Leaving Air Conditioner running on when not at boat

[Fullbore]

Originally Posted by zstine

Not only running A/C a potential to sink your boat, it is socially irresponsible. Depending on who you get info from, 10 to 100 million people lost their home to climate change in 2020, including over 1 million Americans! Culture change is needed... wish they taught social responsibility in schools here in aMerica.

Riight

[sailingchiro]

Originally Posted by seandepagnier

A good example of what is wrong in the world.

"the release of one gram of R134a would have the same global warming effect as releasing 1,410 grams of carbon dioxide"

Air conditioners have declimatized people so that they actually are dependent on them the same as illegal substances. If the power grid fails, these days people actually die as a result.

Air conditioning is bad for health and environment. There is no way to actually power all of them in a sustainable way, making use of A/C an entitlement issue. The worst part is you admit using it when you aren't even around making it a complete waste.

Very old boats last a long time without a/c. If you think it is somehow good for the boat, then there is something wrong with your boat.

I have always wondered, if Freon is 4 x heavier than air and sinks when released, how does it affect the ozone layer? In fact it is reabsorbed back into the ground from where it came. It doesn't make sense to me. Maybe there is an opinion that has become fact to make a point. But to make everyone suffer financially or physically because someone has an opinion goes against many things I believe.

[Fullbore]

Don’t let facts interfere with an agenda.
And watch out for thinking!

[fivecapes]

Originally Posted by sailingchiro

I have always wondered, if Freon is 4 x heavier than air and sinks when released, how does it affect the ozone layer?

"This is indeed a persistent question--so much so that the most recent report of the World Meteorological Organization, entitled 'Scientific Assessment of Ozone Depletion: 1994,' included it among a list of common questions that have been persistently raised and long since answered."
F. Sherwood Rowland, UC Irvine, who won a Nobel Prize for his work on atmospheric chemistry.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/a...ocarbons-cfcs/ Oct 1999

[Creedence]

Does this really need to be a multi page debate about something for which opposing opinions are literally immovable?

Dometic’s manual (selected because the OP didn’t name an OEM, and I have Dometic so I thought it worth researching for myself) says “dehumidify mode is used when the vessel is unoccupied”

OP, check out your manual.

[smj]

Originally Posted by Creedence

Does this really need to be a multi page debate about something for which opposing opinions are literally immovable?

Dometic’s manual (selected because the OP didn’t name an OEM, and I have Dometic so I thought it worth researching for myself) says “dehumidify mode is used when the vessel is unoccupied”

OP, check out your manual.

Does the unit pass water in the dehumidify mode?

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by smj

Does the unit pass water in the dehumidify mode?

Yes, the condenser is still water cooled, so it still needs the pump. But it doesn't spend nearly as much time running when it's just dehumidifying. And most modern units turn off the pump when the compressor is stopped.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by smj

Does the unit pass water in the dehumidify mode?

Yes.

Dehumidify is just air conditioning run for a set duration every X amount of time.

[Creedence]

Originally Posted by smj

Does the unit pass water in the dehumidify mode?

That sure seems a much more relevant thing to analyze in the context of this discussion. We’re in danger of actually developing informed opinions that relate to our boats.

In fact, your question prompted me to start looking into it and one of the top results was a discussion from this very community only 2 years ago. That entire discussion was completed without a single reference to some unwinnable debate. It seemed... almost civil and productive.

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f115/what-does-the-dehumidify-cycle-on-a-dometic-unit-do-221489.html

[PamlicoTraveler]

Originally Posted by Creedence

That sure seems a much more relevant thing to analyze in the context of this discussion. We’re in danger of actually developing informed opinions that relate to our boats.

Imagine that.

[C420sailor]

Of note, while R134a is a greenhouse gas, it does NOT contribute to ozone layer depletion. It is a hydrofluorocarbon, not a chlorofluorocarbon.

Additionally, refrigerant is not a consumable. A well maintained AC unit does not vent any refrigerant. A leaking one will vent whether running or not.

Running your AC does require power, though. Either from your genset or the power plant down the street. There is no free lunch.

That all said, I hope the anti-AC crowd gives the motor yacht types even more hell, as a pair of big diesels will do far more environmental and climate change damage in an hour than even recklessly releasing all the refrigerant from a small AC unit on a sailboat. I also assume they buy electric motor vehicles without AC installed, or solely ride bicycles in their Birkenstocks.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by Rohan

>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The flip side of this are people who run space heaters all winter instead of doing the work to properly winterize their boats. There are so many potential problems with that.

In my professional life I was an HVAC engineer.


My understanding of "...the work to properly winterize their boats..." consists of insulation.


What insulation does is increase the amount of time it takes for heat gain or heat loss to occur.


If there is no heat inside the boat, all the insulation in the world would do no good at all. The inside surface of the insulation would be the same temperature as a completely uninsulated surface after a period of time with no heat inside the vessel.



It is true that with more insulation the amount of heat required inside can be reduced. It is also true that proper insulation with the vapor barrier in the correct place will prevent condensation. Condensation is formed when a cold surface meets a warmer and more moist space.


So even a "properly winterized" boat needs heat.

[embibb]

Personally I closed every seacock including Air Conditioner. It's easier to deal with a boat that may be warm when I board it than deal with a sunk boat. Additionally, I have an air cooled refrigerator which is a dehumidifier at best...

[mvweebles]

Originally Posted by PamlicoTraveler

I have always had a hang-up about leaving my air-conditioner on when leaving the boat in the summer. There is so much water flow that a small leak in a fitting or a thru hull could be disastrous.

I have noticed this year that most boats leave their AC on all the time and there is always water flowing in and out. I haven't heard of any boats sinking because of that, so I wonder if my concern is overblown. I do run a humidifier and it drains into the sink. I'm sure it gets hot in there, but I don't know of any issues caused by that.

I'm just curious what others do.

Depends on location. The reason people run A/C is to control mold/mildew. In San Francisco Bay Area dry climate, was rare to see A/C run 24/7, even in the warmer areas such as Alameda. In Florida's moist/warm climate, some sort of environmental control is needed or the interior of the boat will end up encrusted in fuzz . On smaller boats, a dehumidifier definitely helps. On larger boats, running A/C is more practical. Really depends on the climate.

As far as pumping water through the boat, I certainly understand the concern. Many DIY A/C installations use low-quality fittings such as plastic/nylon tee's and sea strainers and cheap hoses. Professional-grade installations use same materials as engine-intake/thru-hulls use. These have a very reliable track record of durability.

Peter

[jtsailjt]

Originally Posted by C420sailor

Additionally, refrigerant is not a consumable. A well maintained AC unit does not vent any refrigerant. A leaking one will vent whether running or not.

I have solar and wind gen and I normally leave my boat in the water with the refrig and freezer on constantly from May1-November30. I have 2 Seafrost units using 134A and it seems like each spring I have to add some 134A to the refrig unit, but then it performs fine for the next 6 months with no degradation in performance. So, I have started to think that it only leaks when not running and when it is running it seems to not leak. Is this possible or is i likely that my leak is slow enough so that it takes more than 6 months to noticably affect performance?