Went to my boat and my front marine air is frozen,no water going through the cooling line, the rear one is pumping fine. My concern right now is can it thaw out and leak water in the boat if the pump is not running, will water bypass the impeller or not...
Marine air frozen
B BARKER
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243 Posts
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- TENNESSEE RIVER- CLIFTON,TN
I think its the tru hull because I don't see any sign of the unit freezing up itself the water flow just keeps getting less and less until it stops then let it sit for about two hours and it will flow again and do the same thing..
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4,715 Posts
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- Lake Norman, NC
I have often heard the saying 'running water does not freeze'.....supposedly this is why leaving faucets in your house dripping during extremely cold weather will stop the water from freezing and bursting the supply pipes....
if this is true how can the running discharge water from the heater freeze in the thru hull?......
cliff
if this is true how can the running discharge water from the heater freeze in the thru hull?......
cliff
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3,130 Posts
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- Lake Norman, NC
The times I have seen them freeze is while the unit is cycling - ie it reaches the set point, cycles off and the water in the discharge line freezes - thermostat calls for heat, unit comes back on and now you have a problem, especially if the frozen hose splits or springs a leak from the pump trying to push water through the frozen line.
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4,715 Posts
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makes sense but I did not know there was standing water in the discharge line in between cycles.....but in weather cold enough to freeze this water I would not think there would be much dwell time between cycles.....
cliff
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2,709 Posts
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- Dickson, TN / Chattanooga, TN
One thing to do is try to run it in AC mode to see if it runs normally ...... or does it loose water flow as well.
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3,130 Posts
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- Lake Norman, NC
Yeah, the one I saw freeze was a 310DA, must have had some dips in the line. I also heard a story that there was a boat at a private dock that the AC line froze somehow and the pump kept running and filled the boat with water - I didn't see it myself, just heard. Sounds like your little winter heating system and monitoring is working out.
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6,113 Posts
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- Oakville and Georgian Bay, Ontario
The circulating water in the unit runs through a coil where heat/cold gets transferred between the raw water coils and the refrigerant coils. When you are running in heat mode, the refrigerant coils are very cold (opposite in summer). If the water passing through the coils is slow (maybe the pump is weaker or failing) then the water can indeed freeze in the coils, building up an ice layer in side the coils until it slows the flow more and more. Then it stops, until the water in the coils thaws and it starts over. As for the statement that moving water does not freeze, rivers freeze, in case you southerners didn't know. I can send you pictures if you don't believe me. 
I very much doubt there's anything wrong with your thru-hull. If there was a blockage there, it would be evident pretty much right away. I really think the issue is a combination of an issue with the condenser and the cold water - along with possibly the front unit being a longer distance away - and possibly a tired pump not pumping a sufficient supply of water. I know... lot's of variables there. You might be due for a line clean-out, though, which could certainly exacerbate this situation.
If you want to try an experiment, turn off the rear unit and plug the line (securely) so water only flows to the front unit.
"As for the statement that moving water does not freeze, rivers freeze, in case you southerners didn't know. I can send you pictures if you don't believe me."
Rivers freeze here in PA, too. But... flow matters - slower flowing rivers freeze sooner faster flowing ones and, besides, this is really a totally different scenario than a controlled temperature of flowing water through a pipe. In other words, in the case of a house (where this trick TOTALLY works), you have a constant supply of 60* water. With a river, the entire body of water starts to cool down.
If you want to try an experiment, turn off the rear unit and plug the line (securely) so water only flows to the front unit.
"As for the statement that moving water does not freeze, rivers freeze, in case you southerners didn't know. I can send you pictures if you don't believe me."
Rivers freeze here in PA, too. But... flow matters - slower flowing rivers freeze sooner faster flowing ones and, besides, this is really a totally different scenario than a controlled temperature of flowing water through a pipe. In other words, in the case of a house (where this trick TOTALLY works), you have a constant supply of 60* water. With a river, the entire body of water starts to cool down.
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243 Posts
- Location
- TENNESSEE RIVER- CLIFTON,TN
I think it is a combination of the really cold water and maybe my cooling lines need cleaning out (the front line does have a weaker stream than the rear line which is usually when I clean them out) and possibly the pump is getting a little weak. The problem didn't start until the water got to almost freezing temp and it started acting just like creek wood said in post #27. I think he hit the nail on the head as my old pop would say !! One thing about it I learned some new things from all the responses from everyone, this site is awesome and is a blessing to have such valuable information. The most important thing I picked up is the cooling lines running through out the boat, I just never thought about them possibly freezing up and splitting and water leaking into the cabin. It did help me to search for them and find how and where they run through out the boat. Information from all you guys is a blessing and knowledge for me and now I know more about my Ship !!! Problem Solved !!!! Thanks to everyone again and a great New Year to all.!!!!! B.B.......
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