AC spitting water out of vent

[rangerscott275]

I recently left my Cruise Air running for several days by accident. I have a 3 dial control (original type) and had the top dial turned off (the one that has off, start & run), but I had left the 2nd dial on which I guess kept the water circulating through the a/c unit (even though fan upstairs wasn't running).

So, after I few days when I came back to boat, I noticed water coming out of the clam shell and figured out that the a/c had been going from that 2nd dial being left on (the 2nd dial has fan speed on it so obviously things aren't hooked up correctly).

I inspected unit and things seemed ok, so I clicked on the Actual AC by turning the top dial to start then run. about 2 minutes later, cool air was blowing out of the vent, but it was spraying alot of water with it. I left it on for a bit to see if this would subside, but it didn't. Any ideas what happened?

 

[rangerscott275]

I was just rethinking how I found the AC unit....I think when I came back to the boat, the top dial may have been on Start (not run) and maybe that is what had the water going through the unit while I was gone. Not sure if that will help in coming up with the conclusion as to why it is now spraying water out of the vent while in AC mode...

 

[Will]

Scott,

Your second scenario makes more sense than the first. I have similar units and when the OFF-START-RUN knob is on START, the seawater pump runs as does the AC fan. However, the compressor does not start until the knob is put in the RUN position. I’m not sure about the function of the “clamshell” vent. My AC installation does not include a vent like that. I only have the air vents in the cabins and condensation drain fittings at the waterline.

Will

 

[rangerscott275]

Hey Will,
By clamshell I meant when I returned to the boat, I noticed water pumping out of the exterior (from what I called a clamshell)...that's how I knew the AC was running. I then entered the boat...shut it down..checked it out...restarted it, this time turning it on and into full air conditioning mode and thats when the water came out of the interior vent (where cool air comes out - water sprayed out with the air....more of a spritz...not too heavy but enought that over about 5 min of running, it had put a nice coat of water on the floor).

 

[Capt K]

I'm not sure where you are, but if the water is cool and the air was warm or humid, you probably built up some condensate in the pan that is not draining properly.

Did you increase the fan speed when you turned the unit to "start"?

I have the same old type of controls...pretty basic and not many problems overall. Cannot see changing to the electronic controls just yet.

It would be interesting to hear more if you find out anything or more from other members.

K

 

[jim rosenthal]

Your condensate pan is full. There is a spigot on the bottom with a hose attached to it, that drains the condensate (which in humid weather is a lot) down, usually into the bilge or into the sink drains. The water in the pan gets high enough that it gets sucked up by the squirrel-cage blower and blown back up into the cabin via the AC vent.

Find the pan and unhook the hose, holding a bucket under it. Something will be clogged with dust or dirt or whatever; if you use a wire or hangar you can get it out. These need to be cleaned out every season.

FWIW if you cover the AC vent when it isn't in use, less dust will get in there and the problem won't be as bad.

 

[rangerscott275]

Thanks Jim...I'll try to find it tomorrow and tell you what I find!

 

[Pascal]

same thing happened to me a few days ago on the fwd salon AC. I could hear water being splashed around and was getting some droplets out of the vent.

condensate pan was full, drain clogged.

problem on the fwd unit as that there is no access to the drain hose ! I pulled the shelves between the helm and the air handler (4 screws, the whole assy comes out) then drilled a hole under the air handler on the side. that allowed me to reach the drain under the air handler, pull the hose and poke a screwdriver in the drain hole. problem fixed.

same thing happened over the past 2 years in the master SR and the aft saloon...

 

[Kerry Alexander]

I use my wet/dry vac at the drain holes. This works well when I can get to them.
Kerry
Diamond Sun
1969 50MY