Penguin II AC Heat pump, repair or replace?

[hookup]

Our Dometic Penguin II roof AC Heat Pump just quit on our 2013 Baystar 3209. Should we attempt repair or just replace?

[TonyMac]

That depends on what's wrong. Likely culprit is the capacitor. Likely less than $50 to replace. My Penguin II heat pump got stuck in HEAT mode in July. It was a bad electro switch. A quick repair with a strong magnet made it an air conditioner again, and the replacement part arrived a few weeks later. Again, less than $50.

[enjoyrv]

Hookup. I’m dealing with a Dometic Penguin II that was blowing hot air and then thermostat quit working. I have service call set up in 10 days and hope it is an easy fix with available parts. PPL said ordering new AC was 6-8 week delivery time. Hope yours is fixed easily as well.

[CaptainJerry]

Got my new Penguin II AC/heat pump in a week from Aventurerv.net and got it installed yesterday. Maybe my model is in less demand.

I don't know when they went away from the 5 button thermostat, but if you have that, you will also need a control board so that it will work with that older style thermostat. Swap in the control board and install on roof. Get cool.

[enjoyrv]

Originally Posted by CaptainJerry

Got my new Penguin II AC/heat pump in a week from Aventurerv.net and got it installed yesterday. Maybe my model is in less demand.



I don't know when they went away from the 5 button thermostat, but if you have that, you will also need a control board so that it will work with that older style thermostat. Swap in the control board and install on roof. Get cool.

Captain Jerry. Do you happen to have the model # of your new unit. I’m looking at the Dometic Penguin II low profile 15,000 w/ heat pump and black shroud. Model # is 651816HXX1J0-01

[Charles L]

Originally Posted by enjoyrv

Captain Jerry. Do you happen to have the model # of your new unit. I’m looking at the Dometic Penguin II low profile 15,000 w/ heat pump and black shroud. Model # is 651816HXX1J0-01

I just had to replace my unit 651916. 15k ac/hp hi capacity low profile ducted unit. My rv repair shop has an account with dometic. It took almost 3 weeks to get it because of trucking delays. They are in stock if you go through an authorized dealer. Between warranty approval concerns, ordering, shipping delays, etc that is near record time. Took the shop 1 hour to swap it out or he only charged 1 hour labor. I hear others on the forum here say they have expected delivery dates in August on units ordered in March. I feel lucky.

[CaptainJerry]

enjoyrv:

That is the same model number I got except mine is white shroud. Maybe white vs black shroud makes a difference in how many units in stock. If so, go with what is available and switch your shroud over from the non-working unit if you need a different color. My model # is 651816H751C0-01
My old unit was white and new is white. I kept the old shroud as a spare. Also scavenged out the old fan as a spare.

By the way, I ordered the unit off the internet and had it delivered to my home. Then I took it to a local towable dealer with a tech I have used before and know to be good for the install at their hourly labor rate - took 2.5 hours and I think a lot of that was the changeout of the control board. Some shops may only want to install what they sell. I checked out that they would do the install if I brought the unit before I ordered. I would have installed myself if I had a forklift to get it on and off the roof.

I would look at what is available now if you don't want to wait. If only white is available, take it and move over the old black shroud if it is in good condition.

[Hit_the_Rhod]

White vs Black shroud. Not to hijack thread, but several members have posted black vs white shrouds. For AC us, the unit has to work harder in sunlight when it has a black shroud. Obviously black absorbs more heat from the sun, so the unit heats up more. That makes it marginally more efficient in the heating mode in sunlight, but less efficient in the cooling mode. It's up to the individual RV owner what is more important, efficiency and longevity of unit, or perceived style. This also becomes more important for those who are using older 30 amp service, and/or small generators to run the AC. Your mileage may vary.

[TonyMac]

Originally Posted by enjoyrv

Hookup. I’m dealing with a Dometic Penguin II that was blowing hot air and then thermostat quit working. I have service call set up in 10 days and hope it is an easy fix with available parts. PPL said ordering new AC was 6-8 week delivery time. Hope yours is fixed easily as well.

Is it blowing ambient air, or is it actually heating the air and blowing hot air? If it is the later, your unit is stuck in its heat mode, easily diagnosed and easily fixed.

Diagnosis. It's hot outside and your Dometic is blowing hot air inside. Climb up on the roof and feel the air it is blowing up there from the unit. If that air is cool, the fix is easy. If that air is ambient, your unit is toast.

[TonyMac]

Check this out --
https://www.irv2.com/forums/f54/ac-c...ot-402758.html

[TXiceman]

White or black shroud. Just get a couple of cans or spray paint for plastic and paint any color you desire.

As for black, yes, it will absorb more heat, but the amount is small. If your RV is dark colored, that will be more of an issue.

Ken

[harleychief]

If you’re going to replace the A/C you can order it from Amazon. Free shipping (with Prime), here is a link to the 13,500BTU units in both black and white (both are in stock).

https://www.amazon.com/Dometic-64031...26&sr=8-6&th=1

Hope this helps

[Billett Bee]

Originally Posted by TXiceman

White or black shroud. Just get a couple of cans or spray paint for plastic and paint any color you desire.

As for black, yes, it will absorb more heat, but the amount is small. If your RV is dark colored, that will be more of an issue.

Ken

Plasti-dip, that stuff is all the rage from the youngsters and it's cheap and looks good and can even be found at Wal-Mart's now

[hookup]

Thanks to all for the input. I had a mobile tech guy that I've worked with over the years come over and it turns out to be the fan motor. Fairly inexpensive fix.