I Replaced My Dead Penguin II With an Upgraded FreshJet 5 — Here’s What You Need to Know

Our second Penguin II just died… and Dometic doesn’t even make them anymore. So I had to figure out the best replacement for our fifth wheel’s rooftop AC. I really wanted a new variable-speed or inverter unit for better efficiency and quieter operation, but most of them are either too tall (we’re already flirting with that 13’6” height limit) or require cutting a big hole in the ceiling for a new air distribution box. No thanks! Dometic officially lists the FreshJet 5 as the direct replacement for the Penguin II, and they weren’t lying about the upgrades: built-in hard start, noticeably quieter operation, and way better airflow. There’s a FreshJet 7 with a variable speed compressor out there, but it’s not available for RVs yet (and definitely not to us regular folks). I read horror stories online about compatibility issues during the swap, so I was a little nervous. Good news — Dometic now ships the FreshJet 5 with a compatible control board pre-installed for the CCC2 thermostat. You mainly just need a couple of RJ45 adapters… plus one sneaky Molex connector on the 120V side that nobody warns you about. Pro tip: On a three-zone system, you’ll need two RJ45 adapters for zones 1 & 2 and one for zone 3. Overall, the swap wasn’t bad. The FreshJet 5 is legitimately quieter and pushes a lot more air. I decided to step up from the original 13.5k BTU to the 15k BTU heat pump version, and so far it’s performing great. I haven’t had a chance to really test the heat pump in cold weather yet, but it fired right up during my bench test. Would I do it again? Absolutely. The improved comfort is noticeable. If you’ve got a Penguin II that’s on its last legs, drop a comment — I’d love to hear what you ended up doing! Links: Molex connector installation directions: https://www.molex.com/content/dam/mol... Dometic Freshjet 5 Electronic - with control board and heat pump: https://www.campingworld.com/dometic-... RJ45 Adapter: https://www.campingworld.com/dometic-... ********************************************************************** 😊 Thank you for watching! 💃🏾Don't miss a beat and to hear more detailed experiences about Full Time RVing, get on our email list👉🏾 http://bit.ly/Trippin_With_The_Smiths 👍🏻If you're up to it, give us a like, subscribe to our channel, and hit the little bell next to the subscribe button, so you don't miss a thing! We greatly appreciate it, and thank you for being here! 👍🏾 💙 Facebook:   / trippinwiththesmiths   💻 Sign up here to keep up with us➡️ http://bit.ly/Trippin_With_The_Smiths 💙 Contact us: [email protected] ❤️Instagram:   / trippinwiththesmiths   ❤️Contact info: [email protected] 💪🏾 Fitness & Nutrition Coaching with Candace: (contact her @ [email protected]) || Website: candacersmith.com Music Cred: ‘Music by Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound.com)