New Cat'34 Owner

[BradinPCB]

Hi all.  I'm a new owner and new sailor.  I'll say in advance (of all my posts) my apologies as I'm so green, I'm blue.  We are looking to liveaboard beginning July 1stish.  My boat is an '88 and is in great shape with only the expected 30 y/o boat issues.  Here are some I'm dealing with now to which I would appreciate any further wisdom anyone could provide.

1.  Sea Breeze AC runs but compressor shuts down after about 30 secs. of cooling.  AC folks are coming to sort that.  Surveyor recommended a separate shore power service dedicated for the AC.  This doesn't sound too DIY and I am electrically-challenged.  Is this a typical set-up or a meticulous survey note? 

2.  Seawater foot pump in the galley leaks as does the sink drain - so much so that having gone undiscovered, the drawer below the sink has fallen apart.  We've decided to pull out and replace the counter top and refit all the plumbing with the quick-drain, improved plumbing recommendations from the forum (thank y'all for all the excellent foreknowledge and how-to's).  It seems not only do I have a seawater pump for pre-rinse but also an installed similar pump for the fridge water, rather than it being an either or.  I "think" I know all of the plumb routing but I don't want to go unfitting stuff without being absolutely sure.  Does anyone have a schematic or diagram of plumbing flow or does this vary greatly from boat to boat?  I have some photos I could post but my pride tells me this ought to be obvious to me and I hesitate.  The other part of me sees me pulling on some valve or hose and water gushing in and wishing I'd have asked to be sure, so.....I'll post for what it's worth.  The file names are my guesses.  Don't judge. :)

3.  Batteries are boiling off water and I have to top off occasionally.  Apparently the charger is overdoing its job.  Is this typical and is a charger repair worth it or should I just buy a new charger?

I'm sure as I go along I'll have others but that is the pressing stuff for now.  Thanks so much for any reply!

[britinusa]

Have you checked the AC Raw Water is flowing?
You should see a steady flow of water out of the outflow when the AC system turns on. (It most likely runs all the time when the AC is powered up)
If there is no Raw water flowing, then the system will most likely shut down.

Paul

[chuck53]

Have you checked the AC Raw Water is flowing?
You should see a steady flow of water out of the outflow when the AC system turns on. (It most likely runs all the time when the AC is powered up)
If there is no Raw water flowing, then the system will most likely shut down.

Paul

Yes, this is the first thing you check.  It may be as simple as the sea cock is still closed.  On my boat, I have a big problem with my pump loosing its prime

[britinusa]

Chuck, not wanting to hijack this thread. Can you post that as a new Topic and I'll post a reply.

Paul

[Jim Hardesty]

1.  Sea Breeze AC runs but compressor shuts down after about 30 secs. of cooling.  AC folks are coming to sort that.  Surveyor recommended a separate shore power service dedicated for the AC.  This doesn't sound too DIY and I am electrically-challenged.  Is this a typical set-up or a meticulous survey note? 

As others have said, AC problem may be the the seacock closed or the pump failing.  As far as adding a second shore power.  I'll admit to having only a single shore power, and it works.  Having proper circuit breakers should protect from overloading.  Also I avoid using all the high current accessories at the same time ie. AC, water heater, battery charger.  I can't argue that a double shore service would be better. 
My 2cents worth of advice is.  Fix the safety requirements.  Go sailing.  Use your boat.
Lots of luck
Jim

[kwaltersmi]

3.  Batteries are boiling off water and I have to top off occasionally.  Apparently the charger is overdoing its job.  Is this typical and is a charger repair worth it or should I just buy a new charger?

One of my first upgrades when we purchased our C34 was to replace the humming OEM Charles Industries charger with a new "smart" charger. We went with a Sterling ProCharge Ultra and are very happy. The cost was less than $300 and the install was fairly simple. User Mainesail has a great write-up on the charger and installs.

[BradinPCB]

Thanks all!  Those will be checked tomorrow.  I'll let you know how it turns out. 

[KWKloeber]

PCB

If your batteries are boiling off, most likely you have a bad or shorted cell and the battery is overheating. 
Check each cell --- I've had this twice and the 2 million dollar battery analyzer wouldn't catch it.  But a 98-cent ball type hygrometer showed a bad cell.

I just saw your photos.  Note that you have many non-compliant fittings (PVC is a no-no) below waterline, some are more dangerous Schedule 40, not even Sch 80 (CTY was, and to this day with new models still is notorious for using non-compliant pipe fittings.)

kk

[BradinPCB]

Have you checked the AC Raw Water is flowing?
You should see a steady flow of water out of the outflow when the AC system turns on. (It most likely runs all the time when the AC is powered up)
If there is no Raw water flowing, then the system will most likely shut down.

Paul

Paul, is this raw water flow coming out of the same place as when the engine is running or a 2nd flow off the boat somewhere?  I assume that seacock is located in the vicinity of the AC, which for my boat is located in the storage closet under the nav desk.  Is that correct?  Sorry, but nobody has taken me through the boat and shown me what's what exactly and I have a ton of self-doubt for finding it myself without someone saying "yes, you're right".

[britinusa]

Brad,
There are possibly two sea cocks in the AC coolant water line.

#1 would be on the Input side of the AC Pump and should have a Raw Water Strainer between the Thru hull sea cock and the Pump. On our boat we have the AC coolant water coming from the same thru hull as the Head Water, we do not use the Head Water (only flushing with fresh water)

#2 should be where the AC unit discharge hose runs to the Thru hull, there should be a seacock on that thru hull.

If there is any air leak into the AC Raw Water system then water will not get pumped through the AC unit, you can tell this by looking at the Raw Water filter in line with the pump. You should be able to see water passing through via the glass/plastic viewing cup on the filter.

We recently had an air leak that was caused when I cracked the plastic cup on the Raw Water filter. That crack allowed air to be sucked in easier than the pump could suck in water, hence no water flow.
I have subsequently replaced the Raw Water filter so that it uses the exact same model (and hence same filter) as the Engine Raw Water filter. Now we don't have to carry two types of filter baskets, one size fits both filter.

Other reasons for the AC not pumping assuming it has power.
The Thru hull for the Raw water could be blocked. (that happens with us due to the grotty water where we keep our boat) Our Solution is to remove the hose from the Thru hull with the valve closed, then push a rod down the thru hull and open the valve briefly while we push the rod all the way through the thru hull, then remove the rod and close the valve, surprisingly little water gets into the boat doing that, just make sure the rod won't break off and is skinny enough to get in and out of the sea cock.

If there is a hump in the hose between the AC inlet thru hull/sea cock and the Pump, then that may allow air to collect in the hump and when the AC pump tries to suck in the water, the air just gets sucked into the pump; it effectively de-primes the pump, it's now trying to pump air, and AC pumps are notoriously bad at sucking air. (On our last boat - a trailered C250) the AC had to be primed every time we put the boat into the water. We would run a hose from the dock, over the side and squirt water into the AC outflow in order to ensure the pump was primed.

Hope that helps.

Paul

[Roc]

Brad,
Check your AC output hose, as it leaves the side of the hull.  The PO may have put a seacock there, and it might be closed, not letting water to flow out the side of the hull.  Your inline hose seacock may be open, but that second one may be closed.

[BradinPCB]

Thanks again.  This highlights a significant problem I'm running into - I simply do not know the routing well enough and do not trust myself to sort it out but I guess I'll just have to start making some educated guesses and seeing what is right.  Nothing is labeled and clear at all.  I've been searching for my fuel take days and just found what I think is it but I'm totally guessing.  *sigh*

[Noah]

Start by downloading the owners manual from this wonderful website--C34.org!

[BradinPCB]

Will do, Noah and thanks!

So if my AC water pump has lost prime, how do I restore it?  I see water in the filter but it does not flow.

[britinusa]

Test the pump.
Shut the seacocks, consider removing the inlet and outlet hoses from the pump, putting temp hoses in a bucket and seeing if the water circulates when the pump is running.

Paul