Air Horn pump noise and frequency

stme1234

Member
Jul 8, 2017
36
California
Boat Info
Viking
Engines
Cats diesel
51 Sea Ray Fly. Air horn pump goes off approximately every 4 to 5 hours. I am told this is normal from service manager. It also is loud when it goes off and wakes you up in the middle of the night.

Question:
(1) Is this normal for it to go off that frequently when not being used? Could there possibly be a leak somewhere or need a replacement of the tank or pump?

(2) Does anyone know of a replacement pump that is quieter?
 
Isn't there a switch or breaker to turn it off when not underway?
 
51 Sea Ray Fly. Air horn pump goes off approximately every 4 to 5 hours. I am told this is normal from service manager. It also is loud when it goes off and wakes you up in the middle of the night.

Question:
(1) Is this normal for it to go off that frequently when not being used? Could there possibly be a leak somewhere or need a replacement of the tank or pump?

(2) Does anyone know of a replacement pump that is quieter?
i would think it should not come on till you use some air did this just start or has it always done that? 4 to 5 hour's is a long time even for a slow leak.What was his reason for it to be normal. Something doesn't sound right no pun intended lol !
 
Fix your leak or wire it to the purple ignition wire so it only works with the key on.
 
You have a slow leak in one of the push-style connectors somewhere. The compressor is set up to maintain pressure in the air tank, so a slow leak will result in the compressor recharging the tank. Worse case is you can turn off the compressor by turning the the little handle to the off position (should have red rubber on it) which is right next to the pressure gauge on the compressor. This will not fix your leak though, and you must remember to turn the compressor back on while under way.

Best to find the leaking connector and fix it. Spraying a mixture of water and dish soap from a spray bottle will cause bubbles to appear on the leaking connector.
 
In the more humid climates the accumulator will fill with water and due to the reduced air volume the compressor will cycle much more frequently; so, may need to drain the water from the little tank.
Also the solenoid valve or compressor check valve may be leaking slightly besides the push-style connectors as tc410 says. Mine started to cycle about every three hours which it has never done before albeit we had a significant lighting strike about the same time - related? don't know but still chasing the issue. All of the inline push-style connectors have been soap bubble tested and now working through the other things....
 
Had same problem. Tc410 is correct. Eventually my leak turned into running every 45 mins. You prob have a kahlenburg horn. They have good service. Find model #, Order a fitting kit for about $30 and replace each of the fittings at the pump and tank. Easy job.
Called them at: (920) 793-4507
 
Had same problem. Tc410 is correct. Eventually my leak turned into running every 45 mins. You prob have a kahlenburg horn. They have good service. Find model #, Order a fitting kit for about $30 and replace each of the fittings at the pump and tank. Easy job.
Called them at: (920) 793-4507

I have the kit form Kahlenburg, but have not figured out how to get back to it. What route did you take to access the tank and compressor?

Bennett
 
I have the kit form Kahlenburg, but have not figured out how to get back to it. What route did you take to access the tank and compressor?

Bennett
You just need to put some sort of hard temporary deck over the rudders so that you can lay on the rudders and crawl/slide behind the genny. I found a padded snow sled in my basement that has a hard plastic bottom and foam top. It worked well and was very comfortable. A piece of 1/2 inch plywood cut to fit would work as well. You could tack a piece of carpet to the top side to make it more comfortable if your ambitious.
 
You just need to put some sort of hard temporary deck over the rudders so that you can lay on the rudders and crawl/slide behind the genny. I found a padded snow sled in my basement that has a hard plastic bottom and foam top. It worked well and was very comfortable. A piece of 1/2 inch plywood cut to fit would work as well. You could tack a piece of carpet to the top side to make it more comfortable if your ambitious.

Thanks for the advice.

Bennett
 
Last time I installed a Kahlenberg air horn, the manufacturer told me the compressor is not ignition protected, so it should not be located in the bilge.
 
Last time I installed a Kahlenberg air horn, the manufacturer told me the compressor is not ignition protected, so it should not be located in the bilge.
You may be correct, but on the 420/44 Sea Ray put them in the bilge. These are diesel boats so I'm not concerned about it.
 
Thanks for the advice.

Bennett
One more thing. You can try to pull off the old fittings, as they are a compression fitting, but I had enough slack in the lines to make a clean cut. I'd recommend you bring a very sharp razor knife to cut the old fittings off (I think you should make a clean/square cut and you don't want to pinch the lines with some sort snippers as I think the fitting won't seat properly). My compressor ran a bit for several hours after the repair, and then eventually stabilized and it has not run again.
 
You may be correct, but on the 420/44 Sea Ray put them in the bilge. These are diesel boats so I'm not concerned about it.
Right, thanks, forgot we’re talking only about diesel boats here. Nice not to have to worry so much about fumes. Next boat.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
112,944
Messages
1,422,720
Members
60,927
Latest member
Jaguar65
Back
Top