Monday, June 9:
Wes drove all over getting all the parts he needs to install the compressor. He was basically gone all day while I worked. Since we had my car, we offered to go to dinner with the "gang" from Knoxville again in Ottawa. With Luis' food restrictions, he chose the Thai Café. It was the first time Wes tried Thai food. He enjoyed his curry and I enjoyed my pad thai.
Tuesday June 10:
Wes spent the day working on the compressor. He was able to get everything done and so far no leaks!! His ability to figure things out and get them working still amazes me. He got it all up and running and we have refrigeration again! We relaxed on the aft deck that evening and caught a beautiful sunset.
Wednesday June 11:
We weren't as motivated this morning after going to bed after midnight. It took us a minute to get moving. Wes started getting things put away and gathered to get ready for his trip to TN. After I got done working, we loaded up the car and headed to my folks house. We had a quiet night and went to bed early as we needed to get up at 2:15am to get Wes to the airport.
Friday June 13:
We got up early and got going to the airport. No issues. Wes made his flight easily and I was back at my parents house around 5am. I did some work then took a little nap, then did some more work. I had a quiet night, while Wes got to TN, got everything turned back on and had to get some food (we closed everything down and emptied out almost everything).
Saturday June 14:
I helped my parents a little around the house to get ready for company for Father's Day. Wes had a captain job that day, so he was up and got everything he needed for the day and went to Pebble to captain Seaz the Day for the day while the owners entertained their company.
Sunday June 15:
I spent the day with family eating, talking and playing games. We celebrated all the fathers in the family by spending time together and setting plans for my dad's upcoming birthday. It was a very pleasant day for me. Wes was busy getting all the things done at the property (mowing, fixing the gate, fixed doors, etc.). It was raining, so some things had to get delayed until later in the week.
Special Project: Refrigeration Repairs:
This will be shared with AGLCA and MTOA Forums, and written accordingly.
When I say an extreme DIY project, I mean not many of us DIY guys around here would tackle this... I'm probably the only one crazy enough... But I'll share the story nonetheless.
Our 44 year old trawler still has the "holding plate" fridge and freezer boxes that were ever so popular in years gone by. Unlike some older technologies that are in no way outdated, they are just prohibitively expensive. The compressor had been changed on the unit so I really hoped to coax more life out of it. Well, the day before we were to leave Heritage Harbor for Lake Michigan, was the compressor's last day. So after a day of chasing every possible problem down I finally put my ohm meter on the windings... Start side was open leg.. Now what do I do? Remember I mentioned 44 years old... guess why it works so good... it is R12. Well after I sat down and got over the initial "Oh Crap" I went to work. Took the model number down and did some searching... discontinued... Oh Shocker! BUT... Superseded By another number... Yea just a tease but here we go... Still in production. They just changed the plumbing, made it more "universal" but the 1/2hp compressor with R12, and the same synthetic oil was still in production! Yea I was as surprised as you!
So first, finding one. Can't buy from the factory, you have to get from a dealer. And those "dealers" are wholesalers and don't generally sell to the public. Well I found it for sale by a wholesaler, but they showed it as a 5-6 week lead time. Ugh. Then Amy mentions that one of her customers is an HVAC supplier. Hmmm. Ok so I give her the info and she reaches out. They found one in the warehouse and Amy's parents picked it up 3 days later! One item off the list!
My next problem is of all the tools I carry, including service gauges, vac pump, and extra refrigerant, I do not carry a refrigerant recovery machine. This is the beauty of the problem happening here somewhere else. There is another loop boat here, leaving to loop this fall, and he just retired from HVAC work... and was willing to loan me his machine! Now we are moving forward!!! :)
So I recovered the R12 from the system, and removed the old compressor. The new one came, and with new plumbing to be done. All of the connections were sweat fittings, no king valve and flare connections like the old days. I mention this because I was a welder by trade at one point in my life... never had the patience for brazing. But with a little prayer or two, I got through it, not one leak. Now they may not be eligible for sweat fit of the year, but if I didn't value function more that looking pretty, I wouldn't be able to look in the mirror to shave.
After the pre assembly was done on the galley table, off to the dungeon I went to put it all in place, wire it , mount it, and complete the connections. next comes the vacuum test. Now most HVAC guys hold a vacuum for 15 minutes to call it passed and move on. Time is money after all. Well I pulled it down and left it sit overnight. One, I don't want any R12 getting out, but 2 at the prices per pound I have had to pay for it... I'm protecting it like my first born child!. SO I get up the next morning, in the engine room by 0600. Still holding 30 inches! I could have danced a salsa dance, and I am the poster child for white men can't dance... or was it jump... no matter can't do that either!
So now it's time, I connect the tank, vac the draw line, and start filling the system. Now it's time to start her up. Hit the breaker, and here we go. Fill the system the rest of the way, and well we are making "cold" again! $1800 in parts and we are hopefully set for another 27 years, the failed compressor was installed in 1998.
So why did I share this with you? Well first off, I am a DIY guy as you all have noticed. But this project extended past my general skill set. I have done plenty of AC work, but not with brazed connections. I did discover that all the parts for this old system are available. Some may ask why not retrofit? Well the holding plates cannot be retrofitted. The parts you need to change out are internal to the assembly. So staying with the original refrigerant was a must. And it can be done. I know, I just did it. And that's really what it comes down to. If either you or someone else says "You can't do that" do you listen? or do you find a way. I have always been that "find a way" kind of guy.
This is fairly irrelevant to the owners of late model boats or those shopping for them. However there are many of you entertaining older boats. They are wonderful, built with care and character you can't buy today. But owning an older boat is not for the faint of heart. Some may say still well that's too much, I'd pay someone. In this case... GOOD LUCK. No one wants to touch one of these old systems, they don't want any responsibility or liability doing it as a contractor. But as it turns out, the parts are still made because people with the know how, or who can learn what they need to know, service their own and keep them running. If you are shopping for an older boat, and plan on owning it for the long term, learning new things and then putting them in practice will be in your future.
