bigfoot
New Member
Any recommendations for air conditioning fitting on the East Coast? I am looking to have 3 units fitted or a central chiller.
Also what makes are best?
Also what makes are best?
Air Conditioning
- Thread starter bigfoot
- Start date
jrudge
Well-Known Member
To get a real answer you need to say the boat.
Central chillers are quieter but will cost more. The all in one units can make a racket but are cheaper.
Capacity will also come into it and may limit your choice.
Dometic is probably the most found brand. Dont buy oddball stuff as AC is there for a reason and when it goes wrong you need it fixed NOW and that relies on the bloke having bits in his van, or getting them at short notice.
Where is the boat to be kept - presumably not the East Coast as it is not really AC territory.
Central chillers are quieter but will cost more. The all in one units can make a racket but are cheaper.
Capacity will also come into it and may limit your choice.
Dometic is probably the most found brand. Dont buy oddball stuff as AC is there for a reason and when it goes wrong you need it fixed NOW and that relies on the bloke having bits in his van, or getting them at short notice.
Where is the boat to be kept - presumably not the East Coast as it is not really AC territory.
bigfoot
New Member
It I s a Broom 450. Will be used in the UK and hopefully in Holland and the French canals in the future. We have a 12kva generator.
What is the likely cost for supply and fit of all in one units or central chiller?
Thanks for the help.
What is the likely cost for supply and fit of all in one units or central chiller?
Thanks for the help.
jrudge
Well-Known Member
All in one units will be less.
People like coastal rides will well you new old stock and also there are other suppliers of new old stock which will save your money.
A few on here ( jimmy the builder , Petem) have relatively recently installed it. I would guess about £2k a unit on average. One will cost more than that due to pumps etc
People like coastal rides will well you new old stock and also there are other suppliers of new old stock which will save your money.
A few on here ( jimmy the builder , Petem) have relatively recently installed it. I would guess about £2k a unit on average. One will cost more than that due to pumps etc
Portofino
Well-Known Member
5 years ago I was quoted ( 14 m boat ) between 9/12 K for std self contained units -3 in all and 15 k approx for a central chiller with separate air handlers .
I chose the latter as it was silent in operation ( a prerequisite of mine ) which means we can sleep with it on .
Also internet measurements of BTU for the vol put if at approx 27000, and my unit is a 42000 so loadsa headroom . That might not be a issues in n EU . Iam Med based btw .
Additionally from previous experiences on visiting berths AC can trip out because of the shore power demands so i specced a low DC inverter Frigomar system which draws 2/6 A . It never trips btw .
I did a lot of research, you know the "Hunt "
Did not want noise , shore power trip . Wanted silence . Got them all .
Geny headroom is always king when touring as well . But you probably know that .
The installers need to be experienced they have those special tools like car trim guys to tear your boat / car apart and refit as OEM . Fortunately my guys bread n butter is in the Cote d Azur ripping out OEM AC and retro fitting frigomar gear for the above reasons . I was lucky finding them .
Nosey AC or tripping AC is a moot , taboo subject if just splashed out £2m on a big boat .
I chose the latter as it was silent in operation ( a prerequisite of mine ) which means we can sleep with it on .
Also internet measurements of BTU for the vol put if at approx 27000, and my unit is a 42000 so loadsa headroom . That might not be a issues in n EU . Iam Med based btw .
Additionally from previous experiences on visiting berths AC can trip out because of the shore power demands so i specced a low DC inverter Frigomar system which draws 2/6 A . It never trips btw .
I did a lot of research, you know the "Hunt "
Did not want noise , shore power trip . Wanted silence . Got them all .
Geny headroom is always king when touring as well . But you probably know that .
The installers need to be experienced they have those special tools like car trim guys to tear your boat / car apart and refit as OEM . Fortunately my guys bread n butter is in the Cote d Azur ripping out OEM AC and retro fitting frigomar gear for the above reasons . I was lucky finding them .
Nosey AC or tripping AC is a moot , taboo subject if just splashed out £2m on a big boat .
jimmy_the_builder
Well-Known Member
My recent installation was now about eight years ago, amazingly. From memory the cost for a single all-in-one unit was about £4k installed (16k btu).
rubberduck
Well-Known Member
This is who EBY used , presumably BCU as they are now known continue to do so. Did a Doral I bought new from EBY, good job. They travel to Essex etc.
WWW.NAUTICOOL.CO.UK
WWW.NAUTICOOL.CO.UK
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petem
Well-Known Member
We paid around £3k plus VAT (fitted) for a new old stock 16k btu unit. It's not silent so we tend to run it for an hour before bed and maybe half an hour in the night if it gets warm.
bigfoot
New Member
Thanks for the replies and advice on types of units. I will try Nauticool for fitting.
Was also looking at the Frigomar inverter units at SIBS. They seemed quiet for self contained units. Does anyone have experience of these?
Was also looking at the Frigomar inverter units at SIBS. They seemed quiet for self contained units. Does anyone have experience of these?
Portofino
Well-Known Member
Not the self contained, but the chiller unit . They do a 42 or 62 K BTU .
The actual chiller unit is under a bunk in the aft cabin . It's so quiet the occupant of the bunk is oblivious it's generating 41K btu . The pumps are in the ER .
Go to the frigomar website and u tube for demo s
Remember the current draw is tiny also being DC . It runs ( silently) all the time . Traditional AC motors make a racket and turn off when at set point , then judder when they turn on and cause AC spikes . There's slow start ramps but window dressing the current spikes and tripling risk .
It ain't the cheapest btw . But well worth the comfort on board .
In fact comfort can get really silly if you want stability, Stabs make the frigomar air con look a bargain. But let's not go there
The actual chiller unit is under a bunk in the aft cabin . It's so quiet the occupant of the bunk is oblivious it's generating 41K btu . The pumps are in the ER .
Go to the frigomar website and u tube for demo s
Remember the current draw is tiny also being DC . It runs ( silently) all the time . Traditional AC motors make a racket and turn off when at set point , then judder when they turn on and cause AC spikes . There's slow start ramps but window dressing the current spikes and tripling risk .
It ain't the cheapest btw . But well worth the comfort on board .
In fact comfort can get really silly if you want stability, Stabs make the frigomar air con look a bargain. But let's not go there
Zing
Well-Known Member
That's a great review, increasing my motivation to refurb. I’ve been meaning for a while to change my old Cruisair system for a modern inverter type set up. There are a couple of other makers out there too. Webasto Blue Cool or something and there is another one too from Italy.Not the self contained, but the chiller unit . They do a 42 or 62 K BTU .
The actual chiller unit is under a bunk in the aft cabin . It's so quiet the occupant of the bunk is oblivious it's generating 41K btu . The pumps are in the ER .
Go to the frigomar website and u tube for demo s
Remember the current draw is tiny also being DC . It runs ( silently) all the time . Traditional AC motors make a racket and turn off when at set point , then judder when they turn on and cause AC spikes . There's slow start ramps but window dressing the current spikes and tripling risk .
It ain't the cheapest btw . But well worth the comfort on board .
In fact comfort can get really silly if you want stability, Stabs make the frigomar air con look a bargain. But let's not go there
By the way, for those not maybe ready for a modernisation, I did a great sound proofing project on my Cruisair. I completely buried it all in 32mm lead plastic/foam sound absorbent panelling bought from Halyard. I also buried the horrid circulation pump. It is a LOT quieter now, almost silent.
Bigplumbs
Well-Known Member
I would not worry to much it a unit is noisy so long as the noise is constant. Humans are able to sleep well if a noise is the same level and constant. It is changes in noise that wakes you up. We have a very noisy AC unit at home in our bedroom and it actually helps me and my wife sleep
DavidJ
Well-Known Member
One of the irritating thing we observe at night is that we have a quiet Veco Climma self contained and also a quiet fridge. When they both go together we get “beats”. I don’t think with my system there is any way around this.
Bigplumbs
Well-Known Member
Yes beats or changing sound levels is the issue. You can actually sleep in quite a loud environment provided the sound is constant.
petem
Well-Known Member
I know it's worth stating the obvious but....
1) A/C ducts can be quite bulky. Make sure that you your boat has the space to pass the ducts under the floor if you're trying to use one unit to cool multiple cabins.
2) You will need to have the boat lifted (and ideally blocked off) to have the new through hull fittings installed.
3) Decide whether you want your discharges above or below the w/l.
4) Make sure that the installers put a condensate drain into a shower sump or similar (not into the bilges as they did for mine). Nobody wants a load of stagnant water in their bilges.
1) A/C ducts can be quite bulky. Make sure that you your boat has the space to pass the ducts under the floor if you're trying to use one unit to cool multiple cabins.
2) You will need to have the boat lifted (and ideally blocked off) to have the new through hull fittings installed.
3) Decide whether you want your discharges above or below the w/l.
4) Make sure that the installers put a condensate drain into a shower sump or similar (not into the bilges as they did for mine). Nobody wants a load of stagnant water in their bilges.
jrudge
Well-Known Member
https://coastalrides.co.uk/air-conditioning?product_id=23499
And this guy
https://marineairspares.com/#
sells lots of new old stock.
And this guy
https://marineairspares.com/#
sells lots of new old stock.
Zing
Well-Known Member
I agree a change in sound level is an issue for good sleeping. I’m a light sleeper and I sometimes wake when the evaporator control solenoid clicks ever half hour or so. To minimise the noise changes I configured the blower to be on constantly instead of switching on and off, which is the more energy efficient option.
I also feel the change of temperature as it suddenly drops and that also sometimes wakes me. That issue is another attraction of the inverter type systems, where the temperature of the output air is modulated to give a more constant output and so you should never get that sudden cold air sensation.
DavidJ
Well-Known Member
All good points.
After many years of annoying the neighbours with outlet above the waterline we converted to below. No change in performance and happy neighbours.
Pete I think you have a similar size boat to mine S37. I have just one 9k unit for saloon and guest cabin (we just leave the bedroom door open at night) we are underspeced for the Med but manage. How have you arranged your 16k?
petem
Well-Known Member
It's a long story but we ended up with a single unit under the forward berth with the outlet blowing cold air out of the door of the cabin and into the saloon. To get the forward cabin REALLY cool / quickly we close the forward cabin door. To cool the rest of the boat we leave the forward and rear cabin doors open.
DavidJ
Well-Known Member
Thanks Pete
We have our unit under the saloon settee with outlets to the saloon and guest cabin but the height does constrain us to a 9k unit. At some stage I might put a 5k or so second unit under the main bed (I overspeced the pump to do this). Sealine drawings show two 7k units one under the main bed and the other in the lazarette.