2005 500DB Salon Air Conditioner Removal

[Brian Markham]

I apologize if this thread has been beat to death but I haven't been able to uncover it if it has. I need to replace a leaking Salon air conditioner that sits behind the Port sofa and under the power panel. Having been twisted into that space several times during the trouble shooting, I have had some time to think about how to remove it. The biggest challenge I haven't been able to resolve in my head is how to remove the sofa so I can slide the Air Conditioner assembly out. Does anyone have any tips for doing that? Or could you please direct me to a sedan bridge thread that provides some tips? I would really appreciate any advice you can provide.

 

[ttmott]

It's probably one of the easier to get in and out.
Remove all of that sofa's cushions and anything stored underneath.
If you have the Bose entertainment system then disconnect and lift out the Bose Acustimass subwoofer/amplifier.
Remove the screws that hold the backrest structure to the boat and lower base then pull that backrest as a complete unit. Get it out of the way - you'll need the room for the base.
Remove the screws that hold the base to the floor and pull the base assembly out over the carpet. BTW get something on the carpet to protect it.
Now it's completely open except for a single post that supports the circuit breaker cabinet above. Cut that post out in a way that there is a bit of it left above so a new post has something to screw to. I replaced the plywood post with a piece of 1X4 pine.
Now that AC unit can be unfastened and lifted out of it's little basin.
I've had that area opened up several times and it takes me around 45 minutes to open it up.

While that area is open - extend the raw water hoses and install some PVC garden hose couplings such that you can access the couplings with just the sofa back cushion removed. And, cut some of the back panel plywood out behind the sofa backrest so you can get your arms back in there so it's easier to flush and descale the raw waterlines. Last but not least flush out both the AC unit pan drain and the drain in the floor basin.

 

[Brian Markham]

Thank you, ttmott... I really appreciate you taking the time to type all of that up. I follow your thought process and will start this project soon. It's been done once before but I don't know how they pulled it out without doing all that you've written. The support looks original. The unit that is in there is larger than the original and it's only a few years old. It has a leak and I've tried the easy stuff. It may be that it can be repaired but I won't be able to tell until I can get it out into the daylight. I don't think I need 27,000btu where I live.
Thanks a ton one more time.

 

[spikedaddy99]

Brian, my yard removed the entire sofa last summer to fix mine. It isn't really a hard job. ttmott explained it well. It took the guy less than 30 minutes to get to it. Mike