I am still trying to figure out problem with the A/C pump on my 3700SCR, I relocated the pump into the engine room instead of under one of rear beds, much safer since have a BIG rule bilge pump in there in case something happens and also I was able to put it lower for easier priming. I had an A/C tech checking out the pump trying to figure out why it would stop pumping or give a restricted flow warning at the controller, turned out I had a plastic bag caught in the thru hull despite running the boat a few times and blowing air through the line... Plus some air would stay trapped in the line and cause the pump to loose prime. ." pascal@pam-trading.com 8/00


Forward cabin Air Conditioning Icing Up? On the 4600 SCB the air intake under the bed is open to the bilge, this according to Marine Air is a violation of the ABYC code. This type of installation brings a mixture of bilge air and cabin air across the evaporator coil and passes into the cabins through the fan system. If left running in a high humidity area, it can never dry out the room, it just keeps pulling in wet smelly bilge air through the boat and eventually ices up the evaporor coil to a point no air can pass through it, giving you no AC at all. The fix is to put in a 6" flexible air duct from the centerline air opening to the left hand air intake, you will need about 8’ of flexible duct, 2 connectors, 2 duct clamps, a half sheet of 1/2" foam board, and a roll of metal duct tape. In two hours you should be done. Ah sweet clean air, but the AC still iced up! (Read the other AC Information below for a complete cure)

The Frost on the above AC is do to excessive humidity. (resulting in low to no air flow, and no cooling)

AC air intake on 4600 SCB is open into bilge causing bilge smells and excessive moisture to be pulled through the AC system.	In the second photo the AC unit is ducted to cabin air only, the air intake is on the left, "port" side of the berth.

More Air Conditioner Information, on different model boats and in different installations, Maxum will add a 1' board running the length of the forward under side of the AC unit to tilt the ac unit and therefore direct the condensate water towards the drain. You want to keep the drain to the stern, always. Depending on the balance and loading of your boat you may have to add a board to increase the condensate drainage angle if you don't already have one installed.

More Air Conditioner Information, I have a 4100 AFT, the aft cabin A/C does not drain. The drain hose in the rear of the A/C pan turns upward before bending down to the sump. (same thing in a 4600 forward AC) There is no way to reroute the drain hose. Hopefully I will find a solution over the winter. jbandza@twne.com

Maxum 2001 Design Changes? Maxum has announced on 9/00 that they no longer drain their condensate into the bilge of their boats. All of their drains now go either directly overboard or into the shower sump pump. As of 10/2000, I looked through the 2001 model boats. I have found no changes implemented as of that time. When I brought this up to Maxum corporate they were embarrassed. I also am at a loss for words. James 11/2000
2002 models have this corrected.

More Air Conditioner Information, I have a 4100 SCA. In the beginning of the HOT weather, both my A/C units would freeze-up every day. We checked everything and found nothing wrong. One day I noticed the bulkhead (starboard side) where the thermostat was located, was warm to the touch. We installed remote thermostat sensors at the fresh air return and have not had a problem since. It was not necessary to remove the thermostat to accomplish this. Yes it is a marine-air unit. My A/C man ordered the sensor from his distributor. The entire installation took about 1/2 hour. If I see him before we leave (we are doing the ICW) I will ask him for a wiring guide. JLewis2326@cs.com

More on the AC Freeze up's, and remote sensors. Your existing room temperature sensor is built into the Marine Air electronic control panel, on the center in the bottom. You can order remote sensors from your local Marine Air service center, Marine Air Part # 22210230. It plugs in to the AC Unit itself with a telephone jack. On the AC unit there are 3 phone jack connectors, J1 has a wire going to the existing electronic control panel, you plug the remote sensor into J2, when you do so the unit is smart enough to disregard the original sensor and use the new remote sensor. Mount the end of the sensor in the return air flow of the cabin air. "Is it just that easy? YES, It's just that easy". James.

Even More on the AC Freeze up's, Drew Stevens, Service Manager for Plano Marine say: Be sure to return the Marine Air unit to factory presets and keep the fan on Auto, a slow speed that is always on may be the problem in freezing up. To return the unit to factory presets read the Marine Air manual supplied with your boat.

Air Conditioner, Brian Will asks: "Is anyone else having problems with the main salon AC thermostat being placed directly above the AC vent on the 4600 SCB? This summer in Dallas, the thermostat would show 72 degrees when the actual interior temp was 86 degrees. I had to block the vent to get the temperature correct. I thought the faceplate on the Marine Air Passport was just for temperature control." (No, it has the sensor built into it on the bottom in the center) "I'm going to continue working this with Maxum and will keep you posted." Brian can be contacted @ BDWill1@aol.com

Air Conditioner, Pascal Asks: "Does anyone have anything on the A/C pump installed by Maxum ? Mine quit a few days ago, it's a plastic housing made by Little Giant Pump, of Oklahoma City something like that. I replaced it with a Cal pump, solid stainless and bronze. any info on these? They feel more solid. Also, I might relocate the A/C Pump from the cabin ( under the rear berth ). I would feel better having it in the engine room ( they are ignition protected ). In case of a problem, the large Rule bilge pump I added should provide protection rather than flooding the front bilge and cabin first. And while we're on A/C, the strainer seems too small on the 3700 SCR, it should be of the same size as the main strainers since the A/C runs at all time. I usually sets the A/C at 77 or 78 when I'm not on board, keeps it cool and dry, but strainer fills up easily." (Miami, Florida) pascal@pam-trading.com

AC condensate drain. R Wothe the owner of a 4100 SCA writes, The AC condensate does drain into the bilge in an area where the water cannot reach the bilge pump until it gets 3" deep. That means there is always about 30 gallons sloshing around in the bilge. The aft cabin had started to smell musty until I found the murky water under the aft cabin floor. I added detergent and then pumped the mess out. I was told I could hook up the condensate drain to the Shower Sump pump which already had a fitting on it. It looks like a good winter project. 1/00 ( There is a picture of this type of connection below ) Roger follows up with this in a latter E-mail, James, I haven't sent in anything for a long time, so thought I would fill you in on what I've been doing to the boat. I did plumb the A/C condensate lines to the shower sump pumps. As a result, the front bilge is absolutely dry. Cheers, Roger Wothe rwothe@environmentsinc.com 9/00

More AC condensate drain. The forward AC unit of the 4600 SCB, also has the AC condensate drain emptying into the bilge and ending up in (3) closed off bilge spaces. The 4600 collect's 3 1/2" to 4" of water, about 30 to 40 gallons in these three inaccessible areas. The water also looks and smells bad. I took 15' of condensate drain (5/8 hose, 1/2" ID) and using a 1 1/4" deep cut hole saw and two long hex shank extensions, one 24" Part 2Q507 and one 18" Part# 2Q508 from Granger 813-622-7223. I was able to cut through the four bulkheads and pass the new drain hose to the shower sump. Be sure to leave the sump circuit breaker on if the forward AC is left on.

An alternative to the above was suggested by Bill Liligreen @ US Marine was to install a "Mermaid Condensator" a siphon type device that uses the AC water flow to empty the condensate pan buy pulling the water from the pan into the AC waste water flow and out of the boat. The Mermaid Condensator solves the problem of having air conditioning condensation water draining into the bilge or the use of bulky electrical pumps. The Mermaid Condensator is silent, non-electrical, measures approximately 7 inches in length and 2 inches across and weighs only 10 ounces. The Mermaid Condensator comes with a complete installation kit which will adapt to most marine air conditioners. Installation takes only minutes and the use a screw driver and pocket knife. Simply cut the "water out" hose from the air conditioner condensing coil, insert the Mermaid, Condensator secure it with provided hardware and connect suction hose to air conditioner condensation drain pan. That's it. A slick idea from Mermaid Mfg. of Ft Meyers FL 941-418-0535, or 800-330-3553. Just about $100 including shipping. 1/00

Below are 4 photos of the Mermaid Condenser Bob Cephas installed on his 4100 SCA, he needed two, both of his AC units drained into the bilge of his boat. We all bought fiberglass boats in the hope of having dry bilges, Bob's on his way to achieving that goal. 4/2001

"Here is the Mermaid Condensator installion that I now have on both air conditoner drain pans. " Bob say's " They work great. No more rusty water in the bilge areas." robertcephas@snip.net 4/2001

AC Note, 1/28/00, Just a little update on A/C units, installations: On the 41 & 46 Bridge boats, fwd units still drain into the bilge's; however, both aft units go directly overboard. The 41 Aft model's fwd unit does the same (bilge) and it's aft unit is now in a contained area that angled to drain into a sump box. The 37's units both drain to a single sump box location. Hope this is of some help. (James)

Here's the forward sump on a 4600 SCB, there's a second float switch on the left for a flooding alarm, there are five floording alarm sensors installed on our boat, one here for the forward bilge, one amidships in the engine room, one each in the shaft allies and one in the stern. There are two alarm stations, one in the forward bedroom and one on the bridge, additional information on this installation is in the electrical section. Also there is shown a bronze check valve on the output of the shower sump, and a drain from the forward AC into the shower sump. 8/00

Need to quiet down the salon AC here is a quick inexpensive fix, inexpensive on a boat? Foam board on an angle, and metal tape.