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MERMAID MARINE AIR
CONDITIONING
INSTALLATION
&
OPERATIONS GUIDE
Mermaid Manufacturing of Southwest Florida, Inc.
2651 Park Windsor Drive, Suite 203
Fort Myers, FL 33901
(239) 418-0535 (800) 330-3553
Fax (239) 418-0538
E-mail: MMair@Mindspring.com
Web site: http://www.mmair.com
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TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1 (OVERVIEW) A. Introduction to Mermaid SECTION 2 (INSTALLATION and OPERATION) A. Air Conditioner Installation B. Operation SECTION 3 (OPERATION and PROGRAMMING) A. Digital, Programmable Thermostat SECTION 4 (PUMP RELAY BOX) A. Introduction B. Installation SECTION 5 (MAINTENANCE and WINTERIZATION) A. Maintenance B. Winterization SECTION 6 (THEORY of OPERATION and TROUBLE SHOOTING) A. Theory of Operation B. Trouble Shooting FIGURES: 1.
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(OVERVIEW) A. Introduction: Congratulations!! You have just purchased one the most dependable Marine Air Conditioners on the market today, a MERMAID. Mermaid supplies pleasure boat owners, custom boat builders, yacht brokers, boat dealers and marinas around the world with their marine air conditioning needs. Mermaid air conditioners are manufactured to the highest of quality standards using only top of the line components and materials assembled by long-term technicians. All of
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A. AIR CONDITIONER INSTALLATION: First, and of foremost importance, the air conditioner and electrical box must be installed in a non-explosive, dry environment. SEE THE FOLLOWING WARNING. WARNING IF THE AIR CONDITIONER OR ELECTRICAL BOX ARE PLACED IN AN EXPLOSIVE ENVIRONMENT OR EXPOSED TO AN EXPLOSIVE ENVIRONMENT OR EXPLOSIVE MATERIALS, EXPLOSION COULD OCCUR RESULTING IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH AND/OR DESTRUCTION OF THE BOAT. THIS COMPONENT DOES NOT MEET FEDERAL REQUIREMENTS FO
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We will now address each of the above eight requirements in detail: 1. Installing the Air Conditioner Unit: AIR CONDITIONER DIMENSIONS UNIT BTU WIDTH LENGTH HEIGHT 5,200 Cool Only 11.5 Inches 15 Inches 11.5 Inches 5,200 Reverse Cycle 12 Inches 18 Inches 11.5 Inches 6,500 11.5 Inches 16 Inches 11.5 Inches 9,000 11.5 Inches 16 Inches 11.5 Inches 12,000 13 Inches 19.75 Inches 13.75 Inches 16,500 13.5 Inches 19.75 Inches 13.75 Inches 24,000 17 Inches 23 I
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CONDENSATION WATER CAN COME IN CONTACT WITH IT SHOULD THE CONDENSATION WATER OVER FLOW ITS PAN. NEVER PLACE THE ELECTRICAL BOX BELOW THE AIR CONDITIONING UNIT. WARNING IF CONDENSATION WATER CONTACTS THE ELECTRICAL BOX ELECTRICAL SHORTING COULD OCCUR CAUSING FIRE WHICH COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY, DEATH AND/OR DESTRUCTION OF THE BOAT. We suggest that once you are satisfied that the unit and electrical box, along with all of the other items required in the air conditioner compar
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WARNING BEFORE DRILLING THE MOUNTING HOLE FOR THE SEA COCK THE ENTIRE BOAT MUST BE OUT OF THE WATER. DRILLING THE SEA COCK MOUNTING HOLE WITH THE BOAT IN THE WATER COULD CAUSE EXTREME FLOODING AND SINK THE BOAT OR CAUSE SEVERE WATER DAMAGE TO EQUIPMENT IN THE BOAT. IMPORTANT WHEN SELECTING THE SPOT FOR THE SEA COCK, BEFORE DRILLING THE HOLE, MAKE SURE THAT THE PUMP AND WATER STRAINER CAN BE INSTALLED IN THE SAME ADJACENT AREA AND REMAIN BELOW SEA LEVEL. ALSO CHECK THE OPERATI
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absorbing sea water into the hull. If the hull is "corded," obtain a fiberglass sealing kit from your local marine supplier to seal the cording before installing the sea cock, eliminating the possibility of "water logging" your hull. This is also true of water out thru-hulls. IMPORTANT FAILURE TO SEAL A “CORDED” HULL MAY RESULT IN SERIOUS DAMAGE TO THE BOAT’S STRUCTURE. Note: The threads on the foot scoop end about 3/8 of an inch from the actual foot scoop. If after drilling the
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the seacock, then fasten the 90 degree thread to hose barb, with 5200 on to the ¾ inch nipple. The “closed end nipple” is the bronze threaded pipe open on either end. The water strainer and pump can now be mounted, but first you must get each component fully assembled and ready to mount. The water strainer and pump brackets must be securely mounted on a flat surface. Do not mount on the sole of the boat (cabin floor). If a nearby bulkhead cannot accommodate the size of the mounting
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Never screw the pump directly to the hull. If a stringer or other structure is not handy, you may have to fiberglass a mounting board to the hull to accept the mounting screws. Note: If you are supplying cooling water to more than one air conditioner a larger GPH pump is required. Follow the mounting instructions furnished with the larger pump. Also a “tee fitting” must be used on the discharge side of the pump to run cooling water to each unit. Using the appropriate length of th
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pump (SEE FIGURE 5). Remember, all water hose connections must be secured using double stainless steel clamps. To install the bleed off valve, attach a short length of blue tracer hose to the water-out on the pump and secure the bleed off valve on the other end of the hose. Attach the blue tracer hose that you are running up to the air conditioner unit to the other end of the bleed off valve. Close the bleed off valve. At each connection point, use two stainless steel hose clamps to pro
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When installing the thru-hull fitting apply an ample amount of marine sealant to the outside lip of the fitting and its mounting post. If possible, have someone hold the outside of the fitting to keep it from turning when you attach the retaining nut from the inside. Be careful not to over tighten the nut. Use two (2) s/s hose clamps to attach the hose to the thru-hull fitting. Route this hose into the air conditioner compartment where it will eventually be connected to the condensing c
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4. Air Ducting and Splitting: Regardless of the btu size of the air conditioner, at least one vent must be within 4 to 5 feet of the unit. Insure though, that the airflow is not directed back towards the return air grill. In the case of the 16,500 btu unit, the largest grill is required to be the closest grill. Improper ducting accounts for the majority of marine air conditioning problems. Though there are exceptions to the rule, the following rule of thumb applies to the number and
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or two to eliminate sagging. Using tie wraps, insure ducting is appropriately fastened to each supply air grill. Another important consideration is the physical size of the supply air grills. Four inch round grills require a 4.5 inch hole and the duct merely slides over the neck of the grill. A four inch rectangular grill usually measures 4x8 inches for the hole size but also requires a plenum or transition box behind the grill, also measuring 4x8 inches and extending approximately fo
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M-24 24,000 140 6. High Pressure Switch Access: All Mermaid marine air conditioners utilize a manual High Pressure safety switch. This switch monitors the system’s high pressure any time the compressor is running. If a condition occurs that causes the system high pressure to rise to a level that could damage the compressor, the switch will activate and remove power from the compressor and pump. Once activated, this switch must be manually reset. The switch is a green cylin
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light and not directly in front of a "supply air" vent, nor next to a hatch. It is important that the thermostat be located where it is sensing “true” cabin temperature rather than a “dead” spot, or getting incorrect readings from sunlight or sampling air near a constantly opening/closing hatch thereby reading “outside” air rather than inside air. Once you have selected the spot, remove the face of the thermostat from the back panel and install by following these instructions: 1. Depr
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• Black wire = “Y” connection on thermostat. This wire is for the cooling mode. 9. Putting it all together: At this point the unit can be placed back into its compartment, and all the power, water hoses and ducting should be available and ready to connect: IMPORTANT DO NOT CUT ANY EXCESS WATER HOSE , WIRE OR DUCTING BEFORE DETERMINING THAT ALL REQUIREMENTS CAN BE MET WHEN UNIT IS SECURED. Position the air conditioner unit so "water in" and "water out" hoses can be attache
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WARNING MAKE SURE THAT ALL AC POWER TO THE BOAT HAS BEEN DISCONNECTED. FAILURE TO REMOVE ALL BOAT AC POWER COULD RESULT IN ELECTRICAL SHOCK CAUSING SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. Determine which power cable is from the pump (16 gauge cable) and strip the outside insulation back about six inches. Then strip each of the three individual wires back about 1/4 inch. Facing the WHITE terminal block on the side of the electric box, locate the connection labeled "PUMP". Using the appropriate si
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recommend that you secure it with one or two 1/2 inch s/s screws along with duct tape or foil tape. Now, attach the return air grill and your installation is completed. B. SYSTEM OPERATION: Note: If the boat has not been placed back in the water, do so now. The air conditioner requires proper cooling water to operate. 1. Priming The Pump: a) Because marine air conditioner pumps are not self priming, generally, the pump may need priming each time the boat is removed from the
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b) Place the main circuit breaker and the air conditioner circuit breaker in their "ON" positions. 3. Water Out: a) Once the air conditioner starts, immediately go out on deck and check that water is coming out of the "water out" thru-hull. Once all of the latent air is forced from the hoses a steady stream should be present with enough force that the water stream clears the side of the boat hull. b) If the water flow is not present or weak, the pump was not properly primed. Shu
