no water coming out of through hulls when air conditioning is on

M

merlin

Member
Jun 17, 2010
86
san francisco,ca/Marina del Ray, Ca
Boat Info
"Volare", a 2003 Sundancer 410, with original Raymarine electronics.
Engines
2, 350 hp, Cat 3126's
When I turn on the heat, water comes out of two through hulls. However no water comes out when I turn on the air conditioning. I shut the unit off after about two minutes of no water. Does anyone have any suggestions. I believe water IS supposed to come out of my Sundancer 41. many thanks.
 
Merlin, I don't want to ask a stupid question, but are you turning down the temp to turn the compressor on? If the temp is already below or at the cabin temp the fan will circulate but not turn it on.


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What he said :0) On our 380DA the water pump switches on with the compressors/heat pumps. Depending on where the temp controls are set, you could get fan only when you power up. The water pump does come on for both A/C and Heating cycles, and one water pump runs both water/heat transfer systems. If water is coming out of one through hull, it should also come out the other. Even, say, if you only had the forward cabin/V-Berth Air Conditioning running, water would still come from both through hulls.
 
mquiet said:
Merlin, I don't want to ask a stupid question, but are you turning down the temp to turn the compressor on? If the temp is already below or at the cabin temp the fan will circulate but not turn it on.
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I don't think that's a stupid question...I had the same "duh" moment after I climbed into the bilge to check the seawater strainer. I'll confess that my "duh" moment occurred after my wife said pretty much what you said mquiet. Lol! Oh well...
 
Make sure all of the correct breakers are on (including the pump breaker). Or are you saying it is fine if on heat mode and stops when you switch it to AC?
 
I had made sure to turn down the thermostat as low as it would go, but still no water. I'll give it more time today and see what happen.
 
I may be way off base here but I thought I read (on this forum?) that there is a "shifter solenoid" that changes the heat pump from AC to heat. Maybe if that is stuck it would restrict the water from flowing? Shot in the dark here.
 
Very easy to get air lock on that pump. You may need to open the strainer and be sure there's water in there.
 
True, could have some seaweed clogging the strainer only when in AC mode....
 
It has to be a problem with the a/c unit. If water is flowing on heat mode it tells me that the pump and lines are working correctly. It is the same pump for both heat and air.

The solenoid that turns the pump on for the a/c could be stuck or just gone bad. Have your wife switch it from heat to a/c while you are beside the pump. And listen for a click. If nothing check the power source at the pump when it is on heat and then set it to air and see if that pump is getting power. I am willing to bet that it is not getting power on a/c mode.


Steve
 
Humph forgot to hold up his sarcasm sign? What steve500dancer said :0) The water pump only comes on when the compressors are running. The compressors are probably running fine in heat mode but not in AC mode. It is unlikely both control panels or both heat pumps are faulty. There must be something in the AC circuit that is common to both units that is not happiness. I would be looking at a common ground, or the solenoid that switches the power feed. Hopefully someone has encountered this and already knows the fix??
 
Only if the thermostat is calling for the the AC compressor to turn on. How cold is the air temperature? The thermostat has to be set to a temperature lower than the air temperature in the cabin. Try lowering the thermostat to its lowest setting.
 
Sounds like the reversing solenoid is stuck, try tapping it with a hammer. Its not telling the pump to kick on.
 
Just went through a similar issue with my systems a few weeks ago. Heater would kick off the circulating pump but the systems would work in A/C mode. My coolant volumes/pressers were off just enough to trigger a shut off. These systems have so little fluid in them that just the smallest amount off the required amount causes pressure problems. Least that’s what my experience with marine heat pumps. :huh:
 
Apparently, my boat is very emotional. I explained that after changing her oil and impellors and ordering a new generator I was disappointed in her for the air conditioning problem. That seemed to do the trick, that and turning the fans up from three to four. Voila, water started coming out of the through hulls - Hurrah!
 
The magic of Merlin.
Maybe the air bubble cleared itself (?)
 
Capt. Malcolm Reynolds (On his space ship 'Serenity'): "Love. You can learn all the math in the 'Verse, but you take a boat in the air that you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of the worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurtin' 'fore she keens. Makes her a home."
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I talk to our boats all the time. Can't prove it helps, but it would be a challenge to prove it doesn't. Clearly, Merlin is attempting to keep up with proper maintenance, and fix things as they break. That and a reasonable amount of time together is usually a good start. We sometimes just go down and sleep on the boat so I can listen for odd noises and find items like the a/c heater that are glitching before it affects a weekend when we have time to play.
 
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