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AC Compressor Always On

  • Thread starter Thread starter stormchaser
  • Start date Start date
  • Replies Replies 36
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It all depends on whether the digital controls REPLACE the oem boxes in the eng room or simply "chain" to them just like the oem controls did. On the FX1 system (per their installation instructions) the boxes chain to the oem's and everything in the oem system still functions as it alway did. The FX 1 box itself can be anywhere but it doesn't replace anything in the oem system except the knob assembly that controlled temp/fan. The SMXs may be different in that regard.

The FX1 CAN (and should) replace the box in the eng room but that is not described in the instructions that come with them. To completely replace the oem box with the FX1 takes a LOT of rewiring/routing and probably 3-4x the time involved compared to just replacing the control panel with the FX1.

I learned all the above from Steve and replacing the oem boxes with the FX1s is a far better installation than following the FX1 instructions which are designed for ease of installation, not the best actual electrical/electronic setup.

I guess this is one area where the manufacturer instructions are NOT the best way to do something! ;)
 
So, confirmed, all my control boxes are centrally located in the engine room. I traced the wiring harness off the salon compressor and found it. Confirmed, it is the style board that uses a triac. BUT my triac has FOUR wires. The bottom terminal has two wires attached to it:

319341_4257972617784_1396577792_n.jpg

The purple one goes to a terminal on the board, the black goes down into the wiring harness that goes to the compressor. Both appear to connect to the same terminal on the bottom of the triac. And it seems to fail the bad triac test.What I did was turn off the control, confirm that compressor is still running, kill the power at the breaker, disconnect the yellow wire from the triac and turn back on the power at the breaker...compressor comes back on. Boo! Assuming the extra wire doesn't change the testing proceedure...any more thoughts before I call my AC guy?
 
Pick up a triac and change it yourself. It's very straight forward. BTW the control box mounted close to the digital control panel is typically a retro fit. The newer compressors that are designed for digital controls have the boards mounted on the unit and in the control box that's typically mounted near the compressor.
 
If the relay is cheap and easily changed try it. If you don't get lucky hire a pro who knows these systems. Well worth the expertise to get is fixed right in one shot and save some $. I do HVAC controls for a living (not on boats) and a chump who's quote is low can spend hours and parts "trying" while an experienced pro will most times know what needs to be done based on problem descripion or more often based on known issues with MFG/Model.
 
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The purple one goes to a terminal on the board
Click to expand...
I think probably the signal wire to turn on the triac other wire is a circuit return.
black wire goes to compressor hot wire
is there a white wire neutral return or is this 240 volt system?

If triac like a SS relay, then you can use a solid state relay which has 4 connections.
Relay has coils that pull contacts closed. Same idea with these solid state devices.
So inside the device, it will have an activating circuit which turns on the power circuit.
And these are independent not internally connected electrically.

They show it as 3 wires.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRIAC
 
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krush said:
From Mario's picture I typed in the number I see (tg35f60) in google shopping and found this...$8.95

http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/st...a=658275&productId=658275&keyCode=WSF&CID=GMC
Click to expand...

Thanks! Ordered 2 of them. They add a $5 service charge to any order lower than $10, so I figured why not have a spare? Everyone else wants $40-50 for them (from CruiseAir dealers). So, as soon as they arrive, I'll replace and report back. Wish me luck...

Oh, why do these fail? Is it a sign of something else that needs attention?
 
The metal plate behind the Triac acts as a heat sink. If you order the part from Cruiseair it comes with a compound to put on the back of the Triac upon installation to help transfer the heat. If they get too hot, they will fail. If your new part does not have a tube of that compound, go to the computer store and buy it. It's the same stuff that they use on the heat sinks that go on the microprocessors in your PC.
 
I have some heat transfer grease used to put heat sinks on computer processors. Would that work if they don't come with anything?
 
That's the stuff.
 
MikeP,

Any chance Steve put in writing how to rewire the FX-1 sans the oem boxes (my apologies if this was discussed)?

Thanks - Rob
 
Rob - sadly, no.

I had to figure it out on my own and it took me a full day to sort out the wiring because the wire colors at the temp control unit (the original 3-knob control) which are connected to the FX1 box per the FX1 instructions are not the same color as the same wire that leave the oem boxes in the control room. So you have to determine which wire is which. Plus there are wires at the handlers that connected to the oem controls/FX1 box that now have to be run back to the eng room to connect to the repositioned FX1. You can use some of the existing wiring to do that but again, you have to trace/figure out what wires are doing what and make the appropriate connections.

It was quite an exercise in being patient/methodical/making a lot notes! I have to admit that as careful as I was - rechecking every connection 4-5 times to be sure the right wire went to the right place - I was very nervous when I flipped the circuit breaker on for the first time after completing the wiring :)
 
Open the box on the compressor unit. You will see the cruisair wires connected to the Hatt wire on a terminal strip. Take note of which color CA wire is connected to what red Hatt wire (all Hatt wires are red with a different colored stripe on them).
 
So...everyone was right. The triac was bad. And thanks for the cheap source for them. All the local dealers wanted between $40-60 for them...straight from the manufacturer/distributor I got 2 for under $20 including shipping! All is good! yay!

And the change out took all of 15 minutes. The hardest part was the fact that mine are not held in with screws, they are held on with a stud topped with a nut...a tiny nut that was a pain to get back on due to tight clearances. But I got it! Had to grip the nut with a tiny pair of needle nose pliers to get it started then finished with a nut-driver.

stormchaser said:
here's how to test:Another way to confirm they are bad is to remove the yellow gate wire from the triac…Then turn on the breaker…If it still runs the compressor/pump, then they are for sure bad…

If compressor/pump shut off with the yellow wire disconnected from the triac then we have another problem…Likely the board itself…
Click to expand...
 
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