41DS Forward A/C

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Jun 15, 2012
715
BAVARIA C57 Greenport, NY
Has anyone experienced a similar problem in their 41DS? Yesterday was around 95 degrees at my dock. I was working inside so cranked down the a/c to 73 degrees. After a few hours I noticed no airflow coming out of the vents. I thought the circulating fan was not working. I opened up the settee to look at the a/c unit and the coil was completely frosted over, stopping any airflow. I turned off the unit and an hour later it defrosted and worked correctly.

I think the problem is due to the placement of the a/c unit and the vent cut into the side of the settee. The vent is not in line with the a/c unit. I was planning to cut a new vent in the port settee. Has anyone solved this problem?
 

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Jun 15, 2009
45
Catalina 387 Waterford Harbor, Kemah Texas
Had the same problem with the AC on my H33. Turned out it was low freon. Once the system was charged back up to proper levels I've had no problems.
 
Feb 10, 2004
4,138
Hunter 40.5 Warwick, RI
High humidity levels and extended running will produce an ice-up like you experienced. The ice can form on the evaporator or in the condenser. If the ice forms on the evaporator like you had, the airflow is reduced or stopped. If the ice forms in the condenser, then the AC will alarm and shutdown. The quick fix in either case is to put the unit in heat mode for about 2-3 minutes. All the ice will melt, along with you in the process, and then you can go back into cooling mode.
 
Oct 1, 2007
1,865
Boston Whaler Super Sport Pt. Judith
Also be sure you have unrestricted cooling water flow. Obstructed flow will also result in icing.
 
Jun 1, 2009
1,839
Hunter 49 toronto
2 possibilities

Also be sure you have unrestricted cooling water flow. Obstructed flow will also result in icing.
Check your return vent grill. They get totally clogged up with dust, lint, etc.
I clean mine twice a season

Look at the water flowing out of the hull. Look normal???
If not, check your inlet strainer
 
Jun 6, 2006
6,990
currently boatless wishing Harrington Harbor North, MD
this is pretty normal if you leave a hatch open. High humidity will normally be condensed out as water but if you have a hatch open and the humidity levels do not drop (due to warm moist air coming in all the time) then this is going to happen. Nothing you can do but seal up the boat to let the AC dry out the air.
 
May 24, 2004
7,174
CC 30 South Florida
That is the first sign of low Freon but it can also be caused by obstructed air flow (dirty filter or blocked vents. It does happen more frequent in high humidity. Turn it off, let it thaw out and don't try to get the cabin down to 73 in a hot summer day. It ain't going to happen. Check the freon level. To help the air conditioner along use a hose and spray water over the cabin top. Slow evaporation does help. Also an awning to keep the direct sun away will maitain the deck at ambient temperature instead of allowing it to overheat; 95F is better than 115F.
 
Apr 10, 2011
42
Hunter 41DS Cape Harbor Marina, Cape Coral
Check the owners manual for the air conditioner units. There is a deicing / dehumidifying cycle you can turn on. Once an hour (?) the unit will switch to the heat cycle for 3 (?) minutes to clear any ice build up. I am not at the boat today, so can't give you the required keystrokes, but it is straight forward.
Additionally, whenever I close the outlets in the galley for the aft AC (hoping to cool the aft stateroom quicker), I wind up icing the aft AC. So, the AC units also need sufficient outlet for the fan output, or, for lack of a more technical description, the cold air "backs up" and helps freeze the condensation on the coils. We use the aft stateroom. The forward AC has also iced up (before I learned about the automatic cycle) when guests would get too cold and close all the outlets in the forward berth.
 

Nodak7

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Sep 28, 2008
1,256
Hunter 41DS Punta Gorda, FL
Thanks all! I am having the same problem with the Aft Unit. Thought it was an inlet problem since it was found to be dirty. Cleaning it did not help. The condenser takes about 3 hours to freeze up. (Looks like a big ice cube) We have not used this much but will be after our move. Living aboard right now so it's proper operation is much more important.

Is it difficult to recharge these Units or do you have to take them completely out?
 
Nov 6, 2006
10,095
Hunter 34 Mandeville Louisiana
May have some bearing on this problem:
The auto fan controls on most solid state thermostats will drop the fan speed as the temp in the boat approaches the set point. The icing may be a result of too slow a minimum fan speed setting.. You may want to look at the manual and figure out the song/dance to raise that minimum fan speed a notch or two to keep a good airflow and prevent icing..
 
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