I am pleased to report Archer Power Solutions is partnering with the Maryland Energy Innovation Accelerator: https://mdeia.org/participating-startups

It may be time to take a fresh look at your marine air conditioner and evaluate if it serves your lifestyle. Technology has evolved but most marine air conditioners are stuck with 1980s technology.  With advanced electronics, it is possible to run a VDC air conditioner with the right combination of components, off the house-bank batteries and charge during the day with onboard solar panels or a wind turbine. Combination of our electronics and smart sensors pave the way to self-sufficiency in total energy-use cycle on a boat.

We wholeheartedly thank our existing customers and look forward to making new ones!

When we purchase a product, we usually tend to follow the general maintenance guidelines.  But sometimes we have to pay extra attention to maintenance of certain key  components of the product.  For marine air conditioners, the evaporator is one of these  (If a compressor is the heart of the unit, the evaporator is the lungs!)

In the marine environment, evaporators are subject to different conditions, higher humidity, a much higher temperature variance, and salt!  The evaporators have fins that are made out of aluminum, with  copper pipes passing through these fins that carry the refrigerant. These fins have a typical gap of 0.05”between them; an amount of space that easily gets filled with dust and other particulates in the air.

Over time, this build-up will prevent the air flow and heat transfer needed to cool or heat the environment.  Let’s not forget that, in a cooling setting, the heat absorbed through these fins is used to evaporate the refrigerant passing through. If the fins are covered with dust, not enough heat will pass through and the unit will begin to give the impression that ‘it is not cooling enough’! Hence, we go out and buy a new unit, thinking that the current unit is old or not working.

A simple way to care for the unit is to either vacuum clean the fins occasionally or use an air duster (like those canisters used for electronics, keyboard cleaning etc) with a long nozzle.  It will make a huge difference in the longevity and efficiency of your air conditioner and keep your money in your pocket.

As we field inquiries about our 12VDC marine air conditioner, I regularly find myself in the middle of a conversation about BTU ratings.  There are a number of 110V/220VAC marine air conditioner brands out there.  Did you know you basically have to trust the individual manufacturer to put a BTU rating on its product, and there’s no independent body in the industry to verify it?   If the label on the box says “12,000 BTU”, how do you know if it actually does provide that level of cooling?  

In the US, residential and commercial air conditioners and HVAC equipment adhere to very strict manufacturing standards, which also involve testing in isolated test chambers -- but none of this is applicable in the marine air conditioning industry.  Technically, a marine air conditioner manufacturer can label their product with whatever BTU they deem fit.  There is no controlling body to enforce it for the consumer.   It is a complicated and expensive process to gather performance data for an air conditioner; many marine air conditioner manufacturers don’t have the facility for accurate in-house capacity testing at specified conditions.  

Unless the manufacturer can validate with test chamber results there is only one certain benchmark a consumer can rely on – the compressor rating. Compressors have to be tested to certain performance levels at certain internal pressures; that is the only reliable empirical data in a marine air conditioner.  Most of the marine air conditioner manufacturers simply take this compressor rating at certain conditions and label the complete air conditioner to an estimated BTU level accordingly.  

The photos above are of a compressor from a common marine air conditioner brand, marketed as ’12,000 BTU’.  The compressor manufacturer’s specs for the same compressor show ’11,000 BTU’ rating. 

Let’s not forget that there are many other components in a system besides the compressor and the quality and effectiveness of these other parts, and how they are put together make a significant difference as well.  Price isn’t just a benchmark. Before purchasing a marine air conditioner, make sure to look for the labeling on the compressor. Reputable compressor manufacturers usually make all their test data available on their websites.  If the marine air conditioner manufacturer is not willing to give you the specs of the compressor, run away as fast as you can!!!