New Salem Confused on Thermostat...

[brianb]

Just took delivery of a new Salem 26TBUD camper. Happy so far, little radio issue with a loose wire but other then that so far so good. But I haven't tested everything...

I'm very confused on the A/C & Furnace operation, and I appear to have no documentation either in my packet or I can find on Dometic's website. I have a DuoTherm A/C (no heat strips AFAIK) & Suburban furnace with a Dometic "The Thermostat" (stupid name) digital thermostat controlling it all. Pic: http://news.rvbasics.com/wp-content/...ThermWhite.jpg (Looks like this but no Heat Pump light)

What I observed...
- When I switch on Fan mode it blows air, no problem.

- Haven't had it on 30 AMPs yet, but I assume when I put it on Cool mode the A/C will activate.

- When I put on Heat/Furnace mode the furnace kicks on and hot air comes out of the floor vents but the A/C unit is also blowing air. (no compressor just circulating air) I find this loud and makes it feel colder inside the cabin.

Is this normal operation? The thermostat is pretty sparse with the buttons so I don't think I'm missing something. I assumed in heat mode the A/C unit would just be off and the furnace would operate and do it's thing.

I've done some searching, one person commented they just flip off the breaker to the A/C in heat mode.

Any help would be appreciated...

[fbconsults]

I to was confused. An earlier post on this site explained the correct way to do it, and when I was last at the dealer they gave me the same advice. Here it is:

When you turn on the thermostat, set the fan to auto. Then go to heat and set the temperature you desire. Be careful and do not go through the settings too fast, it confuses the thermostat.

If the a/c fan still comes on, repeat the sequence, making sure you don't go through the procedure too fast.

Hope this helps.

[cardinal4fun]

When you switch from Heat to AC or visa versa, the fan for that item should be the only thing running. As for the Heat the fan will run both before and after the propane runs. First fire up make sure propane is on, it will take awhile to bleed the air out of the line for the furnace.

[brianb]

Originally Posted by fbconsults

I to was confused. An earlier post on this site explained the correct way to do it, and when I was last at the dealer they gave me the same advice. Here it is:

When you turn on the thermostat, set the fan to auto. Then go to heat and set the temperature you desire. Be careful and do not go through the settings too fast, it confuses the thermostat.

If the a/c fan still comes on, repeat the sequence, making sure you don't go through the procedure too fast.

Hope this helps.

I think this might be the trick, thanks. So when it's in "Fan" mode I press the +/- buttons to change from Low, High, Auto? (then stop on Auto) Then wait, and flip to Heat?

I'm not very impressed with this thermostat it looks all high tech, but I'd prefer the old "simple" ones with switches for fan/etc. The waiting between switching modes is annoying. Thanks for the tip, I'll try it next time I pull it out.

[ezawacki]

I have a 2012 26 TBUD and I am experiencing the same problem. The AC fan running all night long is noisy. Initially I thought I had a problem with the AC running constantly and the furnace cycling on and off as normal. So I was just wondering if the AUTO setting fixed the problem?
Thanks
Ed

[Sierra323fk]

Just took delivery of a brand new 2012 Sierra 323FK TT, so I'm subscribing to this thread to hear how it all shakes out. Thanks!

[ng2951]

Set the fan to auto when the heat is on. It took me a while to figure that one out...

[grhodes50]

Here ya go. I hope this helps.

Use the On/Off Mode button to select FAN. Then use the +/- button to select either Hi, Lo or Auto. When using the AC with the fan in the Hi or Lo setting it will run continuously while the compressor only cycles on and off. In the Auto mode the fan will cycle on and off as well.

If the fan is set on Hi or Lo while using the furnace, the AC fan will also run continuously, so be sure to set the fan on Auto when using the furnace.
You can, however, leave the fan set on Hi or Lo while using the furnace. This will allow the AC fan to run continuously which can help with condensation problems.

For using the AC, after making your fan selection use the On/Off Mode button to select COOL. Use the +/- button to select the thermostat temperature setting. (same procedures for the furnace)

When in the Auto mode for the AC the fan will run on high when the room temperature is 5º or higher than the thermostat setting. When the room temperature drops to within 4º or less than the thermostat setting, the fan will stop for a few seconds then start again in the Lo mode.

Hope this helps.

Dometic Digital Thermostat