Cruisair Compressor Troubleshooting

[Chasing28]

Hi folks,

I am having a problem with my salon air-conditioning (Cruisair) aboard our 42 LRC.
I have air flow through the unit and good discharge waterflow. The compressor has become louder than the other units and kicks in when I switch from fan to AC. about five seconds in, the compressor makes a "clunk" sound, stops, then starts again.

Any ideas as to where to begin?

Thanks

 

[Captain Ralph]

I'm assuming in heat mode? Works great in cool mode?

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Sounds like a high or low pressure sensor kicking in and shutting down the compressor.

 

[zigzag930]

Put your hands on the coils. Are they warm or scorching hot?

That is a fast starting point for diagnosis of the compressor side of a split.

 

[Pascal]

Indeed it sounds like a hi or lo pressure sensor kicking in. Is the good water discharge you see only for this unit or is it for multiple units? If you have one pump for multiple air cons, the salon coils could be obstructed and you d still see normal discharge

 

[Chasing28]

I'm assuming in heat mode? Works great in cool mode?

Cold mode

 

[Chasing28]

Indeed it sounds like a hi or lo pressure sensor kicking in. Is the good water discharge you see only for this unit or is it for multiple units? If you have one pump for multiple air cons, the salon coils could be obstructed and you d still see normal discharge

Only the one (of three) units Pascal. Lo pressure....assume if there is not enough water flow it will kick in? Is that correct?

 

[Pascal]

Only the one (of three) units Pascal. Lo pressure....assume if there is not enough water flow it will kick in? Is that correct?

if not enough water flow it will shut down on high pressure. Depending on the controls it may try to restart automatically a couple of times.

Easy to check, feel the coils when it starts. If they get very hot before it shuts down, that’s your problem

If you have multiple air cons on a single pump going in a single discharge, the one that trips could be clogged. Pull out the discharge hose, and put it in bucket or jug to check flow

Monitoring coil temperatures helps you diagnose flow issues before they become bad enough to trip the compressor. I added wireless sensors on mines but you can also use an IR gun to check once in a while. If you use an IR fun, mark the coils so you always measure in the same spot.

 

[Captain Ralph]

Cold mode

Wow, I may have to move where your at. Got pretty cool here again last night.

I had to ask what mode, One of my units over pressured in heat mode when this cold weather started.
Head pressures run a lil bit higher in heat mode vs cool mode.
We may have overcharged that unit just a bit last summer.

 

[madhatter1]

What are the proper pressures on the high and low side to shoot for? I need to charge up my guest unit. Will be using R-22.

 

[doc g]

I use the Cruisair charts , so you need to know sea water temp/ air temp then you can get pressures to shoot for...........Pat

 

[cww]

What are the proper pressures on the high and low side to shoot for? I need to charge up my guest unit. Will be using R-22.

It ain't all that complicated. Charge until the compressor is cool to touch on the bottom and warm to the touch on top, but not hot enough on top that you can't keep your hand on it. You will have a 99% perfect charge following this method. No charts or scales needed. Now I'm sure a dozen people will chime in and say no way that's not how it works, but I learned this from a retired marine ac tech about 20 years ago and it's always produced perfect results for me.