Marine Air thermostat replacement? Ranco C17-229-00 8747 19-gctid816690

[Guest]

Hey folks...main cabin AC in my 38xx stopped working. Seems to be the thermostat control...initially you could turn it counterclockwise and the heat cycle and compressor would come on, but you couldn't turn it far enough clockwise for the AC to come on. After a bit, once you turn it on, the heat comes on and you can't turn it off. Compressor runs, water flow looks fine...sounds like the thermostat, correct?

I pulled the panel off, and saw a sticker over a hole in the thermostat (said "Don't mess with this until you call us"...however, the 800 number rang at an insurance company now...LOL), so I pulled the sticker off and tried turning the calibration screw fully clockwise and counterclockwise...no dice.

Google yielded the mfg for that part number, but I can't find a supplier. HOWEVER...I suspect that it's no magical thermostat and there are probably plenty that would work with the same wiring. I don't want to replace the whole AC/heat unit, the rest of it seems to work quite well even though it's old. Perhaps there's a newer control panel that would work with the old AC/heat unit?

I'll also bet there are two of the pictured wires that I could simply jumper to bypass the thermostat and turn the AC on 100% of the time (on hot NC afternoons, it runs constantly anyway).

I can't be the first person who's run into this...any suggestions much appreciated.

TIA!

Dave


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[Guest]

I just replaced the SAME module in my forward stateroom AC unit. Worked perfectly. The tube is very short on the one I got but it still reached. I couldnt find the 229 model so I got the 100 model which only has a 26" bulb tube tg it reached. Cost me 54.00 on ebay. Now it blows freezing cold and the heat works well also (not that i need heat right now)

[Guest]

I found a supplier for the thermostat:

http://www.tropicalmarineairconditioning.com/tropicalmarine-airconditioning-parts.shtml

Fella named Howard answers parts emails really quickly! They have inventory of the old mechanical (knob-based) Marine Air controls, and he is shipping me a replacement thermostat...price before shipping was $92. If my troubleshooting is accurate, then we should have AC in the main cabin again this weekend. :P

Cheers,

Dave

[SRSD340]

I converted all my to digital, well worth the time and money.

[Guest]

"SRSD340" post=816942 wrote:
I converted all my to digital, well worth the time and money.

What parts make it worth it?

Cheers,

Dave

[SRSD340]

First it made the wife very happy, instead of trying to figure which line to set it on she just sets the temp to what she wants (which seems to vary a lot these days) It maintains a constant temp much better, no wide swings in temp. IT varys fan speed as needed. The fans can be set to when compressor is not. When days are hot and nights are cold it will cool when needed and heat when needed. You can set up custom programs to run while you are away which help with mold and air quality. I have installed dometic Breathe easy units in the ducts and have the system run twice a day when I am away.

[SRSD340]

I forgot to give the source which is Coastal Climate Control, when I looked yesterday it appears they made a lot of updates on the newer units. Price is not bad.

[Guest]

I asked Tropical Marine Air if there were electronic controls that would work with my 1989 Marine Air systems, he said yes...here are the details:

FX1 Maxx control kit $575

Prob more than I want to spend to upgrade, since I'm fine with the mechanical controls...but worth noting the part in case the mechanical controls get scarce.

Dave

[SRSD340]

Coastal sells the system for $399.00 if buying just one .The price drops as quantity increases. I just bought one at first to see how it worked then bought 6 more.

Charles

[Guest]

QUESTION:

Where does the bulb on the thermostat probe go? I'd assume in the air return where the larger air filter is? Any suggestions on getting the old one out and the new one in? (I haven't pulled the old thermostat completely out yet.)

Any suggestions appreciated.

TIA,

Dave

[Guest]

So, the old thermostat probe/bulb goes through the floor under the inside helm...couldn't see a way to get in there without pulling the refridgerator out. I ran the new thermostat bulb over to the cabin air return, and attached it so that it hangs centered behind the filter grate. That seems to work fine...it was cool in the cabin, and it cycled the compressor on and off just like it should. Nice to have the main cabin AC back (especially with the massive rain storm Sat night!). :P

Cheers,

Dave

[nile]

Try to stay away from the electronic control box. All local installer (Florida) agree that their life expectancy is short, failures common. The mechanical one last (almost) forever. Use a ink marker to spot the proper temp setting on the plate behind the thermostat knob.