Air Conditioner HPF flashing on thermostat

[mjohnh]

I read that there are several possible causes for the HPF indicator, including sea water not getting in to cool the unit. Where is the sea cock
for the a/c unit?
The a/c does not cool the cabin ...just blows warm air.

Thanks, John Hefner

[Sanatee]

I read that there are several possible causes for the HPF indicator, including sea water not getting in to cool the unit. Where is the sea cock
for the a/c unit?
The a/c does not cool the cabin ...just blows warm air.

Thanks, John Hefner

The a/c seacock on our 32+2 is just below and forward of the transmission, i.e. on the side of the keel, accessed under the aft dinette seat. Sounds like your pump may not be working, either due to failure or to a vacuum block. Try disconnecting the hose from the pump to the a/c unit to let water flow into the bilge. Then reconnect, turn on a/c, and check the thru-hull in a minute to see if water is being pumped thru. If not, pump may have failed. Do you hear or feel it running when a/c is on?

[mjohnh]

Mike and Carol: I do not know what to expect so I don't know if the pump is running or not. I have opened all of the doors that I have found. There is a panel under the helm that is tightly screwed on and looks as if it might be sealed. I am reluctant to open that. If I can find out how to access the seacock I think that will solve the problem, but I cannot think of a reason anyone would close it.

Thanks for you help.

[Sanatee]

Mike and Carol: I do not know what to expect so I don't know if the pump is running or not. I have opened all of the doors that I have found. There is a panel under the helm that is tightly screwed on and looks as if it might be sealed. I am reluctant to open that. If I can find out how to access the seacock I think that will solve the problem, but I cannot think of a reason anyone would close it.

Thanks for you help.

What year and boat model do you have?

[mjohnh]

2005 Albin 28 TE.....not a flush deck.

[Sanatee]

2005 Albin 28 TE.....not a flush deck.

Sorry but you're on the wrong forum. Try the Tournament Express 26-35 at viewforum.php?f=5. You'll get much better info on your 28 TE there.

[mjohnh]

Sorry........not familiar enough with web site...........have a great rest of the holiday.

[Nancy]

It might just need to be primed. See this thread: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=7377

On our 28TE, the air conditioner pump and the seacock are in the center bilge between the two helm chairs.

[mjohnh]

Thanks, again.....I know my batteries are there......I will look for the seacock and pump, too.

[ScubaPete]

I don't know where your seacock is, but it should never be located under a panel that is screwed down....... How would you access it in an emergency? One thing I like about this forum is that the members want to know about their boats and how to fix them, instead of just calling a repair guy for everything.

The HPF is caroused by a lack of water flow to the compressor/heat exchanger. Your sea water pump for the AC will be located below the waterline close to the sea clock and strainer. This means that it is usually near the centerline of the boat in a deep area of the hull. If your boat is quiet, you should be able to hear the pump kick on right before the AC compressor and fan starts up. If you hear nothing, then check all your 120V breakers.

Once you find the pump, you can check the strainer for debris and figure out why your pump is not circulating water. just remember that is is below the waterline, so don't, disconnect anything until you close the seacock! I just worked on my unit yesterday after getting a HPF code. My pump was running, but no water even after verifying free water flow. Turns out that the impeller (which works by magnetic induction and no direct connection to the motor itself ) had just enough crud buildup to keep it from spinning up. A quick cleanup with my wife's toothbrush got it'll all working again. $0.00 in parts and $0.00 in my free labor. I will eventually get her a new toothbrush!

[mjohnh]

Great response...thank you.....and thank your wife, too......

I spoke to the broker who sold the boat....helpful conversation.......he related that when boats are pulled out of the water an "air lock" can form. These pumps are apparently not self priming. The broker told me where to find the sea cock, etc. Now, if I can just get the hand pump Jabsco toilet to pump water life will be more pleasant.

[mjohnh]

Scuba Pete and others: I found the strainer, pump and seacock.......I opened the strainer and cleaned it....then tried the a/c again. I thought it was fixed, but alas the HPF came on again after about 10 min......there was cold air until then......I heard the pump running when the hatch was up. It may not be drawing water and do not know how to check that without disconnecting a hose. I think that is my next step unless someone has a better suggestion before I try.

Scuba: on the impeller fix....did you have to remove the entire pump or just the top? Thanks.

[ScubaPete]

IMG_2393.JPG

IMG_1600.JPG

Two pictures of my AC sea water pump. The grayish/white plastic housing is where the induction driven plastic impeller is located. I removed seven small screws and pulled it all apart. After cleaning out the inside, it was all good. The large diameter black hose leads to the strainer, the smaller clear hose leads to a "T" that splits the water flow to each AC unit. I can check the clear hose and see if it is pumping water.

You should see a steady stream of water flowing out of a through hull while your pump is running. Don't know where yours is exactly, and it may vary from one hull number to the next even on the same model boat, depending on how diligent the builders were in doing it the exact same way for each boat. Once you get water pumping working, find out where the water exits the boat so you know where the keep an eye for good water flow.

If you were able to run for 10 minutes or so before the compressor overheated (high pressure fault), then you probably had at least some water flow through the system. You may have a partial blockage somewhere in the hoses or strainer. BE CERTAIN that you put the strainer cap back on securely and the pump isn't sucking air instead of water.

[mjohnh]

Thanks for this response. Helpful.

[Nancy]

Scuba Pete and others: I found the strainer, pump and seacock.......I opened the strainer and cleaned it....then tried the a/c again. I thought it was fixed, but alas the HPF came on again after about 10 min......there was cold air until then......I heard the pump running when the hatch was up. It may not be drawing water and do not know how to check that without disconnecting a hose. I think that is my next step unless someone has a better suggestion before I try.

Have you had a chance to read the thread that I gave the link to a couple of messages up? The symptoms you describe are an exact match to an air lock. First step is to bleed the system. Read the other thread.