Low freon in ac unit ?

wall-nuts · Apr 6, 2009

ac

windsmaker said:
Tried my Marine Air 16000 BTU ac unit this month and the compressor didn't come on. The fan and water pump came on.
Can low freon keep the compressor from coming on or can it be electrical?
Any thoughts on what to check?

try jumping out the low psi control or checkec to see if threre is freon by hooking up gages
if you have over 30 psi on low side (suction) the comp should come on.
greg

petersea · Apr 7, 2009

Yes,low or no freon will prevent the compressor from kicking in. Unless you have a working knowledge of A/C and have the gauges and tools plus access to R 22 freon in your state you will most likely need to have a service call made. Most states now require that you have a licence to purchase any freon other then R 134. Look at the fittings to see if you can see where you had a leak. Most leaks will leave an oily film in the vicinity of the leak. Also double check your settings (set to factory default) to make sure you are not on heat only, if you have a heat and cool unit. See owners manual on this. Good Luck !

seadaddler · Apr 7, 2009

Check

I have not worked on AC in too many years to remember but it sounds like you don't have a clue so get some one who does before you make it worse.
Check all the electrical connections on the compressor,they could have a bad connection at that point every thing else seems to be working,don't play around too much and get some one who knows.
Nick

TimCup · Apr 7, 2009

It's almost always low freon-

if everything else works, forget electrical, it's gonna be freon. The problem is, even if you add freon, you haven't fixed the problem- Usually when an ac unit works great right up it doesn't, a seal has dried out and cracked, leaking the freon. Even if you were to pump freon back in, it won't last long. See an expert. The right tools make it a quick and easy fix...

cup

Ed Schenck · Apr 7, 2009

Could be simpler than that. . .maybe. My unit has a circuit breaker-like protection that will kick if there is no water flowing. You say that the pump came on. Did you witness water coming out of the boat? If you lose prime like I used to every winter on the hard the pump will run without water. There is a little metal tab on the top of my Mermaid that pops out. Once I get the water flowing and push that switch back in the compressor will come on. Just a random thought.

Hermit Scott · Apr 7, 2009

There may be a solonoid that is frozen. Or the thermostat has issues of something seized up. I would check the pressure first, as suggested, then electrical.
What year was your AC made? It may be R-134 already. If you have the manual or check online or call the manufacturer. On cars you can tell by the fittings.

Terry in Naples · Apr 7, 2009

I have a flagship marine 1600 AC, it has a reset button that you have to push if the unit starts up and runs without the pump actually pumping water. (automatically turns off the compressor) So it does not overheat. So I prime the pump then push the reset button and the compressor will start up. Might check that if yuou have one.

petersea · Apr 8, 2009

Windmaker,
Marine air units made that year were R- 22. I have same unit year and size.(most of these systems are r-22 as are most window type home units r- 134 is mostly for cars, there are about 10 different types of freon used today in a/c and refrigeration units depending on application) To confirm there is a spec label on unit that will tell you type of freon and capacity (about 15 oz) but check the label. And YES a oily film on the shrader valve COULD indicate a leaking valve ( trust me on this one I have had one go bad also) Bad news is you will most likely need a tech to make a service call or remove unit and bring it to them ( they are not that hard to remove ) IF you can get a can of R-22 and refill it after replacing the valve core you MIGHT be lucky but after these systems leak out a couple of times they will to be "vacuum" drained and recharged. Unfortunately R-22 is restricted to only "licensed" techs in most states but check laws your state. Good news is there are easily repaired by any good a/c tech and when they finally do go bad they make good anchors !! IF you take the unit out it might be a good time to "acid wash" the water system, check the owners manual for more info on this but it is considered "regular" maintenance and trust me on this one also because I have had to do it also. While I know it is boring there is a lot of good info in the owners manual and on the web site. Also there factory tech department is responsive to questions and info. There were very good helping me with some questions ! Got to give a thumbs up to customer service when and where deserved !

Idratherbesailing · Apr 8, 2009

Windsmaker: I've had this problem with two different Marine Air systems. The first time it was an actual circuit problem (solder joint was bad) in the electronic control box on the unit. This takes a tech to find, but the fix was simple..Ten seconds with a solder gun. The second time it was the CAL brand water circulating pump that had gone bad and was preventing the unit from starting because it had shorted out and would not let the compressor start circuit work correctly. If your water pump is working, then it sounds more like a freon problem, particuarly if you see something that might be a leak. If you have a heat/cool system, listen to the reversing valve reset each time you energize the system. I have heard of them sticking and causing some of this sort of problem. Sometimes a rap with a tool will fix this problem. I agree with a couple of the posters, the easiest and simpliest solution is to get a tech that is familiar with marine air systems to look at it, either in the boat or by taking the unit out. I spent much time and effort fixing my problems myself before, and it would have been money well spent to call the professional sooner rather than later.

Ken13559 · Apr 8, 2009

it could be a faulty thermostat.

mennace · Jun 20, 2009

ac will not work

Terry in Naples said:
I have a flagship marine 1600 AC, it has a reset button that you have to push if the unit starts up and runs without the pump actually pumping water. (automatically turns off the compressor) So it does not overheat. So I prime the pump then push the reset button and the compressor will start up. Might check that if you have one.

i have a flagship 16 btu too. the compressor nor the water pump stars, just the fan , the button is pressed in, this is the first time i used it, any suggestions?

Low freon in ac unit ?

.

wall-nuts

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.