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The Dometic CT Single Zone RV Thermostat that comes in many RVs, has several features that are fairly easy to understand and a few features that need more explanation. The thermostat is also prone to have issues if you don’t understand an important feature of the unit. In this video we will walk through each of the main features to give you a solid understanding of how your thermostat works. We’ll also talk in detail about a problematic design issue with the thermostat.
Here are some basic facts about the Dometic CT Single Zone Thermostat. First, it is a touch-sensitive thermostat with a back-lit display. The unit allows for three fan settings and can control both the furnace and air conditioner. It also allows for an easy conversion from Fahrenheit to Celsius.
Likely the biggest issue with the thermostat is the fact that it is touch sensitive and does not have springs behind the buttons. As we take a look at the back of the faceplate, you can see that each button has a very small piece of foam that transfers touch to the posts in the thermostat. This means that it works by simple touch and the buttons shouldn’t need to be depressed in to change settings.
The problem with the design is that over time, if you treat the buttons, well, like buttons, and depress them, the foam behind the buttons will compress and the signal will not be properly received by the unit. This can become increasingly frustrating and was to me. Over a few recent trips it had become increasingly difficult to adjust the temperature in the RV. Eventually, I had to replace the faceplate to resolve the issue.
I think sometimes innovators need to ask whether an improvement is really better than what was working before. As the old saying goes, “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.” I am not sure why moving to a touch-sensitive unit that requires a customer to lightly touch but not push the buttons is a better way to go. Evidently, I am not the only one who agrees with this as many people have complained about this unit.
Let’s look at how to operate the control panel. The Mode button allows us to turn the unit on, change fan speeds, control the furnace, and control the air conditioner. The fan has three settings, Auto, High and Low. The Auto fan setting turns the fan on only when either the furnace is heating, or the air conditioner is cooling. High and Low fan will remain on until you change the fan to Auto or turn the unit off.
The Up/Down buttons allow you to change the desired temperature for the furnace and air conditioner. The furnace cannot be set below 40 degrees Fahrenheit or above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Likewise, the air conditioner cannot be set below 55 degrees Fahrenheit or above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. You can also tap the Up or Down buttons to see the cabin temperature when the thermostat is off. Finally, you can toggle between Fahrenheit & Celsius by depressing both arrow buttons simultaneously.
So, let’s go over a few basic use cases. First up, setting the air conditioner for overnight sleeping with a continuous fan. What we want is to keep the cabin cool enough to sleep well on a warm evening, and to have some continuous ambient noise and air circulation. We want the fan to run on Low all night, but the air conditioner to come on occasionally to keep the cabin cool.
To set this up, all we need to do is tap the Mode button until we’re on the Fan screen, then use the arrow buttons to set the fan to Low. Tap the Mode button again until Cool appears, then tap the buttons up or down until the desired temperature is selected. Leave the Mode at the Cool screen and within 10-15 seconds the fan will turn on and the air conditioner will cycle on until the desired temperature is reached. When the temp is reached, the air conditioner will cycle off, but the fan will remain on.
I like using the air conditioner this way overnight when camping in warmer temperatures, as it keeps the cabin cool for sleeping and provides regular ambient noise and good air circulation. If I leave the fan on auto, then the air conditioner cycling on sometimes will wake me up. With the fan running constantly on Low, usually I don’t notice the air conditioner cycling on and therefore I generally sleep better. I sometimes do the same thing on a very cold evening, this time having the furnace kick on to keep the cabin warm but leaving the fan on Low, so I don’t hear the furnace cycle.
Next, let’s look at the use case of getting the furnace on during a cold morning. First, ensure you have propane and that the valve for the propane is turned on. Tap the Mode button to Fan and set it to Auto. This way the fan will only stay on when the furnace is in operation. Tap the Mode button again until you get to the Furnace screen and use the arrow buttons to set your desired temperature.
Within a few seconds you should hear the furnace fan cone on and then a clicking sound as the furnace fires up. Notice that the overhead fan does not come on. Should you wish to run the overhead fan while the furnace is on, go to Fan and change the Auto fan setting to Low or High.
A couple of safety tips when running the furnace: Make sure you don’t have anything in front of the furnace outlets. Also, the furnace exhaust can be very hot outside the trailer. Make sure you don’t have anything impeding the furnace exhaust outlet.
Our final use case is setting the air conditioner on a hot day while you are away from your RV. Simply tap the Mode button to Fan, then select Auto using the up/down arrows. Tap the Mode button again to get to the Cool screen and select the desired temperature. The A/C compressor will cycle on when the trailer gets above the desired temperature and come on regularly to maintain this temperature. This is ideal if you have a hot day and don’t want to let your trailer to get too hot.
Well, that I’ll do it for now. Remember that if your RV has a Dometic CT thermostat, treat the buttons like a touch screen and touch the buttons but don’t depress them. You may just avoid the issue of compressing the foam behind each control and the accompanying frustration. If you do have a unit that doesn’t respond, you can buy a replacement thermostat with faceplate on our Amazon storefront.
All the best in your camping endeavors!
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