Portable AC ?

[DBG8492]

When I bought Phelps, there was a huge unit between the lower helm wheel and seat. PO had a panel fit in the stbd door opening. Never tried it, damn thing was so heavy and bulky it would have saved the Titanic if thrown overboard.

I just glanced over there and that spot would be perfect for a window unit on my boat. I wonder if that crawl space would be enough for the outside coils and condenser to stay cool and dump heat...drill a hole and run a drain to the bilge...

Doesn't matter - that's where the damn inverter/charger is and I can't move it.

So I will stick with the aft companionway, for now, I suppose.

 

[PhilPB]

Being the OP, I'm still on the fence as to what I will do. On the boat now it's only 88°f and cloudy. I put the ac on and left the boat for about an hour and a half. It's sort of comfortable, but definitely not very cool inside. That being said, marginal is still better than bad.

 

[SIBERNUT]

I still have the expanding panel the PO used in the slide door at the lower helm, has a nice 6" opening in it etc. Free for the asking (and shpg...)

 

[PhilPB]

I still have the expanding panel the PO used in the slide door at the lower helm, has a nice 6" opening in it etc. Free for the asking (and shpg...)

Thanks for the offer. I was figuring if I were to install a unit, I would probably put the vent hoses through the wall , into the cabinet in the cockpit so they would be semi permanent. That modification would be easy as I redid the cabin walls and know what's behind them. I now have to determine if spending $500-600 installing a permanent/portable unit is better than ~$2500 for a new 16000 btu marine unit.

 

[PhilPB]

I still have the expanding panel the PO used in the slide door at the lower helm, has a nice 6" opening in it etc. Free for the asking (and shpg...)

Thanks for the offer. I was figuring if I were to install a unit, I would probably put the vent hoses through the wall , into the cabinet in the cockpit so they would be semi permanent. That modification would be easy as I redid the cabin walls and know what's behind them. I now have to determine if spending $500-600 installing a permanent/portable unit is better than ~$2500 for a new 16000 btu marine unit to replace my marginal one. Still not sure if I do go the marine unit route, will it work any better than my current one

 

[PhilPB]

I speak from experience.


I tried a Haier single hose 12K unit on my boat. Useless.

It did remove humidity but never did drop a single unit of temp after running all day. It was 90 degrees. But eventually it was a dry heat.



Works well at home as a backup for window units. Works very well in conjunction with a window unit in another room. Everything about a portable works better at home. Even so the dual hose models still excell.



FYI just today I finished installing a Wabasto 16K marine unit on the boat. Installation was a real trial but I took my time and enjoyed the challenge. Expensive. Even doing it yourself. But it pulled the temp from 88 degrees to 73 in no time. Quiet.

Glad that's over.

Is the 16k Wabasto the only unit on the boat now? I did see them online. If I were to replace my current unit, installation shouldn't be too painful.

 

[DBG8492]

Being the OP, I'm still on the fence as to what I will do. On the boat now it's only 88°f and cloudy. I put the ac on and left the boat for about an hour and a half. It's sort of comfortable, but definitely not very cool inside. That being said, marginal is still better than bad.

I attached a couple of pics for reference.

The first is the temp of the salon table where I work, about a yard away from the portable AC, and the second is the temp at the window, about 16 inches from me in the salon. The BEST thing I can say about the portables is they do pull the humidity down from 75% to about 50% - which is good.

Also, my old-ass Dometic 12v fridge is reading 104 at the upper exhaust port. Inside the freezer it is 17 and inside the fridge is 45. If I lower the thermostat so the freezer only goes to 29 or 30, the fridge will be over 60 - and that won't work.

In the lower berth, there's another portable unit and the temp on the bed is 85.

Like I said before - these are ALL I have right now - my onboard air is red-tagged. For supplementing an onboard system, if you have the room, a portable may be the way to go. Or an 8-10K BTU 115v mini-split if you're doing a more permanent installation. Some of those are only a few hundred more than a really good portable (I paid $550 for the one in the salon) and you can hide the outside unit in a vented deck box.

I was considering adding a ducted mini split using the existing ductwork, but they only come in 220v.

 

[Larry M]

Can you put your existing ac on a remote or programmable thermostat/switch/timer? That would give the boat time, before you arrive, to get rid of the heat soaked thermal mass you're cooling down. With the furniture, inside walls, etc, at outside temperatures, until you remove the heat, it’s going to take awhile to get thing’s comfortable.

 

[PhilPB]

Can you put your existing ac on a remote or programmable thermostat/switch/timer? That would give the boat time, before you arrive, to get rid of the heat soaked thermal mass you're cooling down. With the furniture, inside walls, etc, at outside temperatures, until you remove the heat, it’s going to take awhile to get thing’s comfortable.

I wish. Problem is my system is from the Stone Age!

 

[Larry M]

If you loose power, do you have to manually reset the ac or does it restart at the set temperature on its own? If it restarts, there are remote wifi switches that can turn on the power to the ac. The switches do need to be rated for your ac. It would be cheaper but not usually a DIY.

I feel your pain. It’s 95 out side right now in North Florida.

 

[twistedtree]

I think the reason you don't see these on boats is because heat rejection to sea water is more efficient that heat rejection to outside air. In a vehicle or home you don't have a ready source of water, so have no choice but to use air. But when available, like on a boat, the water temp is almost always cooler than the ambient air, and the heat carrying capacity of water is enormously higher than air, so the heat can more efficiently be rejected into sea water.

 

[PhilPB]

If you loose power, do you have to manually reset the ac or does it restart at the set temperature on its own? If it restarts, there are remote wifi switches that can turn on the power to the ac. The switches do need to be rated for your ac. It would be cheaper but not usually a DIY.

I feel your pain. It’s 95 out side right now in North Florida.

If the power goes down the only setting that is lost is the temp, which defaults to 72° on restart. I don't get to the boat every day and not really comfortable having the system running all the time in case of a leak. There are more than a few boats around me that run the ac 24/7 and they are rarely on them. I'm just not comfortable taking the risk.

I understand keeping humidity down but that's why I have a dehumidifier on all the time. That I have plumbed into sink drain and if it backs up it has a shutoff.

 

[alormaria]

Is the 16k Wabasto the only unit on the boat now? I did see them online. If I were to replace my current unit, installation shouldn't be too painful.

Yes. Mine was painful because the entire installation was starting from scratch. You have all that in place. Just review it as the others have said. The blower unit on most of the new models can be rotated 360 degrees. When you read the installation instructions it's easy-peasy. All of your plumbing, piping, ducting, wire runs, electrical hookups and thru hulls are already in place. You just need to sign the check.

 

[PhilPB]

Yes. Mine was painful because the entire installation was starting from scratch. You have all that in place. Just review it as the others have said. The blower unit on most of the new models can be rotated 360 degrees. When you read the installation instructions it's easy-peasy. All of your plumbing, piping, ducting, wire runs, electrical hookups and thru hulls are already in place. You just need to sign the check.

Al, Did you get the Platinum or Classic series?

 

[OldDan1943]

90+F outside and my roomie is complaining that 78F inside is too cold so, she puts on a sweater. LOL
Biggest improvement when I took the box plenum out and put in a Y with an adjustable flapper to force more air into the fwd stateroom.

 

[PhilPB]

90+F outside and my roomie is complaining that 78F inside is too cold so, she puts on a sweater. LOL
Biggest improvement when I took the box plenum out and put in a Y with an adjustable flapper to force more air into the fwd stateroom.

I've thought about doing exactly what you did with the plenum.

 

[Hyperion]

I have a window unit in my salon that runs 24/7. I made a custom little frame and shelf for it that mounts nicely on the open window. I do not, however, cruise with it. It is to keep the boat cool and dry while in it's slip but I remove it and stow it in the dock box when we head out for more than a short outing. It is a 12000 btu in a Grand Banks 42 and it keeps the inside, in Florida, at about 76 deg in the salon and about 82 Deg in the cabins. The boat is also kept at about 50 - 60% humidity. Now, my old GB is completely insulated and the windows are covered so YMMV.

 

[Turtle Blues]

Was in a used marine parts store yesterday. They had 6 of the old Cruiseair CarryOn 6k btu through the hatch units on the shelf. Quick internet search shows Pompanette now makes one. Trouble is how many boats have large deck hatches anymore? If you do they work great. Puts the ac inside and noise outside,

 

[ranger58sb]

I wish. Problem is my system is from the Stone Age!

You'd likely find new units are more efficient, enough to be noticeable compared to older units of the same size.

And if you have space and your ductwork is sufficient, you might be able to upsize a bit too.

(And then multiple units can help manage temps in various parts of the boat.)

Window tinting can help; we had a 3M IR/UV-reducing product installed on our front windshield glass, wasn't really all that expensive and it didn't much change the view out the window. (Not real dark like privacy tinting.) IIRC it was something like a 15°F temp reduction on the surface just below those windows.

A mesh windshield cover can help. We add that in July and August.

Believe I'd try all that before cluttering up there area with a portable, or before cluttering up the vie with window units.

-Chris

 

[OldDan1943]

I am in favor of REPLACING the units with new units. That way you dont have ‘flying object’ in heavy weather and the boat will look nicer too.

 

[PhilPB]

The windows are privacy tinted and have room darkening shades. We also have the mesh windshield screen. We do take it out at least once a week so external units would not work well for us. I think I may have exhausted my options enough to seriously consider installing a newer and higher btu unit. Easiest way would be to swap out the current unit but I hate replacing something that still has some life left in it. Also we face south in our slip so we get a lot of sun

 

[OldDan1943]

Window tinting: remember at night when the lights are on, people can see in so, wear a shirt and pants. SMIRK

 

[PhilPB]

Window tinting: remember at night when the lights are on, people can see in so, wear a shirt and pants. SMIRK

Oops!

 

[Turtle Blues]

I don't think you will ever regret replacing the unit. All the brand name 16k units are close in performance (you can't change physics) and the footprints are pretty close. I know that Dometic has 1 18k unit that is still 120vac. anything larger and you will need to go to 230v.
Another thought if you are at the point of buying, would be adding a 2nd independent unit for the stateroom. I use a 12k that has a 2nd duct to divert to the salon when desired. This last month dockside the stateroom stayed at 68f (necessary for health issues) and the 16k in the salon maintained 74f all day. Power bill for that was $120.

 

[slowgoesit]

I hate replacing something that still has some life left in it.

Phil, our boat came with two old cruisaire units. The worked. . . . but for how much longer. We replaced them with brand new units, so we know what we are starting from, they are quieter and more efficient. We've tried to "baseline" a lot of equipment on the boat, desiring to benefit and enjoy the new equipment, rather than have to replace just prior to sale, so the NEXT guy can enjoy them!

 

[PhilPB]

Phil, our boat came with two old cruisaire units. The worked. . . . but for how much longer. We replaced them with brand new units, so we know what we are starting from, they are quieter and more efficient. We've tried to "baseline" a lot of equipment on the boat, desiring to benefit and enjoy the new equipment, rather than have to replace just prior to sale, so the NEXT guy can enjoy them!

We would definitely get much more use, and trips, if the ac was working well. I have been looking and have found a local dealer for Wabasto and they do service as well if needed. I like that they have a 2 year warranty and am leaning towards the FCF Platinum 16000 btu unit. After I decide to pull the trigger and buy a unit, the next decision I need to make is should I only have one unit for the whole boat or leave the current unit as a primary for the stateroom and have the other for the rest of the area.
I think my goal in life is to make any project more difficult, just because. My project to just install a new head turned into entirely new potable and non potable water systems, including new tanks, water lines and hoses, new water manifold with 5 valves and another 4 throughout the boat, hot water heater, shower sump, etc.

 

[alormaria]

Al, Did you get the Platinum or Classic series?

Classic. On clearance sale.

 

[alormaria]

We would definitely get much more use, and trips, if the ac was working well. I have been looking and have found a local dealer for Wabasto and they do service as well if needed. I like that they have a 2 year warranty and am leaning towards the FCF Platinum 16000 btu unit. After I decide to pull the trigger and buy a unit, the next decision I need to make is should I only have one unit for the whole boat or leave the current unit as a primary for the stateroom and have the other for the rest of the area.
I think my goal in life is to make any project more difficult, just because. My project to just install a new head turned into entirely new potable and non potable water systems, including new tanks, water lines and hoses, new water manifold with 5 valves and another 4 throughout the boat, hot water heater, shower sump, etc.

If you like over complicating things you'll love marine A/C installation.

 

[ranger58sb]

The windows are privacy tinted and have room darkening shades.

You might check that tinting. Our boat came to us with "privacy" tinting that didn't do squat for IR/UV/temp reduction. When we changed to a product more appropriate for heat reduction, we got better results... and lost the dark, gloomy (purple) interior the earlier stuff caused.

-Chris

 

[PhilPB]

Classic. On clearance sale.

Gotta love a sale!