I have a 2021 Globetrotter, Dual Dometic Penguin II AC. Installed two Microair Units today. I had no complications during the installation. The only thing I did different to the manual was leaving the start capacitor unit mounted, but I removed both the red and the white cables (I have a heat pump model).
The rear AC turned on, I did the learning process but the AC turned on again exactly at 2:30min, and not 3min. I did that five times anyways. It is working fine now but no idea if the 364 is doing anything.
The front unit after the same install does no longer turn on, the Dometic thermostat signals E1.
E1 is loss of communication between the the thermostat and roof unit. Sounds like the RJ45 communications cable is unplugged up top perhaps (if you were messing with it).
2012 25' FB Eddie Bauer
Vintage Kin Owner
Virginia Beach
, Virginia
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 7,801
Quote:
Originally Posted by wulfraat
E1 is loss of communication between the the thermostat and roof unit. Sounds like the RJ45 communications cable is unplugged up top perhaps (if you were messing with it).
Or if it just fell into a drip cup and got wet. Zip tie it up to the a/c frame.
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It plugs into the main control board on the AC unit where the capacitors and stuff were.
I believe there may be a second connection (kinda like an extension cord) in the air intake area. You need to pull off the 2 air filters on the ceiling inside to find it.
Sometimes this connection falls into the drip pan and gets wet / messes things up.
So the issue were those tiny white switches, which toggle very easily and I must have touched one while doing the install. I attached an image below on how the right settings look like in case anyone else makes this mistake (the zone setting obv needs to be different on dual ACs).
So my ACs are working, according to the new instructions I performed 5 test runs of 10mins each. I disconnected and connected power and no error lights were visible in the Microairs.
Finally I hooked up my new Champion Dual Fuel 2500W, propane powered through the Airstream BBQ port.
The first time the generator stalled when the compressor came on. The second time I managed to keep it alive by toggling the economy switch (it was off - but activating it briefly kept the generator running) and then it remained on and the AC was working.
Questions:
- would a direct propane connection to the tanks work better? I know the generator starts better when hooked up to the tanks as the pressure is much higher
- I am on 5,000ft, so I have roughly 15% less power. Can that be the issue?
- is it possible, despite the ACs working fine, Microair not showing any error lights, that the units are not doing their job? I wish Airstream JC had the Bluetooth model available when I bought them.
I too have a 2021 Globetrotter (23' single A/C unit) and installed the MicroAir Easy Start on Wednesday. I had no start up issues, however, I did the "Learning Process" differently from what you describe. Connected to 30 amp shore power I set the thermostat to cool, temperature down to where the AC would turn on. After feeling cold air in the ducts (couldn't really hear the compressor coming on) I waited at least 30 seconds and then reset the temperature so the AC would turn off. Let it sit 3 minutes after shutting down, reset the temperature down to restart, etc. for the 5 starts. Seemed to work.
To test the system, I brought out my Honda EU2200i, it has the Grenergy dual fuel conversion, ran it on propane from the trailer BBQ outlet and it worked better than expected, no big power surge when the AC turned on. I am about 200 feet above sea level. The hose from the 1/4" quick connect on the trailer to the demand regulator is 15 feet long and 1/2" diameter. Grenergy did not recommend using a 1/4" propane hose of any length. May be something to look at.
I have a 23’ FC made in 2021. Finding the spaghetti wiring on my single Dometic 13500 Penguin 2, I called Hutch Mountain for the assistance they offered. It looked unlike any YouTube video. Getting everything ready before the actual wire connections I decided to try my Honda 2200i propane. It started with no problems and ran easily .
Someone hinted on a link that things had changed but AS told me that I might be voiding my warranty if I installed a soft start and the new Dometics don’t have a “soft start.”
@sumbike: thanks, I saw that Grenergy only uses 1/2in hoses. I plugged the demand regulator directly into the bbq port (Champion users also have to remove the pressure regulator to use the bbq port). I will try to hook it up to the propane tank and see if anything changes.
@gdavis57: are you referring to this link? In that case Micro Air responded and it was a lot of hear/say and not true. Would you be able to share the Hutch instructions that were different to the user manual?
So the issue were those tiny white switches, which toggle very easily and I must have touched one while doing the install. I attached an image below on how the right settings look like in case anyone else makes this mistake (the zone setting obv needs to be different on dual ACs).
So my ACs are working, according to the new instructions I performed 5 test runs of 10mins each. I disconnected and connected power and no error lights were visible in the Microairs.
Finally I hooked up my new Champion Dual Fuel 2500W, propane powered through the Airstream BBQ port.
The first time the generator stalled when the compressor came on. The second time I managed to keep it alive by toggling the economy switch (it was off - but activating it briefly kept the generator running) and then it remained on and the AC was working.
Questions:
- would a direct propane connection to the tanks work better? I know the generator starts better when hooked up to the tanks as the pressure is much higher
- I am on 5,000ft, so I have roughly 15% less power. Can that be the issue?
- is it possible, despite the ACs working fine, Microair not showing any error lights, that the units are not doing their job? I wish Airstream JC had the Bluetooth model available when I bought them.
In short, your “2500 watt” generator is only rated for 1,800w constant output. At 5,000 feet subtract another ~300 watts due to lower air density. Now you’re only able to pull ~1,500 watts constant.
A 15k air conditioner will draw 1,800-1,850 watts on a hot day.
@sumbike: thanks, I saw that Grenergy only uses 1/2in hoses. I plugged the demand regulator directly into the bbq port (Champion users also have to remove the pressure regulator to use the bbq port). I will try to hook it up to the propane tank and see if anything changes.
@gdavis57: are you referring to this link? In that case Micro Air responded and it was a lot of hear/say and not true. Would you be able to share the Hutch instructions that were different to the user manual?
I don’t think that was it, but here’s what I did. I used the hutch propane conversion kit. I removed the high pressure regulator which was on a quick release anyway. I kept the demand regulator which was attached to a 2-3 foot hose attached by QR to the generator. I added a 12 foot extension hose to that and connected that to my AS’s port under the A frame. I did need a 5/8 to 1/2” male adapter to do it.
The main thing I was trying to say was that I think Dometic has modified their design such that the surge doesn’t happen anymore. You don’t need to cover a 5000 watt initial surge or whatever it is. When I was returning the soft start, the hutch rep told me he had heard that from others.
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