Roadrunner Comfort Support

Install & Setup

  • Remove the previous controller (if any), then mount the wall plate, pulling cooler wiring through the center.
  • Be sure to identify the 5 needed connections: ground, power, pump, low fan and high fan.
  • The Controller wire color code shows on a label on the back side.
  • Attach the power (ACL) wire last. The unit should power up immediately.

Remove the two screws that are partially fastened at the controller bottom.

The controller has tabs (1) at the top that hook onto the wall plate (2).

Engage these first, then swing the controller down into place.

Insert the two screws at the bottom.

ONLY NEEDED for (unusual) horizontal installations.

Select    or 

then

On the Setup screen, select 

In the popup,  select YES to complete the rotation.

It will look something like this:

To pair the Controller with the Sensor, first activate the sensor by pressing and holding its ‘button’ until the blue light flashes. If it doesn’t flash within 4 seconds, release and try again.

Set the Controller to automatic operation by selecting 

 

The controller will now scan for a sensor, showing:

When it has found one, it will show:

“a1b2c3” could be any combination of 6 letters and digits.

Single controller setup: Select “YES”.

Multiple controller installation: Compare the combination shown with any previously installed. Select “NO” if the code shown matches one previously installed, and it will return to seeking sensors. Otherwise note the code shown and select “YES”.

The sensor is designed to clip to the fin of most air vents. It should be located as close as possible to the controller, but should work over a distance of 30 feet or more.

If this clip does NOT attach securely to your air vent, please contact support@roadrunnercontrol.com for alternatives.

Select

then 

then

Enter your network name, then tap

A popup will show “You entered:” with your text and ‘Netname’ OK?

Select YES to move to password entry, NO to go back to the network name screen.

Password entry works just the same. 

If you do not have Wifi, you need to set the clock manually.

Select   or   

then   

then   

To set the time, just swipe up or down on hours, minutes, and AM/PM, then select  .

Operation

Resetting the controller is the first thing to try if there’s a problem. It will NOT erase any of your settings.

The reset button is located on the side of the controller, and appears as shown here.

Just give it a press until you see the screen blank and the controller restart.

You can program the controller to automatically turn on in the morning and off in the evening, or at any other times. Here’s how:

Select 

select   or   

The TimeON and TimeOFF setting screens use familiar roller-type controls.

To set the time, just swipe up or down on hours, minutes, and AM/PM, then select  .

To disable the TimeON or TimeOFF, just select    or  , and you will be returned to the OPTION screen.

Select    or    to toggle the fan speed between high and low.

Button text indicates the current fan setting, high or low.

For those times when you just need as much cooling as possible, MaxCool runs your swamp cooler on its coldest setting, pump and fan running continuously. It’s great for when you come home from vacation and are turning your cooling back down to its normal temperature. MaxCool will get your home cooled as quickly as is physically possible.

the MaxCool button is found on the OFF screen, along with AUTO, Manual and Option.

In MaxCool mode, the pump and fan run continuously. Once you’ve reached a comfortable temperature, you can turn OFF MaxCool and return to normal AUTOmatic operation, enjoying air at your Set Temperature.

Remember, in AUTO operation your cooler will blow air at your Set Temperature, while in MaxCool it will blow just as cold as it can, which can be much colder than your set temperature.

To control your cooler’s pump and fan separately:

From the OFF screen, select

 

 

General Questions

When the Controller is reading the temperature and humidity from the sensor, or trying to login to Wifi, it is unable to service the touchscreen, so it displays a message letting you know that it’s busy. It should finish its task shortly, please be patient.

Normally it reads the temperature once a minute.

While reading the temperature, it displays the message “Reading Temperature Please wait“. When this is showing, it can’t respond to your touch.

When the Set Temperature is changed, it will recheck the temperature within about 5 seconds.

When the controller is OFF, it does not check the temperature.

The Roadrunner Comfort (RRC) maintains the temperature of the air coming out of your cooler by controlling the wetness of the cooling pads. To do this, it samples the temperature of the incoming air, then compares the temperature to your set temperature. It also determines whether the temperature is rising or falling. Based on this information, it may choose to not run the pump at all, or to run it for 1-55 seconds before fetching the next sample 60 seconds later.

The display goes black after no touch for several minutes to save power and avoid unwanted illumination.

It also goes black when the controller is OFF and there is no touch for several minutes.

Any touch will turn the display back ON.

The sensor battery should last at least 5 years.

The controller will display a flashing alert when the battery gets low, and an audible beep once a minute when it is about to die.

The Roadrunner Comfort controller is unconditionally guaranteed for a year from the date of installation. In 2022 all installations will be performed by TLC Plumbing and any problem units will be replaced free of charge.

Absolutely. Components are sourced worldwide, but enclosures are 3D printed in Los Ranchos and electronics are assembled in Los Ranchos, except for the sensor circuit which is purchased from a Shenzhen manufacturer of Bluetooth sensor modules.

Issues

The Roadrunner Comfort contains a powerful computer, and sometimes it just needs a reboot. The Reset (reboot) button is located on the lower right side. It’s more of a strip of plastic than a button, but you can press on the end that isn’t attached to the housing until you feel a click or see the screen go blank.

This is normal operation. Some amount of fan on-off cycling is unavoidable, and the amount will vary.

To avoid nighttime fan cycling, set the “OFF time” to turn the unit off at night, and the “ON time” to turn it on again in the morning.

Why it happens: When the temperature outdoors drops a few degrees below your Set Temperature with the fan ON, the controller will see the air coming in as too cold, and turn off the fan. Then the indoor air warms from residual heat plus any new heat being generated. When the temperature rises above the Set Temperature again the fan restarts. The incoming air is too cold again, and the fan soon turns off again. And so on. The Roadrunner Comfort limits how often it can turn the fan on and off, but the slower this happens, the more the temperature indoors will stray from the Set Temperature.

The Roadrunner Comfort uses your home Wifi network to go online and fetch the time of day after power failures. It also fetches the time at least once a day to correct any drift in its internal clock. If you do not have Wifi and internet service, you may lose your clock setting if there is a power failure or when you reset the controller. When this happens, you MUST set the clock in order for AUTO operation to function properly.

Select     or 

Then 

Then 

The Set Clock screen looks like this:

Features

Automatically adapts to your new or existing cooler type, whatever the pump or fan size or capacity. Really!

The Roadrunner Comfort uses a sensor clipped to your air vent to measure the incoming air temperature. It uses that measurement to vary the pump operation and control the wetness of the cooling pads. By doing this it can achieve a near-constant temperature on the incoming air, mostly within +/- 1 degree Fahrenheit.

For those times when you just need as much cooling as possible, MAXCOOL runs your swamp cooler on its coldest setting, pump and fan running continuously. It’s great for when you come home from vacation and are turning your cooling back down to its normal temperature. MAXCOOL will get your home cooled as quickly as is physically possible.

the MaxCool button is found on the OFF screen, along with AUTO, Manual and Option.

In MAXCOOL mode, the pump and fan run continuously. Once you’ve reached a comfortable temperature, you can turn OFF MAXCOOL and return to normal AUTOmatic operation, enjoying air at your Set Temperature.

Remember, in AUTO operation your cooler will blow air at your Set Temperature, while in MAXCOOL it will blow just as cold as it can, which can be much colder than your set temperature.

Thoughtful use of color and simple controls makes using the Roadrunner Comfort a no-brainer. The main operating screen has big buttons for WARMER and COOLER, and an easy-to-read display of the current temperature setting. The ON- and OFF- TIME setting screens have big, easy to use rollers for changing hours, minutes, and AM/PM. The SET CLOCK screen, which you will need to visit if you have no Wifi, uses the same design, but with inertia on the minutes roller so you can give it a swipe and watch it spin on its own.

Sensor battery life expectancy is 5+ years.

  An early low battery warning gives you plenty of time to acquire a replacement so you can enjoy uninterrupted cooling.

Touch control of fan on/off, fan hi/lo, and pump on/off.

The pilot production of 100 units was made right here in New Mexico.  Enclosures are 3D printed of compostable PLA plastic, and the electronics are hand-assembled and tested, all in our pilot production shop. We also do extended life testing and extensive quality testing to make sure that every unit performs as our customers expect and deserve.