Replacing Cruisair Evaporator Untis

[RTyler]

Wanted to get some advice on replacing the cruisair evaporator / blower units in the staterooms on our 1979 43 DC. My AC tech and I are fairly sure there is a refrigerant leak in one of them but he does not have good enough access to them in place to properly test. Has anyone pulled these units out to either test or replace? If so, how much dismantling of wood trim work was required? Or is it possible that they come out fairly easily through the closet in the rear stateroom and the anchor cabinet door in the front stateroom? Any hands on experience with this would be greatly appreciated.

Robert Tyler

 

[bostonhatteras]

I'm doing exactly that right now to the master stateroom air handler in my boat (45c). The removal wasn't a big deal. The original duct work, if you can call it that had to go and the freon lines had flare fittings within 6" or so. The only difficulty I had was creating a new mount and duct for the new turbovap, as its called. My install will actually function better than the original due to vibration less mounting and real ducting but what can you expect when something is originally done in a production setting and I'm looking at it and executing it from an owners perspective looking for the nth degree. If you're working inside a closet I would say you have it made. Simply make a neat hatch panel to cover whatever hole you have to make. Also check out silicone mounts and silicone tape for eliminating vibration. http://www.vibrationmounts.com/RFQ/VM110104.htm
Pretty neat stuff. I used these mounts also for the control panel for the generator when those rubber mounts gave up the ghost. I tried to fix the vintage evaporator by putting in a new motor but it was a waste of effort so I just bought a new 8k unit (8k + 4k on a 12k condenser). I have a brand new 12k evaporator that I won't be using if anyone needs one.

 

[Timeout]

What Brand/Model evap units are you using? I'd like to replace mine just to eliminate the fan noise.

 

[bostonhatteras]

Here is a link to the cruise air page.
http://www.dometic.com/enus/Americas/USA/Marine/Cruisair/DX-Split/products/?productdataid=89269
It certainly would be quieter than your old unit if the blower was all out of sorts and unbalanced. However the newer evaporators seem to be run faster so they make the same air flow yet with a smaller footprint. I don't know if you'll notice it though if your not right next to the unit. I have run the old 16k right next to a new 16k and they seem about the same. An interesting change between the old unit which looks like an aluminum box and the new unit where all the components are clearly visible is the size of the wiring. The old unit had tiny 16 or 18 guage wires and the new one has 14 ga tinned boat cable. The new unit is made in USA too. One modification I had to make was a new drain line because the new unit calls out for 1/2" hose barb which works with 5/8 hose and the old unit used 3/8 hose. What condensing units and controls do you have. There are two different settings in digital controls depending on which type of motor the blower has