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Old 23-03-2018, 18:47   #1
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Cruisair Showing "HP/--" What does it mean

Hey,
My cruisair stowaway is blinking HP/--, I have been having trouble finding what it means in the manual. The only reference says "High-pressure switch failed open or circuit wires open." Can anyone give me a few more details on what that means and how I could fix it. I have already tried Barnacle Buster. Thanks for any help.
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Old 23-03-2018, 18:54   #2
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Re: Cruisair Showing "HP/--" What does it mean

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Originally Posted by markmccain View Post
Hey,
My cruisair stowaway is blinking HP/--, I have been having trouble finding what it means in the manual. The only reference says "High-pressure switch failed open or circuit wires open." Can anyone give me a few more details on what that means and how I could fix it. I have already tried Barnacle Buster. Thanks for any help.


That means high pressure which is typically a cooling water circuit problem of some type. Some systems will have a manual reset switch .
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Old 23-03-2018, 19:43   #3
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Re: Cruisair Showing "HP/--" What does it mean

on an ac system the HP error is caused by the high refrigerant pressure switch , designed to protect the compressor and refrigerant circuit from over pressure, opening. This shuts down the compressor.
In the refrigerant circuit, the compressor compresses the refrigerant. this concentrates the heat energy in the refrigerant. the hot refrigerant is sent thru a set of coils to remove the heat. In a marine unit the heat is typically transferred to sea water. The loss of heat causes the hot gas refrigerant to condense into liquid at a lower pressure.
The cooled liquid refrigerent then goes thru an expannsion valve where the liquid is transformed into a gas at a much lower temperature.
Warm cabin air then releases its heat to the refrigerant, thus cooling the cabin air, and the warmed refrigerant is returned to the compressor to start the cycle again.
A high pressure error can be a failed expansion valve or, a failure to transfer the heat energy out of the compressed refrigerant gas. IE water flow.

And dont forget the switch itself, they dont like to be used a lot and frequently fail. if its failed, it will be open. try shorting it.
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Old 27-03-2018, 06:01   #4
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Re: Cruisair Showing "HP/--" What does it mean

As others have indicated, it may well be related to cooling water flow. As someone who has found the correct answer often by exhausting all the incorrect ones, I agree and suggest starting with the simple stuff - the stuff that I failed to check initially when I had this problem and turned out to be simple to fix.

Find the cooling water inlet seacock and confirm that it is open (duh).

Check for a cooling water outlet seacock and make sure it is also open (ditto).

Look for water coming out of that through hull (it's usually just above the water line) when you start the AC up - if you don't see a good stream of water then, yes, you have a cooling problem due to lack of water flow.

The inlet side will probably have a strainer on it near the seacock - figure out how to open the strainer (maybe close the seacock first!) and clean it out. I have found that strainer usually has some grass and debris in it but have also found it completely backed up with sludge and other debris, especially after operating the AC in a marina environment.

If you have a clean inlet strainer and still don't get enough flow, find the cooling pump (usually the next thing upstream from the inlet strainer) and see if it's running when you start the AC - it should be obvious. Most of those pumps are very reliable with magnetic impellers and failures are pretty rare but if it's not running, you're not providing cooling to the heat exchanger and it's going to give you that dreaded "HP" message.

If it seems like it's running but you're still not getting a good flow of water, the last test you can try is disconnecting the hose from the output side of that pump and confirming a robust flow of water. If the inlet strainer was blocked with sludge, sometimes it can migrate through the strainer and foul the impeller on the pump. the flow coming from the pump should be quite strong; if it isn't you can try opening it up and cleaning it out.

If you have open seacocks, a clean inlet strainer and a functioning pump and still are not getting water flow your problem is most likely upstream of the pump - a blockage in the circuit and there are no easy fixes for that. You will need to get to the water input and output of the heat exchanger on the cruisair unit and debug from there. FWIW, I have had the "HP" message many times on different units and have never had to go that far to find and fix the problem.

Good hunting!

- Art
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Old 27-03-2018, 10:03   #5
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Re: Cruisair Showing "HP/--" What does it mean

Arts got a really thorough post. I'll also add what happened to me once. A plastic bag floating by got pulled into the thru hull. Marina trash. It took me a while to figure that one out.
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Old 12-06-2018, 13:45   #6
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Re: Cruisair Showing "HP/--" What does it mean

Wow this thread is great.

My sea water cooling pump provides water flow for two Cruisair units. One in the salon and one in the port hull. (Starboard hull is entirely separate system).

Salon display starts up and shows the room temperature, and blows cold air for a brief period of time. Then the display flashes "- -", with no other indication, and the compressor switches off.

Port system blows cold air until the defined temperature is reached. Behaves as expected.

The pump runs fine and is controlled by each of the air systems. If either one needs water cooling the pump will be switched on. I went ahead and cleaned the metal pre-filter and bowl while I was troubleshooting. Found a tiny fish swimming around. There are some air bubbles that swirl around while it's running that I can't get out of the bowl due to the way it's mounted at a slight angle. Is that a problem?

Does this mean my next step is to go up the cooling loop to the salon compressor and make sure the water line is clear? I suppose I need to ensure the exit hole is pouring out water while the salon unit is running, as well.

Any other tips to check while I'm crawling around the boat?
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Old 12-06-2018, 14:13   #7
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Re: Cruisair Showing "HP/--" What does it mean

I do get the HP error routinely and in my case it is the sea water flow. My sea water pump is not self priming. I have to disconnect the output hose to let the air out. (I leave the pump off—electricity and water don’t mix—and since it sits below water level the sea water just rushes through.) Once I have a solid flow with no more air I reconnect the hose and everything works normally again. This procedure gets some salt water in the bilge which is annoying. Since I hardly ever use the AC I can live with the inconveniences of my setup.
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Old 12-06-2018, 14:29   #8
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Re: Cruisair Showing "HP/--" What does it mean

Loud Music, my guidebook (from 2011) says the "--" error code (flashing) is: "Q-Logic display connected to SMXII Unit. The two components are not compatible." This is probably not the case for you since your system runs for a while first and I'm assuming it has run satisfactorily for a while before this and it might be part of another error code...I've attached my Fault Code sheet for your review - hope it helps.

As an aside, I posted another problem with my Cruisair system separately the other day - problems with the fan not coming on. Still troubleshooting that and the local AC mechanic will be looking at it tomorrow.

Hope you get yours fixed! What year is your boat?

Pat
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Old 12-06-2018, 16:05   #9
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Re: Cruisair Showing "HP/--" What does it mean

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Originally Posted by 2big2small View Post
I do get the HP error routinely and in my case it is the sea water flow. My sea water pump is not self priming. I have to disconnect the output hose to let the air out. (I leave the pump off—electricity and water don’t mix—and since it sits below water level the sea water just rushes through.) Once I have a solid flow with no more air I reconnect the hose and everything works normally again. This procedure gets some salt water in the bilge which is annoying. Since I hardly ever use the AC I can live with the inconveniences of my setup.
Thank you for the great advice! However, it was not the problem.

I got into the salon settee and prepared to "burp" the sea water supply line. I bumped the indoor air thermometer and almost immediately the display showed the temperature and the compressor kicked on! A few seconds later it went back to displaying "- -" and the compressor turned off.

I apparently have a "Dometic Q3" control. If you cruise on down to page 18 of this PDF (marked page 16 on the page) it lists, among many other error codes, the following conditions when displaying "- -":

"Q-Logic display connected to SMXII unit. The two components are not compatible." It's been attached to the same STQ10-410A unit for 7+ years. Not the problem.

"Inside temperature sensor failure flashes IS / - - for 3 seconds if MODE button is pressed. After 3 seconds, display shows constant - -. Cool or Heat Mode may be selected for emergency operation and display will show a constant - -" Ah HA!

I put the temperature probe somewhere warm (you have a dirty mind!) and the display changed to display the temperature, and the compressor kicked on again. I watched it slowly climb into the 90s. I then put it in the flow of the cold air coming out of the vent and watched the temperature drop into the low 70s and the compressor turned off. The temperature continued to display. I've secured it to a safe place inside the settee. We'll see how long it lasts there.

Everything else in the troubleshooting, and everywhere else I've looked is always "{something} / - -". To me that is not just "- -". Which by the way, "- -" is pretty damn hard to search for. I've seen the "HP" message before - we had air in the hose due to being hauled out and failed to close the seacock prior, so we had to burp the line.

And in the process of writing this the display is back to "- -". So my thermometer must be unhappy.
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Old 13-06-2018, 08:36   #10
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Re: Cruisair Showing "HP/--" What does it mean

Quote:
Originally Posted by pstadt View Post
Loud Music, my guidebook (from 2011) says the "--" error code (flashing) is: "Q-Logic display connected to SMXII Unit. The two components are not compatible." This is probably not the case for you since your system runs for a while first and I'm assuming it has run satisfactorily for a while before this and it might be part of another error code...I've attached my Fault Code sheet for your review - hope it helps.

As an aside, I posted another problem with my Cruisair system separately the other day - problems with the fan not coming on. Still troubleshooting that and the local AC mechanic will be looking at it tomorrow.

Hope you get yours fixed! What year is your boat?

Pat
Hi Pat!

The error just below the one you referenced says "IS / - - or - -", and means the temperature sensor is malfunctioning. I believe this is the problem with mine. I need to find a better way to mount it, I guess.
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Old 13-06-2018, 08:44   #11
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Re: Cruisair Showing "HP/--" What does it mean

Agree with remounting the temp sensor - mine is located on the front (intake) side of the frame holding the coils...and all this, like yours is located under the settee in the salon, so it's measuring the temp in that confined space.

I took my fan completely apart yesterday to try to lube the motor shaft (recommendation by a local rep here in Ft. Pierce) but the rotor/stator mechanism is sealed at both ends, so no place to lube. I put it all back together and it is now functioning satisfactorily again...PFM.

Good luck with yours!

Pat
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