problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pduggs Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 (edited) 3 minutes ago, David Pratt said: 20 amps is way to high. Factory specs say under normal operation with fan in Auto Mode and Compressor running the Amp draw should be from 12 amps lowest to 13.5 amps highest. Amps lower than 12 amps indicates a good possibility that the system is low on freon. Amps higher than 13.5 amps can indicate that the unit needs to be serviced, such as Filters changed or cleaned and the Evaporator or Condenser coils need to be change or maybe a mechanical problem. Thanks. I had hopes the newer models were more energy efficient than my 13 year old units. Edited July 15, 2020 by pduggs87@gmail.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Pratt Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 The correct way to properly check the "AMP" usage on your A/C unit is to have the system operating and cooling the coach and remove the cover from the unit and with a Clamp ON Meter on the power wire going to the compressor measure the current. This will tell you what the compressor is drawing which should be around 10 + amps. Then put the Clamp On Meter on the main power wire going into the unit and this will tell you what the total amps that your A/C unit is using. When measuring the amps this way it should be done with in a couple of minutes after the cover is removed as the longer the cover is removed the A/C unit will have to work harder to cool and the amps will get higher. Using the display in the coach to get the AMP usage with the A/C running will give you a higher reading because of other loads that may be running in the coach at the same time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody O Posted July 15, 2020 Share Posted July 15, 2020 Dr4Film and Mike Pizzo, it looks like I will need to replace my on my 06 Dynasty as well. May I ask where did yours? Tks, Woody O Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr4Film Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 (edited) Woody, I got mine from PPLmotohomes.com when they had them on sale for between $900 -$1000. https://tinyurl.com/ydabdvld I purchased two sets of new drain cups and gaskets kits from Amazon and the new 10 Button CCC-II Thermostat I purchased from eBay. Edited July 18, 2020 by Dr4Film Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
throgmartin Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 As a side note, the Penguins are sold out at most dealers. Dometic was shut down for a long time and the inventory was sold out at many parts stores like PPL. For a while they didn't even answer their phones. Actually I just checked and PPL is out of stock of the penguin II. I believe Dometic is now back up and running and shipping AC units. We just got 5 in yesterday. We do not sell them to the public but rather keep them in inventory for customer jobs. We have a Dynasty in right now that the center AC unit went out. Another coach is coming in for 2 new ones and the other 2 are for future jobs ( probably my coach ). AC units are just some of the many parts that are in short supply due to the pandemic. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Rizzo Posted July 16, 2020 Author Share Posted July 16, 2020 Great information here ... thank you One last question......... I believe this is the unit that I would be looking at to replace my current 2005 13500 heat pumps.... DOMETIC WHITE PENGUIN II 15,000 BTU HEAT PUMP AIR CONDITIONER 651816CXX1C0 I also know that I would need the adapter control board is Dometic #3313107.107 (control board adapter kit) as well as a new gasket .. If someone might be able to confirm the unit numbers that you have used in the past, that would be great .. I just looking to get my ducks in a row and order up (or wait for backorder) Thank you again Mike 2005 Dynasty w/ 2019 Wrangler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr4Film Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 (edited) Mike, the new A/C comes with a new gasket already attached to the bottom of the unit. If your coach has drain lines with cups mounted under the A/C then you need to order a new Drain Kit. The model number you posted is not what I had ordered for the HC with HP from PPL. Check my previous post where I posted a link to the correct model number. Here is the factory link to the exact model number you need. https://www.dometic.com/en-us/us/products/climate/air-conditioners/rv-air-conditioners/dometic-penguin-ii-w-heat-pump-_-153319#specifications Can't help you with the control board adapter as I didn't need to use one due to replacing both of my A/C's at the same time. Edited July 16, 2020 by Dr4Film Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cruzbill Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 Check w/ Dometic; I think you need two gaskets per unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vito.a Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 Richard and Bill are correct. The old drain kit does not fit the new A/C units. It can be adapted by drilling some new holes but it will be an easier install with the new drain kit. Regardless, you need two roof gaskets for the drain cups to fit under the unit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody O Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 Dr4Film, to be clear. One gasket comes with the unit. So, I would need to order an additional gasket and order drain cups and a new thermostat to finish the project. Is that correct? Drain cups? I couldn't find them on amazon. I'm not sure what they look like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Cruzbill Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 https://www.amazon.com/Dometic-3107688-016-Penguin-Conditioner-Drain/dp/B003BIR9VQ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr4Film Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 1 hour ago, wobrian@myglnc.com said: Dr4Film, to be clear. One gasket comes with the unit. So, I would need to order an additional gasket and order drain cups and a new thermostat to finish the project. Is that correct? Drain cups? I couldn't find them on amazon. I'm not sure what they look like. It is a Drain Cup Kit as posted in an earlier post. Use the link above to purchase. The thermostat I ordered from eBay as that was the cheapest at the time. It comes in either black or white at a wide range of prices depending on where you shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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