[Jim/Chris]

Have you checked the drain hoses for blockages? I would look there first.

[glen]

a visual inspection showed the front AC is draining normally out the drain hose located in front & below the passenger seat area. I need to get on the roof and check the pan. I will run some compressed air up the drain hose to remove any debris in the hose on Saturday. Right now I’m working from 6 am to 8 at night, came home and had condensation leakage again today. The temps are getting warmer and Pam is not happy about my little catch pan right in the middle of the walking area. Unhappy wife makes a unhappy life.

This weekend I plan on putting some food coloring into the evaporator coil drain pan to verify if it is the pan leaking or if it is truely condensation. If it is the pan I really am unsure if I can fix it with jbweld on the cracks. I really am hoping it’s the seal. Fingers and toes crossed.

[victor]

i ran the food coloring test today. Poured red coloring into water jug and then pour the red contents into my evaporator coil drain pan. Much of the red water came out of the drain under the bus. The bad part is that a significant amount dripped from the pan into the bus. Bottomline: I need to replace the unit. Dometic does not have replacement ABS pans.

Q1: Is there anyone out there with NOS penguin AC/heat pump?

Q2: can a penguin 2 be made to work with my existing temp sensors controls and thermostat?

[Chuck]

Chip,

i converted 2/3 units to the penguin 2. I had to get a new thermostat since the analog units would not work. If you get the units with built in controllers you only need the $25 version of the thermostat not the $80 version since the later has the control unit with it.

The bad news is you need 12v to the thermostat and/or unit. The good news is you only need 4 or so of the 10 conductor cable for the old thermostat. So you can either get 12 volts to the thermostat or the roof opening and feed it either way. It was easier for me to get power to the thermostat so I went that way.

i bought the inside air distributors but in the end did not use them and built ducts from 1/2 inch foam board. My inside set up let me do that as the ducts are hidden. If you need the distributors I’ll make you a deal. Collecting dust in my barn. Much quieter going ducted.

New units also require the pan kit. These new ones drain straight to the roof. To use your existing lines you have to add a catch tray under the drain hole and then connect the piping/hose. The good news is that theses trays are not sealed if the drain line becomes plugged then the condensate will go on the roof not in the coach.

[Michael]

Joe

i spoke with dometic this morning they said I needed:

1) penguin AC/Heat Pump unit – part # 651815.cxx1c0

2) 5 button thermostat – part # 310922801

3) conversion kit – part # 3313107.107

4) 2 new boards for the old units: part # 331155700

my current set up is ducted. I’ll do the same. I’ll verify that the drain pan set up is included when I order. If not, I’ll order the drain pan kit you mentioned.

Thanks for the heads up on the voltage. I currently have the 4 button thermostat, digital, installed. It should be the same wiring & be a 1 for one swap.

The folks that service my bus can’t take me in right away. I’m taking the bus to a shop that has been around since the 70s. They are doemtic certified. Wish me luck.

If we do need to wire up the thermostat, I’ll let them know how you said to do so on this post.

[Archived]

I have all the parts ordered, going in next Saturday to get the system swapped out. Hopefully this will do the trick. I’ll post a follow up next weekend

[Dorel]

the AC problem has become a disaster. I really need some advice as to where I can bring my bus in and get my system fixed ASAP. If Chuck Williams can’t take me in, I hope Jeff Rowe can. If neither can, I need someone ASAP.

i got all the parts in and had them shipped to the local RV shop that had a decent Reputation. The RV shop installed the new Dometic penguin 2 & put in the 5 button board. The put on the conversion boards for all 3 units to work with the 5 button. All was well for the first week except that I was given a conversion board meant for heat strips not heat pumps. No big deal as I needed the the drain cups to work with the bus condensation drain.

The system worked well and we had full AC on all 3 units. So i took Friday off and went back to have the heat pump board and cups put on. This is where the fecal matter hit the oscillating device.

On Friday the tech pulled the new AC & put on the cups and new board. He then reinstalled the unit. When he put power back on the units compressor came on but not the fan. After a few minutes he asked if I’d check the circuit breakers. I did check and they popped. He reset the breaker and still we had no fan. He then checked his wiring work and said the ground wire connection came loose. After wiring it correctly the system came on.

The AC blew cold for about 10 minutes, we switched to heat pump. The heat pump worked. I thought we were good to go. Paid the bill and headed back to the fort. As soon as I got bedded down on shore power I noticed something. The new AC stopped running after 10.5 minutes. The compressor ran but the fan stopped. After 5 minutes the system turned off. Then 5 minutes later came on. It repeated this a couple of times. I turned off the system and called the RV place. They said bring it back on Saturday morning.

yesterday (Saturday) I went back and the tech said the motor was pulling high amp loads and when he shot the motor casing temp it was 220 degrees. He said I had a bad motor. I asked if they had one, no they did not. They said it was something to deal with Dometic. I asked about the wiring problem on Friday having damaged the motor. The tech said no, there was no issue. Needless to say, I was pissed. The service super said the AC is defective and they are not at fault. When we addressed the ground wire issue the tech denied it. Round & round we go. So, I leave the RV place without a functional AC and I’m out $ for parts and labor. Arrrgh!!!

Plan B: replace all 3 units. Get program boards for all 3 to work with 5 button CCC. Get 3 drain cup kits to work with bus drains. Find reputable installer to put them in ASAP. RV place go go to H.E. Double toothpicks.

If Chuck Williams @ Commonwealth Coach or Jeff Rowe can’t take me in for this quickly, is there someone you know that can? I am just south of DC. I’ll take leave and put the wife and cats in a hotel. I need to fix this quickly

[jack]

Put a stop on the credit card. That will preserve your money.

For quite a while our simple advice is to never allow anyone not skilled in working on a Prevost Conversion touch our coaches. My guess is he screwed up and in that case you do need someone with the needed skills to sort stuff out.

[Brady]

Jon

i really wished I were smarter & would have adhered to the philosophy you mentioned. I was in a bind, Chuck usually does all the maintenance on the bus. I called but Unfortuneatly he did not have an open time to fit me in. Trying to stay ahead of the weateher I violated the first rule, I let a bozo work on it . Never freakin again! now I am down a unit, the weather is still getting warmer and I am heading to Texas in June.

Chuck Williams has texted me today and says he will call me tonight. I’m hoping, under the present circumstances that he can make room for me. Just in case he can’t, I emailed Jeff Rowe. I’m banking on either one to save the day. Fingers & toes crossed that I get some good news.

[Chip & Pam]

We are fixed!! Chuck Williams installed 3 new units and the program boards. Ice cold air and no leaks. Chuck found that the RV place, from Manassas screwed the #1 unit up. The wiring was completely wrong. The tech had placed the wiring in such a way that the heat pump reversing valve and the AC were firing off togther. He also saw that the knucklehead had miswired the capacitors. The tech also failed to secure the capacitor on the unit when he swapped board. To top things off, the ground wire was not properly attached. To add insult to injury, the drain cups were siliconed to the bottom of the evaporator drain in such a way that if the lines ever became clogged, the cups would not drain via the overflow. He clogged the overflow with silicone. This was their top guy working on the bus. He was a complete @$&.

Never again will I do business with that shop. I am heading back to talk to the owner and request a return on my $. They ruined a brand new penguin 2 unit, they charged me up the wazoo for labor and they job was complete junk. Lucklily Chuck was able to take us in and fix it all. Thank you Commonwealth Coach for coming to the rescue.

[Archived]

We sound like broken records that keep repeating, but the number of Prevost owners that have had a very bad experience dealing with other than Prevost experts is large and growing.

The chassis requires either Prevost or someone certified by Prevost to work on them just because they are complex enough to need specialized expertise. But the house portion is just as important. Even when technicians are dealing with items typically found on conventional motor homes they can sometimes be over their heads.

Or sometimes an owner can get lucky.