Francois said:

Hi Steve,

Does the Smart start device work with newer turbo 240v units ? 50 or 60 hz?

I was said that:

"Not recommended for 240v 50 Hz

Only recommended for hard starting older units."

 

Do you confirm?

What are the benefits for 240v units?

 

regards,

Francois

 

Here are the specs for the available SmartStarts:

Technical Specifications for SmartStart™
Model
Voltage (volts) /
Frequency (Hz)
Supported Compressor
Capacity Range (BTUs)
4220040 115/60 5K–18K
4220043 208–240/50–60 12K–30K
4220044 208–240/50–60 36K–60K
SmartStart™
 Accessories
4220045 Optional Mounting Tray
Notes:
• Maximum continuous current for all models: 32 Amps.
• Typical start surge reduction as compared to compressor locked-rotor amperage (LRA): 65

Hope that helps...Maybe they don't make one for straight 50Hz equipment yet...

The 50/60 Hz equipment that we use here in the US will run on 50 Hz, but at a 17% reduction of capacity.

If you want full capacity on 220 volt 50Hz power you must order the unit for that.

Steve~

Post edited 7:34 am – May 17, 2011 by Steve Pooler

The amp draw reduction is 65% of normal starting amperage (and each unit will differ) without SmartStart…Lock Rotor is the amperage the compressor would draw if "Locked" – Stuck or Seized…

Francois~

You have not said where you are located, or what the power supply is where you are, so I can't really answer with a recommendation….I can offer this Field Notice about compressor voltage in the below link.

http://dometic.com/FileOrganiz…..ltages.pdf 

Steve~

Post edited 10:36 am – May 18, 2011 by Steve Pooler

Thank You Francois…It really helps to know what you have, and what you are trying to accomplish~

Yes, I have seen it done, and have done it myself..But not so much with Solar Panels as a main charging source…

A 12 or 16K unit, Starting (with SmartStart) and running on that inverter should not be a problem…I have started & run a older 16K unit (draws more amperage than today's Turbo units) with a standard start capacitor/relay (not a SmartStart which is much more effective) on a 2000 watt Heart inverter (but also with no other loads on the inverter at the time)

But…Running for long enough to cool the cabin intended to a comfortable temp/humidity level on 600 Ah of batteries might be an issue, even with Solar Power backing it up.

Most battery manufactures don''t recommend discharging batteries below 50% charge state…So that really only gives you around 300 Ah to work with, and likely less depending on the bank's charge state when you start the A/C… 

We need some more info to do some basic calculations…(And maybe you have already done this?)

• Is the battery bank that supplies the inverter configured as 12 or 24 volt ? (what feeds the inverter)
• What is the power that the inverter outputs 115 or 2?? volt…50 or 60 Hz ? (I know what you said for power grid but )
• What is the square footage of the cabin to be cooled, and is there a lot of window area ?
• What cabin temp would you likely feel the need to start the A/C ?
• What cabin temp would you like to maintain ? (This & above 2 will relate to how much/long the A/C will run)
• Would there be any other loads on the inverter besides A/C during it's operation time ?

The other question is will there be enough sunlight left in the day after A/C shutdown to bring that bank back up to full charge before the next day's usage ?…You have stated your charge rate (1200 watts nominal) but the other figures above, along with hours of sunlight left in the day will help us guesstimate the answer…

Lastly…Do you have a US address that I could ship to if we end up doing some business ? (My distributor will not ship to addresses out of the 48 states)

Though not as Beautiful as Tahiti I'm Sure…Regards from Sunny St. Petersburg Fl.  

Steve~

Seems like you have done your homework Francois  

Just a few things:

Hope you are not planning on installing this Turbo self contained unit in an engine room ?

Or were you considering a split system ? (you mentioned you now have a split system)

My figures on power usage are a bit lower on the Turbo than what you quote, but they are not with the pump added…

The 12K 230 volt unit is not available with SmartStart installed from the factory (only the 115 volt 16K unit shows pricing)

Apparently they don't feel it's needed on the 230 volt units, or smaller than 16K 115 volt units, but in your application I do feel it would be a plus. 

The SmartStart can be ordered & added at the time of install ($450 added to price)

I would recommend that you stay with the 230 volt 60Hz output of the inverter and go with the 230 volt 50/60 Hz unit.

You might also consider…The extra 4K Btu of a 16K unit may help with pull down time and shorter run cycles to reduce overall power usage even though it draws slightly more power…It's not much more money for the unit, But the 16K unit will require larger duct than the 12K unit (7" for the 16K vs 6" for the 12K)…The 16 will also require the next larger size pump 250 GPH for the 12K…500 GPH for the 16K…The larger pump will draw .5 amps more…My slide rule Btu calculator shows you needing 16K for 110 square ft of "Above Deck" cabin…

Do you have a preference on brand…Marine Air or Cruisair ?

The only difference is in the board that is installed on the unit at the factory for the control (keypad/display) brand…Cruisair & Marine Air controls differ in operation & programming, but the actual units are identical otherwise & built in the same plant with the same parts…

Here are the Cruisair controls available: http://www.dometic.com/enus/Am…..red-Water/

Here are the Marine Air controls: http://www.dometic.com/enus/Am…../Controls/

The Marine Air Passport I/O & Cruisair Q3 are the cheapest options…

Steve~

Post edited 12:12 pm – May 21, 2011 by Steve Pooler

Francois said:

Dear Steve,

I looked at the Emerald EQ16 condenser which draws only 4.3 amps at 230v/60hz ! It's even less than the vector unit (5.1)!

It might be a better option for me. I could connect 2 evaporators/blowers units , one at each side of the galley to have a better distribtution in cabins located below, in each hull. Is it possible?

Tell me if it's better to have 2 separate evaporators or a single one with multiple air ducts.

I didn't find the evaporator that could match with the EQ 16 unit.

Also how can you explain the amp draw difference between EQ and Vector units for same capacity ? Are the compressor or heat exchanger differents?

regards,

François.

Francois~

I wouldn't get too excited about the lower amp draw of a Emerald series condensing unit…Remember the blower amperage is not figured into that spec.

Also if you use 2 air handlers (which is good) you need to figure that second blower amperage, and they need to match total Btu of the condensing unit…So you would either need two 8K's…a 10 and a 6K…or even a 12 & a 4K…

The Emerald series TurboVaps are so new…I guess they have not posted them on the site yet but here is PDF lit.

http://dometic.com/5c2f6f9d-19…..e1de.fodoc

Might also look at stepping up to a 20 or 24K condensing unit (with SmartStart added of course)…Then you could have two 10 or 12K air handlers…

Here is the specs on the Multi Ton condensing units…A 45' Cat can be a lot of boat to cool…

http://dometic.com/10e6aa31-0d…..60f3.fodoc 

Just providing options & specs so that you can figure your loads…

Before we get excited here…Please See page 2…

Steve~