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robrandol

Roof Condensate drains

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I have Coleman Mach 8 air conditioners on my Thor Venetian and the air condensate water run on the roof and exits the roof over the entry steps or at the rear of the full length slide.  Anyway it make a mess when running the AC on gravel or grass lots.  I am looking at installing condensate pumps with dedicated drain lines.  As I have no way of routing them thru the plenum and down the side walls, I am thinking of routing them over the roof and down thru the rear cap to ground.  I am looking for some advise if anyone as done something like this.  I know the Tiffin Allegro Bus does this.  I would be interested to know, what type of pipe works the best and how they are attaching the plumbing to the roof.  Dicor lap sealant or nylon adel clamps, etc.

If anyone has information or pictures of their install I would greatly appreciate it.

 

Thank you.

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Just be careful that whatever you do is done in a way that when it fails, and it will eventually, it doesn't take the a/c units with it or allow the condensate to back up inside the coach. This will depend on your particular remedy, but I'm thinking that there should be some way for a failed condensate pump to overflow in a safe way before it backs up into the a/c unit or into the coach.

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51 minutes ago, robrandol said:

Thanks Bill, but I am looking for more of a permeant  solution.

Help me out here, what part of my suggestion is not "permanent"? 

I think you should go buy the Tiffin Allegro Bus you want and then you can come back and ask about how to clean the clogged drain lines. 😁

Bill

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Bill, Don't disagree, that is one of my concerns, clogged pipes and backup with water.  However, the dip pans can backup also and cause the same problem.  I guess if I install dedicated drains I will need to blow them out every year.  I inspect the gravity drains now every year to make sure Alge or the drain wholes don't get clogged.

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I think it would be easier and less of a hassle to build a dam on the roof to divert the water to one corner to drain. Something as simple as automotive weather stripping would suffice. 

Our coach has the drains that run down through the walls to the ground, two on each A/C unit, no condensation pumps, I think if it had those Id remove them and let it run off the roof. That is just a great example of over engineering something that will ultimately fail at the worse possible time. 

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1 hour ago, jleamont said:

I think it would be easier and less of a hassle to build a dam on the roof to divert the water to one corner to drain. Something as simple as automotive weather stripping would suffice. 

Our coach has the drains that run down through the walls to the ground, two on each A/C unit, no condensation pumps, I think if it had those Id remove them and let it run off the roof. That is just a great example of over engineering something that will ultimately fail at the worse possible time. 

Maybe using something like this? https://marine.steelerubber.com/drip-rail-70-3851-360

It's white and would possibly blend in with the roof.

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Why not a simple gutter extender to carry the water farther away from where the currently drip, place a pot of flowers where the water drips for beutification purposes.

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Why not a simple gutter extender to carry the water farther away from where the currently drip, place a pot of flowers where the water drips for beautification purposes.

 

Ah, KISS.

Herman

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I think I am going to look into using that rubber extrusion and see if I can route it to the back right corner.  As for the pumps that are just little brushless motors that mount directly into the drip pan.  Coleman Mach 8 units come with this option.  

 

https://www.rvautoparts.com/47233A3091-Coleman-Mach-Air-Conditioner-Condensate-Pump-For-Use-With_p_431485.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwh6XmBRDRARIsAKNInDGW4vpCUWW1R_5ZsQsJBB3gHJSOK_WZAOV4IyE-U064zdNWsXnZ_RsaAnxEEALw_wcB

 

Like everybody says, the biggest worry is algae plugging up the plumbing.

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Forgot to add, this coach does have rain gutters, so no way to extend them.  I could consider just adding self adhesive rain gutters.

You would think that a motorhome that cost this much would have some type of water management for AC units.  Most units today have drain tube down the side walls.  Not sure if they plug up.  So kind of struggling, trying to manage the water but don't want to create a bigger problem.

This is way I am looking for feedback.

Thanks for all the help.

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19 hours ago, robrandol said:

You would think that a motorhome that cost this much would have some type of water management for AC units.

They do, the condensate drains out on the roof and runs off. I did see something on Youtube where they were talking about ways to extend time dry camping or "Boondocking". They ran a drain line down inside the rv and caught it in one of those collapsible plastic 5 gallon containers. They could extend their stay by using this water for non potable uses. Verrey "green" environmentally friendly. I can't find the link right now but if I find it I will send it to you.

Bill

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Bill how do they dry camp and run air conditioners without running the genset all day? Inquiring minds want to know.

 

robrandol, I think your ideal has merit. Drain lines can be held in place with Dicor non-leveling sealant, and the "J" channel would also work  to make condensate go where you want. Where would we be if Einstein  hadn't thought outside the box_.

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48 minutes ago, RayIN said:

Bill how do they dry camp and run air conditioners without running the genset all day? Inquiring minds want to know.

Lots of solar and at least 4 Lithium batteries you can run a air conditioner. Then you get to collect the free water.

Bill

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I had the 2011 Allegro Bus...Overkill & POS...AC condensate on/in a coach, 5'er, pull behind, is better handled by KISS than a "wanna be water reservoir engineer"!  Go with Joe & be done with it, then redo every 3-5 years!

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