Replacement of AC unit

[ian w]

I am in England and want to replace the condenser unit in the engine room of my 1981 53 Classic motor yacht.
I know it is 230 volts but can anybody let me know the BTU figure so I can order it from here ready for when I return to the States
Ian W

[rustybucket]

I am in England and want to replace the condenser unit in the engine room of my 1981 53 Classic motor yacht.
I know it is 230 volts but can anybody let me know the BTU figure so I can order it from here ready for when I return to the States
Ian W

I know this isn't what you asked, I don't have an answer for that.... but are you certain the entire condenser unit needs to be replaced? Maybe just the compressor needs to be replaced?

[Pascal]

Which one do you need to replace? Typically the 53s has four condensers two 16k for the salon, one 9k for the master and another 9k for the forward and midship.

Keep in mind what you have mayb be different as they likely have been replaced over the years.

No labels on the units or compressors? You could also look for label in the air handler for the one you need to replace, it should match the condenser. Hopefully ...

[Bob Bradley]

FWIW, if you are anywhere near Mystic, CT, I used the guys from Cool Boats out of Mystic and was very happy with them.

[ian w]

The unit is 37 years old so I am going to replace it
My 53 has 4 condenser units
One for galley and fore cabin
One for guest stateroom
One for master stateroom and
The broken one for the salon

[Pascal]

If you have a single unit for the salon it has to be pretty big as originally these boats had 2 16k. I can’t inagine having less than 32k in the there although with your typical British weather and colder sea water you way get away with 24k

[SKYCHENEY]

If you have a single unit for the salon it has to be pretty big as originally these boats had 2 16k. I can’t inagine having less than 32k in the there although with your typical British weather and colder sea water you way get away with 24k

The later 53's had more BTU's. I think this is when they went to two 50a/250v inlets to power everything. I have as follows:

Galley and fwd stateroom: 16K
Master Stateroom: 10K
Mid stateroom: 6K (120v unit)
Salon: 36K

[ian w]

Sams in the person of the super knowledgable Ed have told me it is 24K

[pl5898]

I just went through exactly this scenario for my 1990 48C with a bad 24k compressor.
My tech recommended to replace the entire condensing unit for $4657. plus shipping and install.
After talking with Dometic, they gave me the model number on a replacement Bristol compressor for $1300
including the new starter relays (3) that are needed. I removed the entire unit myself and took it to the
AC shop where they did the compressor swap ($500). Had to change the line configuraiton to fit.
I put the unit back in the boat and had him come out to clean the lines and charge. Dometic begged me to
make sure the lines were thoroughly flushed after a compressor failure which is not simple as the evap
is on the bridge. After another $1k for that, everything is prefect!. A lot cheaper than the full replacement,
roughly saved 3k+. Also, plenty of ones on eBay that are 50hz...won't work in the US


Marine air List CSD24Z 230 volt 60 hz R22 refrigerant $6210.00 your cost $4657.00 new 2 year warranty

[rustybucket]

The unit is 37 years old so I am going to replace it

The advice I got from an old boat ac guy when re-doing my hvac on the boat was this.... The old unit lasted 30 years. The new units are lucky to last 5, they are made from soda cans. Why in the hell would you want to replace something that lasted forever with something that you will be replacing very soon.

Not an exact quote, but pretty close lol.

So I replaced the compressor, start relay and all capacitors with quality components for < $500 plus $400 can of R22. The only thing that was not changed was the reversing valve, the accumulator and service valves. I also pressure tested the hex's

On a side note, my compressors weren't burnt out, just died a natural death lol. So no super flush cleaning was necessary in my situation.