Welcome to RVForums.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Friendliest RV Community on the web
  • Modern site for PC's, Phones, Tablets - no 3rd party apps required
  • Ask questions, help others, review campgrounds
  • Get the most out of the RV Lifestyle
  • Invite everyone to RVForums.com and let's have fun
  • Commercial/Vendors welcome

Dometic Penguin II impossible to find

Welcome to RVForums.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Modern secure site, no 3rd party apps required
  • Invite your friends and let's have fun
  • Commercial/Vendors welcome
  • Friendliest RV community on the web
I wrote the experts. Maybe the fleet specialist at Newmar can share some gouge.

I'm thinking the thermostat to the basement...then over to the AGS... half bath...up and over to the rear A/C...then plenum rated from the rear A/C to front A/C. But I'll share what they recommend...or any sketches they may have of our rj11 wiring.
 
United RV in Ft. Worth claims to have several Dometic 15k btu Penguin II w/heat pump ( white only) in stock. The black is out of stock . ~$2300.00. The online salesperson texted he couldn't be absolutely certain until he has eyes on it on Monday.
 
I believe the Heat Pump was out of stock when I had checked. The A/C only was probably available... but if going A/C only, I may as well try the newer version. And the A/C only can use a CCC2 control board. They just dropped their prices...but we are skeptical because a lot of places are selling drop shipments and Dometic is weeks behind.
 
1000008984.jpg

Ready to move something!
 
Thanks Neal… we checked those. No heat pumps. We’re going to go with a Freshjet 5 A/C only. We called those places yesterday. They showed no stock or the one that did show stock apologized that they haven’t updated their website. But…No, they don’t have any.

I can understand why Newmar steered away from Dometic. They are getting stung with tariffs from China imports. Our replacement Penguin II 15k heat pump is only four years old and was $1299. This Freshjet5 15k A/C only is $2241 …

We’ll let you know how “direct” … the “Penguin II direct replacement” is.
Hey @Chuggs - if you haven’t tried Dyers, I suggest you do. We had a great experience with them last winter when our outdoor fridge went ‘legs up.’
 
Wow. That will be a lot of stuff hard to find, AC’s toilets, awnings?
 
Hey @Chuggs - if you haven’t tried Dyers, I suggest you do. We had a great experience with them last winter when our outdoor fridge went ‘legs up.’
Thanks so much,

I checked them out...seems they have the Series 3. The Series 5 is the "Low Profile" version and uses a more recent refrigerant... Seems like yesterday R410A was the craze... but now they are starting to comply with the EPA regulations to switch to R32 Florane.

We'll find out later this morning if we can find an actual FJX5557M thru a nearby RV dealer.
 
I already committed on a Freshjet 5…but I got a call from Showalter and they found out that National RV refrigeration in Shipshewana, IN has Penguin II 15k Heat a pumps left over.


If your’s is shot…call quick while they still have some.

They specialize in refrigeration units…but evidently do stock some A/C units.
 
I spoke to Mary, at Newmar Service. She confirmed that Newmar is installing Coleman products now. She also confirmed that last of the 15K Heat Pump Dometics are gone.

I think it was a pretty smart thing on their part. I'm in some part surprised by Dometics approach to this. Right now --- they have no Low Profile 15K units to offer. And the 15K A/C unit I purchased...has no documentation. (Other than a file I can find about the Air Distribution Box...which Newmar's do not use).

Anyway --- I used my network tester. The RJ11 wiring in our coach, I now understand. There are four runs on our 2 A/C coach. Thermostat to A/C Front. A/C Front to A/C Rear, A/C rear to AGS command Controller in basement. Which is exactly like the old installation guide for the Penguin II laid out.

I installed our Freshjet 5 yesterday... It comes with no control board. It has only the housing, the evaporator, condenser, compressor, capacitors and ptcr, the fan unit, and wiring for those items...which all go thru the box where our controller is normally housed and to a 6-pin molex. What to do? Well you have to purchase a separate controller that is like the one in the basement. It comes in a metal box with connectors all around the perimeter. One accepts the 6-pin from the rooftop unit. And you plug in the 6-pin DC/Furnace plug from the coach, the remote cabin temp, the two RJ11 comm plugs, the outdoor temp sensor, freeze sensor, and power from the Molex Power kit... And then have to figure out a good place to mount that. I have seen these installed inside the Air Distribution Box on other Rv's. We don't have that luxury. So, rewired the unit using the parts I scavenged from my Penguin II. The new unit has a metal housing on the compressor side of the unit with the two capacitors and PTCR. I would have left it there...but didn't want to cut into my Easy Start bundle to pull a wire out...in retrospect it would have saved me some time... I threw out the start capacitor and ptcr and moved the RUN capacitor over to the control box housing...where it is on the Penguin II. It's all the same wiring, save the fact there is no Reversing valve in a Non- heat pump unit.

Why am I telling you this?

Be careful buying a Freshjet 5 if your installer doesn't have experience installing it in a Newmar. He may do it fast...and find a place to put the added control box...or charge you a number of added hours to rewire it to use the original controller.

The only difference I see between the two...is the stand alone has a molex connector for a heat strip. The board we have in the Penguins is setup for a reversing valve... I haven't looked into it...but the same pins might do the heat strip function...I'm not sure about that. I'm not bothering with a heat strip anyway.

Anyway... The mounting holes are on a little mound...so water wont' pool by the lag screw head... So, I need to source slightly longer lag screws...and and I need to put some butyl tape under the foam pad where the screws go in...to insure a better seal. Not sure what the lag screws are drilled into down there...but it doesn't seem like I'm getting good purchase on anything. Except for one longer lag screw used by Land Yachts when they replaced my unit in 2020.

I'd use 3m 5200 if I thought the air conditioner would last my lifetime. But these things are not built to last.

I need to check with a magnet...but it looks like the Internet rail they place in floor is aluminum vs powder coated steel. I have an original unit on the back...and it's steel...and rusting out. So, if this is aluminum...it might actually not rust out.

Anyway...going to take a day off...and then find some new lag screws and butyl tape to secure the unit better...
 

Attachments

  • Resized_20250725_133644.jpg
    Resized_20250725_133644.jpg
    82.2 KB · Views: 14
  • 20250725_123144.jpg
    20250725_123144.jpg
    882.4 KB · Views: 14
Yeah, umm, nope. This is going to be an expensive trip to Newmar when one or both fail. I'll have both done at the same time, not gonna be cheap I'm sure. Ugh!

Will you be installing Soft Starts in thew Coleman(s)?
 
Yeah, that’s a bit above my pay grade as well.
 
Yeah, umm, nope. This is going to be an expensive trip to Newmar when one or both fail. I'll have both done at the same time, not gonna be cheap I'm sure. Ugh!

Will you be installing Soft Starts in thew Coleman(s)?
I moved my Easy Start over to the new unit. (Dometic Freshjet 5) It started the first time with a 30A surge. The last one was 15A. It runs at 12A...So LRA is only 3 more amps. Amazing contraption. I'm hoping they offer an Inverter friendly unit. Australia is installing Dometic Freshjet 7's. They are making them for the Campervan community. Problem is they are 220v...and they require an Air handling unit for now.... where the controls are located. Maybe they will refine the product for the US market.

The hangup I have with Dometic is the running of RJ45, for Heatpump Freshjet 5's. Easy to pass thru the plenum for the run between units. I can imagine the thermostat and AGS will be a problem. And I have no idea if the new control units will continue to support Auto Gen.
 
The hangup I have with Dometic is the running of RJ45, for Heatpump Freshjet 5's. Easy to pass thru the plenum for the run between units. I can imagine the thermostat and AGS will be a problem. And I have no idea if the new control units will continue to support Auto Gen.
Thanks for all the info. From other posts that I’ve read on the subject, I thought using the existing RJ11 cable and adding a RJ11/RJ45 adapter would work. Wondering if you have any insight into this?
 
and to follow up on flyboy's post, I read in the other place that you seem to have just moved electronics over and it works with existing equipment? Is that accurate?
 
Yep. All you get inside the Freshjet 5 A/C only is the compressor, fan, and capacitors. The rest you have to supply.

I didn't have the recommended control board...but it may be possible to mount inside the return/evaporator housing. If so...it will be plug and play...they have a molex that connects all their parts...and all of other things will just snap in.

I was trying to get this project done.


So, that would be thier prefered way.

I am waiting a reply from dometic as to wether or not I can scavenge my Penguin II control board to make the Freshjet5 Heat pump work with my CCC2 type thermostat.

But no answer...and they supposedly won't release it until Fall...

Looking with a clear head...I could have made it a much much simpler job. I mounted the Easy Start to the Evaporator side. I could have easily split the loom and had the black and brown wire go directly to the compressor and the white and orange go to the capacitor housing. Done. The specified co troller would be plug n play for A/C only. Save yourself if you do the A/C. I think the Heat Pump will be a whole new problem. Pretty sure it will come with a control board compatible with the new Industry standard...and RJ45 cables.
 
Thanks for all the info. From other posts that I’ve read on the subject, I thought using the existing RJ11 cable and adding a RJ11/RJ45 adapter would work. Wondering if you have any insight into this?

Dometic has zero guidance.

I found a transition page on a website when we were trying to find a unit.

My understanding is…talking about 15k models. The A/C only talks CCC2 because the controller they recommend is a stand alone that accepts the units 6-pole wiring. The unit does not come with a controller. Good still with your thermostat and your RJ11 wiring.

The Heat Pump… I surmise, you will get a controller, it will be RJ45 and require a new thermostat. The only consideration they are giving is that you can purchase an adapter that will translate the new thermostats RJ45…and have a RJ11 so you can keep your remaining unit Penguin II (ccc2)…if not replacing it. I have not heard or seen anything that says they are going to help us with keeping our thermostat. I’m trying to find out if we can use our existing a Penguin II control board and do a swap out on our own. I would rather keep my EZ Touch RV thermostat, my RJ11, my known Auto Gen Start trigger for Temp = Ext. input.

Who said change is good?

The new Freshjet 5 does not look like a big improvement. Blue coating on evaporator fins, separate housing for capacitors, maybe an aluminum base rail…which hopefully won’t rust out like the Penguin II. Slight styling difference on the housing cover.
 
Remember when there was a capsule of mercury and when it tilted one direction it closed a circuit and when it tilted back the other direction it opened? I'm glad we simplified it.
 
Remember when there was a capsule of mercury and when it tilted one direction it closed a circuit and when it tilted back the other direction it opened? I'm glad we simplified it.
Not that far back (except the one still on my batwing antenna)...but I still remember black switches good for 250,000 cycles instead of touchscreens.
 

Latest posts

Latest resources

Back
Top