Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 08-05-2019, 10:08 PM   #1
Guru
 
Steve91T's Avatar
 
City: Huntersville NC
Vessel Name: Abeona
Vessel Model: Marine Trader 47’ Sundeck
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 898
No ac reset button???

Hey guys. Our forward AC isn’t working. When I turn it on the pump and fan run but the compressor won’t kick on. I’ve cleaned the strainer and let the ac soak with barnical buster in it. Still won’t kick on. I’ve reset the breaker with no luck. I feel there must be a tripped reset button but I absolutely cannot find it. We have two other similar units and I can find their buttons easily.

Any ideas? This one does have a on off switch that does kill the blower but it doesn’t seem to reset the compressor.

Any help would be appreciated! It’s hot in Florida in August!!!

Mermaid reverse cycle
Steve91T is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-05-2019, 10:53 PM   #2
STB
Guru
 
City: Gulf coast
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 2,271
Those usually have a high pressure cut off switch that can trip, for among other reasons, in AC mode if the intake gets clogged or majorly limited (ditto for discharge or internal loop).

The switch does /not/ reset itself. You have to do this manually. The switch is usually exposed on the unit. It is often red and in a green, cylindrical body.
STB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-05-2019, 11:42 PM   #3
Guru
 
City: Seaford Va on Poquoson River, VA
Vessel Name: Old Glory
Vessel Model: 1970 Egg Harbor 37 extended salon model
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 2,264
Does it have a start relay, start capacitors, run capacitors?
Is power actually getting to those parts?
Check the inside with a meter and see, if you know what your doing.
When power is on to the compressor electrical parts, it runs unless something is burnt out. The high pressure cut off switch would have a button to reset. My cruisair from 1970 does not have one, it auto resets.

If the compressor is hot, its trying to start and cant. Which is bad, because if something has failed in the start circuit, its stressing it too much.

It needs working start and start relay to boost starting torque to the compressor, otherwise it will try to spin, sit there hum, get hot and click off the overload attached the side of the compressor. It will do that over and over. If its trying to start and cant dont keep trying to make it work, or you can ruin it.

I have heard many HVAC techs replace good compressors, when all it needed was some cheap parts. And I believe it!
sdowney717 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-06-2019, 06:37 AM   #4
Technical Guru
 
Ski in NC's Avatar
 
City: Wilmington, NC
Vessel Name: Louisa
Vessel Model: Custom Built 38
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 6,194
Mermaids have a little red button on a pressure switch on a refrigerant line. The locations vary, you need good access to the whole thing to find it. It pops on high pressure (not enough cooling flow, usually) and it does not reset unless pushed back to reset.

On my two Mermaids, the switch is close to the compressor in the maze of refrigerant plumbing.
Ski in NC is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-06-2019, 07:00 AM   #5
Guru
 
Maerin's Avatar
 
City: East Coast
Vessel Name: M/V Maerin (Sold)
Vessel Model: Solo 4303
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 886
They typically have a red rubber button, the housing of the switch is hospital green. Both of mine (12K & 16.5K) have the switch located at the top rear of the evap coil on the left side as you're facing the coil. You'll get a HPF readout on the display if you have the FX-1 control setup.



The high pressure tripped because of.... high pressure on the compressor discharge. That's due to loss of seawater flow or dirty condenser coil that prevents heat from transferring from the condenser to the water. That causes the head pressure to rise. It will happen again if the root problem isn't corrected.
__________________
Steve Sipe

https://maerin.net
Maerin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-06-2019, 07:43 AM   #6
Guru
 
wkearney99's Avatar
 
City: Bethesda, MD
Vessel Name: Solstice
Vessel Model: Grand Banks 47 Eastbay FB
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 2,164
From one of their install guides: https://www.mmair.com/wp-content/upl...e-2016-PDF.pdf

Quote:
6. High Pressure Switch Access:
All Mermaid marine air conditioners utilize a manual High Pressure safety switch. This switch monitors the system’s high pressure any time the compressor is running. If a condition occurs that causes the system high pressure to rise to a level that could damage the compressor, the switch will activate and remove power from the compressor and pump. Once activated, this switch must be manually reset. The switch is a green cylindrical object with a red button.
But I did not see anything showing where that switch is located.

THT has a thread: https://www.thehulltruth.com/boating...re-switch.html

And if you're trying to follow old links, sometimes the web archive can find them if the vendor site no longer has them.

http://web.archive.org/web/200805171..._works_no_comp

http://web.archive.org/web/200806110...roubleshooting
__________________
-- Bill Kearney
2005 Eastbay 47 FB - Solstice, w/Highfield CL360 tender
wkearney99 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-06-2019, 07:45 AM   #7
STB
Guru
 
City: Gulf coast
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 2,271
Usually accessible from top of unit and located near top.
STB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-06-2019, 11:29 AM   #8
Guru
 
Steve91T's Avatar
 
City: Huntersville NC
Vessel Name: Abeona
Vessel Model: Marine Trader 47’ Sundeck
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 898
Yeah like I said I have two other units and I’m familiar with this button locations. This ac did have a clogged strainer and probably tripped the switch. But I have spent a lot of time looking and feeling for this damn button. I even had my wife do the same with her smaller hands. Neither one of us can find it. And like I said when I turn the ac on, the t stat clicks and the pump turns on. Compressor does not. And it’s not trying to start and getting hot.

I just thought I’d ask if this button can be relocated or something.

PS, I took the duct work off to give me more room.
Attached Thumbnails
812CF2A2-C1D2-4445-A304-1EDA13D95BA5.jpg  
Steve91T is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-06-2019, 11:53 AM   #9
Guru
 
Maerin's Avatar
 
City: East Coast
Vessel Name: M/V Maerin (Sold)
Vessel Model: Solo 4303
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 886
probably at the end opposite the one pictured, should be near the top by the compressor on the high pressure (smaller) tubing.

It's connected to the high pressure refrigerant line, so no, it can't be relocated. Well, not without opening the refrigerant system, sweating in an extension to the existing switch and evac & recharge the system.
__________________
Steve Sipe

https://maerin.net
Maerin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-06-2019, 11:54 AM   #10
STB
Guru
 
City: Gulf coast
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 2,271
I'm not sure which model you have, but here is one example.
Attached Thumbnails
resetbutton.jpg  
STB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-06-2019, 12:10 PM   #11
Guru
 
High Wire's Avatar
 
City: Cape May, NJ
Vessel Name: Irish Lady
Vessel Model: Monk 36
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 4,966
Before I paid for an ac tech to come over, I would buy an inspection camera and have a good look. That will come in handy some other day too.
__________________
Archie
Irish Lady
1984 Monk 36 Hull #46
Currently in Cape May, NJ
High Wire is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-07-2019, 08:14 AM   #12
Guru
 
City: Seaford Va on Poquoson River, VA
Vessel Name: Old Glory
Vessel Model: 1970 Egg Harbor 37 extended salon model
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 2,264
Maybe use a mirror and light.

The one I see looks like it has ducting, are you sure its not self contained? Cause then you can remove it and look.
sdowney717 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-07-2019, 08:25 AM   #13
Guru
 
wkearney99's Avatar
 
City: Bethesda, MD
Vessel Name: Solstice
Vessel Model: Grand Banks 47 Eastbay FB
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 2,164
Quote:
Originally Posted by High Wire View Post
Before I paid for an ac tech to come over, I would buy an inspection camera and have a good look. That will come in handy some other day too.
I've been pleased with a WiFi inspection camera I picked up a while ago.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DNNSM1L

I had one that was direct-plug into the phone's USB socket. But using that was problematic, trying to keep the phone from getting dropped or unplugged while snaking the camera around. Now with a wireless one I can prop the phone (or tablet) up where I can see it, and not worry about how much I need to move the camera.

But when there's enough room I find using my phone's camera is easier. Especially using the voice activated shutter. As in, poke the phone into an area and say "Cheese" and it snaps a picture.

I used it the other day to eyeball the screws under the searchlight out on the flybridge arch. I can't see it closely enough from the foredeck and can only barely reach down from over the flybridge windshield.

Kinda goofy waving a camera and then saying "Smile" or "Cheese", but a lot less hassle than trying to hold the phone and tap the shutter button. There are, of course, selfie sticks with remote buttons, but the voice feature is easy and built-in already.
Attached Thumbnails
20190804_114908.jpg   20190804_114659.jpg  
__________________
-- Bill Kearney
2005 Eastbay 47 FB - Solstice, w/Highfield CL360 tender
wkearney99 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-08-2019, 09:03 AM   #14
Guru
 
Steve91T's Avatar
 
City: Huntersville NC
Vessel Name: Abeona
Vessel Model: Marine Trader 47’ Sundeck
Join Date: Sep 2016
Posts: 898
So late last night after 3 days of boating and being hot we finally got to our new marina and decided to find this reset switch. My wife had the idea of using the go pro on a handle with her little arms. I linked my phone to it so it acted like a WiFi inspection camera. We found a sticker that said reset! But no button. There was just that metal tab. My wife tried to move the tab and it wouldn’t. So got my bad in there and gave it a push and it went in.

AC works great now! What a dumb reset switch! Wish we found it days ago but at least I didn’t pay someone to come flip a switch.

Thanks for the help everyone.

In the picture you can see it says “reset” then there is a metal tab sticking up. That’s the reset switch.
Attached Thumbnails
B26EEE12-A026-491C-9920-8010C0FB6C9D.jpg  
Steve91T is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-08-2019, 09:44 AM   #15
STB
Guru
 
City: Gulf coast
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 2,271
A cool congrats to you!
STB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-08-2019, 10:10 AM   #16
Guru
 
City: Seaford Va on Poquoson River, VA
Vessel Name: Old Glory
Vessel Model: 1970 Egg Harbor 37 extended salon model
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 2,264
Maybe you should write on the unit what to do and point to where that switch is.
sdowney717 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-08-2019, 10:11 AM   #17
Moderator Emeritus
 
Comodave's Avatar
 
City: Au Gres, MI
Vessel Name: Black Dog
Vessel Model: Formula 41PC
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 21,191
Always nice to fix a problem without having to have a mechanic come out. Good job.
__________________
Boat Nut:
If you are one there is no explanation necessary.
If you aren’t one, there is no explanation possible.
Comodave is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-08-2019, 11:18 AM   #18
Guru
 
Heron's Avatar
 
City: Cypress Landing Marina (NC)
Vessel Name: Heron (2)
Vessel Model: '88 Cape Dory 28 Flybridge #115
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 1,305
Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve91T View Post
In the picture you can see it says “reset” then there is a metal tab sticking up. That’s the reset switch.
Exactly how my old Mermaid was configured (same style reset tab)....only it was right on top in easy view. Glad you found it!
__________________
Steve
Heron is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-11-2019, 02:05 AM   #19
Senior Member
 
ORIF's Avatar
 
City: Beaufort, SC
Vessel Name: TAMI II
Vessel Model: Tollycraft, 44 CPMY
Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 148
Glad you found it.
I’ve made similar discoveries just using my bare i-Phone. Video with the camera light on can be very revealing. After a few passes you can usually hone in on the part or leak that you’re looking for. If it’s a larger area you’re searching in, SLO-mo function can be useful to allow you to move the phone around recording with some speed to save time and then the playback is slowed.
ORIF is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Trawler Port Captains
Port Captains are TF volunteers who can serve as local guides or assist with local arrangements and information. Search below to locate Port Captains near your destination. To learn more about this program read here: TF Port Captain Program





All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:55 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2006 - 2012