Hi Dennis,
>From what I read, Mermaid is in Fort Meyers, FL (gulf coast side) and I read
>one post claiming the units are partially made in China. But to be honest, I
>have not verified that. Flagship Marine is in Stuart FL (atlantic coast side)
>and their units are made in the USA. Have a quick look at their website, it
>is pretty detailed and full of useful tidbits.
Thanks again for your input.
Paul
> On Apr 29, 2015, at 4:35 PM, Dennis C. <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> Paul,
>
> I think Flagship and Mermaid may be the same. You should research that.
>
> On the advice of another 35-1 owner, I installed a Mermaid in 1999. He had
> installed one in his 35-1. I basically copied his installation. A couple
> years after I installed it, my friend chunked his Mermaid and replaced it
> with a CruiseAir.
>
> The problem with my Mermaid was their high pressure switch. It was a
> mechanical switch. That is, high pressure pushed out a pin which then pushed
> a slide which activated an electrical switch. This design is very unreliable.
>
> I didn't appreciate that you needed to keep all those sliding parts
> lubricated. One day some "stuff" got sucked up into the inlet thru hull and
> plugged the water flow. The high pressure trip activated but the slide
> didn't move. Therefore the high pressure switch never tripped. The unit
> blew all the refrigerant out through the Shrader valve. I was not on the
> boat at the time.
>
> Mermaid had a deal where for a set price, they sent you a box and shipping
> label. You pulled your unit, dropped it into the box and shipped it to them
> for refurb. I did that. They returned it to "factory specs" but it never
> seems to work as well as original. I made sure I kept the HP slide
> lubricated. It later developed a leak. My refrigeration repair buddy fixed
> it. It worked a while and then developed another problem. I pulled it and
> sold it on eBay.
>
> My "aha" moment happened when a friend remarked why do you think Mermaid
> makes it so easy to send the units back to them?
>
> I replaced it with a CruiseAir. No problems since 2006.
>
> Also, the Mermaid used a cheap Teel water pump. I could get these at
> Grainger for about $50. I replaced it twice. I kept a spare on the boat.
>
> The cruiseAir uses a Dometic (March) pump that has been problem free. I
> don't keep a spare for it but I do have a way to connect dock water to the
> unit in case it fails.
>
> The CruiseAir uses an electrical high pressure switch. It has tripped
> several times due to cooling water flow blockage. I trust it.
>
> I would explore how the high pressure switch is designed. If it is
> mechanical, make sure it is lubricated and operated without resistance.
>
> FWIW, a friend here just installed a Flagship in his Island Packet.
>
>
>
> Dennis C.
> Touche' 35-1 #83
> Mandeville, LA
>
>
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