Air Conditioning not Discharging the Water Overboard

[caaek]

Air conditioning water does not discharge from the side of the boat. Everything else is working: pump, compressor, condensor.

[motion30]

Could be a failed pump. Could be a clogged Sea strainer,

[colemj]

If the pump is working, water will come out somewhere. If it is a centrifugal pump, like the commonly used March pumps, it can get an airlock that needs to be bled. These pumps can't pump air or uphill much.

So, either water is not getting to the pump, or the pump is not pumping water. Pull the outlet hose off the pump and see if it pumps water. If so, then the strainer is clear and the pump works. Then check for blockage or airlock in the hoses going to the AC and out.

Mark

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, caaek.

[gunkylump]

Good suggestions above.

First, ensure that your water pump is actually pumping. Then follow the hose, breaking it open at the successive connections, all the way to the thru hull.

My refrigeration was not pumping, and I did exactly as listed above, and it turned out to be the thru hull plugged with a build up of crap, cleared that that out and everything has been fine since.

gunk

[J Clark H356]

I have had to bleed my pump occasionally when de-winterizing in the spring. On mine, there are 3 thumb screws on the intake end that I can ease out and when water flows out the end cap, I re-tighten and the pump flows. Also the suggestion to check your thru hull is very important. I have had clogs in the intake thru hull from twigs and leaves and in salt water jelly fish have been a cause of blockage for others. If these don't work, you may have a shot impeller. I don't know if you can change them or will need a new pump.


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[cabo_sailor]

I usually have to prime the sea strainer after cleaning to get flow.

Rich

[ranger58sb]

Assuming properly primed and functioning pump, no clogs in the sea strainer, and no clogs in the discharge hose, etc...

It's also possible the discharge hose has popped off the barb at the AC unit, or has become disconnected from the discharge thru-hull. In which case, maybe there's a bit of unwanted sea water scattered around the interior of the hull somewhere...

-Chris

[gonesail]

i would say if no water is coming out then your AC will not be working for very long before it overheats .. you will probably need to reset the breaker when you get the water flowing again.

[jibstay]

Our hoses had barnacle growth in them, and had to be replaced.

Even with the new hoses, if we're in shallow, muddy water, we need to flush out the system with a shoreside freshwater hose every couple of weeks. This, in addition to cleaning the raw water strainer.


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[savoir]

You have an " issue " ( deliberate use of the generic there ) and have to determine what and where it is. You must start at the beginning and inspect the plumbing components one at a time.

Start by disconnecting the A/C raw water hose from the inlet through hull and opening the valve. You are looking for blockages or low flow. If there is a blockage you might have to dive on the hull and clear it from the outside. Reconnect the hose to the through hull and then disconnect the outlet side of the pump and turn the pump on. Any flow? While you are there put your hand on the pump to check that it is spinning. If no flow pull the pump apart and check the impeller. March pumps are dead easy to work on. Trace the hose from the inlet through hull through to the compressor and look for an internal strainer. Does it need cleaning? Check whether there is a valve on the outlet through hull and that it is open.

Got any outlet flow yet? If not then connect a garden hose to the system pointed towards the compressor. That will blow out any goop that might be inside the compressor. Reconnect everything and start it up again.

If there is still nothing happening then the pump probably need rewiring. An old and decrepit March pump will still spin but not enough to make much of a difference.

If there is still no flow then buy yourself a shot and a beer and yell a lot.

[a64pilot]

Both my AC pumps hoses have female garden hose threads on them, this makes it real easy to disconnect from the pump and connect a garden hose and blow them out. If your getting water out of the same strainer the engine does, have the engine running when you blow out the hose, otherwise it's possible you could blow water into the exhaust manifold and hydrolock the engine.
If you have barnacles in your hose, I've heard they can be removed with muratic acid, but I have not done this myself, so far the blowing out with a garden hose has been all I have had to do.

[savoir]

Flushing with a garden hose worked for me. If anyone tries it, then disconnect the compressor outlet hose and place it in a bucket. You might be surprised at how much black goop comes out.