A/c pump... again... again ... again..

[PascalG]

i addition to the genset issue on sunday, later on that evening I could not start the A/Cs. the pump woudl hum for a couple of second and trip the breaker.

now, this is an expensive Cruise air pump, recommended by the A.C guy as a the best solution. t he previous cal pumps would last under 6 months... well this one is no better... 6 months... it's under warranty, etc... but still a pain in the neck... i was so pissed off i didn't want to pull it myself and figured I'd pay the hour or so...

A/C tech showed up today... 2 of them actually as if it shoudl take 2 guys to pull a pump... i got there as they were leaving after installilng a back up pump i have (a big ITT Marlow)... they said the pump was frozen, were going to get a replacement cruiseair and will be back in a few days.

fine...

it was getting hot and as I was about to press the power switch on the first controller, I figured I'd better make sure the sea @#%$ was open... bingo... the 2 morons had replaced the pump but didn't test it and didn't reopen the seacock... I called the office to complain... excuse was that there was a slight drip so they shut off the seacock to tightned a clamp and forgot to reopen it... nice BS isn't it?

pascal

[Genesis]

The Technicold that I have on my AC system looks like it dates from prehistoric times - but it still runs and pumps plenty of water!

See if you can find one of theirs. Seriously, I have no idea how old it is. When I got the boat it looked like it may even be original. It still does, and it still works.

AC powered, AIR cooled (NOT water cooled)

www.richbeersmarine.com/P...0Pumps.pdf

There are NO seals on these pumps - magnetic drive, air cooled motors. Nothing to leak and lock up on you.

[Nick]

I have the same prehistoric pump as Genesis for two AC units and it runs all the time. Probably about 10 years old. There is a small cap that opens near the motor and I place a couple of drops of light lube oil once per year. It is a magnetic drive pump so there are no seals to leak. I can get you the model number next week. Like Karl says, it pumps lots of water for both a 16K and the 12K ac units.

Keep Cool!

Nick

[67HAT34C]

PASCAL, Where are you located. Have a very good ac tech in stuart, solo act.

[PascalG]

south of the border ... down in miami...

will definitely try one of these next time around... this one is under warranty but it fails again, I'll switch and maybe keep it as a spare...

i jsut can't trust someone who installs a pump and doens't even open the seacock to test it!!!! been using that company for years now but the past couple of times I noticed things i didnt' like...

pump location for instance... Originally, teh A/C pump was located under the 4 A/C in the aft port corner of the port engine room. completly inaccessible since the exhaust is in the way from the aft door. I had installed the Cal pump on the stringer right inside the door opening. when they installed the Cruisair pump, i wasnt' there and they put it back in the original location. worst, teh intake hose was chaffing against the motor mount, i had to put a half hose as protection... i already told them that I want it resintalled by the door, since it seems that they are not more reliable anyway... and I'll be there when they come back to put it in!

pascal
70 53my
miami,fl

[Admiralty58]

after having similar issues on my old 53, and when I replaced all the a/cs on this boat, I was determined to never (!!)have an a/c issue again. What Cruise/Air did when they did the install was to put a very large circulation pump on it. It looks like the top right one in the rich beers website. I don't remember how big it was but I think it cost 15-1600.00, but I have never had an issue in 3 years of use under the same conditions.

A/C in FL (and MD!) is nothing you want to have problems with.

[PascalG]

the irony is that the 2 sysstems i didn't expect to have any problems with where A/C and Genset.

teh A/C because all 4 units were almost new, i knew the air handler were not and i had to replace 2 of them...plus one of the 2 year old compressor... This Cruisair pump, also larger capacity, was supposed to be the best... it seized after not being used for a month... already last time i used it, a month ago or so, i thought i heard an odd noise when i started if after it say usused for a couple of weeks...

the genset is jsut 2 years old and it turns out the exhaust was marginally/improperly installed...

pascal


pascal

[PascalG]

so the a/c guy came back to day to reinstall a new pump under warranty... i told them to install right by the rear engine room door, next to the seacock instead of burying it back under the a/c behind the exhaust....

i couldn't stay at the boat today to make it was done right...

well... so much for the "pros":

- pump is installed slightly crooked... call me anal but why can't it be installed perfectly lined up with the wall it is next to...
- one of the 4 mounting screws is butchered and not fully screwed in...
- the original hose between the pump and manifold was too short. no problem, we'll just put a fitting in there and single clamps. after all, there is only 1800 gph aof sea water going thru there... and it's too far to walk to the truck to get a single 5' hose section....
- pump is mounted on a block of wood and a piece of starboard, nicely screwed in the stringer. no rubber... if you stand in the companion way outside the door, you get a free foot massage from the vibrations...

and i saved the best for last:

they mounted it closer to the fuel filter than they have to (could have been at least a ouple of inches further back) and didn't even notice that the fuel line was resting and rubbing against the rear of the pump housing, a nice sharp edge. i wonder how many hours it woudl have been until it would have cut trhu the fuel line....

same clowns who installed the spare last week and didnt' test it / didn't open the sea @#%$ before leaving the boat... i guess i should be happy that they opened the sea @#%$ this time....

AAAAAAAAAARGH!

pascal
miami, fl
70 53my

[PascalG]

while taking the picture, I noticed that the 5' electrical wire wasn't secured, just hung on the fuel filler hoses and that the priming plug wasn't tight.. had a slight drip!

[Norman Mayer]

I think I would call and refuse to pay the bill. When they complain, I'd send them the picture you put on the web! Ask them what kind of morons they hire, and ask if this is their normal standard of service! Might stir up some REAL service.
We just had a similar experience with shoddy carpet installation, and when the manager came to check it out the $hit hit the fan. They are completely replacing most of their installation. Squeaky wheels....