So my environmental system has stopped working. It is "apparently" fairly new and has worked great in some of the coldest weekends, like below 20, we see here in Central Texas.
However, in the middle of the night weekend last, it started tripping the AC circuit breaker when trying to heat. It would run the fan at high speed for a bit then down to low speed and ultimately trip the breaker. Enough current draw that the AC neutral (white) wire to the breaker was hot and blackend.
This is a reverse cycle system and I have confirmed the water intake and outflow are working as before by sighting the thru-hull discharge for outflow. So what is going on ?
The factory user manual says we should not need "maintenance refrigerant" for the life of the unit. Since this is basically a heat pump, I know there is not an electrical heating element that could be bad. The only question is the starting current. I read in one spec that could be up to 44a for a 16,000 BTU system. Great, shore power and breaker are rated at 30. As a side note, it was close to 75 today so I tried to use the AC, same result.
If that was/is a problem, why did it stop working in the middle of the night when it was really not all that cold outside and has been working fine until just a few days ago ?
Having a service manual would be great, but there is only one distributor of these products here in Texas. Does anyone have a PDF of one of these ?
Some pointers and next to-do's would be greatly appreciated to help in figuring out how to repair this system.
Thanks,
Maze
1985 Catalina 36 Tall #404
s/v Peace of Mind
Austin, Tx.
The high startup current should not be an issue for the 30A shore power cords as that is a continuous rating. Startup current usually lasts a few seconds unless there is a malfunction in the compressor and/or motor.
I don't have much guidance for you except that the compressor/motor are the only components that could be causing such a high current draw.
Good luck.
Duane Ising - Past Commodore (2011-2012)
s/v Diva Di
1999 Catalina 36 Hull #1777
Std rig; wing keel, M35B, Delta (45#)
Punta Gorda, FL
http://www.sailblogs.com/member/diva-di/
I'm not an electrician, but a couple things I'd check would be the size of the wiring; that should be spec'd in the manual. Also the connections themselves, a loose or corroded connection will increase resistance and generate heat (lots of it). If I found a wire being overheated on my boat, I'd consider it a fire hazard. I was once surprised to find a connection between 2 shore power cords blackened and melted, despite being waterproof. I replaced both connectors.
also, is it the main 30amp breaker that's tripping or a breaker on the panel?
Gary and Cathy Price
1997 C36 Mk II Tall Rig/Wing Keel Imagine...
Hull # 1617
Worton Creek, Md.
Northern Chesapeake Bay
[QUOTE=plaineolde;3855]I'm not an electrician, but a couple things I'd check would be the size of the wiring; that should be spec'd in the manual. Also the connections themselves, a loose or corroded connection will increase resistance and generate heat (lots of it). If I found a wire being overheated on my boat, I'd consider it a fire hazard. I was once surprised to find a connection between 2 shore power cords blackened and melted, despite being waterproof. I replaced both connectors.
also, is it the main 30amp breaker that's tripping or a breaker on the panel?[/QUOTE]
It is the breaker on the panel @ the nav station. I suspected corrosion also so replaced the terminal lugs. I am very suspicious about that being the proper guage for 30A it looked a little small to me. I tried the environmental system again and when it started the fan hi/low speed cycle as before I just turned the unit off. Didn't let it run long enough to throw the breaker again or possibly draw too much current and overheat the wire again. Previous comments about the compressor/motor are in my mind as well. But I want to exhaust everything else before trying to pull those and get them serviced/replaced.
Cheers,
Maze
On Edit: The admiral told me to forget about getting the oven working, just get her a/c & heat back online ASAP. I'll be sure to follow up in the weeks to come with what I find and how I addressed it all.
1985 Catalina 36 Tall #404
s/v Peace of Mind
Austin, Tx.
google found this link to calculate wire size
[url]http://www.csgnetwork.com/wiresizecalc.html[/url]
Using 120 volts, 30 amps and a length of 30 feet, it specifies #12 wire.
Gary and Cathy Price
1997 C36 Mk II Tall Rig/Wing Keel Imagine...
Hull # 1617
Worton Creek, Md.
Northern Chesapeake Bay
Make sure your water heater switch is off, the extra draw when it cuts in can trip the entire A/C circuit breaker. Once in a while, mine will trip the circuit breaker on the AC panel, so I usually set the SXC controller to fan and not auto-fan. Seems like the fan starting up can cause a power spike.
You should have an in line filter between the through-hull and the AC unit, mine is a Grocco. Making sure the water flow is working is good standard procedure, you also need to make sure the water-filter is clean, if it is not it can overload the pump.
And finally, make sure your cabin filter on the air intake side of the AC is also clean, it can be surprising how quickly they get clogged with lint and other junk (mine is installed in front of the galley and the intake is close to the cabin sole under the seat). I clean mine every 6 months.
Hope this helps
John Meyer
Hilbre 2135
Cabrillo Marina, San Pedro, CA
John Meyer
Hilbre
C36 MKll, Hull 2135
Cabrillo Marina, San Pedro, CA
I have 2 of these on my C36 MKII #1775.
One of them quit last fall. I had it shut down while I was away, and one of the family restarted both AC's without opening the through hulls. Naturally they don't like running without recirc water.
At the boat show in Toronto, I spoke with a Marine comfort expert, and he tells me that I will have a seized rotor. My circuit breaker will trip after the initial start-up also.
I have to send him the unit serial numbers etc. so that we can advance this problem.
If you get a resolution I'd like to hear it.
Cheers
Scott Sterling
Texas Belle
#1775