AGS PPLEX HVAC Sensor

centurion493 · 11-21-2020, 04:25 PM

Hello,

Does anyone know if it is possible to add the HVAC/TEMP sensor or control to the AGS PPLEX system? We have the AGS with PPLEX and it works fine for the low voltage limit I set but the system does not have the temp option. Is there someway to upgrade the system so that it includes the temp option for AGS? I have contacted PPLEX customer service and asked about an upgrade or new motherboard and they never got back to me. Anyone had any success with doing this?

NXR · 11-22-2020, 05:17 PM

Do you have a 2020.5 where you do not have real thermostats like the 2020.0 units do? If so, since the thermostats are part of the Precision Plex system it may be possible. But only they will know for certain.

I figure if shore power goes out then the house battery voltages will drop and then the generator will start and since our real thermostats are 12 VDC the air conditioning should resume. In theory...

What voltage are you using for AGS? I'm using 11.9 VDC.

Ray

centurion493 · 11-22-2020, 07:57 PM

Thanks for the reply.

I am not entirely sure about whether or not it is a 2020.5 or 2020 to be honest. Everything I have seen ref build date (stickers on body panels and such) seems to point to mid 2019 but again, not sure where that puts it for the model year 2020. We do have the later version of the larger screen radio in the dash but not sure when that happened in 2020. We did not take delivery of it until Jun of this year as first owners but actually put a down on it in March. It was/is new and had only delivery miles to Az on it.

It does have two separate HVAC controls, one in the bedroom and one in the front room for each of the AC units and also control the furnace/heat. They are set at each control and there is not an icon within the plex system related to HVAC so that might answer the question about thermo control through the plex system. If so, that probably takes AGS Temp out of the equation. They have not responded to my inquiry about it. I am only asking because I was told in the beginning that the system had both voltage and temp AGS but it turned out not to be the case which is why I was wondering if I could upgrade. My understanding is that there is a temp sensor wire that is routed to the AC out which controls the AGS function but it may not be possible after all if there are different thermostats involved that are connected/controlled through the plex system. May cost more than I think and may not be worth the trouble...Oh well.....

As it stands now, I have the voltage set for AGS at 11.9 as well and it works just fine.

Thanks again for the response

NXR · 11-22-2020, 08:05 PM

You probably have a 2020 like we do. With the 2020.5 mid-year changes Forest River removed the wall thermostats and replaced them with these little ugly black temp sensors. Yeah, stuck in the same place on the wall like a bump on a log.

The thermostat function was moved to the touchscreen. I'm glad we still have real thermostats because I can pull the remote out of the bed nightstand and change the temp as opposed to pulling out a phone and getting blinded by the screen in the middle of the night.

Ray

centurion493 · 11-22-2020, 08:35 PM

Hmmmm....makes sense but wait, remote for the thermostats? Have a whole box of remotes for the TVs, fireplace, DTV sat, outside radio, sound bar and so forth but have never seen a remote for the thermostat.....Did not know about this...is that standard and they forgot to give me that remote or was that an option?

NXR · 11-22-2020, 09:00 PM

Yup. We got two of them with the rest of the remotes. We keep one in the compartment at the recliners and I keep one in my bed nightstand.

Outside radio? We did not get one for that. I downloaded the Jensen app but it's pretty useless. About the only thing we use the outside radio for is to set it to AUX IN so the TV plays through it.

Ray

**Cdefrees** · 11-23-2020, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by centurion493

Hello,

Does anyone know if it is possible to add the HVAC/TEMP sensor or control to the AGS PPLEX system? We have the AGS with PPLEX and it works fine for the low voltage limit I set but the system does not have the temp option. Is there someway to upgrade the system so that it includes the temp option for AGS? I have contacted PPLEX customer service and asked about an upgrade or new motherboard and they never got back to me. Anyone had any success with doing this?

Centurion493,

To answer your question.... yes it can be done but it will be costly. I can't remember everything involved but you would need a NEW mother board, run wires to A/C's which would be difficult, remove the wall thermostat's. I can remember but I think more wires are needed as well? I had a customer asking about this as well and I think the total was around 3K with parts and labor.

Here is a little info on our AGS. We were unable to have HVAC for AGS at first. The reason is we were working with Atwood now Dometic to get programing linked up with our Precision Circuits board but it took way longer than expected. This is why we have about a year's worth of units with only Voltage for AGS.

I hope this helps! Let me know if you want exactly what is involved and I will get with our engineers.

centurion493 · 11-23-2020, 03:49 PM

Thank you for the response re the control of the HVAC through the plex. Given your approx estimate, I think I will pass. I will just open the vents and turn on the fan or run the gen manually and let the AC run when we leave the puppies....we are not gone that long anyway but then again, we are So Cal and sometimes is does get somewhat toasty...

centurion493 · 11-23-2020, 03:54 PM

NXR, thanks for the photo. No, we did not get those remotes. Like I said, we got a ton of remotes but not those. Can you tell me if you are running the wall thermostats where you can see and adjust the temp and furnace etc or have you got those black boxes you spoke about earlier? We have attwood/dometic units on the roof and a suburban furnace. Not sure what make the thermostat is. MH is at the storage lot right now so I cant go look. I would think about trying to order some remotes if we have the same thermostat make and model. Like I mentioned before, I never knew it was an option until you mentioned something about using a remote to adjust the temp..

NXR · 11-23-2020, 04:11 PM

Dometic bought Atwood years ago but their manuals have not yet caught up. You (and I) have the Atwood AirCommand AC-1511 ducted heat pump/air conditioner units. We also have the Suburban SF-35Q furnace.

We have the square thermostats with a black border and a tan front as I'm sure you do. They are Dometic thermostats. The "dot" at the top center marked SENSOR is the infrared receiver sensor.

If you're still under warranty I would put in a warranty request for the missing remotes. I never knew the outside Jensen radio had one available or I would have requested one.

Ray

NXR · 11-23-2020, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by centurion493

Thank you for the response re the control of the HVAC through the plex. Given your approx estimate, I think I will pass. I will just open the vents and turn on the fan or run the gen manually and let the AC run when we leave the puppies....we are not gone that long anyway but then again, we are So Cal and sometimes is does get somewhat toasty...

By the way, we had the dealer replace the front fan and the rear bath fan with Maxxair 7000K fans. They're white, 10 speeds, a fan blade that's full size, and have a remote. They're much nicer and very quiet compared to the stock fans. We run the rear bath one at 30% to pull humidity out during showers. They can be left open in the rain or (supposedly) while driving.

I did leave the half-bath as the stock fan because it's rarely used but we had the dealer put a "shroud" over it because those cheapo plastic crank-up lids like to depart the vehicle after a year or so.

I think Forest River is now installing a Maxxair fan as stock in some models. During our factory tour I asked the rep why Forest River installed those cheap things and he replied it was to provide provisioning for when people upgraded them later. Sounds like someone with Forest River asked why they would not just install better fans from the start.

Ray

centurion493 · 11-23-2020, 06:22 PM

Yep, that is the same therm unit we have in the front and back. I will pursue the missing remote issue.

While in for some warranty work on a leaking jack a few weeks ago, I had the service place install a MaxxAir fan in the front room because I just wanted more air movement. It is an dual directional auto closing unit with a rain sensor and a remote that I actually was given and have...LOL I left the back and half bath as is but they are on my list especially as the rear has a tendency to vibrate open as we drive and I keep getting blamed for not checking the vent before we left....LOL

Thanks for the photo and info.....

Happy Thanksgiving!

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