Greetings Fellow Boaters-

It has been hot lately. Why aren’t our air-conditioners keeping up?!? IT’S HOT! Over the years I’ve made sure to prepare for the summer due to practicing what I preach. Here are some useful tips to ensure that your A/C unit(s) are able to work as efficiently as possible.

1) when is the last time you have cleaned your a/c water intake strainers? Low waterflow can cause your pump to overheat and shut off. Causing your unit to shut down. And cause a HP code on your thermostat most likely.

2) when its humid out, if you keep your A/C on a temp much below 70 degrees F, can cause your evaporator to “freeze up”. Which will cause your unit (s) to overheat and consequently shut down. You may not know, but “the rule of thumb” from some boat manufacturers is; ” if your cabin cools down 10 degrees F below the outside ambient air temp it is working as designed. I don’t know about you, but if my unit only cooled that well, we’d have a problem, lol.

Anyhow, back on track…

3) when is the last time you have cleaned the intake vent filter(s)? These being clogged with debris trapped, can restrict air flow to your A/C unit(s) and also cause them to freeze up, and shut down/not work properly. Most are a vacuum out situation, and move on. This is super easy, but easily “out of sight, out of mind”.

4) I like to throw a towel over my foredeck porthole. This keeps the direct sunlight from the cabin during cove-outs, or if you are in an open “non-covered” slip. This always keeps the heat down inside.

5) lastly, do you have a small fan to circulate or improve the cabin air flow? Try it! Most folks use a small fan (about the size that school buses used to keep the windshield clear of fog). It doesn’t take much to make the cold air move about. IT MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE!

As always, feel free to comment below on your best practice that may help a fellow boater enjoy their time on the water.

Happy Boating,

Zane Stevenson

Atlanta Boat Broker