Need A/C help

Are you kidding? REPLACE IT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OOOCH! I hope you think he is still a good guy. Both my systems are old Cruise Air R22. When the one compressor went bad I rolled the dice and was able to replace with a Dometic R22 Compressor he had stock piled. My evaporator is over head in the salon with accessed from the bridge. Your welcome to look at mine if you want.

At almost 40 years old you'll be chasing it part after part dollar after dollar. Sure you can't break the new unit down for installation?

I was not suggesting that he tries to fix the old one, GO New. Just that he could look at my boat to see how it is installed and may not have to tier his whole boat apart.

Could always switch to a package unit as well. But I'm with NYCAP on this one.

You know what's pricey? Finding, buying, installing a new R22 component only to see its renewed youth cause another older component to fail. Wash, rinse, repeat, and you'll soon be replacing it all after having repaired it all a couple of times. Oh, and the failure won't occur at a time of convenience.

Especially with the air handlers, this is a very good, solid, easy path to follow. Air handlers are simple to break down and reassemble.

Not to mention R22 Freon is expensiveeeee.

It is. Replacing a simple compressor isn't a big deal, although the cost of the labor, the freon, and the compressor quickly gets you into the zip code of a new system.

Then, strong new compressor provides a renewed vigor of functioning pressure to valves and expansion/evaporator coils with decades of wear on them. Owner will be seeking help to locate and repair a leak in reasonably short order.....and Murphy demands this happen late at night, on the hook, in a steaming thunderstorm during foreplay.

Damned Murphy.

Know this lil bast**d well.

I tried but could not avoid making some comments here.

Done correctly, with RX22 rinse, high pressure filter installed, a whole 35cf bottle of nitrogen involved to blow out the RX22 and two nitrogen charges and draw downs, I have had 100 % luck in swapping out just the condensing station. Of course the evap station is completely checked and cleaned also before money is spent.

Using the same procedures, I'm 4 out of 5 just replacing the compressor. I just can not rinse enough sh*t out of the mufflers and condenser.
If the compressor did not burn the oil or throw sh*t in the lines, just a compressor should work but it's still a poker hand.

R22 is what it is. When your a jobber, it's not to badly priced. Have not been with out for 40 years, At least one can will be by my side till,,,,,
I still have R12 in inventory.

The Bad part is, The copper lines have to be changed out when changing compressor oils and gasses. Next, The over head is not available in R410. Dometic will build on demand for R22/R417 those 16Kbtu overhead units. Takes 2 weeks nominally (been there).
Of all, R22 will always be around. 40 years later r12 is still here. 85 years later; Ammonia and propane are still used (probably the best of all).

I still have 2 & 3 knob controls (new) on hand (somewhere?)

Long live Air De Mer.
Now who remembers that??

Replace the compressor only, the Air handlers can be fixed by YOU, fan motors get stiff over time, can be gotten from Grainger.
My 39 year old Cruisair units (1981), both 1600 btu units are still kicking fine. I've replace two fan motors in short time and my HVAC friend and I did the compressor which I got from United Refrigeration. All an easy days work.
And both bronze cooling tubes that wrap around the units are super thick and fine as wine....just make sure yours are too. I'm sure they are good.
Oh I fixed one thermostat too, the rotary one. It was a Raco which I also got from Grainger...
This all was two years ago...all is good and we run them alot! More than just weekends.

NO Marine AC Manufacturer makes there own units from scratch, it's all by out stuff to which they assemble to make their AC unit.
It's going to be big bucks to replace the entire system, and not worth it IMO.

You can not compare cruisair 1981 vintage with the crap they ve been producing in the last 14 years

2009 vintage chillers (big one$) already replaced. Same with 5 2009 air handlers out of 10... 2003 split condensers... by 2015 3 out of 7 replaced. The lists goes on. Average useful life of a CrapAir condenser, chiller or air handler is less than 10 years.

Lol!! Good to know. Glad I have an old boat!
I think ...