crazy AC

[mtlakejim]

Hmmmm well this is interesting.

We recently left our short term full time (if that makes sense) location in SE New Mexico desert. While there it appeared that our front Dometic Penquin II AC had bit the dust as it was blowing hot air.

We get back to Arkansas (where we are only weekend warriors) and low and behold the front A/C works just fine now???

I'm wondering if the extreme heat conditions were just too much for the A/C and the more moderate weather here in the Natural State are more tolerable to the unit?

And yes we are EXTREMELY happy to out of the desert. Other than visiting my grandkids, I don't ever care to go anywhere like that again EVER!! Deserts are strictly drive thru for us from now on and not even that if we can avoid them!!!!!!

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by mtlakejim

Hmmmm well this is interesting.

We recently left our short term full time (if that makes sense) location in SE New Mexico desert. While there it appeared that our front Dometic Penquin II AC had bit the dust as it was blowing hot air.

We get back to Arkansas (where we are only weekend warriors) and low and behold the front A/C works just fine now???

I'm wondering if the extreme heat conditions were just too much for the A/C and the more moderate weather here in the Natural State are more tolerable to the unit?

And yes we are EXTREMELY happy to out of the desert. Other than visiting my grandkids, I don't ever care to go anywhere like that again EVER!! Deserts are strictly drive thru for us from now on and not even that if we can avoid them!!!!!!

Out of curiosity where in SE NM? I grew up there and your comments had me smiling.

Was the air out right at the vents hot? We go over there from time to time but haven't had that happen. Ours have been 15k units but if it was that hot it should have an impact on a 15k as well. Reckon the compressor wasn't kicking in for some reason? Could you hear it?

[DQDick]

He's talking about Lakewood, NM (just north of Carlsbad). Strange as it seems, one of mine will actually freeze up there when it gets hot enough it has to run all the time unless I put it on high. I think it's because there is so little humidity that the frost builds up so slowly and doesn't run off that eventually it will freeze up. Just a guess on my part, but again, I don't have to do that when we're in Kansas. Still 100, but water running off the roof everywhere.

[mtlakejim]

Originally Posted by sourdough

Out of curiosity where in SE NM? I grew up there and your comments had me smiling.

Was the air out right at the vents hot? We go over there from time to time but haven't had that happen. Ours have been 15k units but if it was that hot it should have an impact on a 15k as well. Reckon the compressor wasn't kicking in for some reason? Could you hear it?

As DQDick replied, we were just North of Carlsbad. Dick was our next door neighbor during the winters (such as they were). The people around there were great. I just HATE the desert, particularly after spending a year and half there due to work. Of course you would have to understand the paradise we call home. 20 wooded acres with 2 acre pond and 14' waterfall with frontage to Cadron Creek (which is larger than what they called a river in NM!). The Cadron flows clean and clear and is listed as one of Arkansas's premier whitewater streams. We moved from that to NM desert. I came home from work during one of the month long triple digit temps, the front AC had gone out and the wife was NOT in a good mood. I knew then we would not be much longer in NM!

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by mtlakejim

As DQDick replied, we were just North of Carlsbad. Dick was our next door neighbor during the winters (such as they were). The people around there were great. I just HATE the desert, particularly after spending a year and half there due to work. Of course you would have to understand the paradise we call home. 20 wooded acres with 2 acre pond and 14' waterfall with frontage to Cadron Creek (which is larger than what they called a river in NM!). The Cadron flows clean and clear and is listed as one of Arkansas's premier whitewater streams. We moved from that to NM desert. I came home from work during one of the month long triple digit temps, the front AC had gone out and the wife was NOT in a good mood. I knew then we would not be much longer in NM!

I bet DW wasn't happy!! I'm thinking it froze up due to the environmental effects.

Lakewood....nestled in the cradle of the beauty...errr, isolation....errr, desolation? of the SW. With Brantley Lake right there (where I came within about 2" of sinking a boat and drowning during a sudden storm), Carlsbad Caverns and the Guadalupe mountains? Hope y'all had time to explore the Guadalupes and look at Sitting Bull Falls.

I will say it takes a certain mindset to enjoy the "scenery" I suppose. Once involved in a buyout of my company and the new CEO came down to look over the new territory. Spent a couple of days driving around that part of the state looking things over; he didn't say much. As he was preparing to leave he turned to me and asked "this is the driest, most barren, ugly place I've ever seen. How do you stand it?" After I replied he said "keep things in tip top shape, I won't be back." He too was from a very pretty place (MO) with trees, rainfall, streams and lakes. Quite a change and he's not the first to have those sentiments...

[mtlakejim]

I guess your right it's all perspective. We took a look at Sitting Bulls Falls. You have to understand the waterfall in our back yard has about 10 times the water over it than SBF. So you can guess the impression we had of SBF. We did like some of the mountain areas and even tried our luck at snow skiing at Ruidoso.


Again, nothing against the people living there, they are great folks. But I just don't understand why anyone would LIKE living there......Guess its just what you grow up with.

[sourdough]

Oh, I understand your feelings completely and feel the same way. You have to remember that SBF, in the middle of a desert with no water, is actually an oasis for those stranded there. It used to run much more water 60 years ago or so. It IS a bleak place. Our mountain home was in Cloudcroft at 9k ft. about 40 miles from Ruidoso.

[mtlakejim]

Originally Posted by sourdough

Oh, I understand your feelings completely and feel the same way. You have to remember that SBF, in the middle of a desert with no water, is actually an oasis for those stranded there. It used to run much more water 60 years ago or so. It IS a bleak place. Our mountain home was in Cloudcroft at 9k ft. about 40 miles from Ruidoso.

Yep we visited Cloudcroft several times. I always thought it was a strange thing to drop off the West side of the mountain and see White Sands sweltering in the distance. Really odd to go from comfortable 70s to sweltering triple digits in just a few minutes. We had plans to repurpose our 24' enclosed trailer as a toy hauler for side by side trips to Cloudcroft and the trails. Still plan to do the retrofit but now the riding will be here in the Ozarks.

[Buckfisher]

DQDICK was right on target. We run our AC on high fan all the time. Otherwise we often have the coils freeze up. On low fan, it takes longer for it to freeze up when the humidity is low. But on high fan, it's never froze up.

[McRod]

Most of the SW is like that. You can be on the ski slopes within an hour of leaving the scorching desert. Tuscon has the southern most ski resort in the US.

OP, your AC most likely froze up. I spent the summer in AZ, before leaving to CO in August. The factory AC units are really not meant to handle the the 110°+ heat the desert can throw at it. Using a window AC is way more efficient than the factory AC units.