Looking at air conditioners to replace my 20 year old units. Has anyone installed the Blizzard NXT 15k btu unit. I can fine a lot of reviews on the penguin but not the blizzard. The thing I like about the Blizzard is that it has 350 cfm, the penguins have 335 and my thinking is maybe with the more cfm'sthe cool air will blow farther up toward the front. My coach is ducted but the ducts stop just past the kitchen so the vents need to push the air a long way to get to the pilot seat in the front. I'm also curious if anyone can report on how quiet they are and if there is much vibrations.. I called the tech line for Dometic and they say that they are basically the same except for the higher cfm and the penguin is "low profile" but looking at the specs it is only 2 3/4" lower so that is not a factor to me. I've narrowed it down to the 15k btu BlizzardNXT or the 15k btu penguin, just trying to get an opinion from someone that has one.
Keith
A search of the Forum for Blizzard NXT only gets one hit (from 2016), so I'm guessing they have not been widely adopted by our members.
Dometic Blizzard NXT Air Conditioner/Heat Pump (https://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=27500)
If you can hold off,wait til next years Quartzsite,Dometec booth with specials.
Facing the decision recently to upgrade my Penguin control boards to operate with a new 10-button thermostat, or replace the Penguins with newer Dometic units, my RV shop (that sells Dometic, by the way) recommended that I keep using the 23 year old Penguins for as long as they'll keep working. He says the older models were much better quality. I put in the new boards and a new thermostat and am happy so far with that decision. If your Penguins have given up, you might expand your search to consider other brands. At least do the research, like you're doing now, and make an informed decision.
Lasko Max Performance Pivoting Utility Fan - Sam's Club (https://www.samsclub.com/p/pivoting-utlity-fan/prod8670795?pid=CSE_CSSGoogleFix_Connex_16_427219&source=ifpla&CAWELAID=730010300001848521)
I have been using this to direct the vents in the ceilings to the front while driving and to the bedroom after driving all day. It is a game changer that I highly recommend. I place it behind the middle vents that shoot the volume of cold air straight down and point it in the direction I want it to go.
I don't think the difference in CFMs will make that much of a difference. Yeah the vents stopping just past the galley is a kind of big issue in these coaches. Almost thought about putting a third AC unit up front on top nonducted just to cover that area. It is possible to extend those ducts closer to the front. I've seen it on someone's coach. Although I'm not really sure how much better it would be. Maybe they can chime in on it if they read this thread. But basically what they did was just connect the existing duct, extend it up to almost the captain's chairs. Insulated it. Then covered it with plywood and I think walnut veneer but I don't remember for sure. I'm just not sure if the additional resistance can be overcome by the AC unit. But if you closed off all the other ducts while driving you should be able to get it to work. It's something on my mind might be a future job. I think before I put it in permanently I would test it out first.
This is the way the coach came when we bought it. Ron Hawkins probably did the mod.
I hate standard rv ac. Efficiency, sound and air distribution. I think going to a mini split would be the answer. There are issues in doing that.
1. Placement of outside unit.
2. Placement of inside unit.
3. Possible cable routing.
The gain in efficiency, quality and volume of conditioned air should be a good trade off if a portion of a bay was used. The gain in reduction of audio ambient background noise "priceless".
The attached is a video of a window ac unit. Very intresting to me. Please note the DB level. Wonder if when stopped. It would be possible to use in a window with removable bracing.
https://youtu.be/M-pa_vUNGl4
Mr Jerry Whiteaker is the member who completely modified his coach. He did ducted air and took apart window ac units to turn them into units capable of running both on 30 amp per. He has pictures of his craftmanship.
Here is some more
Invalid Page | Indiegogo (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/midea-the-window-air-conditioner-reinvented)
My front Ac Tripps the breaker when the compressor tries to come on so I think it's gone and the rear one has a vibration. I can get a card to swap out to make a new one work with my old one and 5 button thermostat but knowing my luck as soon as I drop the hundred something bucks to do that the old unit will die and the money will be lost. So I'm thinking just bite the bullet and go ahead and get all new and be done with it.
Keith
Kieth can you correct the misspelled word in post heading as it will maybe cause a problem for the search function
JohnH
Good eye John, got it corrected. I've tried to spell things that spell check has no clue what I'm trying to spell😂😂
Keith
Keith,
The front unit may just need a start capacitor. The rear unit may just need a blower grommet kit: Dometic 3310725001 RV Duo Therm Air Conditioner Fan Motor Service Kit (http://getrvparts.com/dometic-3310725001-rv-air-conditioner-fan-motor-service-kit/)
I plan to stroke our Penguins for as long as I can, in hopes that somebody will make an inverter drive roof A/C for the U.S. market.
Greg
Its a available.
John M.
Dometic Harrier Inverter - Roof air conditioner (https://www.dometic.com/en-au/au/products/climate/air-conditioners/air-conditioners-for-rvs/dometic-harrier-inverter-_-183054)
Looks like a European model. From the specs:
Electrical
Input voltage (AC) 220-240 V
Input frequency 50 Hz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xE099gEf4f4
Looking around my little GV. I have room in the nose with the dash air removed for the outside unit. I have room under the PS table for the inside bits , or remove the ice maker and modify that cabinet to the fit the inside unit. The drain could be easy at the icemaker location.
The sound and BTUs along with power use, entice me .
John, Brett,
Someone posted a link to the Harrier unit a while back. I think it was built for the Australian market. If both the compressor AND the air handler motors are inverter drive, I would think it could be used in our coaches by rewiring the coach electrics to true 120/240 3 wire. Inverter motor drives rectify the incoming AC power to DC and use a 6 switch FET or IGBT bridge to invert to 3 phase, variable frequency (soft start, variable speed), and are far more efficient than the split phase motors in our units. Depending upon how the control power supply is built, it may run on 60 Hz without issue. Still, a lot of screwing around to make something work, if it's even possible, that should have, long ago, been built for our market. ::)
Greg