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Old 01-19-2019, 11:48 AM   #1
terrythetech
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Question New member with question.

Hi There everyone. Terry Here in crisp, cold Minnesota. We are the proud owners of a 2012 Keystone Cougar 323MKS. It is on a seasonal lot in Pepin, Wisconsin and is currently shut down for the winter. (April 25th please come quickly!).
We hope to become snowbirds next winter and are now downsizing our home with plans to sell it this spring. If the weather would be above zero it would help.
But next summer before it gets hot again my wife and I are considering installing the optional 2nd bedroom air conditioner as the one we have now just can't keep up in the hot sun, and relocating our lot is not an option. Our Cougar IS prewired for the second air conditioner, but I am having trouble determining what the manufacturer spec'd out for the size and model of the bedroom air conditioning unit. Dometic and Penguin have been mentioned in posts, but I would like to start with considering the manufacturers choice of brand and size to forgo any install issues as I will be installing it myself.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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Old 01-19-2019, 12:48 PM   #2
JRTJH
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First, welcome to the forum and we hope that you find the information here to be useful and invite you to share your knowledge as well as use ours. That way we all benefit.

As for the "Brand" of air conditioner, Keystone typically used the same brand for all A/C's on a single unit, so if you have a Dometic A/C (and it's the OEM unit) then if the trailer were to have been ordered with an optional "factory installed A/C" it probably would also have been a Dometic of the same model/style. Most dual A/C trailers have either a 15K BTU or a 13.5K BTU "main unit" and a 13.5K BTU bedroom unit.

Some trailer models have what was called a "racetrack" ducting system in which both A/C's were installed in the ceiling ductwork and both "augmented" each other. In that system, you could run the bedroom unit during the day and the main unit at night to help reduce noise in the area of the trailer you were using at the time. I'd say (a guess) that 1/3 of all Keystone trailers have the racetrack system. The remaining 2/3 have an "independent bedroom A/C" that is not connected to the ceiling ductwork and delivers cold air only to the bedroom via the ceiling A/C shroud vents. As for thermostat and unit controls, some (a few) are connected to the trailer thermostat, most have independent controls on the ceiling unit.

As for "slim units" if there is a problem with trailer height (most states limit overall height to 13'6") then a "low profile" A/C may be a good choice. Most that I've seen installed at the factory in Keystone trailers are "full profile A/C's".

Again, welcome to the forum, I hope you enjoy your time with us.
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Old 01-19-2019, 01:41 PM   #3
chuckster57
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Pre wired usually means there is 110VAC at the vent. Doesn’t always mean there is thermostat wiring and if there is, it’s a crap shoot if it’s run to the current thermostat. Domestic does make a multi zone thermostat and if you saw that on the wall, odds are good that the wiring is there. If not then a unit with plenum controls will work just fine.

Next thing to figure out is the ducting as John mentioned. Take the garnish ring off the inside of the vent and look for aluminum tape on the sides indicating ducting. If not then your limited to a non ducted, plenum controlled unit and brand won’t matter.
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Old 01-19-2019, 02:01 PM   #4
sourdough
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Welcome to the forum!

When we determined that we had to have a 2nd AC I went with the Dometic Penguin II low profile 13.5k unducted and no thermostat. The primary AC is a Dometic 15k. I decided on the Penguin II because of the lower profile and it just seemed to look nicer up front; the 15k just looked like a big box and the Penguin was more "stylized" for lack of a better term.

I don't know which brand yours came with but I would stick with whatever it is for the 2nd unit as well.

We like the unducted unit with the controls on the front because of simplicity I suppose. For us, having the unit controlled right there means we can dump cold air when we want without affecting anything else and make the bedroom "frigid" when we want to (we like to sleep cold - but NOT in the snow).
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