Air Con Education

[jema]

Hello everyone. I posted this on the Carver 430 FB page. It was suggested I also copy it here as there are many Carvers similar to my 430.

As the boat is hibernating and things are slow at work, I though I'd take some time to try and get a little better educated in preparation for the spring. I make no secret of the fact that we are new boaters with our first boat. On my 91 430 I have 3 Air units. I know for sure one is located under the forward bed. I read on an earlier post that there is one sitting above the generator. No idea how to access that one or how to service it if needed. Any idea as to where the third unit is located? And speaking of service....what service do they need either routinely or periodically? As to the cooling of the units........I know that forward of the stbd engine I see 4 raw water intake seacocks. Starting most forward and going clockwise the big one is the main raw water intake seacock for the stbd engine. To the right of that there is a smaller intake which I believe to be for the forward head. Behind that is a similar sized hose that I believe is for the aft head. To the left of that and behind the engine raw water intake is a smaller hose that I believe is for the air conditioner units. It goes to a strainer basket. After that I can't say. I'm guessing it goes to a pump. Is the pump accessible? Is there an impeller that might need to be replaced? Is there only one pump for all 3 units? Feel free to jump in on this conversation. Any helpful advice is appreciated.

[bud37]

The best thing to do at this point is what you are now doing as new boat owners......get a bright light, mirror and open up every place/hatch/cover panels behind and under cushions etc you can find on board and have a look what is in there....maybe take some pics for later. Mark my words it will pay off doing this.......good luck with your new boat and I am sure someone with a comparable model will chime in.

[km1125]

The best things you can do for A/C maintenance:

Clean the strainer regularly. Partially plugged strainers reduce the capacity of the system, and fully clogged ones will stop them in their tracks.

Vacuum the evaporator/condenser and/or clean any filters or screens in the airflow to make sure there are no restrictions in the airflow to or from the unit.

Clean the pump impeller. Usually these impellers don't need to be replaced, as they are not the rubber ones that are used in a lot of other applications, but they do need to be kept clean. These are magnetically-coupled impellers that sometimes get a buildup of algae especially if they sit unused for any length of time. This type of impeller is also why there is really no suction capability in the water flow and why the A/C systems need to be primed sometimes.

Go to Carver's website and see if there's a parts manual for your boat. It will usually show the locations of all the equipment. Might also help you identify what each of those through-hulls are for. I doubt you have two separate ones for heads, but you might. One of those might be for your genset unless that one is located elsewhere.

[jema]

Thank you for the replies. I do have a parts manual on the boat. I'll have to go get it and study it over the winter.

[buster53]

The best thing to do at this point is what you are now doing as new boat owners......get a bright light, mirror and open up every place/hatch/cover panels behind and under cushions etc you can find on board and have a look what is in there....maybe take some pics for later. Mark my words it will pay off doing this.......good luck with your new boat and I am sure someone with a comparable model will chime in.

Looking over parts and owners manuals is better than nothing, but nothing beats what bud is telling you to do. When you look at your seacocks and strainers, follow the hoses to see what they are connected to. Also find all your bilge pumps and sump pumps. Make sure there is no trash anywhere near them. Your sumps are probably nasty dirty...clean them, at least twice a season, more if needed.
I might ad that Carver is very imagnative in where they hide bilge openings. I have to lift up carpeting in my aft stateroom to access 3 bilge openings. They could be behind/underneath stairways, inside cabinets, under seats and mattresses, behind furniture, etc.

[DanM]

Hi Jema, Not sure where your AC condenser access points are but the unit in my salon was virtually impossible to clean so I added the hinged door in the photo that I picked up at Home Depot for under $15. Once opened up, I found that the condenser was heavily covered in crud that had made it through the filter (filter removed for this photo). Cooling capability after the cleaning improved significantly. Point is that just pulling and cleaning the thin foam filter is not enough. Good luck and Merry Christmas!