Dreiha Atmos 4.4 installed by SDG

[rideadeuce]

On the last leg of our summer family vacation we stopped at my dad's in MI. Next morning, I drove down to Elkhart, IN and had SDG install the Atmos 4.4. Guys were on time, efficient and knowledgeable. Installation went great! Pics below:

They now offer SoftStart as an option on their website but I brought my own SoftStart Breeze (smaller version) .

Atmos 4.4 Pics

 

Removed the old Dometic Penguin II, cut drain line and plugged. Cleaned surface, applied very small bead of Dicor self-leveling on the inside perimeter of  fiberglass 14 x14 opening 

Removed interior shroud. Penguin shroud was screwed to fiberglass ceiling, the 2 holes on each side will barely show after Atmos plenum installed. Fixed mine with a couple of the small glow in the dark dots we use on the ceiling to amuse the kids. 

Kevin was able to use the wiring for the original thermostat location to power the  Suburban propane heater control. I may change or remove this later. 

They used Molex connectors instead of JXN box

additional pics

The new unit is a good bit quieter (6-10db) depending on mode and has around 40% less draw on the battery. On high it was pulling 1200 W vs 1800 W for the PII. Fan only was under 300 watts.

They were done with the install in 2 1/2 hrs. App and remote are working well but still figuring it all out. I know this is short but on our way home to TN.

I did find out that the Atmos 4.4 is designed so that the fresh air coming in and the exiting conditioned air is in a sealed unit and does not contact the outside (humid air). So running the fan only does not introduce humid air, it only re-circulates cabin air. 

Still awaiting answer on how exactly AUTO mode works. From the manual, it only states that it senses ambient air and automatically heats and cools but nothing about a parameter. You actually cannot set the temperature in that mode at all as far as I can tell. 

I did notice this unit manufactured 3/24 is using R-32 refrigerant. 

Best, Mike

Edited July 18 by rideadeuce

[Ronbrink]

16 hours ago, rideadeuce said:

Installation went great!

Thanks for reporting on the install, much appreciated! Anxious to learn more of your thoughts once you get further down the road, and gain experience on the workings and comfort of the unit.

Edited July 18 by Ronbrink

[Ronbrink]

20 hours ago, rideadeuce said:

They used Molex connectors

Can you provide specifics on the ‘Self-Contained Power Connectors (SCPC) from Molex’?

[rideadeuce]

@Ronbrink

It is Molex 19045-81 but I can't seem to find a link for it. 3 contacts. Black, white and ground.

Edited July 18 by rideadeuce

[Ronbrink]

On 7/17/2024 at 1:54 PM, rideadeuce said:

On high it was pulling 1200 W vs 1800 W for the PII.

Hope the Atmos 4.4 is working out well for you! I ordered one yesterday, should be shipped next Monday. I went back, but could not find what size Dometic Pll you had, was it the 13.5k? I’ll be replacing an 11k, which pulls 1400-1500W. A performance satisfaction update would be much appreciated, thanks. 

Edited August 4 by Ronbrink

[rideadeuce]

@Ronbrink My PII was a 13.5k.

The performance of the new unit has been great. I have been pleased with the new functions like the Auto feature. It has been great for when it is parked not in use. It automatically keeps the 75-80 range depending on outside ambient temperature. I wish there was some adjustment but it is completely automatic. The good thing is that while in storage the unit does turn completely off at times including the fan in AUTO mode.

I really like the ability to dump the air straight down over the bed area or switch to the vents. Vent oscillation is a nice touch, you can feel a nice breeze when you are sitting at the dinette. Of course, you can turn it off as well. 

Still haven’t played with the sleep mode or dehumidification mode. Here in TN it has been very humid and hot with no issues of increased humidity inside. Staying in the 40-60% range. 

As far as efficiency, it is at least 30-40% sometimes 50% better than the Dometic PII 13.5k. 75 vs 150 amps

10 decimals quieter than the Dometic. Probably the best feature outside of efficiency. 

The remote, app and panel control work great. 

Condensate drains off the road side if you tilt the trailer a bit when parked. 

Between the unit and new Alcan springs the trailer is about 2 in. taller.

All in all, very happy with the new Atmos. I think you are going to enjoy it. Let us know what you think after installation. 

Best, 
Mike

Edited August 3 by rideadeuce

[jd1923]

4 hours ago, Ronbrink said:

Hope the Atmos 4.4 is working out well for you! I ordered one yesterday, should be shipped next Monday. I went back, but could not find what size Dometic Pll you had, was it the 13.5k? I’ll be replacing an 11k, which pulls 1400W. A performance satisfaction update would be much appreciated, thanks. 

Ron, you were the first to bring this model to our attention and thank you for that. @rideadeuce aka Mike, thank you for the excellent detail in this post and recent update.

This sure beats what some have done in considerable works to reconfigure a Houghton and others that have replaced a Dometic with another! Maybe OTT should consider this vs. the custom fiberglass work required for the Truma model. It is certainly a lower cost alternative.

Mike another way of stating, "efficiency, it is at least 30-40% sometimes 50% better than the Dometic PII 13.5k. 75 vs 150 amps" is the PII requires 2x (200%) greater amperage than the Atmos! Now your microwave takes more amperage than your A/C and given your Victron 3KVA inverter and 920AH Epoch batteries you should be able to run both simultaneously and run the A/C for many hours of the day.

Kevin at SDG thought he lost me as a customer because in another post, I commented that one (just one) of his answers was "sales-speak." He was overall great on the phone, and it appears Mike thought so in person, he and his team.

With other upgrades, like LiFePO4 and Victron inverter and so much more, our A/C upgrade must wait for more budget money. We don't camp in the summer anyway, though our camping season starts soon enough. We're heading to the Texas Rally in just 10 weeks from today and there is a lot to do 'til then!

Kevin, if you're reading, please look forward to hearing from me in the new year. When we're done with winter camping, I should install one of these prior to our annual April-May excursion! WE got stuck running the buzzsaw Dometic two nights on our last spring trip! I got the 100 dB PII running this summer as I work on the Oliver. Good thing I don't have to sleep in there now!

@Ronbrink, I'm really looking forward to your post, since you like I will be working a home installation. Thanks again. 😂