Air Conditioner Question

Rayfor

Member
Apr 20, 2020
42
Boat Info
1978 Sea Ray 260 Sundancer
Engines
454 Mercruiser w/Bravo 111 drive
Hello All,

I have a 78 260 Sundancer that I've been working on and trying to figure out what works and what doesn't. I just finished with the shore power wiring so all the receptacles are wired and working. The boat has an air conditioner set up under the seat cushions which has a regular 3 prong plug so I plugged it in quick and it hummed. My question is this, is there anything wrong with running the hose that feeds the pump into a bucket of water as the water source for the pump to see if it works? Or is there a better way to test the air conditioner with the boat out of the water? Thanks
 
If it's working properly 5 gallons will be gone before it will have a chance to blow cold air. Some pumps need to be primed and below the water line to pump water. All you do is try.
 
Hello All,

I have a 78 260 Sundancer that I've been working on and trying to figure out what works and what doesn't. I just finished with the shore power wiring so all the receptacles are wired and working. The boat has an air conditioner set up under the seat cushions which has a regular 3 prong plug so I plugged it in quick and it hummed. My question is this, is there anything wrong with running the hose that feeds the pump into a bucket of water as the water source for the pump to see if it works? Or is there a better way to test the air conditioner with the boat out of the water? Thanks
You can run the garden hose to it you will be able to run the A/C all day
 
Great. I didn't see anything wrong with it however I like to be cautious in case I was missing something. There's nothing online showing someone running an air conditioner with their boat out of the water. I'll give the bucket a try to make sure the pump works then use a hose as I go further with it.

It has strange plumbing that I imagine is not a factory install. The pump is mounted above the water line and higher than the air conditioner, the water inline hose which T's off and supplies the toilet also, has no shut off valve which I think is required (could be wrong about that), and I'm not thrilled with the through hull location for that, and the water out-line runs all the way to the back boat and was connected to a plastic water tank instead of a nearby through hull. That one's a real mystery. I expect to be changing all of that.

Thanks
 
Be aware the pumps are not self priming and are located below the water line for that reason.
Your boat should have a thru hull and seacock per ABYC H-27 for the below the waterline raw water supply
Hoses from the seacock to a strainer and from the strainer to the pump rated for below the waterline installations like Trident 250/100 or Shields series 250.
Hoses to be double clamped at all locations below the water line.
The strainer should be rated for below the waterline use and UL 858E listed.
The raw water discharge hoses are typically above the water line as well as the thru hull for the discharge. The hoses are typically double clamped to prevent damage from leakage and flooding as many of the hose joints are not readily accessible for inspection and service.

If these types of systems are not per the standards and you should have issues your insurance may not honor a claim.
 
Last edited:
Thanks, just the info I need.
 

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