Well I added a Dometic penguin

patrick1945

Well-known member
Well I added a Dometic penguin to the front of my FW and it works just great. 13,500 it should BUT IT STINKS. I called Dometic and they told me it MIGHT be the solution that the copper tubing is dipped in. They said there is no smell to the refrigerant but I might need to clean the excess "dipping solution" off the coils.

It smells like a cross between clorox and mold sewer etc.

Any thoughts?
 

westxsrt10

Perfict Senior Member
The return air ducting might not be 100% air tight therefore drawing a small amount of air from the roof vent area. Is there a black/grey water roof vent near the AC unit? Try removing the filter and look up searching for light from the outside. Our AC had some small cracks/air holes allowing outside air to enter in that area.
 

patrick1945

Well-known member
Just so I understand are you talking about the front AC that is over the bed? If so there might be a vent nearby but what is the filter that you are talking about? I removed and cleaned the 2 filters on the Penguin but I don't understand about looking up to see light from outside. Thank you for your thoughts.

The return air ducting might not be 100% air tight therefore drawing a small amount of air from the roof vent area. Is there a black/grey water roof vent near the AC unit? Try removing the filter and look up searching for light from the outside. Our AC had some small cracks/air holes allowing outside air to enter in that area.
 
Are your tank valves closed? We get a horrible smell at times when the valves are opened to dump. DW lets me know when I forget to turn off the upper ac when dumping:D There are also times when the vapors from the roof vents make it to the air conditioner.
 

Birchwood

Well-known member
We had 13.5 penquin installed in our bedroon also and it does smell like sewer until you use it
a few times.I had a Dometic service man in to reset the thermostat and he assured me the smell
would disppear and it did.I asked if the A/C would be drawing in smell fron the vents but he said
the A/C only cools inside air and has no provision to use outsde air.
 

stevebotts

Active Member
We dealt with this same problem for a year. Had the AC removed, resealed, cleaned, to no avail. I decided it was somehow drawing the odor up from the holding tanks. Put clorox down the drains and the smelled seemed to stop but would return occasionally. Each time I put clorox down the drains. After having our Big Horn for 4 years, no longer getting any smell at all. Just ordered a 3685. Will pick it up in mid-April. Has the same AC in the bedroom so hopefully will not have to deal with the odor problem all over again.
 

Birchwood

Well-known member
so the smell lasted four years?
We dealt with this same problem for a year. Had the AC removed, resealed, cleaned, to no avail. I decided it was somehow drawing the odor up from the holding tanks. Put clorox down the drains and the smelled seemed to stop but would return occasionally. Each time I put clorox down the drains. After having our Big Horn for 4 years, no longer getting any smell at all. Just ordered a 3685. Will pick it up in mid-April. Has the same AC in the bedroom so hopefully will not have to deal with the odor problem all over again.
 

stevebotts

Active Member
Only in the last year has the smell completely stopped. Before that it was off and on. Sometimes would go for weeks without the smell and then it would start again. One of the reasons we never really found a definitive answer on what it was.
 

DRGalligher

Well-known member
Interesting to see this thread because we had a Dometic Penguin installed last year in our bedroom (front) too and had the exact same smell, but it has gone away on it's own. I knew it had to do with the new AC because it was introduced at the same time, so good to know I wasn't crazy!
 

patrick1945

Well-known member
FOR NOW it seems like the smell went away when I closed the 2 gray tank valves -- the black tank remains closed when not "dumping". I am not sure if the AC's intake is inside or outside.
 

Birchwood

Well-known member
When you think about it .......the AC can't cool the entire outside area so it has to be only the air inside.
FOR NOW it seems like the smell went away when I closed the 2 gray tank valves -- the black tank remains closed when not "dumping". I am not sure if the AC's intake is inside or outside.
 

Birchwood

Well-known member
The smell from or AC has gone also ...as the Dometic tech advised.We are in Florida and its 90 so the AC runs constantly so its well
broken in.

Interesting to see this thread because we had a Dometic Penguin installed last year in our bedroom (front) too and had the exact same smell, but it has gone away on it's own. I knew it had to do with the new AC because it was introduced at the same time, so good to know I wasn't crazy!
 
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