We spent the night on our boat Friday night in Pensacola with the air conditioner on, in fact, it had been running all afternoon. Then, when I first woke up on Saturday morning at about 7:15 AM, it seemed a bit warm so I checked the thermostat and noticed the alarm was on - no water intake...so I cleaned the srainer - still the same... the water was very hot...so I just opened the valve and the water was cool...so I determined that no water was going through the unit...so we were quite lucky and got a service man out at 9:30 AM (Sea Air Marine who said he treated this type of call like a 911 call because of the heat). Bob (The owner of Sea Air) immediately discovered that the problem was a CAL 580 pump which he said he did not like because it was not reliable. So he replaced it with a March LC3 pump which he said was much better. The original pump was plumbed on the intake side with 5/8" hose and fittings. Bob said that the pump manufacturer calls for 3/4". So Bob replaced the factory fittings and factory hose with 3/4". The pump was made in 2003 and our boat was built in 2004, but we did not purchase the boat -new (A Hunter 36) until 2006. So now we have had the boat about a year and a half, so it is out of the Hunter warranty...it is not covered by the Hunter extended warranty and CAL says their warranty is two years from the date they made it so it expired before we ever purchased the boat. Has anyone had any other experiences with this issue? Please let us know because at this point we are happy to have the cool air back on, but we are not happy with the pass the buck issues and warranties that don't cover anything.
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So
I found those pumps to be notoriously unreliable after one literally blew up this year. I had thought I improperly winterized ( a term with which you may not be familiar) but that was not the case. The new pump should last you quite a while as long as you make sure the strainer is rountinely cleaned. I believe it unreasonable to hope a two year warrantee will cover anything 3 years old.
I found those pumps to be notoriously unreliable after one literally blew up this year. I had thought I improperly winterized ( a term with which you may not be familiar) but that was not the case. The new pump should last you quite a while as long as you make sure the strainer is rountinely cleaned. I believe it unreasonable to hope a two year warrantee will cover anything 3 years old.
Hi John, I think the raw water pump that feeds...
the two heat pumps on our boat is a Little Giant; not sure of the make or model. It is the original unit and other than cleaning the impeller blades periodically, it always runs. Over time salt crystals build up and tend to clog the unit, which I take apart maybe every other year and scrape clean. Otherwise, a very reliable unit. Terry
the two heat pumps on our boat is a Little Giant; not sure of the make or model. It is the original unit and other than cleaning the impeller blades periodically, it always runs. Over time salt crystals build up and tend to clog the unit, which I take apart maybe every other year and scrape clean. Otherwise, a very reliable unit. Terry
Warranty Issues
I called Eddie at Hunter who suggested I call Marine Air and explain the pump issue. Marine Air explained that the pump was not part of their system - kind of like you must have tires on a car but they are made by another manufacturer and covered by the tire warranty. So...Marine Air said that CAL pumps were not reliable and we were much better off with the March pump. Also, Marine Air said that if they or the extended warranty people found out that the intake was plumbed at 5/8" as opposed to 3/4" that it could void the warranty. They told me that because ours had been changed, we were O.K. So owners may want to check their intake connections to be sure they are appropriate. At this point, we still have "pass the buck" as far as any reimbursement is concerned, but seems pretty consistent as far as the problem and the remedy and the outlook for any future problems seems to be favorible for us at this time as a result of changing the pump and the hose and fittings.
I called Eddie at Hunter who suggested I call Marine Air and explain the pump issue. Marine Air explained that the pump was not part of their system - kind of like you must have tires on a car but they are made by another manufacturer and covered by the tire warranty. So...Marine Air said that CAL pumps were not reliable and we were much better off with the March pump. Also, Marine Air said that if they or the extended warranty people found out that the intake was plumbed at 5/8" as opposed to 3/4" that it could void the warranty. They told me that because ours had been changed, we were O.K. So owners may want to check their intake connections to be sure they are appropriate. At this point, we still have "pass the buck" as far as any reimbursement is concerned, but seems pretty consistent as far as the problem and the remedy and the outlook for any future problems seems to be favorible for us at this time as a result of changing the pump and the hose and fittings.
that's strange
When I bought our Marine Air unit in 2004, the install kit (also from Marine Air)it came with a Cal pump - guess she should have said that it's not part of their system, NOW...
When I bought our Marine Air unit in 2004, the install kit (also from Marine Air)it came with a Cal pump - guess she should have said that it's not part of their system, NOW...
Budget Air
I think CAL makes a living on people trying to get AC for the low dollar. It seems that March makes a living replacing the CAL pumps! I'm holding my breath on my March pump but this confirms my contingency plan to replace it with a March when it fails! Won't the higher volume pump make your AC more efficient?
I think CAL makes a living on people trying to get AC for the low dollar. It seems that March makes a living replacing the CAL pumps! I'm holding my breath on my March pump but this confirms my contingency plan to replace it with a March when it fails! Won't the higher volume pump make your AC more efficient?
Seems about right
I have to agree about Cal pumps being unreliable. I replaced on on my aft berth in April of 2005. Now, the aft berth only runs when we are onboard, as the main salon A/C does all of the de-humidifying. So, after 2 years and 2 months (2 year warrantee, right!), and certainly not many hours, the Cal pump is inop again. March for me this time.
I have to agree about Cal pumps being unreliable. I replaced on on my aft berth in April of 2005. Now, the aft berth only runs when we are onboard, as the main salon A/C does all of the de-humidifying. So, after 2 years and 2 months (2 year warrantee, right!), and certainly not many hours, the Cal pump is inop again. March for me this time.
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