Remote Thermostat

[Lady RV]

Hello MOC Members,

This is to be used as a continuation of the topic/thread started by Broome101.

I have received the communication following my signature from Dometic. Since there has been so much confusion on this issue we felt this should be the first post in this topic.

Thank you for your understanding on this issue and devotion to the club.

Lady RV

quote:We have noticed much conversation on this web site regarding the temperature sensitivity of the Dometic Infra Red Remote Control air conditioning system on Keystone Montana Fifth Wheel products. We wanted to offer some information that may help ease your mind.

The vast majorities of these systems are and will continue to function properly. If you have a system that is operating properly, it would be unusual for it to fail over time.

There have been a small number of Montana products exhibiting a temperature variation issue, most of which are furnace side only. Rest assured, this condition can be corrected through your dealer after a simple diagnostic procedure. We have been in contact with Keystone regarding this situation and we both stand ready to assist if you are experiencing this issue. If you feel you are having an issue with temperature variation, we would recommend making an appointment with your selling dealer at your earliest convenience to have it checked out.

If you need additional assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us direct at customersupportcenter@dometicusa.com or Keystone at www.keystonerv.com.

Thank you,
Dometic Corporation

[lightningjack11]

Lady RV,

Wow!

This is a great post. Mfgrs are watching us.

[mjcjtroy]

I agree, this is great. Although, I do think that there are more than just a few who are having problems!! Nice to know that we are being listened to by both Dometic and Keystone. Just wondering why if there are not that many problems Keystone is no longer putting the remotes in their RV's.

[jrgwdenner]

Thanks, Dometic, for stepping up to the plate.

[Charlie]

There is a reason they are no longer being installed in Montanas. IT SIMPLY WOULD NOT CONTROL......HEAT OR AIR. Glad to know that the manufacturers are taking note.

Twelve degrees variation from set point was not acceptable on either furnace or A/C which mine was as many others here on the forum have found out. Glad that I got mine replaced.

[Roman4]

We took ours back to the selling dealer three times during the initial year of ownership. On two of those occasions, they said that they replaced the remote transmitter. On the other occasion they said that they replaced the batteries in the transmitter. None of those "repairs" made the slightest difference in the functioning of the unit.

I have pretty well given up, and will just live with it as it is clear to me that it won't be repaired. We keep a conversion chart to tell us what temperature to set on the remote to achieve a particular temperature in the Montana.

[Lstierw]

First i will say that we had both the temp. differential problems as well as the furnace and A/C coming on at the same time at random times. We have had ours fixed with the CCC and it does now work great, no complaints. I do think also the reason that they (Dometic) don't get even more complaints is that there are many folks out there that can afford Montana's and just use them on a recreational basis during the nice times of the year. They really don't use them enough to find out the real issues. Having said that, thanks to Dometic for addressing this issue.....Les

[Parrothead]

From the posts on this forum I would not say this is a small number.
Happy trails.....................

[Lije Baley]

As I just had the remote checked by a service center, I'm not sure that Dometic's "solution" is satisfactory. I've now got a new remote (which is claimed to test more accurately than the 12 degree offset I was experiencing). I'll find out whether it works on our next trip (to the Mt. Shasta Rally). Come to think of it, many of you will also find out...

[Broome101]

Roman4 & Lije Baley stick to your guns tell them you want it replaced with the CCC unit. They have done everyone else's they should do yours as well. the remote unit despite what they say or think does not work good at all, we were one of the first to complain about them back in late summer 04, when we got ours. Replaced it with CCC, no problems at all works perfect. The CCC is tried and true they should stick with that on all units. Montana know only uses the CCC units. Call them direct ask them to send it to you, its easy to switch out, if you don't feel good about doing it yourself, tell them to send it to you and you make the appointment to have it switched out. Don't give up Roman4.

[geonbar]

I have a 2005 3295RK with the "REMOTE" & trying to control the heating is a real problem. BROOME 101 mentions changing to a "CCC"; being new to all this, what is "CCC"? & do i contact KEYSTONE about it?? THANKS

[Montana_1240]

I still don’t get what the big hassle is. (Except for the few who have a problem with the furnace firing up when the remote is set for the air conditioner.)

I don’t usually look at what the temperature is on the remote.

I just adjust it up, or down, if I feel hot, or cold. When using the A/C, most often, during the daytime, the remote is on about 79. When the sun goes down, it starts to feel cooler, so I turn it up a couple or three degrees, and then I feel fine, again. (All of this depends on whether I have a box fan on, or not, of course.)

We have the changeover kit. (Thermostat and the thingy that replaces the box inside the A/C.) But I haven’t been moved to do the changeover, yet. (I’m great at procrastinating.) And my wife hasn’t complained enough, yet.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that it doesn’t matter what temperature a thermostat, or a remote says the fiver is supposed to be, the final judgment is how I feel. Sometimes I feel hot when the fiver’s supposedly 70 degrees. Sometimes I feel cold when it’s supposedly 75. If I feel hot, I turn the temp down for the A/C. If I feel cold, I turn the temp up for the A/C.

Tried and true method. If it feels good, do it!

I hope all of you with problems get them settled. I’m just a bit leery of replacing a remote to “fix” a problem that isn’t a remote trouble…That doesn’t cause the A/C or furnace to turn on or off. It’s the wall unit’s “brain.”

Good Luck,
Steve

[Sweetfire]

CCC = Comfort Control Center

Mine is being repaired right now. You will have to have your dealer run through the diognostic tests that Dometic requires. My rig has been at the dealer since April 20th but should have it back this week.

[Jerzy54]

I just picked up my trailer from the dealer and I had the CCC installed after three visits. First they tried to readjust the remote
thermostat. On a second visit they replaced the remote thermostat with another remote thermostat and finally I got the CCC unit. Of course there was a little problem. My new CCC was operating only in the fan and air-condition mode and no furnace operation. I was a little pissed off and then I turned on my laptop and logged on to the Montana Owners web site and found out that the #5 dip switch has to be turned on. After I made that little correction the system works perfectly. I think dealers should read this web site on a daily basis maybe they will learn something. I must thank everybody in this web site for the very valuable information.

Thank Jerzy

[Lije Baley]

As I posted earlier, Dometic's first response was to send our service facility a new thermostat. It made practically no difference. At Mt. Shasta it was still inaccurate with too wide a swing point between shutoff and relighting the furnace. I e-mailed Dometic. The service facility was not a Keystone dealer and had told me that Dometic would not reimburse them for labor. I made arrangements to take the Montana to a non-Montana, but Keystone dealer next week. Dometic e-mailed me that they will send that dealer the CCC. The dealer was not familiar with the thermostat issue, but was going to check with Keystone. I'll learn next week whether Keystone will authorize the warranty replacement of the unit. If not, I'll do it myself. If the dealer does it, I'll provide a copy of the installation instructions from the previous thread.

At least we're close to a solution.

[mjcjtroy]

This is a reply to Gyro.....I think you would get it if your remote stopped working and you came home to 23 degrees in your Montana!! And everything was frozen including all of your cannned food. Also, if you go back and read all of the thirty something pages of all of the problems that a lot of us had...I think you might get it. This really has been a huge problem.

[Montana_1240]

MJCTroy,

I get it when there’s an absolute malfunction. I read your post about that in another thread, and felt bad for you. I know how a freeze-up can feel. (As it happens, I am now also familiar with how overheating feels.)

I empathized with the folks with real problems.

What my post said was that I don’t get it when someone seems to have to read a thermometer to see if they’re too hot or too cold. There’s been lots of talk about how one separate and possibly special thermometer says it’s “so-and-so” in the house, when the house’s thermostat or remote says it’s not quite that. I simply set my equipment to whatever setting it takes to make me comfortable. My body tells me that. But it's been what is purported to be a major problem by not a few in many a thread for a while, now.

I can even understand it if there’s way too many degrees between when the equipment turns off and then turns back on again. It’s a hassle to have to keep tweaking the remote. And I certainly can understand it when the stuff flat out fails. (In fact, I thought I had a major A/C failure, and might have ended up changing the remote system to the CCC that I’m hanging onto. But after minor maintenance, the A/C is working fine.)

IOW, I know what it means when something that is supposed to function doesn’t.

OTOH, (IMHO,) I think I know what it means when hairs are being split and nits are being picked.

That’s all.

Steve

[Parrothead]

Steve,
I really feel you could be a bit nicer in your reply. We were not splitting hairs or nit picking with the problem with the remote. Nit picking would have been raising cain with Keystone because my flashlight doesn't work. I don't really need that flashlight, I can buy one. However, I really need my heater and A/C. If you are happy with your remote, that is great. But please be kinder to we who were not.
Happy trails...............................

[Montana_1240]

Parrothead,

Sorry if you took offense. The past couple of days have been stressful.

I’m sure I was not referring to anyone, specifically. Certainly not MJCTroy, as I so stated to him/her with the response. And I can’t recall everyone else’s gripe with the remote, so I’m sorry if the response might have stepped on your toes. I think the origin of this thread was some 34 pages long. And it’s been a while since I read all the posts.

Adding to those posts is what I’ve heard at the rallies on the subject. It just seems that some of the gripes were more or less that what a thermometer says is more accurate than what one feels, him or herself. That is all that I was referring to.

If anyone wishes to state that, fine. That’s’ what the forum is for. I thought I’d use it for what it’s for, as well, and state my thoughts on the issue. I’m not stopping anyone from stating what they feel. And I do hope no one is trying to stop me.

Perception is not what one sees. It’s how they see it. I sympathize with folks with problems. That’s’ been clearly stated in my posts that deal with problems.

If your heater or A/C is not working, I truly hope you get the problem resolved. And nothing I’ve said negates that sincere wish.

I think I'll just call it a night.

Steve

[Parrothead]

Thanks Steve - we do have the Comfort Control Center and were able to do it ourselves thanks to the great instructions provided by fellow MOCers. The 34 pages of comments on the remote should speak by itself that this was a problem not nit picking.
Happy trails................................