Air conditioning timer or remote start

[sf34dtw]

I have a question for my 331 but I don’t think it is model specific.

where I live in Texas it is very humid and the boat gets very humid inside. The best way to dehumidifier the boat is with the air conditioning as it takes out a lot of moisture. But I don’t want to leave my air conditioning running all the time with the extra wear and tear on the unit. I would like to find a solution where the unit could either automatically start itself and run for maybe an hour each day or have a remote start and start it from home and run it for a short while (this way I could turn it on before I leave to go to the boat).
Has anyone installed something like this? Do newer boat come with this? 120V timer? 120V WiFi breaker? Suggestions?

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

No dehumidify mode on your A/C?

 

[kloudie1]

Many/most marine systems have controls that include an "AWAY" setting that takes care of keeping the humidity down inside the cabin..
I installed a system back in 1994 that does this .. It turns the fan on for a bit to get a sample air temperature.. Next, it kicks on the water pump and compressor, and runs it until the temperature drops 1 degree F. It then shuts down and waits 4 hours then runs that cycle again.
Mine is in operation whenever I am not aboard. If a really strong freeze is forecast, I will run over and turn the AC to "off" and run a small heater inside..
EDIT: or as Don says, a dehumidify cycle.

 

[BigEasy]

I have a question for my 331 but I don’t think it is model specific.
I don’t want to leave my air conditioning running all the time with the extra wear and tear on the unit. I would like to find a solution where the unit could either automatically start itself
Has anyone installed something like this? Do newer boat come with this? 120V timer? 120V WiFi breaker? Suggestions?

Your AC system is a Dometic/Cruisair unit that was likely installed at the factory. Look in the operating manual for the air conditioner, you should be able to find instructions for a "dehumidify" setting on the thermostat / controller shown in the left photo. As Kloudie mentioned, the unit will come on at selected intervals and allow the air conditioner or heater (it is a heat pump) to dehumidify the cabin. My Cruisair unit is different than yours; however, if set to dehumidify, it will automatically cycle on every 12 hours and run thru the dehumidification process for approximately 30 minutes. I use it sometimes, especially in the summer.

 

[DeniseO30]

It may seem counterintuitive but short cycling the AC Puts more wear and tear electrically on the components than if you leave it on and let it cycle through the thermostat. And, as cold air is heavy and tends to stay in one place, once the boat is cool or down to a lower relative humidity less electricity is used to maintain that condition rather than start the cycle all over again,

 

[BigEasy]

It may seem counterintuitive but short cycling the AC Puts more wear and tear electrically on the components than if you leave it on and let it cycle through the thermostat.

That may be true in PA; however, on the Gulf Coast where temps are low to mid 90's daily with 90% relative humidity, and temps cooling to 80's at night that air conditioner will run continuously except at night when it will cycle on/off. More wear & tear on the AC and definitely higher electric consumption as compared to running in the dehumidify mode with the unit running for approximately 20 minutes twice daily.

 

[Benny17441]

Get a dehumidifier, connect a condensation discharge hose to the bilge and put it on a timer.

 

[4arch]

I have a similar need in that I leave my A/C turned off when away from the boat but would love to be able to cool the boat down on hot days several hours before arrival. Cruisair makes a Wi-Fi thermostat that gives similar control to a home Wi-Fi unit (like a Nest, Ecobee, etc.) It's about $300 and would be the easiest thing to implement if it's compatible with the control board on your A/C unit.

As a cheaper approach I thought about using a Wi-Fi smart switch or plug from Amazon but the inexpensive ones are only rated for 15 amp maximum and the startup current on a 16k BTU A/C can be closer to 20 amps. The higher current rated smart devices are expensive and don't get great reviews. So what I settled on is using a Kasa smart plug plugged into a 120v outlet with a cord plugged into the Kasa powering a RIB 2401B relay installed into the air conditioner power supply line. I haven't yet implemented this solution but plan to soon and see no reason why it wouldn't work on any system that defaulted to turn back on to its previous settings when power was interrupted.

Obviously both approaches depend on having a reliable Wi-Fi connection aboard.

 

[fullbore]

Similar to Benny on post#7, but perhaps easier. What I did. Get small dehumidifier, place it in the sink (with drain open and dehumidifier basket off) and let it run. No wear on boat AC or bilge pump, no risk of water in boat, nor of mold.
And I’m in gulf, south of Galveston.