Rinker 280 AC use during the day or at sea using gen

bertgor

Hi everyone:

As some of you may know, I am looking at getting in to a 280.  I have received a lot of great feedback.  My new question is:

I am looking for feedback on how the AC cools the cabin during a hot day while at the dock (during the day) or while out on the lake or sea on the gen? 

What I am trying to figure out is does the AC really cool the cabin nicely on these 280's comfortably?  So for example if I were out on the water, a hotter day, would it be cool enough for kids to take a nap where it is noticeably cooler?  I have an older Sea Ray SRV 310 with AC, but the boat is a 1982.  It cools at the doc, but probably not what you would expect an AC to be like. 

Look forward to the input. Thanks!!

TikiHut2

My '04 270 can be chilled down enough to make a penguin happy, and I'm in the land of eternal heat/humidity. Mine does very well either at the dock or on the genset (when anchored) if everything is running well. That's also considering that the raw water I run through it is about 90*+ so I'd say it's doing very well.

Check and clean the external intake, strainer, raw water pump but especially check the ducts to make sure all the connections are well taped. Mine had come loose so I suppose the last owner might have been disappointed with how it cooled because most of the AC was just going into the bilge.

Good luck in your search. Mike

raybo3

I have a 342 and my A/C works great. I have had my cabin down to 63* on a 90* day.

Cableguy Greg

On my 280, I can keep it at 70 all day. The A/C works great.

OldDogNewTrix

Same here, either on AC or genny, it's the same, cools or heats no problem. 

bertgor

thanks guys!  This is GREAT feedback and better than I even expected.  So the AC clearly blows nice cool air!!!!! This is great!  All i have to do is convince the wife and we are set.

seguir

I don't have a gen set, but at the dock the air conditioner is great!   The only thing I had to do was change a few setting to suit our needs.  eg: The AC told me it was 70 in the cabin in fact it was 78.   This can be adjusted very easily and since then the unit has no problem keeping the place cool and in the fall nice and warm.

TikiHut2

my ac temps are also inaccurate. Howd you calibrate yours?

seguir

If you still have your manual, it walks you through it.  It only took a couple of minutes.   You can also change the program so that the fan shuts off when you reach your temperature.   I am not at the boat so I can't recall the make and model of the air conditioner.   If you can't find your manual tell me the model you have and if it is the same I can walk you through it.

Michael T

There are at least two different panel controls for the Dometic (Marine Air System) packages that Rinker installs. There is the more complex Passport !/O legacy and the less complex Passport I/O Compact. The "Compact" model of control panel came with our 2014 Rinker EC 360. IF you have the Passport I/O compact A/C control panel for Dometic (Marine Air Systems) be sure that your fan is set to the correct motor setting: SC for a split capacitor or SP for a shaded pole motor. * SC motors will have a high velocity blower unit usually denoted on the unit as "HV" . Mine actually spells it out - "High Velocity". This can make a difference. As well, if you have the remote temperature sensor (it has a telephone-type plug that plugs right into an "alt air" telephone type -jack called the "alternative air" port on the top left hand side of the printed circuit board inside the metal control box attached to the A/C unit. This remopte temperature sensor (can be purchased as a part if you want one and don't have it)  will cancel the temperature sensor at the control panel of most units. This remote sensor MUST be placed by the return air vent to ger a proper "read" of the cabin temperature. I made sure mine stuck right out behind the grill's mesh into the airflow by adding a small platform to mount it to. *****My technician had installed it on the A/C unit!!!!! - Geez -no wonder it was always reading 8 to 10 degrees Farenehit too cold. The friggin' unit would never come on or if it came on it wouldn't stay on! Here's what I know regarding setting the cabin temperature. The units should be maintain the temp. within 2 degrees F of a set point. When shifting back and forth from cooling to heating the change should occur after a 4 degree F change in temperature. The units can be set to maintain a temperature which means they will heat or cool to hold the temperature you have set or the unit can be set for cool or heat mode only. They can also be set for continuous fan or fan on with the heat/cool mode. On many, there is a moisture control mode that is set by simultaneously holding down the power and down buttons with the unit already on. This feature is supposed to run the fan every 4 hours or so to circulate air and even the temperature - whle doing this it will start the cooling mode if the temperature drops 2 degrees F below your set point. Mike (Tiki) on my unit to set the ambient room temperature (or correct the reading on your panel theremostat) you go to the P5 mode (temperature calibration)  to set the correct room temperature. Mine was not reading correctly. You can use the down/up buttons to correct this by up to 10 degrees F. I bought a $10 digital room thermometer to use to see what the temperature actually was in our cabin so I could set my panel thermostat. Seguir may want to add some other info or more detailed info too. Seguir, if you do I suggest you post here as a lot of other guys may have similar questions too. Hope this helps MT .....P.S. I was reading my notes over. Our cabin temperature sensor (on the panel) read 70 degrees - just like Segiur's when it was actually 78 degrees! Our control panel is installed right next to the starboard hull (which is black on our boat). I suspected faulty readings from the panel thermostat so used the remote temperature sensor to cancel it out and place a remote thermostat in a better location.THEN I also had to re-calibrate the ambient (cabin) temperature reading in the control panel as it was still set ntoo highI I'm still fine-tuning the system but it is WAY better. I'll get it right yet! :-) MT

Michael T

I think the A/C is fixed Steve - operant word being I "THINK"?????  I'm still calibrating and double-checking things. Like so many things these days, in the end, we just have to get out the manuals, gather up our tools and do the friggin' work ourselves. Fireboy seems to be on spec. MT

BoatAway

keep in mind that water temperature has as much to do with your comfort as does air, when overnighting. If you're sleeping in the cabin, the water can be just as much as a cooler as it can a heater (90 degree water, TikiHut?!)

I second checking the ducts. Mine was loose too, providing a whole lotta cold air to the hanging closet only.

TikiHut2

Mt thanks for the AC details. Great stuff.

Yup BA, 90*+    Sunrise air temps in St Pete are usually the same as the water temp in July/Aug/Sept....... 90 at dawn and climbing from there with the humidity climbing until the atmosphere explodes and gives us the only real relief we get with torrential and very electric but brief afternoon showers. 

Only the strongest A/C systems will survive and operate consistently down here. Ours has always done pretty well, even in this infernal broiling soup. I'm fussing a little but October is right around the corner when my season re-starts...... sorry my Northern friends. . Use it up 'cause my turn is coming. 8 weeks and counting.

Dream_Inn

Tiki, you may be coming in 8 weeks, but it doesn't mean our turn is done then either!   (& this year I have a nice boat ride to your neck of the woods in late Nov)

TikiHut2

.....come on dowwwnnn. Make sure to check in when you get close and we'll compare drink recipes near a sandy beach with a palm tree. No AC required...I hope.

bertgor

This is great stuff guys!

Capt Ron

The one thing that most boaters miss on the AC unit is the exchanger filter. It sits in front of it and must be cleaned at a minimum of once year. It is a soft washable one which can be overlooked if not looking for it. When the blower fails to deliver the same gusto as new, chances are the filter is plugged. If you don't have one, get one or you will be cleaning the heat exchanger which is a bigger job.

Black_Diamond

Use this to clean your condenser: 

http://www.homedepot.com/p/AC-Safe-Air-Conditioner-Coil-Foaming-Cleaner-AC-920/100599017

Mercury2005

Just reading through the comments here and had a question. On our 270FV I tried to run the AC while under way but the gen keeps stalling. I thought maybe the carb float was bouncing around and it was starving for fuel.
Anyone else experienced this problem.
Thanks to all.

Liberty44140

I used to never run with the genny on and ac running. Just didn’t seem to be necessary since the ac can cool the cabin back down so fast. My dock mates only run this way, for whatever reason their newer sea rays take forever to re cool the cabin so they just run the genny and ac under way. So I did it many times this summer. I have to admit I had my doubts but I’d ask the admiral to go see if we were spitting and sure enough we were. Never an issue. So the question is why is yours shutting down? Could be the carb, I plan to proactively rebuild my genny carb this winter, or is it not getting water while under way for some reason and overheating causes it to shut down. I’d have the admiral watch it spitting water while on plane to see if it stops spitting and then shuts down as a starting point. 

Handymans342

Its better for the genny to run under a load