Air Conditioning Strainer Install (Before/After Pics)

[epiic]

For whatever reason (probably to save money) Jeanneau installed a tiny bronze strainer for the 24,000BTU air conditioning system.

Not only did I feel it was undersized, but I had no way of knowing if its clogged unless I opened it.

I searched for a plastic solution because I will be spending most my time in saltwater. I decided on the Groco WSB-1000-P pump inlet strainer and it fit my space perfectly.

[delmarrey]

Food for thought!

Nice job, but! Being plastic is fine a dandy when new but remember this is below the waterline. I would not leave the thruhull valve open if you are away from the boat for very long, especially after it gets a couple years on it.

FYI plastic thruhull valves are FG reinforced, strainers are not.

[epiic]

Originally Posted by delmarrey

Food for thought!

Nice job, but! Being plastic is fine a dandy when new but remember this is below the waterline. I would not leave the thruhull valve open if you are away from the boat for very long, especially after it gets a couple years on it.

FYI plastic thruhull valves are FG reinforced, strainers are not.

Thanks for the feedback. Quick questions:

1. What will fail after a few years of use?
2. Why does it need to be FG reinforced?
3. How much pressure do you think is going through this strainer?

[delmarrey]

Failures can be in any plastic fitting over time especially at the threads. Strainers are well built but they are still non reinforced. The thing to be carful of is objects rolling around in the area. The o-ring needs to be in good shape and don't tighten it too tight. Carry a spare o-ring and a lubricant.

The pressure is less then 15 psi but it's under suction (vacuum) while in use. One problem you mayhave is air and getting it out. If it doesn't come out when you turn on the pump, you'll need a bleed valve some where. Air in the system will cause poor to no performance.

[epiic]

Originally Posted by delmarrey

One problem you mayhave is air and getting it out. If it doesn't come out when you turn on the pump, you'll need a bleed valve some where. Air in the system will cause poor to no performance.

Yes, this is something I am expecting to address in the near future.

I haven't been able to test it yet because my boat is out of the water but I do expect to have air trapped in the strainer every time I take it apart to clean.

I am planing to drill/tap for a 1/4" NPT stainless bleeder valve.

[pesarsten]

All injection molded parts have a " knit line " where the injected plastic material flows around the mold and the molten material fuses together. Sometimes you can find it if you look carefully for it. This area has internal stress in the material. Failures can occur for many reasons, one of the most common is the use of incompatible thread sealants. Typically the plastic, pvc, abs, or polystyrene is attacked at a molecular level resulting in stress crack failure, commonly at the weakest area, the knit line. Use proper sealant, don't overtighten and shut off the thru hull when off the boat.

[a64pilot]

Plastic, in this case it appears to be PVC, gets brittle as it ages. A plastic component that can sink the boat if it fails maybe ought to be avoided.
Yeah, I know the hull is plastic, but it is fiberglass reinforced plastic.

I noticed it looks like in your before that the factory has PVC in the outlet of the pump?

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by epiic

Yes, this is something I am expecting to address in the near future.

I haven't been able to test it yet because my boat is out of the water but I do expect to have air trapped in the strainer every time I take it apart to clean.

I am planing to drill/tap for a 1/4" NPT stainless bleeder valve.

Personally I would not drill/tap the plastic. It's not thick enough to get a good tight thread (1/4" thick min.)


I would suggest first putting a rise in the hose leading away from the strainer and splicing in a Bronze T fitting at the top of the loop. A fitting like what is used in commercial water lines to bleed out the air.

So after cleaning the strainer and recapping, you open the bleeder valve, then open the thruhull, which will force the air out the bleeder. When all the air (99%) is extracted then close the bleeder valve. You're ready to go.

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Plastic, in this case it appears to be PVC, gets brittle as it ages. A plastic component that can sink the boat if it fails maybe ought to be avoided.
Yeah, I know the hull is plastic, but it is fiberglass reinforced plastic.

I noticed it looks like in your before that the factory has PVC in the outlet of the pump?

The pump itself looks to be nylon and the Y fitting at the end of the pump looks to be a special casting just for that setup, which the manufacturer (should) takes responsibility.

[HopCar]

I like the installation. As delmarrey pointed out, the plastic strainer is vulnerable to impact damage, but it's pretty strong. I've used one of those strainers on my air conditioner intake for more than ten years with no problem.

Keep an eye on the thru-hull and ball valve. They look like those damn Euro 5 year brass fittings. If you have to replace it at some point, put in a real bronze flanged seacock.

[HopCar]

The pump is a March AC-5C-MD. The pump head is nylon and I've never heard of a catastrophic failure. You'd have to whack it pretty hard to break it. It's a very common air conditioner pump.

[Cheechako]

You went from bronze to plastic for a perceived problem? My one boat with AC would shut off if the flow wasnt enough, maybe Jeanneau figured that would tell you if it was clogged...?

[Mango51]

I'm not sure but their is two version of that strainer. One with a stainless steel mesh and one with a plastic mesh. I tried buying the plastic one being that I can't ground the metal mesh. They told me the plastic mesh is for fresh water only. The stainless steel is much finer. Also within in one month using the Ac 12 hour a day. The barnicales caught by the strainer grew so big that cracked the stainless steel mesh. Scary.

[Dave22q]

I join with those who think you solved a non problem in an elegant manner. If blockage becomes substantial my Cruiseair will shut down and display an overheating code. However, as there is a lot of slime in the local marina water and restricted flow can cause problems in the future so I regularly remove and clean the strainer once or twice a month. It takes about 10 minutes.
I also question whether you can see anything through the plastic once any slime accumulates but your installation looks great! By the way, a tip an old pro gave me, put a small piece of copper tube in the strainer to kill barnacles and such.

[Mango51]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

You went from bronze to plastic for a perceived problem? My one boat with AC would shut off if the flow wasnt enough, maybe Jeanneau figured that would tell you if it was clogged...?

Your right mine to shuts of. When clogged. Display shows LOCKED OUT