Marine Air Conditioning How-To Guides for Boat Owners
Marine air conditioning questions grouped by equipment choice, sizing, installation, daily use and diagnosis. Use the linked maintenance procedures and commissioning checklists for the complete task.
Choosing Marine Air Conditioning
5 questions
Marine Air Conditioning Sizing and Power
10 questions
- How do I work out how many BTU my boat needs? step by step
- How do I size air conditioning for a catamaran?
- How do I account for a dark hull when sizing?
- How do I size for the tropics versus temperate water?
- How do I work out what it will draw on a marina lead?
- How do I run air conditioning at anchor?
- How do I size a battery bank to run air conditioning overnight? step by step
- How do I stop the air conditioning tripping a 10 A marina lead?
- How do I work out the running cost per night?
- How do I decide whether I need a soft start?
Marine Air Conditioning Installation Tasks
9 questions
- How do I plan the seawater side before anything else?
- How do I choose where the unit goes?
- How do I route ducting so both cabins actually cool? step by step
- How do I get the condensate to drain properly?
- How do I fit a through-hull and seacock for air conditioning?
- How do I wire marine air conditioning to Australian standards?
- How long does a marine air conditioning installation take?
- How do I prepare the boat before the installer arrives? step by step
- How do I add a second zone to an existing system?
Operating and Maintaining Boat Air Conditioning
6 questions
- How do I get the most out of the system I have?
- How often should I service marine air conditioning? step by step
- How do I stop the boat smelling musty?
- How do I keep the cabin dry rather than just cold?
- How do I run it efficiently to cut the power bill?
- How do I look after it if the boat sits unused for months?
Diagnosing Marine Air Conditioning Problems
7 questions
- How do I tell if the problem is the seawater side or the refrigerant?
- How do I check the overboard discharge?
- How do I tell if the unit is undersized or faulty?
- How do I check whether the seawater pump is working? step by step
- How do I know when to stop and call a technician?
- How do I test a system on a boat I am buying? step by step
- How do I tell if a previous install was done properly? step by step
Using the Marine Air Conditioning How-To Guides
Start with the task or symptom that matches your boat. Sizing pages explain the planning model; power pages separate running current, starting demand and stored energy; fault pages distinguish observations from work that needs a qualified technician.
Keep the equipment model, controller manual, home berth and cruising conditions with your notes. Use the marine air conditioning fault report checklist when requesting service, or the installation quote comparison checklist before buying equipment.