Stephen M said:

Steve,

Thanks for your further good advice. The hoses are too difficult to remove from the boat so how should I go about giving them an acid wash in situ?

I cleaned the strainer when I bought the boat 2 months ago, but didn't see any barnacles.

I'll be removing the pump this week to get the impeller replaced and have the motor tested. I agree that the hoses will have to be acid washed, some how!

Kind regards, Stephen M.

Not a problem Stephen~

We have many posts on pump & hose maintenance right here on the forum…Check out this link & read thru… http://marine-ac.com/forum/maintenance/ 

It may be something that you would hire done…It's not safe, or easy to do & every boat is different, so it might be hard for me to explain the exact procedure here…You will need a pump & bucket for the acid…

After reading the posts in the link and if you have specific questions please come back & ask…

Steve~

Post edited 11:41 am – November 29, 2009 by Steve Pooler

Stephen M said:

Whilst re-installing the water pump I took the opportunity to install a gate valve in the hose to the lower aircon units, incase I ever need to restrict water to these units whilst increasing the flow of water to the upper units. I'm thinking that on a very hot day (over 40 degrees C)when only using the salon/upper aircon units, to maximise water flow to these two units I can now partially restrict water flow via the gate valve to the two aircon units not being used and consequently force more water to the two units being used. What is you view on this Steve?

This weekend was warm and sunny and we were pleased to have the aircon units finely working. The moral of the story is as always, check the basic things first, like "is it switched on?", "is the inlet blocked!" Thank you for your support again. I learned a lot from you and from the whole incident!

Kind regards, Stephen M.

Hi Stephen…Really glad you found the issue !!!

I always check the thru hull first…Why didn't I ask you if you had ?…I guess since you said you just purchased the boat ?

Anyway…Yes…Always check the Simple things (thru hull) first…The way I do it is with the strainer top off when I check/clean the strainer…Then open the valve & let water run out the top…You will get used to how much should normally be exiting…If it seems less than normal, then you know what to do….Sometimes it can be cleared from inside by removing that hose between the strainer & thru hull completely (did you check it as well for growth inside ?) & poking out the thru hull with a long screwdriver if the water is a bit chilly, or dark to dive overboard.

As I have said before…I'm not fond of restricting flow in any way To, or From, those pumps…It causes cavitation & wear of the housing & impeller…

That installation really needs two pumps, thru hulls, & strainers…It would solve a lot of maintenance & flow problems…It  would improve the "while away" situation by only running water thru 2 units instead of 4 for humidity removal (thus reducing growth in the other 2)…Plus provide a redundant system so that the whole boat is not hot (with all A/C down) when the engine room is too hot to work in (during or just after a cruise)

No one wants to mess around down there after a long day of enjoyment…They usually want to cool off, get a drink, a meal & some rest…Then attack the problem in the morning (or later) after everything has cooled down a bit…  

Thanks for the report and resolution…

Steve~