270 Fiesta Vee A/C BTUs

ricklaviolette

Does any one know off hand how many BTUs your A/C is? Mine is 5,000 and I feel like that is under powered... at least for Texas summers. 

skennelly

You didn't say what year.  Rinker lists the unit as 7k on their website.  5k sounds small...was it replaced?

Liberty44140

Yea I would have thought 7k. My 310 had a 10k and my 342 has a 16k.

ricklaviolette

It’s a 2002. The manufacturer date on the unit is stamped 2001 so I assume it’s original. I have checked the vent output temp when the cabin temperature was 92 degrees it was putting out 68 degree air... it appears to be in good working order. Just under powered for the cubic feet it’s trying to cool. 7K sounds a much more like what it should be to me. 
Thanks for the insight. 

skennelly

I have a 2002 as well but never had an issue and never looked at my unit that closely....no pun intended.

Handymans342

12K BTU is what you need. 

ricklaviolette

Handymans342 said:

12K BTU is what you need. 

Not sure if you’re joking but I’m actually thinking about that... especially since the MarinAire has a mode to set humidity %. I don’t think an extra large unit would cycle too short to reduce humidity... plus I have 3 kids that like to constantly leave the door open as they go in and out. ( which might actually be the real problem)

Liberty44140

What is the lake temperature? If the water is too warm then it may not matter much. Warm water means warmer air out of your boat AC. 

Dream_Inn

Yes, kids going in/out al the time can definitely be a problem.  I don't think 12k would be an issue.  FWIW, I have both a 12k & 16k on mine.  

ricklaviolette

Liberty44140 said:

What is the lake temperature? If the water is too warm then it may not matter much. Warm water means warmer air out of your boat AC. 

That makes a lot of sense. Especially because I like to anchor in smaller coves where the water is probably a little warmer. This is my second year with this boat and last summer I was deployed during the hottest time here so I didn’t get to experience warmer water temperatures. Thanks. 

ricklaviolette

Dream_Inn said:

Yes, kids going in/out al the time can definitely be a problem.  I don't think 12k would be an issue.  FWIW, I have both a 12k & 16k on mine.  

I’m liking the idea of bigger is better. The unit is A/C only so I am looking to upgrade to add heat before fall anyway. 

Handymans342

Liberty44140 said:

What is the lake temperature? If the water is too warm then it may not matter much. Warm water means warmer air out of your boat AC. 

That is not a correct statement. Water cooled AC can easily handle 100 degree inlet. 

Handymans342

Oversize is not good either

ricklaviolette

Handymans342 said:

Oversize is not good either

This is actually the unit I am considering. 

Dream_Inn

9k is perfect!!  not a bad price either (just not it is an off brand marinaire - not marine air).  I know others have bought that brand here & I believe they were happy.  Might be worth getting updates from them.  Do a search for marinaire, lots of discussion on it to help you out.

here's a good one in particular by @Dude_Himself using a 6k unit in his 280:

https://rinkerboats.vanillacommunities.com/discussion/8560/lessons-learned-diy-install-of-marinaire-air-conditioner

Liberty44140

Handymans342 said:

Liberty44140 said:

What is the lake temperature? If the water is too warm then it may not matter much. Warm water means warmer air out of your boat AC. 

That is not a correct statement. Water cooled AC can easily handle 100 degree inlet. 

Handy, while I am in no way an HVAC expert which I believe you are, there is a lot out there on marine AC units losing effectiveness when the raw water goes past 90 F. Maybe these sites are wrong, but I've read it several times and thus the comment on water temp.

Handymans342

Lib, new unit or old?

Handymans342

Actually these units should have a water valve that modulates the water flow thru the condenser based on high pressure. We use these on water cooled AC units and ice machines. I never had my gauges on an older unit with warm water going thru it but I would love to see it. 

GMSLITHO

If you don’t keep the cabin door closed with outside temps above 90 not many marine ac will keep up 

Liberty44140

Handymans342 said:

Lib, new unit or old?

Really not sure, I think 10 years old or newer 

Kaptain_Ken

My 2000 FV 270 had a brand new Cruisair 6000 BTU STQ6 installed just before I purchased it in 2017.  Keeps it pretty cold, but more importantly dry here in the hot and humid South Shore Long Island Summers.  It's the same model as the current Dometic DTU6.  I'm not sure you'd want to go much bigger than that.  Maybe 8000?  I also wonder if too big a unit would cause short cycling and you would end up being cold and clammy from it never getting rid of the humidity.

I have friends who purchased the MarinAire and are very happy and you cant argue the value.  Just keep in mind that it has a metal pan while the Dometic has a pan made of composite and will never rust.

As an aside, make sure your strainer is clean and clean out the cooling lines with muriatic acid (or similar) to keep the cooling water flowing.  That could be contributing to less cooling.  As could a weak pump.

Dude_Himself

My MarinAire came with a plastic pan.

Kaptain_Ken

Dude_Himself said:

My MarinAire came with a plastic pan.

Interesting since MarinAire advertises SS316 grade stainless steel for the drain pans.  Although they look to be coated with a layer of foam or some other material.

Dude_Himself

Ok, I stand corrected. Checked the photos - the unit came with stainless. I added a plastic pan under the stainless with a better drain connection.

Kaptain_Ken

But...most importantly you seem to be another happy customer.  And they're much cheaper than the Dometic units.  I think that if I were replacing a unit I would go with the MarinAire myself.  Just one other caution I remember is that some of their units may be taller or larger than older Dometic, Marine Air or Cruisair units they are replacing so measuring is a must.  If you're really limited in installation space, it seems the Dometic Turbo units are the way to go.

Dude_Himself

Yeah, they're not the exact same dimensions - the vent size being 1" smaller was the biggest hangup I had. That said - $6 at HD and I was back in business. And at the price - I figure if I have to replace the unit every 5 years vs every 10 for the Dometic (mine was 10 years old) then I'm still breaking even. But it's been in there 3 seasons now without issue, in warm saltwater, and hasn't faltered yet.