Air Conditioning - Who has it?

[Elizabeth Ann]

Hi all,

Do any of you folks have AC? I'm in Miami right now away from the boat so off the top of my head I don't have the make of my AC unit. However, it seems that I lose the prime on my AC unit. It seems to happen affter running the boat hard (i.e. at speed, 15-20 kts).

Someone has told me to install a check (?) valve. Anyone hear of this?

Cheers!

[Mariner]

We have dual AC units on our boat. We can't go anywhere near that fast, and don't use the AC while underway (or very much at all for that matter), so I've never experienced this problem. My guess would be that when the hull is arreated at speed, air is getting into the pickup. I can't really think of any solution besides moving the pickup farther back on the hull. Perhaps a check valve would work as well, but it's hard to say. I would suggest contacting the AC unit manufacturer and seeing what they say. Albin is obviously going to be of no help.

[Elizabeth Ann]

Thanks Mariner. We don't use the AC all that much either, and we can't run in during a cruise b/c we don't have a generator.

However, I make a point of running the AC about 2 hours every week - just to keep it from sitting idle too long.

Your suggestion makes sense and that's what I figured, but it's hard to imagine the pick up coming out of the water even the slightest bit while on plane. The pump is mid-ship underneath the helm chair. Anyway, I guess anything is possible.

I'm gonna try to install a check valve as that will likely be easier than moving the pick up.

Cheers!

[chiefrcd]

I have AC that is dockside only as I do not have a generator, but I don't think I could stay on the boat in the summer without it. I do know that it will freeze you out of the boat on the hottest days. My only problem has been occassionally sucking up stinging nettles which will stop up the strainer. Anyone have a solution to that, please post it...

[Mariner]

chief,

A screen on the outside of the pickup might work. We don't have those nettles here (though I did get stung by one down in Florida once, OW!), so I don't know how easily they would pass through one.

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/st ... /217/70/11 or something similar

But ultimately, that is what the strainer is for. I know it may seem crazy, but you're theoretically supposed to check all the strainers on the boat before each outing.

I used to do that on our sailboat and was surprised how much crap was in it each time. However, on our Albin and previous Camano, I never once found anything in the strainer worth the trouble of checking it. Must have something to do with the location or boat speed or something.

[Tuxedo]

Random thoughts -

If the pump is below the waterline, it should prime itself. If not, it's mounted incorrectly.

Is there a scoop on the thru hull and is it pointed forward or backwards? Backwards will pull the water out when running, forward will force it in.

You could always close the seacock if you are running.

[chiefrcd]

Yes, I have the same strainer on my boat but it will still suck the stinging nettles right up into the perko strainer in line. I guess there isn't much that you can do to stop it. I do clean out both my engine intake strainer and my AC strainer several times a season, usually they are very clean. It's only happened a few times, but as luck would have it, each time has been during the middle of the night. Wake up in a sweat with the AC control flashing....I guess it's the price of living in the bay.

[Elizabeth Ann]

Tux,

That makes sense about closing ths seacock. I'll have to try that. The pickup is below the waterline, but I don't think I have a self primimg pump. I could be wrong. I'm also not 100% positive which direction the intake is facing.

Cheers!

[digitrade]

You say you have a problem a fast cruise. Does this happen equally as often in flat calm waters as rough seas?

[Tuxedo]

Tux,

That makes sense about closing ths seacock. I'll have to try that. The pickup is below the waterline, but I don't think I have a self primimg pump. I could be wrong. I'm also not 100% positive which direction the intake is facing.

Cheers!

A/C pumps are not self priming, that's why they need to be below the waterline.

When I was on the Chesapeake, we installed a huge (like 6 x 12) strainer outside the boat to solve the jellyfish problem. It worked, however, if anyone wants to do this be most careful of putting screws in the cored hull. I would remove the core all around where I was going to place a screw.

[chiefrcd]

I guess I shouldn't have mentioned the stinging nettles....last night a 3:37 AM I awoke in a sweat again....controls flashing...strainer full of stinging nettle....after cleaning out the strainer and back flushing the intake...I put it all back together and couldn't get the pump primed....also couldn't get the hose off to bleed the air out. Today, my marina is putting a petcock in the discharge side line so I can bleed out the air. They also recommended putting a tee in the intake side line and hooking a garden hose from the dock, just while the nettles are at peak season....sounds like a solution.

[johnmurray]

My 2004 Albin 30FC came equipped with an Anchor 16,000 BTU air conditioning (heat pump) unit. At first the unit did not work and since I did not live near the selling dealer, I called the Anchor factory in Florida for advice. They suggested that the pump had lost its prime, and had me check several things, but none of them worked. I then called the selling dealer and they authorized me to hire a local technician (at their expense) to solve the problem. He discover what he called an "air lock" in the water line between the pump and the AC unit and he removed it by disconnecting the water line at the point where it exited the circulating pump and gently blowing water through it until it came out the discharge point. He then re-connected the water hose to the pump and started the pump and it has worked fine ever since.
I do not have a genset and I do not run the AC unit underway, however I do not close the AC seacock at any time during the season. I winterized it by disconnected the water intake hose from the seacock, sticking the end of the hose in a jug of plumbing anti-freeze, and running the unit until anti-freeze came out of the discharge.

[digitrade]

My Albin 28 hull creates a lot of air bulbbles and I think there is only one way to solve an A/C centrifugal cooling pump problem when underway.

I have problems with centrifugal pumps also. I run 2 (2)3600 gallon per hour pumps most of the time. Both are below the water line. I also run an 800 per hour pump as instaqlled by the factory. At any higher speeds with any moderate seas all three pumps inject enough air to cause them to occasionaly lose prime momentarily and sometimes permanently. The only solution then is to momentarily shut off the motor and restart to let the accumulated water above the pump in the hose to fall back down with gravity to reprime the pump.

A few years ago I checked the engine's water pump output flow on the disharge side of the engine in a moderate sea. It also was pumping air with the water. The engine's water pump is positive dispalcement so reprimes itself. So too with my two washdown pumps. They are positive displacement so can reprime.

These pumps have water inlets in various parts of the hull so I know it is not just a 'bad location'.

Further, the first transducer installed by the dealer would lose its signal in most any rough seastae and would not pick up the sigan again until I slowed down to hull speed - a sign of ait under the hull.

I later installed a large sonar unit wihich extends about four inches from the hull and it never loses signal in any sea condition.

It is my opinion that for some reason the hull creates a lot of air bubbles.

As your cooling pump problem, every boat I have owned would sometimes lose prime to the A/C pump. But it is not at all surprising to hear of more common promlems on the Albin hull. I think your only simple solution is a positive displacement pump.

[chiefrcd]

Stinging nettles solution completed. I stopped by my local hardware store and picked up the needed supplies to install a 3/4" ball valve and tee in my AC intake line. I connected a piece of heavy duty garden hose to the tee and ran it under the starboard cockpit floor back to the rear starboard compartment where the keystone valve is located. Now all I have to do is connect the dock freshwater hose to the garden hose, cut on the water ever so lightly and fire up the AC....there goes the stinging nettle issue....pretty simple fix and it cost me $42.00 for the all brass set up.

[Tuxedo]

Back to the priming question, I just had my boat pulled, and the scoop faces forward, which forces the water to the pump when running.