The situation
A customer asked whether he could keep his existing 4-Button Comfort Control Center thermostat when upgrading to a newer air conditioner such as a Penguin II or a FreshJet 5.
The short answer
No, you cannot. The 4-button is obsolete, and there is no way for any recent or current-generation air conditioner to communicate with it. A new thermostat is part of the job.
Your options:
- Dometic CCC2 10-Button thermostat — when available. Also out of production, so this is a stock-dependent path.
- Dometic Connect Essential — Dometic's newest thermostat, and the one that isn't going away. Also available in an RV-C and CMC version.
- Micro-Air EasyTouch — a smart WiFi alternative, depending on your AC setup.
Why
The 4-button Comfort Control Center predates the control protocol every current air conditioner speaks. This isn't a wiring problem you can adapt around — the thermostat and the air conditioner simply have no common language. Dometic moved on, and nothing in the current lineup was designed to look backward that far.
The practical consequence: when you budget for a Penguin II-era or FreshJet 5 upgrade, budget for the thermostat too. It isn't optional and it isn't a surprise upsell.
Where Micro-Air actually fits. This is the part people get wrong. The EasyTouch 350 in black or white replaces a Dometic CCC2 thermostat. The EasyTouch 351 in black or white replaces a Dometic CT or SZLCD single-zone thermostat. Neither one talks to a 4-button either. Micro-Air is a smart-thermostat upgrade once your system is on CCC2 or CT — not a shortcut around this problem.
What to do
- Confirm what you actually have. Count the buttons. A 4-button Comfort Control Center is the obsolete generation this article is about; a 10-button unit is a CCC2 and is a different situation.
- Plan the thermostat into the AC purchase. Whichever rooftop unit you choose, the control side is changing.
- For the most future-proof path, go Connect Essential. It's Dometic's current production thermostat, single and multi-zone, and it isn't chasing discontinued stock.
- Consider a CCC2 only if you find one. It works, but it's out of production too — you'd be solving an obsolescence problem with another obsolete part.
- Add Micro-Air after you know your control generation, not before. Match the 350 to CCC2 and the 351 to CT/SZLCD.
- Have a qualified RV technician handle the changeover — the thermostat, the control box, and the air conditioner have to match as a set.
Still not sure?
Send us a photo of your current thermostat and the model number off your air conditioner, and we'll tell you exactly which control path fits your coach before you buy anything. Ask us here.