F44 Cruisair not pumping water

[dockedwages1]

The circulating pump for the three units is not pumping water when I turn on the a/c. I pulled the pump and tested it out of the boat with 110 at home and it worked fine. Re- installed and still no action. The breaker now is tripping for a/c. If the units are low on charge, would this create all these problems? Or is there an issue in the control box?

[aaronbocknek]

did the pump loose it's prime somehow? i've also had breaker issues this year with my a/c. i'm in the process of trying to figure it out between flying 3 and 4 day trips. work is really getting in the way of boating this year.

[prowlersfish]

The A/C breakers will trip if its not pumping water . Check the strainer and pick up for being plugged .

[larryeddington]

+++ on what Paul said.

[vabeach1234]

My A/C pump looses it's prime when I run on plane. I have to close the sea cock before I leave the slip to avoid this. When I forget to close it, I have to undo the hose at the discharge thru hull and suck the water through to prime it. Most of these A/C pumps aren't self priming.

[larryeddington]

According to pump and ac install instructions, the pump should be mounted below water level which solves the priming issue.

[larryeddington]

According to pump and ac install instructions, the pump should be mounted below water level which solves the priming issue.

[Big D]

If the pump bench tests fine but will not actually turn in the boat, then there is a circuit problem. Disconnect the pump and turn the unit on to check for 110 volts at the pump-end wiring. Then look for 110 volts at the controler's output terminals to the pump. Also look for; bad connections, bad wire, a short at the connections (inspect both ends), a short in the cabling, a bad controler, or a week breaker. Also ensure that you getting proper voltage to the boat and A/C unit. With the pump disconnected, and ensuring the wires don't short against each other, does the breaker still trip when you turn the unit on? If not, it's likely the pump circuit. If it does, there's another issue somewhere.

[captainmaniac]

Sorry to revive an old thread... but just wondering of anyone has any documentation or diagrams of the electrical controls or schematic for Cruisair units direct the raw water pump to run or not ... Found some diagrams online for the Cruisair, but they didn't really show wiring to the raw water pump.

Found this spring that my raw water pump (on a SH12) was dead. Strangely, the marina was able to winterize the AC system in the fall without issue (or at least charged me for it). AC breaker had been off all winter since wintering until after launch, but pump is not coming on to push water to the AC now. Seacock is open, pump does not appear to be running (sound and no vibration on touch test) so need to test for power to the pump. If power is there, what happened to pump? If no power is there, why?

Any ideas / wiring diagrams / pictures welcome!

[Big D]

The diagram may not show the wiring to the pump but does it not show the pump terminal block on the controller? You can also follow the pump's cable to the controller, then test for voltage there. If there is voltage at the block, the issue is with the wiring to the pump or the pump itself.

....Strangely, the marina was able to winterize the AC system in the fall without issue....

Not everyone turns the AC units on to winterize them. Depending on the setup, some are hard to prime when simply pouring antifreeze into the strainer then turning power on. For that reason, I don't even bother nor do I need to run the unit as I use a pressurized system to push antifreeze through. If this is the way they winterize as well and the unit wasn't working at that time, they wouldn't know it.

.....If power is there, what happened to pump? If no power is there, why?.....

Well, in simple terms, things break! Sometimes they fail during operation and other times they fail during shutdown or at power up but hardware fails especially after being subjected to harsh winter conditions. If the unit is on the edge of failure, the winter might just push it over. Sitting for 5-6 months doesn't help either.

If there is no power to the unit at the board's terminal block, it's likely a board driver or relay failure. Relay failures (in any hardware) are pretty common at commissioning time.

Can you post a pic of the pump?

[dockedwages1]

The relay in the control box was bad on my system. I ended up bypassing the control box and wired the pump directly to a dedicated breaker with an inline fuse. Just have to turn the power for pump on at breaker panel before I start ac units.

[Big D]

If you're handy, you can swap out the relay which I suspect this vintage uses rather than an electronic driver which would be more difficult to deal with. For the most part, relays have a standardized pin configuration and labeling which you can easily find on-line. The pin label in usually stamped into the bottom of the unit beside each pin or on the top case. The trick is getting the same footprint. If it's in a socket, even better but one must be found that will mate with it. As long as the rating is the same you can use just about any relay even if you mount it remotely and wire it to the same connection points.

There should be product info on the relay case that you can use to search for a replacement. A good electronics supplier like Electrosonic in Toronto or an on-line source might carry the right one or cross it to one with the same spec. You can also contact Cruisair, they may have the part or direct you to a certified service provider that may have one in stock though they usually try and sell you a replacement controller.

If the relay has a removable cover, you can also inspect the contacts to see if they are locked, corroded, etc. and if you're really careful, you may be able to bring it back to life.

Having said all this, you need to confirm first that the relay is indeed the fault first. A meter will help with that if you know where to take your reading.

Again, if you're handy and it's just a relay issue, the fix is totally within the realm of most DYIers. Just remember to be cautious as you're working with 120 volts AC and for some tests, the circuit needs to be live. Would be good if you can get a hold of a service manual for test points.

[captainmaniac]

Hoping to get a closer look and do some tests this weekend.

[WayWeGo]

The impeller on mine sometimes sticks. I take the front cover off the pump, give the impeller a spin and put it together again. One of these days, I am going to figure out why this is happening. For now, it is easy to do and I have a spare pump waiting to be used if necessary.

[P-Dogg]

the marina was able to winterize the AC system in the fall

If the boat is on the ground, you can pump anti-freeze through the AC water discharge port until you see it come out of the seacock -- no pump needed. A pool toy that is a large squirt gun works great for this. $.99 at Walmart. Also makes a great stand-by manual pump for removing liquid from tight quarters, like a sink, a toilet, a dinghy, or a bilge nook. I have half a dozen.