Air Conditioner

[judybug]

I have the most difficult time posting a question. Maybe I'll get the hang of it soon. Anyway...my question is this, where do I find out if we have an 11,000 btu or 13,500 btu in our 2004 25' airstream. Bought the safari last year without knowing to ask previous owner. We would like to purchase a generator that would run AC and lights. Not knowing which AC we have is a puzzle. All I can find is Duo-Therm Penguin. No paperwork either. Any suggestions?

[JBinKC]

On our Duo-Therm there are four screws that take off the cowling (inside, not on top.) With the cowling off, you will be able to read the model and serial number (there are several, so copy them all.) An A/S dealer can tell you your specs from these numbers, I believe.

[lewster]

Hey Judybug,

You will need to get the model and serial #'s which are visible from either of 2 spots.

Probably the easiest is removing the shroud (yes, you have to go up on the roof). There are 4 screws that hold the shroud to the A/C frame. There is a label on the left rear frame pan (facing forward).

The other choice is removing the air distribution box (ADB). This is the panel that is affixed to the inside ceiling of your trailer. There will be a label on the upper section of the unit, but it might be partially blocked by the electrical junction box, which also has a number on it (it is irrelevant to determine the capacity of the unit). The label we seek is generally above this junction box.

PM these #'s to me and I'll look them up in my Dometic materials.

I'm an authorized Dometic service center.

[tpi]

I have '05 w/ the 11K BTU air conditioner. One tip: I would not downsize the generator for the 11K BTU unit. I've had 13,600 BTU air conditioners which drew less wattage. Further this air conditioner draws a lot at startup, it flashes the overload lamp on my Yamaha 3000 boost genset on every compressor start. My previous Coleman 13600 did not do that.

I have found the Dometic Penguin 11K BTU unit very dependable.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, My 2005 Safari came with the standard 11,000 BTU air conditioner; I believe the easiest way to tell the difference is by the controls. Mine has the controls on the roof unit it'self, the 13,500 and 15,000 are controlled with a wall mounted thermostat.

[lewster]

Actually, the only definitive way to tell is by model #, as both the 13.5 and 15K units can be operated by manual controls.

[judybug]

Thanks for the information and great suggestions. I'm going to see how difficult it will be to search for the model number. Interestingly, we do have a thermostat on the wall, but it does nothing. It has always been a puzzle to us why it is there since it has served no purpose. Good suggestion on purchasing generator to run 13.5 regardless of actual BTU. I love Airstream Forums.