I have a 98 Top Gun and I'm goint to install a/c. I have seen it installed in the bilge area, but I also have room under the vee berth.

Any advice? Pros and Cons for either location

Dan

I've installed a couple of units, and always put them in the cabin area. I've heard of bilge area installations, but I never liked that. I was always worried about smells, vapors, fumes, etc being carried into the cabin area. The units I've put in were always small ones where the whole thing is in one small chassis. I didn't want to try and duct the return from a remote location. Bear in mind I'm no professional installer, I've only done it for a couple of friends. Their units work fine by the way.

Paul

It is not an option to put any of the air handling equipment in the same compartment as the engines.

If you have a split or chilled water system then you can place the compressor unit in the bilge/engine compartment but the air handling units will be in the cabin area.

You can put them anywhere but you must be able to drain the condensation out of the unit into the bilge or overboard.

The farther forward the unit is, the more beating it will receive (but they are pretty rugged).

All AC units will have a pan that collects condensate. As mcollinstn said, it has to drain into the bilge or out of the boat. These pans are usually only an inch or two deep and the drain hoses ALWAYS clog, or the pan is listing so it doesn't drain. You hit one wave and the contents of the pan are on your carpet. And nothing grows mold better than AC condensate in carpet.
Put it somewhere that this will not be an issue.
Gary

Everyone makes good points.

If I put it under the vee berth in my Cig the carpet won't be an issue. Mine has the trampoline style vee berth, bare gel coat under the trampoline. Under the vee berth also has some other advantages. There is already a through hull for the toilet that I can tap into, and a drain tube that runs to the bige for condensate. Just need an overboard discharge, possible tap into sink drain?

I am trying to not have to drill anymore holes in the boat.

Dan

I am going to use a self contained unit, probably by Mermaid

Dan

It is recommended that you use a dedicated thru hull for the discharge line. If you use the sink drain, then a mean kid could stuff a cork in the discharge and fill your cabin with lake water as the sink overflows.

The pump for the AC will have to be mounted below the waterline where it will self prime.

Mermaid makes a great unit.

Isnt there a siphon type valve of some kind that can be put into the water discharge line that allows the condensate drain to be pulled out with the discharge water? Do they work? Are they fool proof or at least more so than the gravity drain?

MC,

I did think of that, and had already planned on installing a check valve to prevent the back up.

Mounting the pump below water line will be very easy since the through for the toilet is below the water line at rest.

thanks, anymore tips?

Dan

You can use the same thru hull as the toilet for supply but you will have to put a check valve in the line to the A/C otherwise when you flush the toilet it will suck air back through the A/C line rather than water.

Use a seperate line for discharge, this can /should be above water, anything else and the A/C will be filling the cabin with water someday for some reason