I am considering installing air conditioning in my CD30 and am trying to decide on the best location for the compressor unit. I read in a Power and Motoyacht review of the CD30 that Cape Dory provided the shelf near the holding tank in the engine room for just this purpose. However, I have also read that the unit should not be located in the engine room at all! Any advice or recommendations would be very much appreciated.
emerenda@nassau.cv.net
Any CD Power owners with Air Conditioning? Advice needed.
Moderator: Jim Walsh
-
Burt Polishook
Re: Any CD Power owners with Air Conditioning? Advice needed
Joe,
I have a 16k BTU AC under the forward under-section of the berth (on port side)in the main cabin. Thus the unit is isolated from the motor area. Air intake comes from a grill cut into the same berth support wall as you enter the cabin as well as one nearby in the same wall. The cold air output is through a grill cut into the same wall where the AC is located. It works well, although it take a little bit of time for the forward peak area to cool down.
Burt
burtp@home.com
I have a 16k BTU AC under the forward under-section of the berth (on port side)in the main cabin. Thus the unit is isolated from the motor area. Air intake comes from a grill cut into the same berth support wall as you enter the cabin as well as one nearby in the same wall. The cold air output is through a grill cut into the same wall where the AC is located. It works well, although it take a little bit of time for the forward peak area to cool down.
Burt
burtp@home.com
-
Walt Bilofsky
Re: Air Conditioning; storage (CD 30 power)
Joe -
I think Burt's suggestion is a good one, especially as the berth storage area is only accessed by removing the mattress and bedding - not real quick access. Putting the weight forward can't hurt (unless you like to run WOT, which is the only speed I've found that the boat likes the bow up).
We made use of this space below the berth by putting sliding doors in each side of the queen berth pedestal, just forward of where the drawers end. We added a T-shaped partition to create three storage areas - one on each side accessed through these doors, and one forward accessed through the top of the berth, as before. Without the partition, stuff could shift and become unreachable. We also put a light where it could illuminate the storage area, and wired it in parallel with the cabin footwell lighting. This helps see what is in those cubbyholes.
The berth pedestal would not be the best location if you wanted to have a cold air vent going into the saloon. I believe there is room in the bilge to run wiring between the cabin and saloon, but not for an air vent. If you really want to cool both of these places, then another location would be the hard-to-reach space in the aft corner under the sink. From here you could run an air duct forward to the wall between the sink and the cabin.
Another possible location would be beneath the saloon bench seat, all the way forward. It should be possible to put a compressor there and not block the hatch above the port engine. On our CD 30 we fitted two doors on that bench, to give access to storage under the bench. All the stuff under there needs to be moved when someone works on the engine, but it's a lot of space to waste so we are happy to live with that.
Did you call the A/C manufacturer to see if they mind having the unit in the engine room? There's always a fire hazard issue, but with a diesel boat at least it's not an explosion issue. If you put the compressor on that shelf in the engine room, you could cool the saloon, but the cabin would have to depend on the cold air flowing down the steps - probably OK though. Or you might have room below the floor of the head to run a vent through to the cabin - wonder how you get to that area.
Regards,
Walt Bilofsky
bilofsky@toolworks.com
I think Burt's suggestion is a good one, especially as the berth storage area is only accessed by removing the mattress and bedding - not real quick access. Putting the weight forward can't hurt (unless you like to run WOT, which is the only speed I've found that the boat likes the bow up).
We made use of this space below the berth by putting sliding doors in each side of the queen berth pedestal, just forward of where the drawers end. We added a T-shaped partition to create three storage areas - one on each side accessed through these doors, and one forward accessed through the top of the berth, as before. Without the partition, stuff could shift and become unreachable. We also put a light where it could illuminate the storage area, and wired it in parallel with the cabin footwell lighting. This helps see what is in those cubbyholes.
The berth pedestal would not be the best location if you wanted to have a cold air vent going into the saloon. I believe there is room in the bilge to run wiring between the cabin and saloon, but not for an air vent. If you really want to cool both of these places, then another location would be the hard-to-reach space in the aft corner under the sink. From here you could run an air duct forward to the wall between the sink and the cabin.
Another possible location would be beneath the saloon bench seat, all the way forward. It should be possible to put a compressor there and not block the hatch above the port engine. On our CD 30 we fitted two doors on that bench, to give access to storage under the bench. All the stuff under there needs to be moved when someone works on the engine, but it's a lot of space to waste so we are happy to live with that.
Did you call the A/C manufacturer to see if they mind having the unit in the engine room? There's always a fire hazard issue, but with a diesel boat at least it's not an explosion issue. If you put the compressor on that shelf in the engine room, you could cool the saloon, but the cabin would have to depend on the cold air flowing down the steps - probably OK though. Or you might have room below the floor of the head to run a vent through to the cabin - wonder how you get to that area.
Regards,
Walt Bilofsky
bilofsky@toolworks.com
-
Joe Merenda
Re: Any CD Power owners with Air Conditioning? Advice needed
Burt,Burt Polishook wrote: Joe,
I have a 16k BTU AC under the forward under-section of the berth (on port side)in the main cabin. Thus the unit is isolated from the motor area. Air intake comes from a grill cut into the same berth support wall as you enter the cabin as well as one nearby in the same wall. The cold air output is through a grill cut into the same wall where the AC is located. It works well, although it take a little bit of time for the forward peak area to cool down.
Burt
Thanks for the feedback. I also have a lot of storage room under the berth in the lower, forward stateroom. The only other location would be under the galley sink. Its not a great location but it is easy to run ducting up to the salon from there.
Thanks again,
Joe
emerenda@nassau.cv.net
-
Joe Merenda
Re: Air Conditioning; storage (CD 30 power)
Walt,
Thanks very much for the response. I don't know why I never thought of putting access doors to the space under the island berth and L-shaped lounge before! I'll let you know where the AC unit finally ends up, but in any event, I'll be installing some new doors this season.
Regards,
Joe Merenda
emerenda@nassau.cv.net
Thanks very much for the response. I don't know why I never thought of putting access doors to the space under the island berth and L-shaped lounge before! I'll let you know where the AC unit finally ends up, but in any event, I'll be installing some new doors this season.
Regards,
Joe Merenda
emerenda@nassau.cv.net