Summer Cabin Heat

[krush]

I think we should be scared to leave our boats in the water, unattended. All that can be done is to keep things in the best condition you can. Shit happens....don't want that worry, don't own a boat?!?

 

[Angela]

Exactly! I'm not as worried about sinking as I am short cycling the units. My intake seems to find every ice bag floating around the harbor. I constantly see these idiots leave the ice on the dock,it melts water drains out of the bag then the bag blows in the water.

The old controls and equipment would allow a unit to short cycle until it tripped the overheat breaker which usually took just a few times. The new stuff shuts down the compressor at the first instance of high pressure (no water circulation), throws the fan on high, displays “HP” on the control panel, and won’t let the compressor come on again until someone addresses it, meaning I have to go to the engine room, turn off the breaker and back on to reset the control panel. Don’t they all do that? The newer stuff, that is, or is it just my brand of equipment? Given that I do leave my AC units running when I’m not there, I really like that feature.

 

[saltshaker]

I have been looking at boats lately and will say this. Several of them have experienced clogged condensate drains that resulted in mini floods in the cabin. The damage was obvious because the water line left behind was only in the area that housed the evaporator. I personally have left vents open to circulate the air in all my boats. No damage as a result. The possible damage from an A/C related failure could include sinking. My vote is leave the A/C off if away from the boat more than a day.

I had that happen top me once. My evaporator was in a compartment above the bed in the master. As Murphy would have it, I discovered the clogged condensate line around 2-3AM when the water poured down on my head as I was sleeping. My wife thought it was funny as her side of the bed remained dry. Only time that has happened in 25 or so years I've owned boats with AC.

 

[Top Shelf]

We're in South Florida and in the summer you need to clean the intake screens at least once a week. Sometimes more. I can't always run buy the boat that often.
So I don't leave the AC's running. It easily gets into the high 90's inside like this. End of last summer I went to Brandsmart and bought one of those stand up louvered AC units.
I put the unit in the Stb side shower so the condensation runs into the shower sump. I fabricated a an etha-foam adapter for the porthole and the hot air exhaust duct.
This thing has worked out well. It runs balls out and knocks the inside temp down to about 86. Still hot; but not 97 either and the ships systems knock the 86 down to 77 pretty
quickly when we arrive. thx.

 

[capttonyf]

Our boat is in Fort Lauderdale and we always leave atleast one unit on set from 78 to 81 degrees. Primarly the salon AC as cold air falls to the staterooms but we will mix it up from time to time to give the main AC a break. I don't worry about flooding the boat, it sits behind our condo and if that alarm goes off the commandos will be on the horn to the dockmaster quick. He lives in the building and has access to our boat in case of an emergency and no one is around.

In reference to thru hull and pump question we have 1 thru hull and one pump for all the units.

Tony

 

[magnawake]

There's no way I'm leaving the boat with a/c's running. I've been in florida for almost two years. BTW, glad to be back in the carolinas. I've sucked up an eel, had both condensate hoses plug up and I figure too much risk. My friend filled his engine room with water because his eldow broke. Not the hose clamp or hose. Go figure.....Murphey is alive and well on my boat. It only takes me 15 minutes to cool everything off. Even when I work 12 hrs at the plant, I turn them off. I tell people around my boat that if they see water discharging anywhere over board, and I'm not there something is wrong. Yeah call me paranoid.

OK, I must confess...We just got back from Charleston this weekend. Getting there last sunday and initially opening up the boat almost took our breath. The therm read 100 degrees. I just left the boat with the salon A/C on. I know I said Id never do it, but with this heat wave it was really horrible. Plus tring to sell the boat didnt see any alternative. I'm worried about it and hope to get some friends to check on it for me. What a drag. Oh well, just thought Id fess up.

 

[MikeP]

Hmmm... It seems to me that based on the input from folks who say to leave them on, there is still a limitation due to the need for cleaning the intakes. So really, it sounds like although you could leave them on for possibly a couple of weeks without a problem (assuming everything else holds together OK) leaving them unattended for longer than that is not workable. IOW, leaving a boat for several months on it's own with ac systems "on" would not be something most folks would do, right?

Or am I misunderstanding?

 

[GJH]

Hire someone you can trust to check the strainer on a schedule and clean it. usually a good marina will have at least one hand up for the task and the extra $$.

 

[magnawake]

Hire someone you can trust to check the strainer on a schedule and clean it. usually a good marina will have at least one hand up for the task and the extra $$.

Thats what I'm going to do. I'm only going to be away for a couple weeks. I have never left the boat unattended for this long without closing the seacocks, or leaving the A/C running. Like I have stated, I have sucked an eel and a clump of grass with rendered the water flow to zip. Of course the units were kicking out on high pressure. The marina we are in now has 20 plus sport fish boats with all the water spraying from their sides. If one stops pumping nobody would even notice. I'm crossing my fingers.

 

[rsmith]

Thats what I'm going to do. I'm only going to be away for a couple weeks. I have never left the boat unattended for this long without closing the seacocks, or leaving the A/C running. Like I have stated, I have sucked an eel and a clump of grass with rendered the water flow to zip. Of course the units were kicking out on high pressure. The marina we are in now has 20 plus sport fish boats with all the water spraying from their sides. If one stops pumping nobody would even notice. I'm crossing my fingers.

I have seen eels eat through the strainer and jam the pump on at least 4 boats one boat it happened twice in2 weeks and we had put a new strainer in. They must have carbide teeth!!!