A/C not working in cabin

[dlefton1]

Any words of advise. A/C unit is not functioning correctly in the cabin on my 34 Dancer. When I set the temperature on the panel the unit comes on for a minute or two and than shuts down. The other day the message "HI" "PS" came on. Anybody familiar with this? Could it be a bad pump? Any input as to how to troubleshoot. Thanks!

 

[Sadler]

Any words of advise. A/C unit is not functioning correctly in the cabin on my 34 Dancer. When I set the temperature on the panel the unit comes on for a minute or two and than shuts down. The other day the message "HI" "PS" came on. Anybody familiar with this? Could it be a bad pump? Any input as to how to troubleshoot. Thanks!

Sounds like no water flow. Do you see water coming out of the through hull when you turn the A/C on? If not, sea water pump may just be air locked. Or pump could be bad.

 

[dlefton1]

Did not notice any water coming through hull but than again did not look. Did notice a small puddle of water underneath the pump in engine compartment.

 

[Sadler]

Did not notice any water coming through hull but than again did not look. Did notice a small puddle of water underneath the pump in engine compartment.

If you're game, pull the hose off the outlet side of the pump and turn on the A/C. It should squirt water pretty strong after it gets going. Reattach the hose, and see if you now get water out through the hull. Pulling the hose off the outlet will let the pump prime itself it it's air locked. Or, you could just have a hose off, and that's where the puddle came from.

 

[dlefton1]

Hoses all looked pretty secure. I believe there is an incoming and outgoing hose attached to the pump. Are you saying to disconnect "outgoing" hose and turn on a/c? In normal operation water should flow out of pump. If water does not flow out of pump does that mean the problem is either in the pump or on the incoming side of the pump? If water does come through pump does that mean pump is working correctly and problem is not in pump.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[Sadler]

Here's a little more complete recipe:

Turn A/C on and see if you are getting a stream of water flowing through the hull. If not, time to check the pump. Be sure the ball valve that goes from the water pickup to the pump is closed, take the hose off the pump that goes from the pump to the A/C unit (the outlet side of the pump). Turn on the A/C, confirm the pump is running by checking for vibration, and then open the ball valve, and see if you get a strong stream of water coming out of the pump. If you do, pump is ok; reconnect hose and turn a/c back on and see if you get water flowing out the through hull. If you get no flow from the pump, re-check the ball valve--is it definitely open? Does the pump seem to be running? If not pump might be bad. If was me, I'd then see if the pump is getting voltage. The ones I've worked on run on 120vac, so be careful if checking for voltage to the pump. I think these pumps rarely fail, so I'd check everything else twice, before concluding pump is bad.

 

[wbk_98]

I had a similar problem with my '01 410 Dancer. Turned out that it needed freon. The tech who checked it said that it takes 5-7 years to leak out no matter how good the connections are and the connections from the factory had no gaskets.

 

[Four Suns]

You have multiple AC units?

 

[MExcelsior]

Hi PS usually means no water flow. This is most likely because the centrifugal pump lost prime, but could also be blockage of waterflow or bad pump.

#1 Take boat for a ride and get up on plane. (This will usually prime the pump).
or
#1b Turn off seacock, remove hose from seacock and force water through system to check waterflow and prime. Make sure strainer does not have any blockage and clean if necessary. Replace hose and open seacock.

If that still doesn't work..

#2 Check pump to see if it kicks in or hums as was stated above. Check voltage to pump. I don't think you need to disconnect the outlet hose on the pump. If the system is is clear of blockage, it will definitely pump through the entire system.

#3 If you have multiple AC units and all work except one, then it could be a bad trigger. (Others here are really knowledgeable about this and can help.)

If you need to replace the pump, I'm not sure if it worthwhile to replace just the impeller/magnet, or the entire pump. I'm sure someone will chime in with some advice on that.

Hope this helps.

Mike

 

[xravenx]

I had a similar problem with my '01 410 Dancer. Turned out that it needed freon. The tech who checked it said that it takes 5-7 years to leak out no matter how good the connections are and the connections from the factory had no gaskets.

WTF??????

Get a different "tech" to check your a/c next time. "Leaks out no matter how good the connections are".......... I'll have to get my techs to start using that approach to drum up some more work, my boat needs gas.

Sorry, I saw bad info and couldn't help myself.

John

 

[Sadler]

WTF??????

Get a different "tech" to check your a/c next time. "Leaks out no matter how good the connections are".......... I'll have to get my techs to start using that approach to drum up some more work, my boat needs gas.

Sorry, I saw bad info and couldn't help myself.

John

My boat is 12 years old. A/C still working fine and I've never added freon, so I think John is right that the tech was incorrect in his loss rate for freon. Freon loss is possible, but not likely on a new boat, possible on an older boat. You don't show what model year you have--it would be helpful if you added more info about your boat to your signature. I think there is an error code for low freon by the way. The error codes are given in the manual. Mine is 3 hours away in Charleston, so I can't look it up. As stated above by Mike, I believe your error code means no water flow.

A dockmate of mine had no water flow and found a wasp nest blocking the outlet in the hull. If the A/C has not been used in a long time and no water flow, you might also check for this kind of thing .

 

[Daniel P Thomas]

I had a similar problem two weeks ago.
System turned on, no water flow.
Motor was warm to touch.
Sea Cock and stariner clean.

It was the according to Sea Ray, the 'wet side ' water pick up impeller.
Magnet on backside of impeller had cracked and pieces had become lodged in the housing.




I pulled impeller housing off and checked that pump came on.
Picked up a new pump Sat and installed.

Beware!! If this is it .....break out the Boat Dollars!

Dan

 

[xravenx]

Sadler..........thanks for having my back.

My boat is 14 years old with two a/c (heat pumps), other then routine maintenance, I have never had a set of gauges on them.

When someone's a/c goes on the fritz, the first thing you here is "low on Freon". (Freon is a brand name, just like Kotex is) Sometimes this is the case but there are other variables that come into play that need to be checked.

When false information is given about something any of us here knows a little bit about, I feel it must be pointed out. Having 32 years in the commercial HVAC industry, 24 years as a tech and the last 8 years as an owner of a HVAC service company, I think that would qualify.

John

 

[hack4alivin]

Sadler..........thanks for having my back.

My boat is 14 years old with two a/c (heat pumps), other then routine maintenance, I have never had a set of gauges on them.

When someone's a/c goes on the fritz, the first thing you here is "low on Freon". (Freon is a brand name, just like Kotex is) Sometimes this is the case but there are other variables that come into play that need to be checked.

When false information is given about something any of us here knows a little bit about, I feel it must be pointed out. Having 32 years in the commercial HVAC industry, 24 years as a tech and the last 8 years as an owner of a HVAC service company, I think that would qualify.

John

Damn John, whey you jump in you go in all the way don't you?:grin:

How you been???

 

[MExcelsior]

It was the according to Sea Ray, the 'wet side ' water pick up impeller. Magnet on backside of impeller had cracked and pieces had become lodged in the housing.

I pulled impeller housing off and checked that pump came on.
Picked up a new pump Sat and installed.

Beware!! If this is it .....break out the Boat Dollars!

Dan, just out of interest... if you don't mind... : ) How much did you pay for the pump? I know you were looking into just replacing the impeller/magnet. Was/is that even feasible or is a new pump in order when the impeller fails?

Would be interested to know.

Thanks,

Mike

 

[xravenx]

Hey Bill,

Ha Ha..........we need to run a tight ship around here...........LOL

I've been good, the boat has been a sweetheart so far this season. Hope to see you sometime soon.

O.K..........back on topic.

John

 

[Daniel P Thomas]

Mike

Sea Ray Dealership only sells the complete impeller unit.
Hold on....$204.69
Kept all of my old stuff and will epoxy the magnet, did not lose much of it, and keep all parts as spares.

Could not find just the impeller and B&E Marina, my Sea Ray Dealer confirmed that there was no breakdown on parts.

Dan

 

[wbk_98]

Whatever... I had two non-working AC units and after adding freon they both work. If it didn't leak out, wonder where it went? All other connections, hoses, etc. checked out fine.

 

[Sadler]

Whatever... I had two non-working AC units and after adding freon they both work. If it didn't leak out, wonder where it went? All other connections, hoses, etc. checked out fine.

Very sorry. Didn't mean to imply you were wrong. It's the comment by the technician that the Freon typically leaks out after 7 years or so that seems not to fit what I've seen.

 

[jg300da]

Whatever... I had two non-working AC units and after adding freon they both work. If it didn't leak out, wonder where it went? All other connections, hoses, etc. checked out fine.

If the system was low on refrigerant and the tech added without finding/repairing the leak he wasted your time and money. Period. The system is sealed. It doesn't "go away" or "need to be replaced".