Cruisair Replacement question

[dave1985]

I have two Cruisair split units on my 36. Both are 30 years old. The marina mechanic tells me the compressor on the little one is shot, keeps popping the breaker, and needs to be replaced. He's mentioned trying to find a replacement which I assume means a used or rebuilt one. He also mentioned replacing it with a new one. He also mentioned R22 which you can't use anymore. My question to you folks are, do replacement compressors exist? Can a new compressor can be used with an old air handler or do I need to replace both pieces? Is there a fix that I'm just not thinking of?

Thank you very much.

[Pascal]

You can replace just the compressor but if the units are 30 year old you may be better off relaxing the whole condenser as the coils and electric components are getting there. If the air handlers is fine and doesn't leak you can keep it.

[Pete]

R22 is still available and is still manufactured until 2020. It may be that manufacturers are not allowed to produce new complete units with R22, but replacement parts and the actual refrigerant is still available and expensive to discourage use.

[Mike in S Fla]

I have two Cruisair split units on my 36. Both are 30 years old. The marina mechanic tells me the compressor on the little one is shot, keeps popping the breaker, and needs to be replaced. He's mentioned trying to find a replacement which I assume means a used or rebuilt one. He also mentioned replacing it with a new one. He also mentioned R22 which you can't use anymore. My question to you folks are, do replacement compressors exist? Can a new compressor can be used with an old air handler or do I need to replace both pieces? Is there a fix that I'm just not thinking of?

Thank you very much.

Dave, I just replaced two condensing units , purchased from Ocean Breeze in Stuart they build exact specs and footprint of the old cruiseairs with bigger coils i think there better units

[rourkeh]

I have replaced both the compressors on my self contained units, R22. Bought them new in last 5 years from Flagship Marine in Florida New compressors were under $300 for 16,500 btu.

[dave1985]

Great information.

Thank you all for the help.

[Reefgeorge]

I found the compressors online and replaced them myself. R22 is expensive but I stocked up before it got out of hand. You can repair a unit and stick with R22 but a manufacturer cannot build a new unit charged with R22. They will sell you just the condensing unit but it will be charged with a replacement refrigerant like R417 at which point you can either go with the new refrigerant or pull it out and stick with R22 if the oils are compatible. I didn't go this routs because I like fixing old stuff, my heat exchanger coils looked good and the new units were a slightly different dimension in a tight fitting custom rack. The condenser heat exchanger coils can fail and leak. When you pull off the cooling water hoses look at the condition of the ends of the nipples to look for any signs of deterioration. I left my old evaporator units in place but one of them did need new blower motors. More than one member here has reported good results with another manufacturer for the replacement units like Ocean Breeze mentioned here.

George

[dottieshusband]

Suit yourself, but I just converted one of my split systems to a self contained..easy DIY job. Thanks to Sky for the electrical guidance.

[nautibake]

We decided to update the entire lower level with new Dometic units and pro installer this week. We had one big condenser driving 4 air handlers but only one thermostat for all staterooms (guarantee that someone was uncomfortable at all times). We are replacing with 3 smaller condensers and all new air handlers. We’ll be able to control each of the main 3 SR’s independently, and the V-berth is slaved to the Fwd SR, so it is basically a “suite” of sorts. Here is some of the new gear on the truck, and a “before” and a “during” pic.