New Dometic Air Conditioner Install

lope4946

lope4946

Member
Sep 4, 2008
175
Aiken. SC
Boat Info
2005 340 Sundancer
Engines
Twin 8.1
Getting ready to upgrade my Cruisair (Dometic) 12000 BTU unit to a 16000 BTU unit on my 2005 340 Sundancer. Was thinking of doing the install myself. Any hints or lessons learned from anyone who has already done this would be appreciated.
 
Which model are you installing? It's a fairly simple install.

I had to replace a two year old Dometic vtd16k-410a-115v this winter due to a core failure.
 
I had a 12k cruisair in my salon and replaced it with a 16k Domitec unit, now I wish I would have just stayed with the original 12k size. The 16k does a great job of cooling and heating but that can be bad in a way because the unit should run for longer periods, with the size of my salon the 16k can cool the room to fast without removing the humidity.
So if your 12K did a good job just stay with that size.
 
J.Wilt said:
I had a 12k cruisair in my salon and replaced it with a 16k Domitec unit, now I wish I would have just stayed with the original 12k size. The 16k does a great job of cooling and heating but that can be bad in a way because the unit should run for longer periods, with the size of my salon the 16k can cool the room to fast without removing the humidity.
So if your 12K did a good job just stay with that size.
Click to expand...
Our Cabin is too small for a 12K unit. Takes way too long to cool down.
 
CaptRonn said:
Which model are you installing? It's a fairly simple install.

I had to replace a two year old Dometic vtd16k-410a-115v this winter due to a core failure.
Click to expand...
Going from a 115V 12000 unit to a 115V 16000 unit. Hoping it's an easy swap out and don't have run to new wiring to the thermostat.
 
Last edited:
Over-sizing an A/C unit is something to consider carefully....I know it seems like if you want to get better cooling simply get a bigger unit...Though, a major consideration on A/C design is controlling humidity. And, if a unit cools a space too quickly, it won't be on long enough to dehumidify a space...Further, it will be a larger Amp draw....You want an A/C unit to stay on awhile, so it's much better to slightly under-size than over-size.
 
CaptRonn said:
Did you have the unit checked out? If the refrigerant is low that will take a long time to cool the cabin.
Click to expand...
Yes I had an experienced boat HVAC guy do a complete service on my unit. He was the one who told me for the 340, it should really have a bigger AC unit. He said 12K BTU was too small for the size cabin in a 340. My unit is blowing plenty of cool air but it just doesn't seem to be enough volume to keep up with the hot SC summers.
 
yea u in south carolina, i have same issue in new york, ac not getting the job done during the day, at night it is fine, but the day time its struggling with people constantly opening the door. was thinking about doing this eventually also.
 
liv2ryde100 said:
keep us posted on the job
Click to expand...
Will do. I just talked to Dometic technical support and he's very familiar with the 340 and definitely recommends upgrading to a 16K unit. He walked me through some of my install questions and I will be swapping out my unit this weekend. Dometic has great technical support available 24/7. The guy said to call anytime and they would help with any questions I have during the install. I'll keep you posted.
 
John - what Thermostats do you have? If you have the SMX II you will need to splice the Silver (bare) wire with the blue wire. I just installed three Dometic Turbo Units and had to do that with each install.
IMG_0126.jpeg
 
villain style said:
John - what Thermostats do you have? If you have the SMX II you will need to splice the Silver (bare) wire with the blue wire. I just installed three Dometic Turbo Units and had to do that with each install.
View attachment 70549
Click to expand...
I talked to Dometic technical support yesterday and they told me the exact same thing. Good to know and thank you for thinking of this for me. Unit is supposed to be delivered to my house tonight and I'll install it tomorrow. Fingers crossed it all goes well. Dometic technical support has a number I can call 24/7 if I need help and of course I also have you folks.
 
Success!!!! New Dometic DTU 16000 BTU installed. Only took a little over 2 hours to swap out the old one and put in the new unit. I paid $2400 for the new DTU and installed it myself. Was relatively easy. Only problem was the new unit was bigger than the old so I had to install it at an angle to make it fit. Ductwork was an easy swap from the old unit. Old thermostat worked without having to modify the wiring in any way. So far the performance is night and day. Lots more volume of air going to the bigger unit. Cabin cools off very fast. If you have any questions, please let me know. Thanks to everyone for all your help!!!!
 
villain style said:
That’s awesome. What model thermostat you have so I know?
Click to expand...
SMXir. When I talked to technical support today they said some SMXir's work with this unit and some require a simple modification to the thermostat wire. It all depends on when it was manufactured. My boat is a 2005 so fortunately it worked with no mods needed. If it didn't work, the modification to the wire is simple and technical support from Dometic can walk you through it.
 
Boat Guy said:
Congrats....I imagine a 16000 would be a bit bigger...Guessing the 12000 would be the same footprint?
Click to expand...
The fan on the 16K is bigger so it was hitting the ductwork. Just needed to angle it a little bit and it worked out fine. The pan is actually smaller on the 16K unit vs the 12K.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,208
Messages
1,428,588
Members
61,109
Latest member
Minnervos
Back
Top