Air conditioning

[Larry Rovin]

We are thinking of adding shorepower-only AC to our P-40, Whisper. I would like to get feedback for those who have done this on equipment, installation location and how much storage space is lost.

 

 

Larry Rovin

[RHPeahl]

On Anthem (P40),

We installed a 18,000 BTU Flagship Marine (18FMR) unit under the galley sink.  It has been a great unit.

We chose this location because -

1. The area is large enough to handle the unit plus the plenum and ductwork.  The ducts run inside the port cabinetry all the way to the v-berth.  We did not duct the rear stateroom, but a vent at the base of the galley aimed that direction handles that room nicely.

2. We used the thru-hull for the galley raw water faucet, which we never used.  The service pump is installed below the mid-ship galley drawers.  The cooling water discharge vented loop and thru hull share the cabinet for the port engine exhaust.

3. The grill on the cabinet door works as a return.  The unit (just) fits through the door.

4. Wiring, plumbing and duct work is not complicated to install (removing the sink isn’t necessary, but helps) and maintain.  

We considered locating the unit in the v-berth, but this would require long plumbing and wire runs, add noise to the bunk and require modifying a bulk head to provide an air return.  We also considered installing in settees, but that would require the bulkhead modification plus shrinking a water tank.  The galley provided the most straightforward install without making major modifications to the interior.

You do lose the storage beneath the shelf, but we’ve found plenty of alternative storage sites for the cleaning supplies that used to be there.  We also purchased the electric heating element, which allows us to winterize the AC, while still having heat either in the water or on the hard.   We installed a second 30AMP circuit that is dedicated to the AC system to avoid overloading the house circuit.  This has been a very reliable system. 

Bob Peahl

On Oct 28, 2017, at 9:59 AM, Larry Rovin <lro...@crudenbaypartners.com> wrote:

We are thinking of adding shorepower-only AC to our P-40, Whisper. I would like to get feedback for those who have done this on equipment, installation location and how much storage space is lost.

 

 

Larry Rovin

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[Bill Schmidt]

Larry, while in Mexico we had an urgent need for air conditioning on Wind Witch. We solved that problem by going to a local store and buying a small window unit. I then fashioned a companionway hatch board with a cutout in it, placed the unit in the cutout and plugged it in.Done.Cool.

Billy Manana

On 10/28/2017 6:59 AM, Larry Rovin wrote:

We are thinking of adding shorepower-only AC to our P-40, Whisper. I would like to get feedback for those who have done this on equipment, installation location and how much storage space is lost.

 

 

Larry Rovin

--

[Jim Melton]

Larry,

When I purchased Dream SeQueL, it already had air-conditioning installed. However, it was kind of on its last legs, so I replaced it.

The unit is installed beneath our pullman berth alongside the hull and has two vents, one into the forward port corner of the saloon and the other into the locker beneath the pullman berth.  Modern units are reasonably compact (perhaps 2 cu ft?) and come completely self-contained (except for the raw water pump) on a single chassis.

I have had some occasional problems with the raw water feed line getting plugged up with grasses, but a bronze strainer on the outside of the hull seems to have put a stop to that.

Hope this helps,
   Jim

On 2017-10-28 07:59, Larry Rovin wrote:

We are thinking of adding shorepower-only AC to our P-40, Whisper. I would like to get feedback for those who have done this on equipment, installation location and how much storage space is lost.

 

 

Larry Rovin

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[Chris - Pelican]

I know this thread i a bit old but figured I'd add my two cents.

I have heat issues so before we moved aboard our P40 and headed south I wanted the option, if overheated, to have AC. We installed a 5KW Northern Lights genset where the propane tanks were and moved the propane tanks to the starboard side.

The 16k Cruisair (now Dometic) unit was installed under our V-Berth. We installed three vents. One vent - the easiest - is in the V-Berth on the port side in the "headwall". Basically, the massive vent hose went from under the v-berth into the holding tank space, pulled a u-turn and shoots out from that wall. The second vent is in the main cabin area next to the closet. The hose for this goes from under the v-berth, through the bottom step of the v-berth, up a little to under the cabinet with the drawers, through the bottom of the v-berth closet, through the bottom of the storage cabinet on the other side of the bulkhead and then up through the cabinet next to that. This hose has a Y right there that then continues in the cabinets behind the starboard side settee, along the side of the nav station, into the bottom of the aft cabin closet, into the area under the aft sink and vents there. Airflow here is not awesome but at least gives a little. We put in a new through hull in the next area forward of where the engine through hull is, and we put a new above the waterline through hull in on the port side under the v-berth for the exit water.

The plus... air conditioning at marinas and on the hook when it's raining and hot out. Now that we're not living aboard and are back in the northeast, heat (although we also have a diesel forced air system). Also, putting the AC under the v-berth has worked out well because the storage isn't as easy to get to anyway. In other words, if we put it somewhere easy to get to we're giving up more valuable storage space.

The minuses.. loss of lots of storage space. Those vent tubes are either 5" or 6" in diameter so we've lost a ton of storage space. However, even when we lived aboard as a family of 4 we were OK. Most of the runs are at the bottoms of cabinets and such so they don't block access. A single 16k unit will not cool the entire boat to a seriously cold temp like 70 or 72 when it's hot and humid out. However, with closing vents, we're able to cool the areas we're occupying down to 72-75.

Note that there are econo air conditioners and good air conditioners on the market. I would NOT recommend the Dometic EnviroComfort units as they are made cheaply. I WOULD recommend the Dometic DTU16. Webasto supposedly has a 24,000BTU all-in-one unit. I wonder if that would work better.

Chris

s/v/ Pelican