Bedroom A/c noise on 3670 Bighorn

raym

Member
I can't seem to get the loud vibration out of our Bedroom A/C. When compressor comes on it sounds like a large air compressor like you would expect in a tire shop. Any suggestions?
 

RollingHome

Well-known member
I just installed a new Dometic Penguin II AC unit in my 3670RL BR because it has 32 new and improved changes. The first one listed is "QUIETER" so for this reason alone I bought it. My wife's cousin just installed the exact same AC unit in his Landmark. He lives about 20 miles north of me. On a quiet summer's eve with our house windows open I can hear his new AC run...just purrs right along. I'm just wondering, you are in Texas, I am in PA. did you hear me start mine last night ? Other then the soft purr, it works great. I just can't help wondering how loud "generation I" was... Maybe you have a Penguin I. If you were advised to get OSHA approved hearing protection before use, you have the Penguin I. Throw it away and get the Penguin II with 32 improvements and keep telling yourself, this is quieter, this is quieter, this is quieter. I really wish there was some way to force O.E.M.'s to sound rate their JUNK in db’s :mad: !
 

TandT

Founding Utah Chapter Leaders-Retired
Tom,
Don't hold back. Tell us how you really feel. LOL.

Fyi, my bedroom Penguin II A/C is noisy, as well.
The good news; I rarely have to run it at night, even in hot weather.

We use it to cool the rig down at first, then the rear unit can almost always maintain temps, especially at night, so I usually shut the front off.

AND we spend most of our time in warm climates. Trace
 
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ihsolutions

Well-known member
Tom, I laughed for a solid couple minutes after reading your post. Good stuff!

I can't wait to read your review of the new "Whisper Quiet" A/C systems.
 

Westwind

Well-known member
You're right, our low profile in the bedroom is soooo loud, so we use it to lower the temp before bed and then the main unit keeps it comfortable. I'm not sorry I put it in but I now realize that quiet enough to sleep is not something I will ever hear. So you work around. Don't know what the solution is, maybe if it was not direct into the trailer and ducted, but I think it's the ceiling support around it that allows the vibration.
I wish we still had a vent in the bedroom along with the AC. I know it's alot of holes in the roof and would probably cause the AC to vibrate more but you can beat a fantastic fan. I do have the one in the kitchen area.
 

RollingHome

Well-known member
Raym, there ya go, the jury has voted... your BR AC is noisy and that's what we all found... sorry. Look at the bright side, it could be worse... ever get rocked to sleep ? We did, when hurricane Ernesto came tap, tap tapping on our door... Wasn't quite as loud as the new and improved Penguin II, so I think Ernesto was just a dry run to get us used to the new and improved quiet Penguin II. Over all, we like the Penguin II over the Penguin I, because no matter how hard we tried we had a heck of a time falling asleep wearing those way too large OSHA approved hearing muffs, every time we rolled over it was like kissing a Kennett Square mushroom.

I hope seriously you take my post in jest, of course you deserve a good night’s sleep in comfort. Patti & I do what everyone else mentioned. Use the air compressor sounding BR AC to cool the rig off. Then we turn it off so we can sleep while the "less noisy" ducted AC unit sings us a lullaby with its much quieter purr. Sorry, it doesn't get any better.

Trace & Jeff ya laugh to keep from crying. At least Raym knows he's not alone and the old clique, misery loves company still rings true. We all could whine and howl, but nothing would change... it would still Purr like a Lion...

Westwind, with cooler temps, we open the windows next to our bed (at our heads) and let the fantastic fan rip. We have found this to be superior to the BR vent fan the AC replaced. This works great for drawing in air and we now don't even miss the roof fan. We also use a "minny" tower fan, on the dresser in front of the window, super quiet and still throws a nice breeze across the bed... just a thought ya might want to experiment with.

Happy RVing :angel:
 

RollingHome

Well-known member
So RayM, does this mean we get the vote over Doctor Laura ? Either way, go take on the day and go commit some serious camping adventures. Also stay COOL DUDE !

Happy RVing :angel:
 

Westwind

Well-known member
Rolling Home - I would love to have the windows open but the bride doesn't want any dust, dirt and anything else in her new Bighorn, so windows stay shut and AC's run, so far we have avoiding having a electric meter hooked up to our site by moving monthly, but this year we lucked out and found a place we can stay in for 3 months without a electric meter.
I got away with it in our traver trailer but after 9 years of RVing she is getting smart and I can't pull the wool over her eyes anymore. So windows closed - AC on.:rolleyes:
 

RollingHome

Well-known member
Westwind, fess up dude ! Opposites attrack and your were caught, same with me. Gosh darn it, just admit it... they are not dumb dames... we are the dumb ones... so just start whining... it make ya feel better :)
 

RCF

Active Member
Well, I finally found something positive to say about the loudness of the bedroom a/c!

Where we are camped right now (Jellystone park in Waller, TX), dove season is in full gear and it sounds like a war zone in the early morning all around. My wife pointed out that the a/c drowns out the sounds of the shots all around us, and she's right!
 

kakampers

Past Heartland Ambassador
too funny! We must be the exception though...we don't find the noise annoying at all, we run the bedroom A/C all the time...even the dogs have gotten use to it...doesn't even phase them when it cycles!!
 

Westwind

Well-known member
It's all what you get used to, I'm sure if the main unit stopped working and it was hot we would have the bedroom ac going and once we were tired enough we would sleep just fine. We get a little picky sometimes.
Hey RollingHome - you got it, opposites, and after 45 years haven't changed each other even though we work at it.
 

Birchwood

Well-known member
We had a Penquin 640 model installed in our bedroom last January and I think it may be a late model Penquin 1.It
is noisy but sure feels nice on a warm night.I think we are getting used of the noise as it does't wake us anymore.
When you think about it the A/C is only 6 to 8 feet from your head so maybe thats why it seems noisy.Currently
the thermostat is stuck and the unit will not shut off so a new part has been ordered.Its been nothing but trouble
since we got it.Dometic should focus on producing a few reliable products instead many useless items.
 

RCF

Active Member
Hmmm, I can hear my bedroom a/c over the living room a/c . . . when sitting in the living room! I read all the threads about it being loud, but, being in TX, a 2nd a/c is almost mandatory about 5 months of the year! And I never imagined it was THIS LOUD from those threads.
 

TandT

Founding Utah Chapter Leaders-Retired
My Lance camper, I had for 20 years.
It had the same Penguin A/C mentioned here and it was loud. A lot of vibration. It was our only A/C so we were forced to run it at night and we finally got "semi"used to it.

I believe the main culprit is the vibration caused by minimal support in the ceiling, rather than the A/C itself. Trace
 
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Westwind

Well-known member
I agree Trace, you have a heavy unit sitting on a laminated roof and directly vented into the trailer. Plus you really don't have alot of exact engineering on the components so your bound to have vibration etc.. RV components haven't changed alot over the last 25 years, only the easy "Bling type stuff" has, so what do we expect.
 
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