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Climma AC units won't start.
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Dear Amelians,
While exercising my generator in Shelter Bay I turned on the forward cabin and main saloon AC units to add some load. The system worked fine for several minutes but then both circuit breakers went OFF and the AC units stopped working. Not know if it was simultaneously or within a relatively short sequence. The actual breakers are OK when I isolate them the AC loads fiscally but they still break even when the units are turned to heating or OFF at the unit's control/thermostat My first thought was the raw water pump that is common to all AC units but the pump ran when the aft cabin AC unit was turned ON without activating the DC breakers. Next, I checked the capacitors of the fore cabin system and found two of them (The largest and that next to it) were clearly defective and I proceeded to replace them for equivalent ones that I found in Colon. The rest of the capacitors measured OK. This did not solve the breaker from jumping on that unit and all capacitors of the main saloon unit measured OK capacitances. I checked the cables going from the DC Breaker box to the units and they were OK. Any suggestions short of replacing the units are greatly appreciated. Jose Gabriel Venegas Ipanema SM2K #178 Currently in Cancun |
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Jose, The following applies to many places, all Amels, and certainly when in Shelter Bay: For both to shut down at the same time probably means that there was an interruption to the saltwater supply. Sometimes this happens when something floating below the surface of the water blocks the input on the hull and stays there because of the vacuum caused by the running pump. Plastic is certainly one of the things that will do this. Without saltwater, the Compressor(s) will quickly develop high pressure and the high-pressure sensor shuts down the system including the pump. As soon as the pump shuts down the thing blocking floats away. You should have something like this onboard. The brush attachment is optional. Overall length is limited in all Amel models because of engine room ceiling height. On your SM, the overall length is limited to 98cm. To use this close the main seacock, and remove as much of the seawater as possible by flushing one of your saltwater toilets. Open the seacock and quickly run the PVC (or broom handle) through it several times. Remove thru-brush/close seacock cock (quickly, as the sea chest will fill quickly). I have had the sea chest clogged by fish, jellyfish, plastic, and other things. You need to have a method of pushing the clog out to the sea.  Bill
On Sat, Dec 10, 2022 at 5:23 PM Jose Venegas via groups.io <josegvenegas=icloud.com@groups.io> wrote: Dear Amelians, |
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Bill,
Thank you, that was my first thought and I first went the water pump that I had had rewired six months before in Cartagena. However, the aft cabin AC system and the pump worked flawlessly. Also, last year I thoroughly cleaned the pipes running Barnicle booster in a loop. I had once the occlusion you mention and tried several options, including your system. I ended up solving it by blowing air backward using an electrical air blower I use for inflating the dingy. I opened the strainer and connected a hose to the entrance above the ball valve. Start the pump, open the ball valve, and, ... voila, plastic or whatever it was literally blown away. As for the AC, it may still be the capacitors which I have not completely changed for new ones but I am running out of explanations. Thanks for your thoughts. Jose Gabriel Venegas Ipanema, SM2K #278 |
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