MarinAire AC Units

[sailorick424]

I am interested in replacing a Mermaid 16.5K btu AC in our 42 ft sailboat. It is 13 years old and showing signs of ageing out. Additionally, it is very noisy - vibrations and rattles that I can't seem to eliminate.
The MarinAire product has an attractive price point for a unit with built in gauges and a sound box.
Manufacturer of quality marine air conditioning units and self contained marine air conditioners - Home
Has anyone had experience with this product line? Is is a quality product? Has it been reliable and functional? How about noise levels of the product - at start up, shut down and continuous running? Is is louder/quieter/same as other products?
Thanks

[transmitterdan]

Originally Posted by sailorick424

I am interested in replacing a Mermaid 16.5K btu AC in our 42 ft sailboat. It is 13 years old and showing signs of ageing out. Additionally, it is very noisy - vibrations and rattles that I can't seem to eliminate.
The MarinAire product has an attractive price point for a unit with built in gauges and a sound box.
Manufacturer of quality marine air conditioning units and self contained marine air conditioners - Home
Has anyone had experience with this product line? Is is a quality product? Has it been reliable and functional? How about noise levels of the product - at start up, shut down and continuous running? Is is louder/quieter/same as other products?
Thanks

I know little to nothing about MarinAire. I do have experience with a similarly named company, Marine Air Systems, but they are not the same company. Marine Air has been around a lot longer than MarinAire. Marine Air was bought by Dometic a few years ago. Marine Air products have been widely used by builders for many years and quite a lot of them are still running. Including mine which is over 20 years old and still going strong (and quiet).

If you want totally quiet operation then I recommend a split system like the one we use. It has a small compressor unit that sits in the very aft under the aft cockpit seat (but inside where it is dry). The evaporator is in the main cabin. They are connected by two refrigerant lines. At night I can barely hear the compressor run. Such a system is significantly more expensive but the quiet is worth it to me.

If the only thing wrong with your system is the noise then look at it closely. The compressor motor is usually mounted with rubber shock mounts. These eventually wear out and then the motor vibration becomes an annoying rattle sound. Replacing the shock mounts might make it as quiet as when it was new. However, if the internals of the compressor are knocking about then new shock mounts won't help.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Rick.

[sailnow2011]

NO!!!! I had one. Brand new. Lasted one year.
I went with flagship marine, and its runs flawless.
They are well built, a bit on the large size, but puts out more air then any I have had before. Also the first I have had that does not freeze up.

[Davidhoy]

Originally Posted by sailnow2011

NO!!!! I had one. Brand new. Lasted one year.

Would you elaborate a little on the issues you had? I'm also considering MarineAire, and would appreciate hearing the specifics, if you don't mind sharing them.

Regards,
David.

[sailnow2011]

Originally Posted by Davidhoy

Would you elaborate a little on the issues you had? I'm also considering MarineAire, and would appreciate hearing the specifics, if you don't mind sharing them.

Regards,
David.

The evaporator rotted. The aluminium on it dissolved, and it leaked out all the freon. The cost of the replacement part was nearly as much as the entire unit.

[DeepFrz]

There are a number of air conditioning threads on the forum. Use the google custom search and you should be able to find lots of information.

[sailorick424]

Transmitterdan
Thanks I called Mermaid today and received several suggestions on how to reduce noise.
Sailnow2011
Thanks, I was unfamilair with the Flagship brand. It appears to be a solid system. I'll call them tomorrow about pricing.
DeepFrz
Thanks previously I searched without real satisfaction but I'm going to give it another whack.

[Davidhoy]

Originally Posted by sailnow2011

The evaporator rotted. The aluminium on it dissolved, and it leaked out all the freon. The cost of the replacement part was nearly as much as the entire unit.

That sucks! Just outside of warranty, I presume - their website says 1 year. Could the aluminium have corroded due to stray current, perhaps a faulty ground? Sounds odd that the evaporator would corrode away that quickly.

-David

[sailnow2011]

Originally Posted by Davidhoy

That sucks! Just outside of warranty, I presume - their website says 1 year. Could the aluminium have corroded due to stray current, perhaps a faulty ground? Sounds odd that the evaporator would corrode away that quickly.

-David

The unit prior to it was fine. The unit I have now if fine.

[sv.antea]

Darn, for two years now I was planning to replace my air conditioner, and the Marinaire was my choice, mostly because it pretty much fits my existing tight installation (on a 30 footer there isn't much wiggle room). The previous unit was made locally by King Air and heavily customised. And now the only review from an owner here was negative. Sounds to me like wrong alloy or construction was used for the evaporator. Anyone out there had a better luck with Marinaire units?

[WSMFP]

I have a friend with a Marinaire system and he's got nothing but great things to say about it. I'm going to install a system next year and that's who I'll be going with.

[Davidhoy]

Originally Posted by WSMFP

I have a friend with a Marinaire system and he's got nothing but great things to say about it. I'm going to install a system next year and that's who I'll be going with.

That's good to hear! Do you know how long he's had it, and how much he's used it? Their prices are great, and their warehouse in Miami is a 30min drive from my house, so as long as they are reasonably reliable I may be willing to get them a shot.

So far we have two reports, one good and one bad. Hardly a consensus yet...

-David

[Capnjb]

Hi. My experience with MarinAire has been one of excellent customer service. By that I mean every time the unit malfunctions, they are happy to assist in providing the parts and information needed to fix it. That has occurred approximately 5 times since I got the unit. Now the unit leaks, and leak stop has not helped. I'm now told this is probobly because of 'user installation issues' ie no bonding. I have a 15 y.o. Marine Air (different company) unit I personally installed (including bonding) that still works great!

[Davidhoy]

Originally Posted by Capnjb

Hi. My experience with MarinAire has been one of excellent customer service. By that I mean every time the unit malfunctions, they are happy to assist in providing the parts and information needed to fix it. That has occurred approximately 5 times since I got the unit. Now the unit leaks, and leak stop has not helped. I'm now told this is probobly because of 'user installation issues' ie no bonding. I have a 15 y.o. Marine Air (different company) unit I personally installed (including bonding) that still works great!

5 issues in a relatively short time (how long have you had the unit?) does not sound like ringing endorsement, regardless of how good their customer service is. If you had a choice would you install this unit again?

-David