capacitor size for Polar Bay 16K BTU AC in 2005 Hunter 33

[buddy0]

I am trying to determine the size of the run capacitor needed for my Polar Bay AC SLW16DHS-1 on my 2005 Hunter 33.
The old capacitor is blown and the numbers are worn off by the goo that oozed out.
The only thing left on it that I can read is "E189613". That doesn't seem to help me in a google search.
The AC is 120V with a normal running amperage labeled at 13 amps. It has a separate start capacitor.

Does anyone happen to know what the MFD rating is? Or have an educated guess based on working on similar AC units?

In cooling mode it runs OK and does cool the boat, but draws about 19.4 amps in steady state, as opposed to the 13 amps that it is rated.
In heat mode, it runs OK for about a 30 seconds to a minute, while the amp draw steadily increases to around 30 amps,
where it either kicks itself off with a shudder or trips the 25 amp breaker.

 

[rgranger]

Can you call the manufacturer?

 

[SEMPERAVANTI41]

I think a good a/c mechanic would be able to make an educated guess based on the refrigerant, btu and type of compressor. If you need to go with a "see how it works" check out a Amrad Turbo 200X. It can be wired for almost any capacitance needed, which would allow a trial & error repair.

 

[buddy0]

They were purchased by Dometic a while back. If no one here happens to know, I plan on calling their support - perhaps I can get a tech that has a feel for what it should be.

I know a home A/C guy. That is worth a try also.
Good idea about the Amrad. That could be a last resort option ... before swapping out with a new unit. That is an option that I wasn't aware of.

Thanks for the ideas.

 

[kloudie1]

The cap is going to be around 40-45 mfd at 200-250V for the 115v compressor.. here is a data sheet for common compressors used in similar applications:

 

[rgranger]

Something to add to the overall calculous of the fix... Your unit uses R-22. If this were my project, I would try to estimate the given continued expenses keeping this going given the price/pound of R-22 and the eventual inability to get additional R-22, vs. the price to replace now and reap savings in the near term on non-repair issues. Only you have a feel for how reliable your given unit will be after the capacitor is replaced

 

[SEMPERAVANTI41]

If the unit is leaking R-22, I agree that putting in a new unit would be the way to go. If only the cap is the issue, I would install a new cap. If you go with a 40-45 mfd which sounds right, you can pick one up at Ace Hardware or online for as little as 11 bucks. I suggest that you get one made to EIA-456-A standard.

 

[buddy0]

Thanks kloudie1 for the data sheet. Its great to have data.

How did you come up with 40-45 mfd? The highest BTU for 120V compressors is 12,700 BTU, at 10.6 amps.
So I would think at 16000 BTU and 13 amps it might extrapolate to around 50 or 55 mfd.

 

[buddy0]

Yeah, I am thinking that the R-22 charge is still good since it does cool the boat. I am pretty sure that the run capacitor has been blown for a while - I think the super slick film I found in the bilge a while back was it. (I don't use the A/C or heat very often.)
I am mostly worried that the compressor is going, from running without a run capacitor for a while.
I've already scouted new units, but if a $12 capacitor gets it going again, I'll take it. Especially since it only sees occasional use.

 

[kbgunn]

I have a Dometic MarineAirrrr 16K BTU with R22 refrigerant. It has a 30uF run cap @ 370v for the 115v compressor. Yours doesn't look that bad. Not bulging or leaking from what I can tell. Did you check it with a meter to determine it was bad?

My compressor wasn't running last month and I thought it might be the run cap. It turned out to be the compressor relay on the control board smoked.

 

[buddy0]

Hi kbgunn,
Thanks for the info on your capacitor. Do you remember the steady state amps rating for that? I would bet that the motors would be quite similar between our units.

I did test it. Also, it was leaking. I think it was leaking for quite some time.

 

[kbgunn]

I don't remember the running current for the compressor. I'd say around 6A. I think the locked rotor amps was rated at 45A or so...I couldn't find any pics of the compressor labeling. I also couldn't find the specs for the R22 units online. The R410a units had a running rating of 10A and an LRA of 62A. I would say the 30uF would get you in the neighborhood +/- 15% of the oem value.

 

[buddy0]

Mine has a running amps of 13 with a LRA of 59, so quite a bit more than yours. Makes me think that your R22 16K BTU A/C unit is a fair bit more efficient than mine. I wouldn't have expected that much difference.

Based on the data sheet from kloudie1, a 120V compressor running around 6 amps would have a 35 MFD capacitor. So that matches up pretty close to yours. Weirdly though, on a 120V unit that would be only about 7000 BTUs in his list. Which again points to yours as being significantly more efficient.

 

[kbgunn]

Yeah, it's odd. I can somewhat explain the delta between R22 and R410a units since 410a operates at much higher pressures. The delta between your R22 and mine is a head scratcher. My unit was from 2006 which is very similar in age to your boat. Maybe some other component in your system with high resistance...the thermal overload perhaps? The thermal overload should be around 0.5 ohms.

In any event, it's a mystery.

 

[buddy0]

I hadn't actually measured the running amps before the capacitor blew.
I am just getting 13 amps from the label on the Polar Bay unit.
And the 13 could well be heat mode and A/C mode runs less.
But I think it is a good value to use for comparison in the data sheet.

I will be back at the boat this weekend and will see if I can find the specs on the compressor motor itself.

 

[buddy0]

OK, I think I've tracked it down. The compressor is model RS64C2-PAA-225.
Here is the Copeland parts list.
Which lists the OEM and Service run capacitors as 0064-12 and 0037-16 respectively.
These appear to both be 30 MFD (for example here).
So, lower than I expected. I was leaning toward a 45 MFD.

I need to double check the size, but thinking of getting something like
BOJACK 30 uf MFD 370V 450V AC Motor and Fan Starting Round Capacitor 50/60 Hz CBB65 10000 AFC

 

[buddy0]

I purchased the 30 MFD Bojack capacitor from Amazon and installed it this weekend.
It was the same diameter as the original, but a bit shorter.

The A/C runs at a steady 14 amps now (it was 19.4 with the dead capacitor) and cools well.
The heat starts out around 16 amps and slowly climbs to about 20.4 amps in about 5 minutes. It seems to level off there and was still at 20.4 after about 10 minutes.

 

[kbgunn]

I purchased the 30 MFD Bojack capacitor from Amazon and installed it this weekend.
It was the same diameter as the original, but a bit shorter.

The A/C runs at a steady 14 amps now (it was 19.4 with the dead capacitor) and cools well.
The heat starts out around 16 amps and slowly climbs to about 20.4 amps in about 5 minutes. It seems to level off there and was still at 20.4 after about 10 minutes.

That's great that it is back to working order! It is a big current draw though. More than I would expect. However, I don't think there is much you could do to improve it. So enjoy the comfort when tied to the dock and/or run the genny when on the hook.