EasyStart™ Installation Instructions for Dometic® Family RV A/Cs DuoTherm® Brisk® Brisk® II Penguin® Penguin® II Blizzard NXT®
Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 4 Safety first ................................................................................................................................................. 4 Making a good crimp ................................................................................................................................
Mounting for older Penguin AC units ..................................................................................................... 19 Routing the wires (most Penguin I and II models) .................................................................................. 20 Making the connections........................................................................................................................... 21 Brown wire ............................................................................
Introduction Dometic air conditioners are used throughout the RV industry for many years. EasyStart is a great companion to minimize the startup current surges on these units, thus making it possible to operate the A/C on a limited power source, such as a generator or inverter. The information contained in this manual can be used to install EasyStart on most Dometic brand air conditioning units. Similar models are grouped together as the installation is very comparable for these units.
Identifying Dometic AC Units Dometic roof top air conditioners can be broken up into two categories, low-profile (Figure 1) or high-profile (Figure 2), with a third Blizzard NXT (Figure 3, later referred to in this document as the “NXT”), somewhere between them. Older units were also called Duo-Therm and were also either lowprofile or high-profile. Older low-profile unit were called the Penguin (later referred to in this document as the “Penguin I”), and the newer ones are call the Penguin II.
Identifying the compressor and run capacitor The compressor is shown in Figure 4. The blue arrow points to the cap over the compressor wiring. There is no need to remove this cap for installation however the wires the exit the cap must be followed to ensure the proper connections are made. Follow the black wire pointed to by the green arrow until the wires exit the black wire jacket. The wires exiting will be colored red, blue, and white.
Roof top RV installation kit Part number: KIT-364-RT2 This installation kit is designed for customers doing their own installation of EasyStart. It supports most rooftop RV and under cabinet models. 1 2 3 4 6 5 7 8 9 10 Figure 6 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.
Brisk I Wiring diagram Figure 7 Figure 7 shows the typical wiring diagram supplied with the Brisk I. The red X’s indicate components that will be removed during installation of EasyStart. The white wire from EasyStart is drawn in blue for contrast. The brown wire shows a splice connection. This connection was removed from the C terminal of the run cap and connected to the brown wire. Rev 1.01 8 ©Micro-Air Corp.
Mounting location Figure 8 Two possible mounting locations are available as indicated by the arrows in Figure 8. Install EasyStart in one of these locations with the enclosure wire exit pointing down. The green arrow points to the sheet metal surface opposite the compressor. Route the wires under the fan and along the same route as the fan wires into the electric box by the blue arrow. The blue arrow points to an area on top of the cover of the electric box.
Making the connections Use only end splice or jacketed spade connectors for connecting one wire to another. Wire nuts can come off in this high vibration environment and automotive connectors are not rated for line voltage. Brown wire Follow the white wire from the compressor into the electric box to the top of the run capacitor as indicated by the green arrow in Figure 9. Disconnect the white wire and cut off the connector on the end. Strip about ½ inch (1.
Black wire Strip about ½ inch (1.27cm) of insulation from both the black wire from EasyStart and the extra black wire that comes in the installation kit. Connect the two wires together using an end splice. Route the wire outside the box to a location near the wire exit on the compressor. Cut the blue wire shown in Figure 11 at a convenient location to make a splice. Be sure to leave enough wire to easily make a crimp. Strip about ½ inch (1.
Brisk II This unit can be identified by the black foam used instead of metal framework. The foam may be carefully removed for cleaning the coil or accessing additional wiring. Figure 15 Wiring Diagram Figure 16 Figure 16 shows a quick synopsis of the changes made to the wiring. The red X’s show the compressor start capacitor and PTCR that will be removed during installation.
Mounting Location Figure 17 shows a typical mounting location for EasyStart. It can also be mounted vertically next the electric box with the wire exit pointed down. Always install EasyStart with the wire exit parallel to the ground or pointing down. Never install EasyStart with the wire exit pointing up. Installing the box: Clean the surface of the mounting location and the bottom of the enclosure. Place the foam tape included in the installation kit on the enclosure and mount the box.
Making the connections Use only end splice or jacketed spade connectors for connecting one wire to another. Wire nuts can come off in this high vibration environment and automotive connectors are not rated for line voltage. Brown wire Follow the white wire from the compressor into the electric box to the top of the run capacitor as indicated by the green arrow in Figure 18. Disconnect the white wire and cut off the connector on the end. Strip about ½ inch (1.
Black wire Strip about ½ inch (1.27cm) of insulation from both the black wire from EasyStart and the extra black wire that comes in the installation kit. Connect the two wires together using an end splice. Route the wire outside the box to a location in the foam compartment near on the compressor as shown in Figure 20. Cut the blue wire shown in Figure 20 at a convenient location to make a splice. Be sure to leave enough wire to easily make a crimp. Strip about ½ inch (1.
Penguin I and II The Penguin I and II are similar in construction and physical wiring. If you have followed the instructions under “Identifying the compressor and run capacitor”, you will have found the electrical box on one side of the enclosure covered by a metal plate. Remove the plate to expose the components. Wiring Diagrams Figure 22 Figure 23 Rev 1.01 16 ©Micro-Air Corp.
Figure 22 and Figure 23 are schematics from Penguin I and II respectively. The wiring is the same however some earlier penguin I compressors may use a black wire for the common wire connection instead of the blue wire shown with the Penguin II. The red X’s indicate connections that are to be removed or changed when installing EasyStart. Figure 22 shows a heat pump option with a special consideration.
Figure 25 Penguin II Suction Tubes Some Penguin II air conditioners were manufactured with the tubes angled more than others. If your unit has the bent tubes as shown in Figure 25 that prevents installing EasyStart, carefully bend the soft copper tubes out as shown. The rubber damper can be moved around for some additional clearance, shown in Figure 26. Figure 26 Rev 1.01 18 ©Micro-Air Corp.
Mounting for older Penguin AC units Rev 1.01 19 ©Micro-Air Corp.
Routing the wires (most Penguin I and II models) Pull back the grey putty around the compressor wires passing through the plastic air box separator in Figure 27. Pass the braided wires from EasyStart through the hole and form the putty back around the wires and over the hole. Figure 27 Figure 29 Figure 28 Use wire ties to tie the braided cable to the wire harness at several locations, Figure 28 and Figure 29. Note: Do not route the wires over the top of the foam.
Making the connections Use only end splice or jacketed spade connectors for connecting one wire to another. Wire nuts can come off in this high vibration environment and automotive connectors are not rated for line voltage. Brown wire Follow the white wire from the compressor into the electric box to the top of the run capacitor. Disconnect the white wire and cut off the connector on the end. Strip about ½ inch (1.27cm) of insulation from the white wire and from the BROWN wire from EasyStart.
Removing existing start components Some systems may use a start capacitor and PTCR as shown in Figure 35. Previous owners may have also installed a hard start kit that replaces these components. These components form a circuit that connect from the white wire group on the run capacitor to the red wire group on the run capacitor. If your run capacitor has only a single red wire to the compressor connected to the HERM terminal group you can skip to the next step as the system doesn’t have start components.
Figure 36 shows a heat pump option with the reversing valve. If you have a heat pump and there is more than 1 wire on either terminal of the start capacitor, move this third reversing valve wire (usually a black or purple wire) to the “C” terminal on the run capacitor when disconnecting the start capacitor as shown. Note: none of the 4 mentioned schematics show this but could be potentially found. NXT Mounting Location Figure 37 Figure 37 shows a potential mounting location for EasyStart.
Routing the wires Pull back the grey or black putty around the wires that pass the compressor wires through the plastic air box separator, shown in Figure 38. Pass the braided wires from EasyStart through the hole and form the putty back around the wires and over the hole. Use wire ties to tie the braided cable to the wire harness at several locations around the electric box. Figure 38 Note: Do not route the wires over the top of the foam.
Install the split plastic bushing provided (if needed) in the kit. The split allows it to slide over the existing wires without having to disconnect them. Snap it into place in the existing hole. Once the bushing is in place, route the wires from EasyStart through the hole. Figure 39 shows a factory, opened electric box and where you can feed wires through in the top left. Figure 41 shows an installed EasyStart.
Removing existing start components Some systems may use a start capacitor and PTCR as shown in Figure 42. Previous owners may have also installed a hard start kit that replaces these components. These components form a circuit that connect from the white wire group on the run capacitor to the red wire group on the run capacitor. If your run capacitor has only a single red wire to the compressor connected to the HERM terminal group you can skip to the next step as the system doesn’t have start components.
Troubleshooting FAQ How do I know I installed it correctly? EasyStart has a few characteristics that can help you determine that. First, the compressor should start more quietly than it did before. Lights will dim much less and if you have a volt or current meter you should see a measurable difference. Second, if you turn off the compressor at the thermostat when it is running then turn it on right away, EasyStart will prevent the compressor from starting for three minutes.
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