Dometic AC iN-Command issue

Pharphr · 10-01-2022, 01:42 PM

I have a 2020 Cougar 22RBS with a Dometic 15000 BTU AC unit. I've had an issue that has gotten worse over the last 2 years. It was intermittent at first. I will set a temperature in the iN-Command and the AC will shut off the fan and compressor before it reaches the set point. It will sometimes come back on it's own, but before I cook completely, I will turn it off in the iN-Command, turn the fan on, then switch to cool. The AC will then run again for a while until the process repeats.

I called iN-Command, and they seemed like they wanted to help. They told me the iN-Command only looks into the Dometic Gateway, and that the Gateway controls the AC. They had me check for the EOL resisters, which are there and read the correct resistance.

I called Dometic, and they didn't seem like they wanted to even talk to me. They said right away that the problem is the iN-Command. I asked them how I can determine which component is the problem and they just said to take it to a tech. I asked who he recommended. The shop he suggested said "What's iN-Command?" He suggested that I install a regular thermostat, but didn't know which Dometic thermostat is the correct one.

I emailed Micro Air to see about installing one of their fancy thermostats, and how I would wire it. They didn't want to "get in the middle of this nightmare".

The AC is not freezing up. I have tried resetting the iN-Command and the AC. No difference.

Does anyone have a suggestion of how I can figure out what the problem might be?

LHaven · 10-01-2022, 09:12 PM

One of the upsides of "the iN-Command only looks into the Dometic Gateway, and that the Gateway controls the AC" is that you can use the inCommand screen to see what the gateway is thinking.

Look at the screen when the A/C shuts off prematurely, see if the gateway thinks the proper temperature has been reached, or the HVAC has been set to Off or Heat, or whether it (correctly) thinks that the system is on and hasn't yet reached the desired temperature. Every one of those conditions tells you something about who might be at fault.

Pharphr · 10-02-2022, 08:20 AM

The screen does not change. It still shows the system is in cool mode, the temperature is displayed correctly, and the fan will be in whatever state I had it in. Either low, high, or auto.

The gateway is the black plastic box, but there is also a gray box right above it. I believe it is the control box, but I'm not sure. I'm not completely sure what purpose each box serves. I have checked all the connections, and everything is tight. The thermostat wires go into the gateway box. Also the furnace wires are there as well. It seems to me that the gateway is the likely culprit, but why would the temperature still display correctly?

LHaven · 10-02-2022, 09:47 AM

I am not an expert in air conditioning systems, but it sounds to me like the air conditioner is just shutting down prematurely, and it would be my bet that this is not an inCommand failure. I suspect if you had a "dumb thermostat," he would see precisely the same fault. Whether the fault is in the gateway or the air conditioner itself I would not hazard to guess.

Pharphr · 10-07-2022, 11:08 AM

Just in case anyone else is interested, I bypassed the gateway and the iN-Command system by installing a Dometic thermostat. So far, the AC and furnace seem to be working. I mounted the thermostat above the iN-Command, because it is where I would change the settings and it was easier to mount it there.

Maybe down the road I'll upgrade this thermostat with one of the fancy Micro-air units.

Rmbrumley · 10-11-2022, 08:37 PM

Pharpha my furnace will not run or even try to start, I jumped the thermostat wires at rgr furnace and the furnace will run fine. Which thermostat did you use ? I am not having any luck with in command or keystone to try figure out issue

Pharphr · 10-11-2022, 09:11 PM

I wound up calling Domestic, and they gave me the part number for a thermostat control kit to eliminate both the gateway and iN-Command. The kit number she gave me was: 3316230.714 which includes a black thermostat and a control box. But when the kit arrived, the control box was identical to my original one. So I used my control box, and the new one is a spare. The part number for just the thermostat is: 3316250.712. Again, in black. I did test the furnace with my new setup, and it started just fine. I mounted the thermostat directly above the iN-Command.

Hope this helps. I'll they to answer any other questions you might have.

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