air conditioner "splashdown"

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air conditioner "splashdown"

July 02, 2011, 08:40:22 am

I left the front air conditioner (on the roof) running for 1-1/2 days. when I turned it off water cascaded down thru the inside cover onto me and the floor. Unusual? There was the usual runoff onto the ground by the driver's front wheel. The coach is level, the temp was 90 degrees, humidity very high. The AC is a newer Coleman unit installed in '09. This is the first time water came in thru this unit. I traced the rear AC leak (from rain) to poor caulking around the cover holddown bolts. This leak is water from the AC.

Any ideas? Suggestions?

Re: air conditioner "splashdown"

Reply #1 – July 02, 2011, 09:03:25 am

My guess is that evaporator was freezing up and when you shut it down the ice melted and water then came in the coach. Check for drain blockage, lack of caulk, dirt & crap buildup that prevents condensate from the evaporator from draining. If no cause can be found you may have to get in the habit of tilting coach slightly to allow runoff.
Gary B

Re: air conditioner "splashdown"

Reply #2 – July 02, 2011, 09:06:34 am

Nitehawk,

The water is probably from a build up of ice. Clean the coils by vacuuming or blowing out. While up there clean everything under the cover. If there is a probe be sure it is in the center of the coils. We did this well over a year ago and no more water dripping down. I clean the coils every six months.

Re: air conditioner "splashdown"

Reply #3 – July 02, 2011, 03:48:39 pm

George, Gary, Thanks.

I'll tear into it next Tuesday. Today is the DW's birthday and Monday is mine so we will be quite busy for this holiday weekend. I will let you know what I find as there was no pause before the water came down. I shut off the AC and the water dropped like someone had poured a quart of water on me!

Re: air conditioner "splashdown"

Reply #4 – July 03, 2011, 12:04:41 am

Mine, on a 5th wheel instead of a FT has just started the same action. As soon as it is turned off it dumps water - ours dumps into the sink, thank goodness.

Re: air conditioner "splashdown"

Reply #5 – July 03, 2011, 11:16:46 am

The front a/c on my coach leaks badly while driving only. W@hen parked it is able to drain but when driving it pours in. I can only assume that while parked it builds up but can drain and while moving it is built up in small pan and pours out due to movement while driving. I can't find the solution.

Re: air conditioner "splashdown"

Reply #6 – July 05, 2011, 07:29:11 pm

Do the 06's have the roof drain kit, where everything is plumbed to drain out the back?

Re: air conditioner "splashdown"

Reply #7 – July 05, 2011, 08:08:46 pm

The A/C fans have multiple automatic settings. When the coach is about to reach the desired temp., the fans revert to low speed. You can override the auto fan setting by selecting the high fan setting. The icing of the coil is due to insufficient air flow when the "auto fan" setting reverts the fan speed to "low".

Re: air conditioner "splashdown"

Reply #8 – July 05, 2011, 08:34:57 pm

Peter, did the newer coaches use DuoTherms? My oooold Duotherms both have an icing sensor that kicks the compressor off when the fins get too cold. That occurs whether it is on manual fan or automatic. Just curios if there is one more reason I like my vintage coach.

Re: air conditioner "splashdown"

Reply #9 – July 05, 2011, 08:55:02 pm

Kent,
I do have DuoTherm units in the 97 U270. They've been trouble free since I've owned the coach, so no complaints. I did have the icing problem once or twice, then I remember to set the fans on "manual High" setting and then there is enough air flow (specially if in high humidity areas).

Re: air conditioner "splashdown"

Reply #10 – July 05, 2011, 09:38:17 pm

Peter, ours have never frozen up but maybe that's because Peggy and I are just so hot that the fan never slows down or more realistically the auto fan speed on the old thermostat isn't working properly and just blows on high all of the time.

Re: air conditioner "splashdown"

Reply #11 – July 06, 2011, 07:10:55 am

Quote from: nitehawk – July 02, 2011, 08:40:22 am

I left the front air conditioner (on the roof) running for 1-1/2 days. when I turned it off water cascaded down thru the inside cover onto me and the floor. Unusual?

Yes, this is unusual. I suspect that there is a partial blockage of the drain as some water is running off the roof. The air pressure from the fan is keeping the water dammed up until it stops and then it cascades into the coach. If the evaporator is freezing up, air flow is reduced along with cooling. After the fan stops ice would melt slowly.

Re: air conditioner "splashdown"

Reply #12 – July 06, 2011, 09:32:57 am

Jerry, I think you are correct. I plan on checking it out today. I guess I was so upset because all that water diluted my Brandy old fashioned (Wisconsin mixed drink--usually not available outside the state).

Re: air conditioner "splashdown"

Reply #13 – July 07, 2011, 12:47:37 pm

YAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!
I found the cause for the "splashdown"!! I removed the outer fiberglass cover--nothing--then removed the sheet metal cover (the one towards the front of the coach) and there it was--a little piece of insulation from the sheet metal cover stuck in the weep hole!! so, seeing as how I was done with that little chore I then proceeded to scrub down the entire roof. Kinda dumb as I had, just this week, washed and waxed the entire coach. Was thinking about a coat of MOP & GLO but there are still puddles on the roof and it is clouding up to rain.

THANKS EVERYONE FOR THE ADVICE.

Re: air conditioner "splashdown"

Reply #14 – July 14, 2011, 09:01:21 am

Yes Steve my 06 has a kit on the roof where all 3 units run out of a long drain and the into the engine compartment.

Re: air conditioner "splashdown"

Reply #15 – July 15, 2011, 11:40:49 am

We just did this upgrade on our coach last year, so far no problems, but it does plumb all the A/C's together so all the water in those lines will go to the low point. Really the only incline is the side distance from the A/C output to the corner of the coach, meaning the curvature of the roof. Those roof hoses should start at the AC and make a slow transition to the corner, if there are any long straight back runs in the lines (like potentially between two A/C's) the water in those could go either direction and should be adjusted.

I'm still looking for an appropriate check valve or restriction plate to put in those lines so the water can not move forward in those lines during stopping, on a long downhill or even if the ride height was out making the front of the coach slightly lower ... any of those, in combination with hose layout, could basically move all the water to the front A/C where the pan could overfill (at least in our setup)

Re: air conditioner "splashdown"

Reply #16 – July 16, 2011, 07:52:20 pm

Steve let me know if you figure something out. My only problem is while traveling not parked. Could be just what you are suggesting.

Re: air conditioner "splashdown"

Reply #17 – July 24, 2011, 08:47:48 pm

YAAAAY!!! No more taking cold showers under the front AC!! I found the cause for the deluge two days ago. It seems that unless the four bolts that pull the roof portion of the AC down to the roof are not tight enough to compress the gasket under the AC the condensate (and copious amounts of rainwater) will drain into the coach thru the "big" hole in the roof. The bolts were each about a 1/2" loose. I didn't have an 8mm or 1/4 socket plus swivel and extension for the ratchet so I had to take almost everything off the inside in order to access the four bolts. No leaks even after it rained 2" yesterday.

Re: air conditioner "splashdown"

Reply #18 – July 24, 2011, 11:53:41 pm

Norm, its a little late now but I thought I should still mention for the benefit of others that when you have the air distribution box off to tighten the bolts you should take note of the thickness of the gasket. The gasket becomes compressed over time. If the gasket is less than 1/2" in thickness, the gasket should be replaced. Once it has been compressed beyond that level, the air conditioner vibrations become much louder in the coach and that is an indication that the resilience of the foam has been over stressed and may allow a leak at any time.

If one finds it necessary to renew the gasket, changing the gaskets is relatively easy if you have good access to the coach roof. First remove the air distribution box cover in the coach then remove the three or four 1/2" head bolts. They are very long so I use a battery powered drill with a 1/2" socket for removal and replacement. On the roof, remove the A/C cowling, usually 4 screws and lay a piece of plywood or other protective cover on the roof in front of the air conditioner. Then tilt the entire A/C unit forward exposing the hole in the roof and the gasket side of the air conditioner. The gasket is usually attached to the A/C unit, not the roof. Remove the old gasket with a scraper and clean that area and the area around the hole. Adhere the new gasket to the base of the A/C unit with its self adhesive strip and replace the A/C unit back down over the hole. Replace the cowling and replace the three or four bolts from the inside of the coach. Do not over compress the new gasket certainly not over 1/2" thickness. Try to keep the thickness of the gasket uniform around the perimeter of the hole. Replace air distribution box and your done.

I check my A/C bolts annually to insure no roof leaks.

Gaskets are not all the same. I first bought new gaskets from eBay for my front A/C. I later bought one from FOT for the back A/C. The one from Foretravel was of much higher density and quality. It also came with foam cushions to support the overhang portion of the roof unit. The cheap one did not. I then replaced the relatively new front A/C gasket with a FOT gasket and it reduced about 50% of the vibration over the cheap one. The difference in cost was nominal. FOT gasket was about $30 and the one from eBay about $20.

Re: air conditioner "splashdown"

Reply #19 – July 25, 2011, 08:10:50 am

Another issue to add is to check the drain pan. On mine they were rusted thru and had to be replaced. I know you solved your issue but wanted to include this on the thread.

Also, I have the remote drains too. No issue driving. I just hit the accelerator hard every so often and the water cascades off the back. Then again in the mountains where I live the up and down of the road empties the line.

Re: air conditioner "splashdown"

Reply #20 – July 25, 2011, 08:36:46 am

Thanks Kent and John.

My gasket was about 1" thick before I tightened the four bolts. Now it is about 3/4". The AC is a Coleman MACH and was new in '09 (new like a whole bunch of stuff) The AC now runs quiter, cooler, and no vibration. I did have to remove the components inside the coach in order to access the four bolts. As we were 50 miles from home I did not have the exact tools I needed so I used a mini-vise grips on the two front bolts and a 6" srescent wrench on the two rear bolts. We do not have a separate drain pan as the water "weeps" out thru holes in the galvanized sheet metal base onto the roof of the coach. The 2" of rain we got Friday nite sure tested my repair as there was no water to be found inside the coach yet there was a "lake" outside.

Thanks, guys.

Re: air conditioner "splashdown"

Reply #21 – November 10, 2011, 11:21:08 am

Quote from: Kent Speers – July 24, 2011, 11:53:41 pm

Gaskets are not all the same. I first bought new gaskets from eBay for my front A/C. I later bought one from FOT for the back A/C. The one from Foretravel was of much higher density and quality. It also came with foam cushions to support the overhang portion of the roof unit. The cheap one did not. I then replaced the relatively new front A/C gasket with a FOT gasket and it reduced about 50% of the vibration over the cheap one. The difference in cost was nominal. FOT gasket was about $30 and the one from eBay about $20.

Bump...

We ordered the 2 gaskets sets needed to redo our front Dometic low profile A/C (ours has the Dometic drain kit, which uses 2 sets per A/C). Mike Grimes reminded Steve that FOT uses Coleman gaskets, not Dometic, so they're a bit bigger.

Sure enough, the label on the boxes states 8332-3301, Gasket Package, R.V. Products, Wichita, Kansas. Googling it, it's a Coleman 14" x 14" gasket with "level pad". From having already re-done the rear A/C, Steve can confirm they are bigger and more complete (they have the "level pad" to support the unit better) than what was installed with our replacement A/Cs last year.

Hope this helps someone in the future.

Michelle

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