Early penquin a/c verus newer penquin II

[safari25-05]

I have the early penquin on my 05 safari 25 FB which is 2 speed with a wall thermostat. Because the newer penquin II has 3 speeds now I was wondering if the low speed on the new one would be any slower (quieter) than the older 2 speed model? Or you people with the newer airstreams ( size 25 and up) how do you feel about the quietness of your penquin II on low speed?? I am considering upgrading... any input would be appreciated.

[SafariSS]

I have a 05 Safari 30 with the 2 speed penguin 13.5k btu heat pump. Like the unit, never too loud except if watching a movie. The 13.5 unit cools the 30 fine up too 100f and direct sun. I always wonder with the guys that are putting 2 acs on the rigs how often you can use em as the places I go rarely have 50A connections.

When mine peters out I will probably replace with a 15k btu of the same. Dot want a ceiling trim difference

[ZoominC6]

We replaced our 13.5 with a 15 some years ago and find the low speed is quiet enough to watch a movie in the main cabin. We did add remote speakers to our TV so we can crank it up if need be.
We just wish there were some way to prevent the AC hard start capacitor from blowing up when lightning is in the area. It's happend to us twice and is a real pain.

[lewster]

Originally Posted by ZoominC6

We replaced our 13.5 with a 15 some years ago and find the low speed is quiet enough to watch a movie in the main cabin. We did add remote speakers to our TV so we can crank it up if need be.
We just wish there were some way to prevent the AC hard start capacitor from blowing up when lightning is in the area. It's happend to us twice and is a real pain.

Do you have a surge protector on your umbilical cord when plugged in? If not, I would RUN to the nearest RV supply and get one! I have seen power surge damage to RV's in the multiple thousands of dollars from either bad power posts or electrical surges.

They might seem expensive, but consider them cheap insurance!!! Far better to replace a $300 surge protector that is sacrificial then replacing a couple of thousand in electrical equipment and batteries destroyed by a surge.

[ZoominC6]

Hi Lew,
As a matter of fact we do have one that we purchased just after they first came on the market. Didn't seem to help out in either case. We dropped our Airstream off at Out Of Doors Mart in NC on the way home recently for maintenance/repairs and asked about the problem we seem to encounter during lightning and thunderstorms with the HS capacitor.
Thanks,
Dick

[Ridgerunner3]

We replaced the original 11,000 btu penguin AC (with control knobs on the AC unit) on our 02 Safari 25 with the latest new 15000 btu penguin heat pump at Jackson Center last summer. Thermostat controls Heat Pump, AC, and propane furnace. It switches automatically to the propane furnace if the outside temperature drops too low for the heat pump. It is a big improvement over the old unit... but (in my opinion) the blower is very loud even on low. I have no reference to compare the blower on a 15000 with a 13500 unit. I can live with the loud blower. The HVAC unit is great.

[tkowalyk]

Originally Posted by SafariSS

I have a 05 Safari 30 with the 2 speed penguin 13.5k btu heat pump. Like the unit, never too loud except if watching a movie. The 13.5 unit cools the 30 fine up too 100f and direct sun. I always wonder with the guys that are putting 2 acs on the rigs how often you can use em as the places I go rarely have 50A connections.

When mine peters out I will probably replace with a 15k btu of the same. Dot want a ceiling trim difference

We had one unit on our 25' Safari, and it cooled the trailer even in 100+ direct sun.

Our new 27 Classic had 2 units. One nice thing about 2 units is that you can run the unit in the bedroom area, and watch TV at the other end of the trailer.

[jcanavera]

The 15K Penguin heat pump that came on our Classic is two speeds. The Dometic thermostat adds a twist since it can control the fan speed automatically. In a cool down situation it senses the temperature spread between set point and inside temperatures and starts the fan on high. As the gap narrows it cuts down to the low speed. Once it hits set point it shuts the entire unit down. This is especially nice at night since it keeps the inside humidity down, and nothing is better for quiet than to have the unit not running. Works the same way in heat or cooling mode.

Three speed fans are nice. I'm curious whether the newer Dometic thermostats take into account all three fan speeds. It takes a 10 degree spread to activate high speed on mine. In cases where I want to get that fast cool down but the spread isn't sufficient, I'll either crank the thermostat down lower or I'll switch to manual mode which will keep the fan running constantly at the speed I want. Typically less buttons to push to by adjusting the temp down which triggers the high speed.

If I had the option I'd take a 3 speed fan, but only with a thermostat that could automatically take advantage of all 3 speeds. Much like my setup is.

Jack

[lewster]

Actually, the fan speeds (2 or 3) are determined by the relay board found on the curb side of the Penguins. All of the electronic thermostats have the capability to display lo, med, high and auto for fan speeds. Exactly what you see on the t/stat screen is dictated by what the wiring in the relay board sends to the t/stat.