Follow up on the Cruisair R22 topic....latest insight

[Milacron]

You need not be concerned about any other answers or comments coming from me.

I think that is a wise move on your part, thanks.

[Milacron]

You are a Pro at this. Pot stirring that is.

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black...amazing..

[Angela]

While there is one manufacture who does put gauges on the condensing units, I was advised by another that those gauges are a potential source of failure, and thus, you do not see them on anyone else’s equipment. Now, is that true, or is it BS to keep the customer calling for service to have the gas pressure checked when something is suspect? Not having gauges keeps the end user from being able to look at the pressure readings and makes it more likely that he will place a call for service to a marina AC company. I can see the logic either way. It would not surprise me either way, i.e. whether the gauges will leak, or whether it’s a ploy to keep service calls coming in.

To me, marine air conditioning is a disposable commodity. It is often cheaper and faster to just pull out a bad unit and replace it than it is to chase the gremlin. I’ve learned enough about these to detect and fix the simple stuff that by the time I’m baffled, it’s probably more than I want to spend to fix it, given how cheap the self-contained units are in the big picture, and I conveniently have a factory here in town that sells to the public. So, I just grab another one off the shelf - plug and play.

[Milacron]

While there is one manufacture who does put gauges on the condensing units, I was advised by another that those gauges are a potential source of failure, and thus, you do not see them on anyone else’s equipment. Now, is that true, or is it BS to keep the customer calling for service to have the gas pressure checked when something is suspect? Not having gauges keeps the end user from being able to look at the pressure readings and makes it more likely that he will place a call for service to a marina AC company. I can see the logic either way. It would not surprise me either way, i.e. whether the gauges will leak, or whether it’s a ploy to keep service calls coming in.

To me, marine air conditioning is a disposable commodity. It is often cheaper and faster to just pull out a bad unit and replace it than it is to chase the gremlin. I’ve learned enough about these to detect and fix the simple stuff that by the time I’m baffled, it’s probably more than I want to spend to fix it, given how cheap the self-contained units are in the big picture, and I conveniently have a factory here in town that sells to the public. So, I just grab another one off the shelf - plug and play.

Funny, I wondered the same thing...no pressure gauges because they might be unreliable, or add another 20 bucks to the cost, or because it leaves us in the dark prompting more service calls ?

On your "plug 'n play" units, do you mean the all in one compressor and air handler units ? Seems like the bug a boo in changing an older split system to the all in one system is

1. Finding a place to put it near the intake and out flow vents

2. Connecting the in and out seawater hoses so far from the originals in the engine room (or in the case of most Hatteras, in the generator room)

3. Adequate wiring at the new location on the boat.

[Angela]

On your "plug 'n play" units, do you mean the all in one compressor and air handler units ? Seems like the bug a boo in changing an older split system to the all in one system is

1. Finding a place to put it near the intake and out flow vents

2. Connecting the in and out seawater hoses so far from the originals in the engine room (or in the case of most Hatteras, in the generator room)

3. Adequate wiring at the new location on the boat.

Your concerns are valid, but on my boat, it was as if Hatteras knew I would want to do this some 30 years later. Previous to the air conditioning project, I replaced all of the saltwater head with freshwater vacuflush heads. That gave me four already existing through-hulls in just the right places that I re- purposed for A/C. There were seachests at just the right spots for the seawater discharge. I gave every unit its own pump - no sharing; no single point of total failure. I do not have seawater hoses running all over the boat to a single inlet/outlet. It did take quite a bit of work, and I have decent carpentry skills with an adequate array of power tools, but I have had tougher and less rewarding projects on the boat than converting the air conditioning systems to self-contained units. I can attest that it was easy enough that a girl could do it.

Hatteras oversized the wire to everything, so after careful investigation and calculation, I determined that the wiring that was already in place was sufficient to carry the load. I can’t speak for Viking’s wiring. I did this project 3-4 years ago, I think, and I’ve not had an equipment failure yet, and if and when I do, it won’t take the whole boat down like it would have before. It will only take out one room. After being stung every third week August in South Florida like clockwork, I have no regrets retiring the “all your eggs in one basket” set up. I do perform regular maintenance to keep my machines in shape.

[Milacron]

Your concerns are valid, but on my boat, it was as if Hatteras knew I would want to do this some 30 years later. Previous to the air conditioning project, I replaced all of the saltwater head with freshwater vacuflush heads. That gave me four already existing through-hulls in just the right places that I re- purposed for A/C. There were seachests at just the right spots for the seawater discharge. I gave every unit its own pump - no sharing; no single point of total failure. I do not have seawater hoses running all over the boat to a single inlet/outlet. It did take quite a bit of work, and I have decent carpentry skills with an adequate array of power tools, but I have had tougher and less rewarding projects on the boat than converting the air conditioning systems to self-contained units. I can attest that it was easy enough that a girl could do it.

Hatteras oversized the wire to everything, so after careful investigation and calculation, I determined that the wiring that was already in place was sufficient to carry the load. I can’t speak for Viking’s wiring. I did this project 3-4 years ago, I think, and I’ve not had an equipment failure yet, and if and when I do, it won’t take the whole boat down like it would have before. It will only take out one room. After being stung every third week August in South Florida like clockwork, I have no regrets retiring the “all your eggs in one basket” set up. I do perform regular maintenance to keep my machines in shape.

inspiring....I may gradually so the same. I have two new in the box small all in one units already I bought at the last Hatteras surplus auction.