Spurious equipment found when trying to relocate engine batt

[colinnz]

Hi all,

Hoping for some tips/observations please.

Looking to relocate engine start battery and also getting to know the boat.

Unscrewed a section of floor by the head and also the section base of stairs. Found a thru hull we didn't know was there (and it was open) and a couple of filters. Need to trace them this weekend. They are not shown in manual. I disagreeumption is something for generator.

The white compressor thing is seriously rusty at the base so any pointers as to what that could be for?

Lots of TLC needed.....

Front of aft head 

www.23hq.com/colinnz/photo/55807901

Foot of stairs 

www.23hq.com/colinnz/photo/55807922

Any help would be appreciated

Thanks

[MickeyB]

When I first read it (and without seeing pictures) I thought of a watermaker installation.  But now I have seen the pictures I think not.

It actually looks similar to my hot water from engine to hot water tank and pipes etc, but I dont have the filters (or I have never found them).

I would think it is some form of seawater strainer, for an engine of some description (main/gen).  You don't have a real fancy water cooled fridge do you?

Sorry I couldn't be more help - but someone from this forum will bound to know the answer.

Mike

[rene460]

Hi Colinnz,

I must admit to wondering about a throughhull under a screwed down floor, it will be interesting to see what others say about this.  Not that it can readily be changed at this point.

Thoughts about possible purpose, water inlet for generator cooling as you have suggested.  Could perhaps also be water inlet for a water cooled fridge or air conditioning.  You will also have somewhere a cooling water inlet from your motor, and water inlet for each toilet.  I suspect there is one of those you have not yet identified.

I can’t make out what you mean by the “compressor thing”, but I wonder if it is a shower drain pump, it has to be down at that level somewhere.  They can be run dry, so just push the button in the shower compartment and you will hear it start.

I hope those few suggestions will help you work it out.  And someone with the same boat will probably come in with the actual answer, but they are mostly in different time zones to you and I.  Come to think of it you are two hours ahead of me.

Please come back and tel us when you work it out.

rene460

[manaia]

Hi,

I have two fridge systems on Manaia, there is a standard electric cooler system under the stove and an engine belt driven compressor system, which runs a large cold tank in the fridge. One component is a white rust compressor in the same location as in your photo.

No such equipment as the filter or the through hull !

My contact number is 021 067 3456 if you want to give me a call or text. Cheers

[martie]

The pipes in the second picture are marked 134a which is the designation for cooling media. Therefore this has to be involved in the refrigeration system but i dont know which function it has in the system.

The first to the left in the first picture looks to be a water strainer and the second some kind of fuel filter.

[Zanshin]

I had a 43DS of the same vintage, but those installations are indeed non-standard.

The first picture shows a filter on left which is usually used for the engine or generator; what is odd is that this filter looks like it is below the waterline which would make opening it with the through-hull open a bad thing - plus if the plastic cover isn't sealed well or cracks you'd have water ingress. The other filter looks like a fuel filter.

The 134a pipes are indeed for refrigeration. That white thing doesn't really belong to a refrigeration system unless it is the compressor for the fridge. It might be part of a cold-plate system (only if you have a big cold plate in the fridge or freezer, if you have a thin evaporator plate then it isn't that). Does anything with r134a markings go down to or through the hull? If so, it might be a keel-cooled refrigerator/freezer system.

[tkoos]

Hi,

The 134a pipes must refer to the cooling media which means its either for your current freezers or for something previously removed.
The thin pipe partly covered with white plastic looks just like the pipe between the evaporator and the compressor in my old boat.
I would remove some more floor boards and check out which pipe and hose that goes where.
The plastic thingy in you top picture looks like a shower water drain or something. That connector there (the sugar bit, as we say in Swedish :-) ) is pretty far from a decent marine installation so it has to be custom added though. Followed that cord to see where it ends up?

Best regards,
Thomas Koos

[zaphod]

The second pic is definitely refrigeration components. The large white cylinder looks like it could be a receiver or accumulator, although it is hard to tell for sure. It could also be a water cooled condenser/receiver. The green piece with the 2 wires coming out is a pressure switch. The smaller white cylinder looks like it might be a filter/drier. I see a refrigerant sight glass deeper down, so that would be a refrigerant liquid line.

There should be labels on those components somewhere. I may be able to better identify them with more pics...

[mikebnz]

My DS43 has nothing but the fuel filter in the first photo. The rest of the equip in that photo is definitely added. The second photo looks like a sea water cooled fridge. In the second photo is normally just the engine raw water intake and in mine an added sea water intake for a water maker.

[colinnz]

Thanks all. Will investigate some more. Water inlet for gen or aircon is plausible. The rear aircon is/has not worked for a fair while and there is an old Panda gen there as well. It is not the seawater intake for engine as that is accessible. The white 'can' may well be a compressor. More investigations needed. 

[mikebnz]

Here is what my DS43 looks like. The two water strainers are for the watermaker, they aren’t normally there.
The hatch by the bathroom door is as per factory.

[colinnz]

Hi all,

Did some more tracing yesterday. Apart from uncovering some nasty flooring that definitely needs replacing, I traced the sea cock and yes it goes to a filter then past the prop shaft towards the Generator. When I try and start the genny there is also a pump there that energises so that is what is that is for I guess. Will leave open next trip out 'just in case'. The engine intake is in front of the engine and accessible when you open the stairs.

Thanks all.