Marine Air Conditioning Problem?
 

This is driving me nuts. The A/C in my 2002 Baja 36 Outlaw works, but after two to three hours it is frosted over and not doing anything.

I have had two dealers look at it and it's still no better.

The warranty runs out next month, but frankly I don't know any dealers that really know anything about the A/C.

A buddy suggested that it is probably low on freon (spelling?).

Can a good heat and a/c man work on these?

I was actually thinking of buying a hose hook up like they use to flush an inboard ski boat so I could run it on the trailer and have someone come to the house and check it out.

To a point now where I would just as well pay someone that knows what they are doing and get it fixed once and for all.

Any suggestions or comments are appreciated.

It does sound like low freon level, icing is common when pressures drop too low for a while and condensation freezes to the evap coils. The unit is very similar to a window unit but you will need to find an AC guy that can work on it. There aren't usually pressure fittings on marine units but they can be added. A top off on freon is probably all you need. What you could do is go to Boat US and get a garden hose to 3/4" hose adapter , pull the hose from the thru hull and attach the garden hose-instant lake:D

Dock,

While a freon top off might fix it temporarily, there is still a problem. Freon doesn't leak (much) from a sealed unit. Your A/C is probably a marineaire or cruiseair which is the same as most on any pleasure boat, EG: Hatteras, Sea Ray etc.
If you check the web for either Cruise Air (cruisair.com) or Marineaire (not certain of their WWW) you can probably pull up their service list. Cruisair can be reached via phone at 804-746-1313, they are based in Richmond VA. I'm not sure where you are in NC, but they have some good folks in the Elizabeth City area, Jacksonville NC and Raleigh. Alternatively call the Sea Ray dealer in your area and they can steer you well.

Inspect gave a good recommendation for a trailer run if you can't find a marine service person. In that event, any A/C service person from a reputable Trane/ Carrier/ etc. dealer can repair it for you. The only major difference is yours is water cooled VS air cooled for most residential units.

Good luck!

Ted & Steve,

Thank you both for the good information.

That helps me to get moving in the right direction.

Much appreciated.

Mark

This sounds simple and stupid, but is evaporator clean? I have to clear mine out with a brush and compressed air a couple times a year. Even a little restriction of the airflow will cause it to ice up.
Gary

If you want to run the AC system on the trailer, just make sure you get water to your cooling pump.....i maufacture them for Marine air and Cruise Air and our pumps are not self priming. Thats why they are mounted below the waterline. Also the pumps are lake water cooled. The pump will run dry but it doesnt like it for long periods of time. Just do what insptech advised :D

Gary,

When it comes to the A/C I know very little. What is the evaporator? I probably need to take a good look at that.

Wally,

You are right about the pump, I have to open the valve and run the boat down the lake a short distance to get it primed.

Thanks guys

Dock, you shouldnt have to run it to get it primed......if installed correctly as soon as you open the valve the water should feed its way through the pump......is the pump above the water line of the boat? If it is then i would re-mount it lower...one of the reasons its not a self priming pump is that the impeller is plastic and has alot of tollerance in the pump cavity to allow for possible debirs to pass through incase it sucks anything inside.....the pump is magneticly coupled so in the event you do jam the pump the motor will freewheel and not burn out....in the feed line going from you through hull to the pump, is anyplace along that hose higher then the pump or water line? maybe thats why you need to run the boat and prime the pump like that?

If the A/C (condenser) doesn't get any water the A/C will not freeze up- the unit will over heat and shut down. I would suggest that You call the manufacturer to see who they recomend to repair it. Having someone not athorized repair it -( or try to repair it) will void any warranty. An A/C freezes up for only two main reasons.
1- low on freon
2- poor or no air flow acrost the evaporator ( coil with fan )
their are other reasons but they don't happen very often.

Vyper340 has this same problem. I think he was low on Freon. I forward this post to him and maybe he has the answer.