Anyone Repaired a CarryOn Air Conditioner?

[Jetexas]

One of the things that came with our boat purchase was an at least third-hand CarryOn A/C unit. The previous owner claims to have used it. After we got shore power working, I hoisted it through the hatch and plugged it in. It immediately trips the breaker on my starboard plugs. It will run about 10 minutes in my port plug.

It seems to cool and cycle, but the fan doesn't work at all.

We hauled it back to the house Sunday night, and it's on my list of things to take apart and sort through.

Anyone ever taken one of these apart and know how it's supposed to work? Any resource for at least an exploded view or parts diagram?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Fishman_Tx]

Which model?

[Zednotzee]

If the fan is seized (vs. just burnt out), it could easily draw enough current to trip your breakers. When you open it up, try disconnecting the fan & then run the unit again. If the breakers don't trip, you've found the problem. Then you just need another fan. If you're lucky, they've used something "off-the-shelf" from a window-shaker style household unit.

[Fishman_Tx]

Finding a replacement "squirrel cage" shouldn't be a problem. What model is the unit?

[Jetexas]

I looked through the manuals on the cruisair website, and I think it's a 7000, but I'll have to look at the actual unit when I get home tonight to make sure.

[Fishman_Tx]

Do you have the manual? If not, here's a link to the manual with the parts list and wiring diagram. http://www.cruisair.com/sheets/L-2245.pdf First, check all wiring for loose connections, grounds,etc and make sure all appears normal. The compressor runs but not the fan, correct? Then look at the "fan start capacitor". If shorted, this can trip the breaker. Usually they "open" and the fan just won't start or it may run slow. Also, as Zednotzee stated, you can disconnect the fan from the capacitor and check again. If the breaker still trips, it could be the fan that's defective. If not, then the capacitor may be at fault. Check that the fan rotates freely WITHOUT power applied. The parts can be gotten from Cruisair/Dometic or if the capacitor, it may be available at an A/C repair shop. Replacing the capacitor is probably cheaper than the fan. If you don't know how to check one with a multimeter, take the cap to an A/C shop. They may even have a replacement for it.
***CAUTION!!! THE CAPACITORS CAN STORE A CHARGE THAT CAN HURT OR KILL YOU FOR MANY HOURS AFTER POWER HAS BEEN REMOVED!!! USE CARE WHEN REMOVING OR CONSULT A PROFESSIONAL!*****

[Jetexas]

Ok, turns out it's a 5000 model, but thanks for all the great info Fishman_TX. I started troubleshooting tonight. When I first took it apart, the fan did not spin freely by hand. It took a good jerk to break it loose. Now I can spin it by hand, but it still does not spin at all when I turn the fan on. I get a hum, which I'm assuming is the capacitor, but the fan just sits.





With blades secured to both ends of the single motor, I'm going to have to remove the condensor, shrouds, control panel, etc. to clear enough room to either lift the motor out or remove the set screws on the fan blades, slide them off and then work the motor out. However, it's completely put together with screws, the heads of which are incredibly easy to strip, and everything has a nice thick coating of rust. I couldn't budge any of them, so I hit them all with some WD-40 and left them to soak while I worked on another project. I'll try disassembly again tomorrow night.

In the meantime, I'll give Cruisair a call tomorrow to get a price on that motor to see if it's worth replacing. I haven't seen anyone else in the marina sporting one of these, which makes me think, it's probably not that great. If I can clean up the motor that's in it and get it working again for free, so be it. I'm not sure I want to spend money on it.

[Fishman_Tx]

Not likely the cap, but since it was seized, the motor for sure. As the motor is humming, the cap is probably good. If after the motor replaced it's slow to start or runs slower than what SHOULD be normal, replace the cap. You can probably get it from a local AC/appliance shop. Or heck, go online for a supply house! Never buy "manufacturer" if it can be gotten cheaper elswhere. What was the voltage rating and mfd or ufd value (should be 25mfd per the manual) printed on the cap? If 240vac 25mfd(ufd) OVAL can, they are about 10 bucks; if round, as much as 35. *REMEMBER* this is a motor RUN cap, not a START cap.
Here's the manual:
http://www.cruisair.com/sheets/L-0676.pdf

Here's a link if you can't find it locally:
250V Oval Run Capacitors

Also for your head:
Capacitor Testing, A Homeowner's Guide

[Extemporaneous]

I got one of these 5000 models for nothing. It didn't work when I got it, it just made a humming sound but no fan, the same as yours.
I took it apart and sure enough, the fan was seized, the same as yours. Your does not look in any worse shape then mine did. That said, perhaps the corrosion on yours is worse internally??
I got the fan blades moving and soaked the motor shaft with 3 in 1 oil, worked the blades a bit more and then another shot of oil. Turned the unit on (fan only) and let it run a bit, then more oil.
Then let it run on fan only for a bit longer taking the temperature with an infrared monitor. It ran perhaps, slightly, maybe, a bit warm but seamed okay.
Then put an amp meter on it to check how much it was drawing over spec., perhaps 0.1 amps.
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ure-26202.html

It's been running for 3 month straight 24/7 and works GREAT.
So far this has been the absolute BEST marine deal that I have experienced and I doubt that will change for some time.

Regards,
Extemp.

[Jetexas]

Well, I was on the brink of picking up a display model 5000 btu Zenith window unit at Fry's today for $86 (after tax), but I told myself that I wasn't allowed to bring something else home until I cleaned up the mess from the Cruisair and put it back together to give away or throw out. Well, I had hit the shafts with WD-40 and broken them loose back when I took it apart, so just for kicks I sprayed it down with some contact cleaner and spun the fan 100 times in each direction before putting it back in and wiring it back up. To my surprise, when I turned it on, I saw the fan struggling to turn. I gave it a flip with my finger and off it went. The speed kind of surged for the first couple of minutes, but eventually it leveled out. Then the screeching started. I moved the fan blades further down onto the shafts and that seemed to take care of that issue.

It's running fine now, but I did notice that motor does get hot. I don't have anything to take a reading on it, but I hope it's within spec.

My brother was in the garage under the car running brake lines on the Shelby project, and his immediate comment was, "Congratulations, it smells like frog farts!"

I'm going to vacuum it out, wipe down all the mildewy areas, and put it back together. Can't wait to spend a cool night on the boat this weekend.

[Fishman_Tx]

Can you get me the spec off the fan motor (if any)? HP, voltage, any numbers would help, brand of motor, etc. Does the motor have a "keyed shaft", flat sided, etc. for the squirrel cage? Diameter and length of shaft?

[Jetexas]

It's a 1/18 HP 115 volts AC two-speed dual shaft motor. No squirrel cage on this model, just a fan on each shaft. And the shafts aren't keyed - they're round. This is the cheapest replacement I found, which is why I was so happy I got the old one working.

http://www.cshincorporated.com/product_info.php?products_id=244