2005 Marlin A/C questions?

[JoeChatham]

I moved up from a Seafarer to a 2005 Marlin and I have been going through the boat checking and fixing anything that needs attention. The boat has only 100 hours on it. I ran the a/c and it did not feel very cold. It was cooler than the ambient air temp, but not great. It was same with the heat. Thought that it might just need a charge. I have taken the aft cabin access panel off and thought I would find the a/c unit there, but it's not. My next guess is that the refrigerator has to come out to get at it. Am I getting warm???? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you

 

[gerrys]

I believe the access to the ac is through a panel on the starbord side of the mid-berth.

 

[dgreen1069]

You are correct. The main A/C unit sits behind the refrigerator. It's easy enough to move the refrigerator, but I wouldn't want to have to do any serious work to the A/C. The water pump is accessed through an inspection cover on the port side of the stern. Is your A/C pumping water OK? I just bought my Marlin and found my A/C to be air locked. I primed the system and got everything working just fine.

 

[ahill]

Could be a number of things.
If the water flow out is slow you made need to descale the unit. Relatively simple but the access is tuff.

 

[JoeChatham]

Thanks for your all your input.

It was pumping water just fine and I think it might be air locked now, since I drained the strainer, trying to figure out how to clean it.

I ran it before and after I drained the strainer. The unit went in to a/c mode before, but was not that cold. After I drained it, it would only go in to fan and heat modes. Then only fan mode. I had read about the possibilty of it being air locked and have not tried priming the unit. I did notice that it had stopped pumping and that is likely why it would only run in fan mode.

I have charged a/c units on autos and trucks and thought the procedure should be the same. Plan on calling the manfacturer of the a/c unit tomorrow for tech help and or service manual.

 

[HDGWJOE]

Joe... I have a 2005 marlin also. The easiest way I have found to prime/remove air locks is to get your head and arms into the access door and remove the a/c water supply line on the output side of the a/c water pump. Then slowly open the raw water inlet... when water starts to come out of the pump close the raw water valve and reinstall the water line... you should now be OK... works every tim for me and only takes a couple of minutes. My A'c never cools the boat as much as I would like... I think two problems exist... unit may be undersized and I have a feeling the thermostat sensor is somewhere near the floor or no more than 3 or 4 feet off the floor...which is the WRONG place for it to be. I never seem to have the time to locate it. Also... I attached and length of dryer vent hose to the mid-berth a/c vent and zip tied it to the cabin stair support pointing into the main cabin area... that made a huge difference. Good luck.

 

[Gary M]

I had a worn out fan motor and that meant less airflow through the coil (under the steps) so it kept freezing up. We had to pull the whole AC out from the fridge opening but a new fan did the trick.

The temp sensor should be a tiny hole on the very bottom of the AC control panel in the cabin.

If you closed the seacock to check the screen, could you have left it closed?

We took the blue canvas hatch cover and had a cream colored, vinyl one sewn on over it and that cuts down on the heat coming through there. Also, snap on your bow seat cushions as they will help too!

We spend a lot of nights aboard in the Bahamas so we invested ($500 or so) in a custom made, Bow Bimini that takes about 2 minutes to put up. Lowers the afternoon temps inside by about 5-6 degrees...... just enough to make a nice difference! The straps are quick disconnect with long straps so if we ever get a bigger boat, it will probably work on that one as well.

Over in Bimini last September with outside air temps of about 90..........

 

[gradydriver]

Gary M...very neat idea....looks cool and is cool..... :goodjob

 

[Gary M]

Gary M...very neat idea....looks cool and is cool..... :goodjob

I love everything about this Bimini..........except the price as I was hoping to get something made for about half that price. But, when we stay aboard in the Bahamas versus paying for a slip (anyway) and then paying for a room for $125-$150 a night...... the savings will sort of justify it. Plus, if it goes on to the next boat...... that helps as well......

 

[Hookster57]

I'm trouble shooting my Marlins AC system too. The water pump seems to pushing enough water and the fan spins. But the compressor is humming and doesn't seem to be running. The tech guys says to replace it, but I'm wondering if it's worth adding some freon. Opinions?

 

[Gary M]

That sounds about like your last resort. You might also call the AC manufacturer and see if they have any Tech people that you can talk to.

When running, my discharge cooling water spews out a very solid stream of water about two feet out from the hull at the waterline.... just an FYI

 

[ahill]

If you trailer or the boat was out of the water before you bought it the water in the ac & head&holding tank drains out causing a reprime condition.
When trailering my Sailfish I found that closing the seacocks before haulout stopped the reprime problem.

 

[Hookster57]

Thanks, can I assume if the water is spraying out about a foot that I don't have a priming problem?

 

[el jefe]

If you are getting a foot long stream of water you are in good shape.