New AC

jmauld said:
Okay okay. I’m convinced. ... Any of them have controllers that can be monitored/controlled remotely?
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If you go Dometic, get the Smart Touch controller it has wifi and can be controlled from your phone.
 
Just installed a 16k ctm from a 12k cruisair. Only used the heat so far but very happy with it. Installed the microair controller even tho the ctm works with most existing thermostats. The microair comes in wifi version for away from the boat control. All in for about 2,700 through citimarine

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If you do your own install, make sure that the drain pan is level. And by that, I mean at plane.
Here is how I know: After installing with no real issues, I thought 'Wow, so surprised there were no issues...'
I then cruised to the next harbor and found water in the cabin bilge. I never had water there. Then I realized the source was the new AC unit. I realized that yes I did have an issue, I just didn't know it.
I added shims to the aft side of the pan, so it rides level when the boat is on plane. No other issues since.
 
I have the MicroAir Touch screen with WiFi, but I have to be on the boat/same network to connect to it. It supposed to be able to do this, but I can't do it via a cellular modem. I think you need local marina wifi to make it work.

If you have remote access setup, please tell me how, it would be a very nice upgrade. Or start a thread on how to!
 
Tacoma290 said:
If you do your own install, make sure that the drain pan is level. And by that, I mean at plane.
Here is how I know: After installing with no real issues, I thought 'Wow, so surprised there were no issues...'
I then cruised to the next harbor and found water in the cabin bilge. I never had water there. Then I realized the source was the new AC unit. I realized that yes I did have an issue, I just didn't know it.
I added shims to the aft side of the pan, so it rides level when the boat is on plane. No other issues since.
Click to expand...
The Citi ones have a couple different drain locations, that you can change around. I made sure mine was at the back of the pan.
 
A note of caution when bumping up your btu's during replacement
There is a such thing as "too much" with multiple A/Cs. I went 16Kw in the salon, and 14Kw in the forward cabin/salon, cauz I'm in Florida. That's up from a 12 and 9kw OEM. I found 2 things:
1. the A/Cs will tend to fight each other, which turned into a cyclic operation of front, then back, then front, then back.... Very noticeable when sleeping onboard.
2. In the event that both units started together, I momentarily exceeded the generator load rating, causing it to shut down. I chased a hundred different possibilities on the genset before I realized that I can only run 1 A/C while on genny. Looking into Soft Start solutions to mitigate this at some point.
 
We replaced the salon unit on our 500DA. it had a 16k from the factory, but they were not available during Covid. I had no choice but to try a 12k Webasto. That unit heated and cooled better than the 16K ever did. It did a much better job removing humidity. The 16K would pretty much run all day in the summer and would lose ground on really hot days, the Webasto would run for 30 minutes and cycle out.
 
bahamabreisus said:
We replaced the salon unit on our 500DA. it had a 16k from the factory, but they were not available during Covid. I had no choice but to try a 12k Webasto. That unit heated and cooled better than the 16K ever did. It did a much better job removing humidity. The 16K would pretty much run all day in the summer and would lose ground on really hot days, the Webasto would run for 30 minutes and cycle out.
Click to expand...

Exactly this! I bumped up BTUs when I swapped mine out and the newer units are much more effective, but it didn't run long enough to pull out the humidity. I had to keep it cold to get it to run long enough to pull out the humidity.
 
bahamabreisus said:
We replaced the salon unit on our 500DA. it had a 16k from the factory, but they were not available during Covid. I had no choice but to try a 12k Webasto. That unit heated and cooled better than the 16K ever did. It did a much better job removing humidity. The 16K would pretty much run all day in the summer and would lose ground on really hot days, the Webasto would run for 30 minutes and cycle out.
Click to expand...
That’s good feedback! Thank you!
 
Can we step back in time? 2000 Sundancer 340. Anyone have ideas to get my original 12k to engage heat? A/C is perfect. The solenoid works (I understand it’s either on or off, no weak or strong). I’ve tried the hammer tap, tried cycling when it’s hot out and when it’s cold out. Nothing. The slide thingy in the cigar won’t budge!
 
Agree that more is not necessarily better in this case. I'm in So. FL as well. When I needed to replace the 16K in the salon, I wanted to go up to a 24K. AC guy said don't do it. He guaranteed me that the newer 16K are much better and I would be happy. He was right. The new units are much better, quieter, etc.
 
What we need to understand about the VFD compressor you are looking at is - are they for softstart or truly a variable BTU output?
As the compressor must be 3-phase for VFD's is there good history on the reliability yet?
Danfoss who makes most compressors have a line of variable speed scroll compressors but typically in the larger BTU ranges. https://www.danfoss.com/en-us/produ...nd-heating/inverter-scrolls-vzh/#tab-overview
 
Something else to consider is installing a Mermaid Condensater in the discharge line.

It effectively keeps the pan dry at all times.

See here - https://fmmsusa.com/marine-division/accessories/mermaid-condensator/

I actually put together my own kit and it works beautifully. They use those devices as soap injectors on commercial car washes. On my boat they had a stupid design from the factory where condensate would discharge directly to the bilge. I hated a wet bilge, so I installed this instead.

If you want to piece it together for a discount, the main part of the kit is -

Dema #204C venturi injectori

I bought a cheap inline filter for the pan line and some hose and you're off to the races.
 
douglee25 said:
Something else to consider is installing a Mermaid Condensater in the discharge line.

It effectively keeps the pan dry at all times.

See here - https://fmmsusa.com/marine-division/accessories/mermaid-condensator/

I actually put together my own kit and it works beautifully. They use those devices as soap injectors on commercial car washes. On my boat they had a stupid design from the factory where condensate would discharge directly to the bilge. I hated a wet bilge, so I installed this instead.

If you want to piece it together for a discount, the main part of the kit is -

Dema #204C venturi injectori

I bought a cheap inline filter for the pan line and some hose and you're off to the races.
Click to expand...
+1 on the Mermaid. I use these on the Portofino A/Cs. Wellcraft was notorious for draining condensate into the bilge.
 
Ordered a CTM and installed it today. Still need to secure it and tidy up my install a bit. Other than being a little louder than my old cruisair, I’m happy so far. Not too worried about the sound since it’s the cockpit ac and we won’t be sleeping with it on. But I am hoping that securing it makes it a little quieter.
 
Shenanigans77 said:
Just installed a 16k ctm from a 12k cruisair. Only used the heat so far but very happy with it. Installed the microair controller even tho the ctm works with most existing thermostats. The microair comes in wifi version for away from the boat control. All in for about 2,700 through citimarine

View attachment 143785 View attachment 143787 View attachment 143788
Click to expand...
I replaced the salon AC thermostat with the same micro air unit you did. I haven’t tried to configure it yet to access it away from the boat. The instructions sounded a bit complex. Where you able to work your way through it ok?
 
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