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obedb

AC Dripping Water Into Coach

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Can be several sources.

Does your A/C condensate just drain onto the roof or is it routed to the bottom of the coach?

If routed through a hose, it could be clogged.

If it drains onto the roof, the roof seal may be bad or just need a little snugging up. Do not compress it over 1/2 its initial height. Replace if this is the source and gasket is compressed. But, this would likely leak worse when it rains.

Another source is that the drain holes for the condensate are clogged. To clean, you will need to get up on the roof and remove the A/C cover and the evaporator cover. If you do this, a good time to clean the evaporator. Get A/C evaporator cleaner from any box store. You would be shocked at how ineffective those foam filters are.

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ObedB,

Sounds like a plugged drain hole(s)in the AC base plate.
This is a totally different problem then a rain leak because of an AC to roof seal failure.

Water collects (condenses) on the low side pressure line and drips off into the pan/base.

It then should run off, if the drains are plugged the water level will then enter the opening for the unit cold air output.

Need to turn off the AC power breaker,remove the cover, inspect the base.

The drains are often in the same area as the output and input copper plumbing, only higher.

You might need to remove the cover for the evaporator and the opening for the cold air duct to get a good idea on where the drain restriction is - or the point in the base that might have some rust damage.

Rich.

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One other thing is to make sure your filter is clean. If the filter is clogged it can cause a vacuum and pull air in through the water drain causing a back up and dripping on the inside. Most likely it is as mentioned just a plugged drain. When you go on the roof look for stains from where the water had drained in the past.

Bill

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I have my roof inspected and re caulked if needed every 3 years and that is a good time to clean AC units also. I'm due in Jan. 16.

Carl

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Another problem with the new low profile ACs is that they tend to freeze and when thawing the water runs down through a vent into the coach.

That happened to us.

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OK...I have the same issue with condensation. Both heat pumps were replaced in late spring, both work perfect in heat mode but the rear heat pump...in A/C mode...drips condensation on our bed. I took it back to the shop that installed the units and they checked the drains and retightened the unit. I still have the condensation problem. Any thoughts other than the drains??

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dartmangt,

Welcome to the FMCA Forum.

Are you running the fan speed on high and is the air filter clean. Those are the two most common causes of freezing and then massive thawing/dripping into the interior.

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Some times when the filter is dirty it causes a vacuum in the return side that will try to pull air in through the condensation drains. This keeps the water from draining and will drip on the inside. Good idea to clean/replace the filters often.

Bill

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Another consideration on a roof top AC dripping water is a leak in the plenum. Take the inside cover off and look up. If you see daylight cover it with AC Duct tape and see what happens. If there is a leak in the plenum condensation will form with the difference in temperatures.

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Getting ready to head south, haven't run my heat pump / ac since October so I have a question about the gasket. Camping World installed my unit and last time I contacted them about my condensation issue and they told me to tighten the hold down bolts. How tight should they be, or should I torque them to a specific range? Thanks for any info.

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The key is snug. I don't have a set torque number. You want to tighten the bolts but not totally crush the gasket. When I use a ratchet I place my hand on the head and don't use the whole length of the handle to tighten the bolts. You can bend the brackets if you get to much torque. If I was to use a torque wrench I would go about 65-75 inch pounds.

Bill

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Yes unfortunately this gasket is trying to do two things, be a gasket and a isolation damper to keep the vibration noise out of the RV. Over compressing it will cause it to fail and need to be replaced.

I am going to try to remember the next time I change one to see what the final torque is.

Bill

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Since we are on this topic, both of my roof tops have drain tubes that go to the ground. I have what appears to be filters on the bottom of those tubes, over the years some broke and the previous owner wrapped a piece of screen door screen around the tubes and zip tied them. What's is the thought behind the screen of filter?

My guess is keep bugs out?

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What's is the thought behind the screen of filter?

My guess is keep bugs out?

I would agree. One mud dubber setting up house keeping would totally block water flow.

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Our A/C condensation drains seem to work fine.  Both A/Cs drain to the ground.  Front A/C to the front left and rear A/C to the left rear.

Just came through a good rainstorm near Springfield, MO.  Found both A/C inlets slightly dripping water.  Once stopped, we swung down the A/C covers, removed the plenum covers and discovered that each of the four hold down bolts were loose.  All of them were "handy" or finger loose.  Two had about 3/8" play and one had about 2" play.

I guess we were lucky for driving in the rainstorm to catch the leaks because when parked the A/Cs never leaked before.  Really fortunate that we didn't launch an A/C unit out onto the highway and hurt someone!

This is another item I'll place on my regular maintenance check.  We've only had this coach 11 years and I'm still learning as we go! :o

Blake

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AC  unit was never an issue before they put in artificial celling's and duct's.  We pulled and washed the filter every month, so if it felt loose I just tighten it up!  Now, losing a showed that was another issue and happened more than once! :lol:

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Blake, the one in my bedroom had the same thing happen. Snug it down now but be careful not to over tighten. Look up your AC units torque spec and property torque it. They can be damaged by over tightening.

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