Cruise Air Units AC Issues

I'd ask local yacht clubs, marinas and bait shops for recommendations along with local boating publications.

An issue with water flow would normally trigger a high pressure error. Did you check the discharge to make sure it s pumping water?

leave the breaker off for a few hours till the compressor cools off. Then try to restart it. Does the compressor start? Feel the coils, do they get hot right away? How quickly does the compressor get hot? Compressor have a thermal safety that will turn it off above a certain temp.

Usually when the breaker trips right away, the compressor is done

btw is this a self contained or split ?

BTW, it sounds to me like you've got it figured out. But I just wanted to remind you that you may not have barnacles but you've got the snails. They can raise hell on raw water systems. A quick look at the outflow will tell you about that fast.
Those strainers you have are called south bay strainers. Great for keeping eel grass and kelp out but snail eggs have no problem going in.

If it starts, you could try running the unit with a fresh water hose attached to the coils, having the dock provide your cooling water for a few minutes to try to isolate and identify the problem.

Here in Miami we get small mussel like shells.

i added valves on my chillers so I can isolate one of them without shutting down the whole boat, pull the discharge hose, out it in a bucket, open the valve and check for flow. On boats with splits running off a manifold you Can do the same thing. Very convenient when all the units discharge in a single TH making it hard to see individual flow

Had trouble with one of my Cruise air splits last summer. It would run for a while and then trip breaker. HVAC tech tried several things and for a little while was ok. Then just before a trip the A/C was off and would not let breaker reset that time. This time compressor was shot. Luckily it did not spew stuff into evaporators and A/C tech felt he could just replace compressor. The unit was removed from boat and he replaced the compressor on his bench. Then reinstalled in boat and recharged. It worked great and we have been using since late season last year and all summer this year living on boat since May. With all included still less expensive than replacing the condenser completely. Especially since it cools forward and aft cabin with 2 evaporators. I know there are different opinions on just replacing the compressor but it has worked for us. We have a 1988 Viking 44 Motor Yacht (aft cabin)
We are in Charlevoix and I am afraid we are not much help with HVAC recommendations but I can tell you that is important.

With proper care (vacuuming out the lines long enough) replacing just compressing Is not a problem.

I m so glad I don’t have to deal with splits anymore. Love my chillers !!!

Do the chillers reverse?

Yes, but better (I think) to put a separate heating unit inline for the system. But the heat pump reversing valve setup still applies to chiller units.

Fingers crossed. A bad start cap can do the same as you have explained.

There are so many replacements, upgrades and knacks on the legit and on the side markets that a good condensing station does NOT have to be replaced because a board has fried.
Tell us what you have or send a bunch of pics and / or some model numbers off of the condensing station.
I can make at least a Passport I/O up date for you.
Flight systems still fixes the old stuff also.

If it's a chilled system, same advise.

In closing my shop early last year, I trashed so much of this stuff. Have been regretting it a week later.

Difficult to help when you don’t answer basic questions. See my first reply Above, the day after you started the tread.

HI PS is high pressure. It is always an using with water flow. Does the pump start? Do you see water coming out of the discharge thru hull? On most systems each air con unit sends a signal to a relay box to start the pump when needed. Is it possible that the shorted control board affected the pump rely box, possible. Have you checked the breaker for the pump?

I don’t buy that the board can not be replaced. Even if that specific board is no longer available, there are other control boards which can be retrofitted for a lot less money than a new air con.

Call me a skeptic, but before I pay 5K to replace I'd be getting a 2nd opinion.

Check out this first, here is the place that makes all the Cruise Air boards and panels etc. You can get them yourself. They have the boards and such for old and new.
www.microair.net , in New Jersey.

Good Lead.
Thx

Hey CR!
Is there a way I can upgrade my old cruise air three dial Rotary knob control with a digital set temperature thermostat? Instead of the old warmer colder Dial thermostat?

If your current stuff is still serviceable; Yes, Anything is possible. Now that Dometic owns all the marine A/C companies, One call does it all.
Just takes money..

CruisAir did make a kit to convert 3 knob systems to the PassPort I/O system.
Terminal strip, big hole cover, logic board in it's own box, digital display and temp sender.
I copied the kit and used spares to replace my 3 knob sets on our Bertram.

I think the new CruisAir controller (U-Board) works with just about any op panel (except certain SMX-IR panels), on just about any DX or Chilled system out there.
Probably all Matt Clark (above) is going to need also.
There should still be some kind of a kit now, as they used to have one, with the new common control board.

Do you have a fav A/C vendor? Ring him up.