Cruisair trouble

[GJD]

Hey guys - Cruisair for the salon is acting really funny. Listening to it it runs for about 6 seconds then BUZZES for 2 seconds (loud mechanical sounding buzz). Cycles this way continuously - 6 secs/2 secs. Upon starting 'cold' it runs ok for about 20 minutes then falls into that cycle of running and buzzing.

Blower blows plenty of air but the air's not cold at all. Appreciate any comments or advise.

Thank ye oh mighty group-mind!

Greg

 

[Boatsb]

Possibly the refrigerant is low, The cooling pump is not working or a shut down is not working right. First determine the water is flowing through then look into the refrigerant level. Those two usually do it.

 

[Pascal]

where does the buzzing come from ? the air handler in the saloon or the compressor in the ER?? what kind of controls do have, digital? any error message?

it's unlikely to be a water flow issue since your other units woudl be affected (unless the hose to that unit is crushed or pinched)... and it woudn't run for 20 minutes before acting up.

sounds like something is getting hot in the system

does it always do that? or does it only happen after a run, when the ER is hot... one of my compressor seem to shut down after a while and then restart a while later when the ER is hot. only after a run. the next day, it's fine...

 

[GJD]

Grazie!

Noise is coming from the compressor (haven't sniffed it too closely yet). Controls are original (not digital). Happens even when at the dock and no engines running so I don't think it's a heat build up.

Will check further and post results.

Greg

 

[krush]

Feel the compressor, is it very hot?

Without gauges we're shooting in the dark, but it sounds like a possible high pressure problem on the high side. Is it a buzz or a sort of hiss? If you skyrocket the high-side pressure it will blow an internal relief valve in the compressor.

 

[GJD]

Compressor is not terribly hot - no. Took the in-hose and flushed the unit with dock water - flows freely, no obstruction. The seawater pump was replaced recently and runs/flows nicely too.

The sound, I believe, is the sound each of the units make upon firing up, that 'buzz' kinda sound until the unit begins running at 'speed'. No hiss. Not a hiss at all.

It's almost as if the unit is trying to fire up but then changes its mind and clicks off - almost as if some sort of 'trip' is shutting it down. Then it sits idle for 15 seconds and tries again - tries to fire up and kicks off.

Thanks guys

 

[Pascal]

so the noise is coming from the compressor, not the air handler.

isnt' there a relay or something in there to facilitate starting up? what is it called... forgot... could that be buzzing

 

[Angela]

Sounds like a refrigerant gas issue. Put a set of gauges on it and start it. Once you confirm it's a gas problem, then start looking for the leak. I suspect you're going to find it's low on gas. I had the same/similar symptom and found that the numbnuts who installed it didn't fully tighten one of the fittings behind the condensing unit. It made for a very slow leak, but once it reached that certain point, I would start getting that high pitched winding up noise followed a few seconds thereafter by the condensing unit cutting off. As soon as the time delay ran its x-amount of seconds, the compressor tried to kick on, and this was just a vicious cycle.

I have finally washed my hands of the local CruisAir dealer and have resorted to doing the work myself now, except for getting the system recharged when necessary, and then, I call someone else and tell them what I want rather than asking them to troubleshoot the system. I'm done with that! My last trouble was found to be a solenoid valve that was punctured from the OUTSIDE. ????? No idea how a valve gets punctured on the tube that is enclosed inside the coil. The local dealer wanted to charge me $300+ for parts I found on my own to be a $30 enclosure tube and an $8 coil. I didn't even need the coil but they thought I'd buy it for whatever amount they were going to charge me. Wrong. I spent $30 on ebay for the part and am fixing it myself. I'm figuring out that knowledge is power! I'm tired of these people thinking I'm stupid.

Anyway...I got sidetracked. LOL Go check the gas pressures. I think that's your problem which is going to mean a leak somewhere.

 

[Finalee]

You really need to get a set of gauges on the unit. I recently became certified via this website http://www.r22.org/basket.php

Now own a set of gauges and a 25 lb can of r22 all for $230. Was able to diagnose a slow leak and refill 2 units, and now still have gauges and freon for future use.

 

[Angela]

Ahhh...the buzzing Pascal is describing. Do you have those clear plastic cube-shaped relays inside a control box? Those will buzz like an alarm clock when they are going bad, but when they are buzzing, your unit will still run normally. Mine did. I've replaced more of those than I cared to. It was more of a noise annoyance than anything - a vibration. I could put my finger on it and it would stop.

 

[krush]

Some (well most) units have a low pressure shut-off. There is also usually a high temp shut off.

The only way for me to help over the interweb is for you to hook gauges up and tell me pressures and temps.

Another quick trick is to grab some pipes and see if they are hot/cold. When it runs for a few minutes, see if the line leaving the compressor is hot (carefull, it will be hot if it is working) and see if the return is even cold at all.....but gauges are what you need.

 

[GJD]

Ang - Your description of symptoms from your refrigerant leak sounds spot on. Will proceed to move this to the top of me duty roster.

Guys thanks so much for your input. At least now I can approach the problem with a bit of confidence that I won't somehow screw the pooch. (The group-mind continually amazes me)

 

[GJD]

OK - Here's the latest. Water temp (outside in the water) is 83, water IN is 86 water OUT is 101. Adam, the AC guy/electric guy says it likes more like a 30 degree difference between in and out. He suggested a refrigerant boost - did that - now fingers crossed - we'll see.

Thanks again for all the help!

 

[Pascal]

he added refrigerant without checking pressures??

that doesn't sound good... if you put to much pressure in, the compressor will pop the breaker on a restart. happened to me a few years back.

 

[Boatsb]

I don't know how to add refrigerant without using my gages so I would think the pressure was at least checked quickly. Maybe not the whole calculation but a basic one.

 

[GJD]

Yep he did check Pascal - Sharp young guy seemed to know his stuff. Checked temps and pressure - added the freeze little by little. Running for 3 hours strong now.

Thanks

 

[Angela]

I just KNEW that was it. I know more about AC on my boat now than I ever intended, and those lessons weren't cheap, either. I'm about to learn more about balsa core replacement than I really want to know, too.

Now, the bigger question....why did you loose pressure. Where's the leak? If you don't set out to find it, at least when your pressure reaches the breaking point, you'll know the symptom and the fix, even if temporary, right away.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

Sometimes those little slow leaks aren't even worth tracking down. I had a unit that I put 2 cans of R22 in a couple of years ago. It's still running great so I guess the leak must have been pretty slow.

 

[GJD]

Ang - I'm already on to redoing the rails (Bristol!) so I think I'm gonna go with Sky's comment ... !!!

Rails - DAMN what a job. Three days sanding - first coat of the good stuff ON.

 

[akintosyali]

Where do you buy gauges for checking the pressure on your ac unit??
Also, is the refrigerant in car AC R22? If So, why should I pay a tech $120 to fill it when I can go to napa and buy a can of refrigerant myself??