Hurricane system with digital thermostat

[Paulhowell]

I installed two new Dometic Brisk II air conditioners with two new dometic digital thermostats. The old analog thermostats had eight or ten wires but the digital thermostats only have three wires. Black for ground, red for 12v and an orange wire for the control circuit. I capped off all the other wires. After thinking about it, I think there was a large orange wire running into the air conditioner bay that I didn't hook up to the orange wire coming out of the thermostat. I now wonder if that is the control wire for the hurricane heating system. Does the hurricane system use the same thermostat as the air conditioner?  Will the hurricane system run off of the digital thermostat?  Any advice would be appreciated.

[Steve Huber]

Paul,
I don't think your new t'stats will support both the ACs and the Hurricane. The t'stat  needs wires to control both systems. This thread may help. It describes my change-out of the main T'stat in my 2000 Marquis. Coach wire colors may be the same. http://beaveramb.org/forum/index.php/topic,4671.msg35204.html#msg35204
Steve

[Paulhowell]

Thanks Steve. The digital thermostat has a heater function but not sure I can hook it up to the Hurricane. I may have to mount a small analog thermostat next to the digital ones just to run the heating system.

[Steve Huber]

Paul,
You may want to give Rixens a call at http://rixens.com/contact/. They should be able to tell you what type of signal the Hurricane needs. I suspect it requires 12v but am not sure of the current requirement. If low current, you digital might work.
Steve

[Bill Lampkin]

Paul, Did your original tstats have a 'zone' system and were they Dometic? If so, I am by default becoming a bit of an expert with Dometic MH AC systems. The Dometic 'zone' system is used on their Penguin models, not sure about Brisk Air. Each zone corresponds to one AC unit, or, and this is the key, to an Aqua Hot  or similar furnace system. If you have a zone system with new Dometic CCC2 tstats, you will need a new control board (one zone) that is compatible with your AC's and CCC2 tstats. Dometic makes such a board (a kit, actually). I'll try to dig up a part # for you. Let me know what you had and we'll see what we can do for you.

[Paulhowell]

Thanks Bill. I'm not sure if it is a zone system or not. The old thermostats had a heat and cool switch. The more I research it I think my basic digital thermostats will work. I think I need to go into the air conditioner and turn the dip switch on for the furnace and splice up two blue wires to the hurricane system. I will tear into the unit tomorrow and see if I can get it to work although it's kind of painful to test your heater in Phoenix during the summer. Any info you can dig up will certainly help.

[Bill Lampkin]

Are your new tstats made by Dometic? Are they the square ones or rectangular? The square ones only have one zone.

[Bill Lampkin]

I should add if they are the square Dometic tstats, they should control AC, heat pump and furnace and or heat strip.

[Paulhowell]

Bill,
They're square.

[Roland DuBree]

Am I wrong, but seems to me the old AC tstats had a selector switch for heat or cool.  Since the Aquahot or Hurricane units had their own 12 VDC system seems to me in the heat position what you need or have in old tstats is nothing more than an open contact that closes when heat is called for to turn on the Aqua Hot. or hurricane. With an Ohm meter, you should be able to see what you have in the tstat.

[Paulhowell]

Thanks Roland. I haven't resolved the problem as I'm waiting on the wx to cool off a bit. I believe the digital thermostats will work, I just need to hook up the wiring to the hurricane.