A/C unit went out

[labrador]

I have a cruiseair 16000 btu A/C unit with SMX II controls which seem not to have any power to the controls when I turn on the breaker. Is it possible that the breaker itself is bad and if so how do I check it out. I have to tell you I am electrically challenged. Normally when I flip on the breaker the lights on the controls come on and now I have nothing. If I'm not getting any power to the control I assume it's got to be at the breaker itself however it doesn't "trip" Any help would be appriciated as I'm moving on the boat for a few weeks before heading South for good.

 

[Traveler 45C]

Verify that power to the boat is good first.

 

[Freebird]

I have a cruiseair 16000 btu A/C unit with SMX II controls which seem not to have any power to the controls when I turn on the breaker. Is it possible that the breaker itself is bad and if so how do I check it out.

Skip,

Checking a breaker is easy, just swap it out for another one of the same rating (assuming you have one) on the panel and see if that's the problem.

 

[labrador]

So I can disconnect the range and put the wires going to the A/C unit on that breaker to see if the breaker is bad. Knew you southerners would find an easy way to do it. I always hire lazy people, they always find an eaiser way to do something. (only kidding!)

 

[Freebird]

So I can disconnect the range and put the wires going to the A/C unit on that breaker to see if the breaker is bad. Knew you southerners would find an easy way to do it. I always hire lazy people, they always find an eaiser way to do something. (only kidding!)

Yep, if it's the same amperage. Just make sure to flip both breakers off before foolin' around with the wires though. Otherwise, "FRIED YANKEE"!
If this works, I take Visa and MasterCard by phone. If it don't work, that's what you get for listenin' to a dumb old country boy. I ain't no sparktrician neither.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Before going to all of the work of swapping breakers, go out and get a multi-meter and test for voltage on both sides of the breaker. If you have power there, then go on to the next access point, usually a juction box near the control panel and check for power there, etc. Don't pull wires off until you know where the problem is.

 

[labrador]

Will do, hope you don't hear of a Fried Yankee in the next few days. Thanks will try to get it done sometime this week.

 

[Freebird]

Before going to all of the work of swapping breakers, go out and get a multi-meter and test for voltage on both sides of the breaker. If you have power there, then go on to the next access point, usually a juction box near the control panel and check for power there, etc. Don't pull wires off until you know where the problem is.

Hey Sky,

Don't mean to tread on your advice, but swapping breakers may take 10 minutes at worst, and it certainly won't hurt anything as long as the amperage is the same (been there done that on my 58TC with a bad breaker, 5 minute fix with spare breaker already on panel). Unless you just need a multi-meter, why go to the expense? It's not going to fix the problem. I'd swap breakers first, then take the diagnostic route a step further with the multi-meter. Sometimes simple is better.

Skip,

You mentioned flipping the breaker to energize the circuit. Breakers are not designed to be used as on/off switches. This may very well have caused your problem in the first place. That's what the on/off switches on the unit are for bubba.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Randy,
Every boat should have a multimeter as part of the tools onboard. I can tell you with the meter if that breaker is bad in a fraction of the time it takes to change it.

 

[labrador]

Just one dumb yankee I guess. Normally energise the breaker then turn on at the control. The control lights up when energised even if you don't have it on. I always turn off breakers of items not being used on the boat when I leave. I assume thats what I'm supposed to do or do you always leave the breakers on all the time? Am I being too cautious?

 

[Freebird]

Just one dumb yankee I guess. Normally energise the breaker then turn on at the control. The control lights up when energised even if you don't have it on. I always turn off breakers of items not being used on the boat when I leave. I assume thats what I'm supposed to do or do you always leave the breakers on all the time? Am I being too cautious?

You don't flip breakers off at home do you? Leave 'em alone bubba. It'll all be okay.

 

[Freebird]

Randy,
Every boat should have a multimeter as part of the tools onboard. I can tell you with the meter if that breaker is bad in a fraction of the time it takes to change it.

Sky,

I'll agree with you 100% on the merits of having a multi-meter onboard. My point was that by the time your meter is telling you your breaker is bad, I'm kicked back enjoying some A/C on a different breaker. Ideally, we'd all have a few spare breakers on board, but prioritizing breakers can come into play when you're out and about.

 

[egaito]

You don't flip breakers off at home do you? Leave 'em alone bubba. It'll all be okay.

While I don't flip them off at home, I've always done so on the boat, leaving only necessary breakers on. My house doesn't move around much, unless the local quarry is blasting, so I don't worry about things like shorts and chafe when I'm away (though when I had an electric water heater, I did flip that one when leaving for any length of time).

I also feel (perhaps a fallacy) that exercising the breakers on occasion will help keep the contacts clean, and gives me a chance to see if they're starting to fail (heat buildup, improper operation).

Even when I know I'll be back in a few days, I tend to shut down the water pump, vacu-flush (learned that one the hard way) and hot water heater at minimum.

What about the rest of you?

 

[Freebird]

I too turn off breakers to things that could cause potential problems when left unattended (yeah, I'd do that at home too for extended periods of absence). The point I was making with Skip is that breakers should not be used as on-off switches. They are not designed for that, and no, they don't need maintenance. I wouldn't think that boat movement at the dock would be a concern though. Although, considering how some of my fellow marina residents plow through our "no-wake" zone, I guess it could be an issue.

 

[Genesis]

Breakers are perfectly ok to turn off as disconnects provided they're not under load at the time.

What causes them to eventually fail is opening them under load, just as does opening a switch under load.

So shut off the AC unit first, then open the breaker.

 

[Freebird]

Mornin' Genesis,

I've been told that continually using breakers as primary on/off switches would eventually damage them. I used to do that with the AC in my office as the switch was difficult on an old window unit, but an electrician told me not to. Just food for thought. But I was doing that under a load, so maybe that's where the problem was as you stated.

 

[Genesis]

Yep - you were doing it under load, and that will damage them, as their contact set will eventually get eroded.

Also, many home breakers are "thermal/magnetic", and prone to trouble over long periods of time if you do this repeatedly for other, mechanical reasons.

Boat breakers are typically magnetic due to the huge temperature swings boats go through and aren't bothered by this sort of thing. (At least quality ones aren't!)

Just don't disconnect (or close) them under load and you're fine.

I never left Gigabite unattended for a significant amount of time (e.g. overnight) without opening the breakers for anything that could get me in trouble. On the AC side I typically left the fridge/freezer/bait freezer and charger on; on the DC side the only breakers left closed on the salon panel were for the bilge pumps.

BTW the OEM breakers for Hatts can be hard to find now..... which is unfortunate as they're of very high quality.

 

[Freebird]

Thanks for the additional info. You sound like a purty smart feller. I see you are in Destin. I plan to spend some time there on my return trip to TN on my 58TC as soon as I tie up some lose ends. If I were going to live in Florida again, I'd definitely pick that area. I remember the first time I visited Destin about 8 years ago. We were in a Wal-Mart, and I remember commenting to my wife and telling her just to listen to the conversations around us. We were in Florida, and we were still in the south! That was something I wasn't used to having lived in WPB, Orlando, Lakeland, and Venice. Wanna get together and talk about Hatt stuff when I get there? Maybe we can grab a cold drink or dinner or somehtin'. I'll behave, I promise. I ain't been kicked out of a restaurant in over a month now.

 

[Genesis]

ROFL! Yeah, look me up....

 

[Freebird]

Send me an e-mail (sosectn@aol.com) or PM of sumthin' with your phone number. My number for the office is on my website if you want to holler in person.