Rain water leaking through A/C unit

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basshuntin

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Joined
Dec 25, 2011
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11
Location
Louisville, Ky
I need help with this one. rain water is leaking through my A/C unit. Ive already replaced the roof gasket. It actually looks like its coming in above the gasket. The shroud is in good condition with no cracks. Its a Duo-Therm unit. Im posting a picture that hopefully will show where its leaking from. Any ideas will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
 

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We have the same issue.  Only happens when the rig is at an angle of some type.  Daniel has completely removed the unit, sealed all around it and it is still occurring.  I look forward to what people say.

Paula
 
      It is a common repair issue, make sure your bolts are tight, they do loosen through vibration.  I used silicone sealant on both sides of the gasket when replacing it.  The front A/C only required tightening, and the bedroom one has the new gasket, neither has leaked in over 2 years.  It is unlikely that the water is coming from anywhere else, it almost always is the gasket.

Ed
 
If you have a flat roof sometimes it will sag in the middle from the weight of the air conditioner.  If this happens, you could have a puddle that's higher than the bottom of the air conditioner and the drain holes that are supposed to let condensation drain out onto the roof work in reverse, letting the rainwater in.

One solution is to build a platform out of 1x4 timber to raise the air conditioner above the level of the water.
 
Are you sure it is leaking through the a/c itself? A leak anywhere in the roof will often drip though the ceiling at  the a/c opening, but the water is actually entering elsewhere.  If you have replaced the gasket and tightened the roof mount bolts, I would be looking elsewhere. How is the caulk at the skylights, tv antenna, plumbing vents, etc.
 
Checked the roof,, no sag. I was actually hoping it was. I'm far from being an expert, but it seems to me if it was leaking from somewhere else then running to the A/C unit, it would be leaking between the rubber roof and the wood. I'm sure its not coming in from under the rubber. AS far as tightening the unit. How tight? The gasket is probably an inch thick. Do you tighten it down really tight of just snug? If I could just figure out how to stop this leak, Id definitely be a happy camper :)
 
Just snug - you don't want to compress the gasket till it is flat. That will result in a leak too.

...but it seems to me if it was leaking from somewhere else then running to the A/C unit, it would be leaking between the rubber roof and the wood. I'm sure its not coming in from under the rubber.
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Why are you so sure? Can you see a wet or stained spot where the water has run down from the top of the a/c opening? If not, it doesn't seem to me the a/c is any more likely a source than some other spot.  But you have the eyeballs on the scene, so it has to be your judgement call.
 
By removing the plastic trim from the ceiling I was actually able to see the water dripping from above the gasket. I can see where the rubber roof was cut out and folded in and the waters not coming in under it. Please don't take the fact that I don't believe that's not how its leaking as I don't appreciate your ideas on this problem. I'm very thankful to find a site with this much information and hope to someday be able to contribute to the site as well.
 
It is possible that you have a cracked pan on your A/C unit.

I had a leaking problem when the A/C was running on a previous coach. They said it was a cracked pan. Turned out it, most likely, was in the duct work. Whenever the A/C operated I would get water dripping out of the air intake. There must have been an opening in the duct work that allowed moist air to enter and condense in the cold duct causing it to drip into the coach.

This occurred even when it wasn't raining so it might not be pertinent to your situation.
 
Please don't take the fact that I don't believe that's not how its leaking as I don't appreciate your ideas on this problem.
Click to expand...

No offense taken. We can't see what you see unless you post photos or describe in detail what you observe.  All too often, somebody focuses on a problem of one type when in reality their problem is something different, so we have to ask questions.
 
I was trying to show in the picture where I originally posted,that the water is coming in where two pieces seem to lap together and held with 5/16 screws. I'm to the point where i believe I'm going to apply a rubber roof coating to the entire roof. The white has worn off in several places showing black.
 
Hfx_Cdn said:
      It is a common repair issue, make sure your bolts are tight, they do loosen through vibration.  I used silicone sealant on both sides of the gasket when replacing it.  The front A/C only required tightening, and the bedroom one has the new gasket, neither has leaked in over 2 years.  It is unlikely that the water is coming from anywhere else, it almost always is the gasket.

Ed
Click to expand...

I have an ACE that leaks....a 2017. Do you get to the bolts from the topside or the bottom?
GB
 
They're on the bottom, take off the inside housing and you'll see them.  Don't overtighten, you want to make sure there is enough tension to slightly compress the gasket, not flatten it entirely.
 
Lou Schneider said:
They're on the bottom, take off the inside housing and you'll see them.  Don't overtighten, you want to make sure there is enough tension to slightly compress the gasket, not flatten it entirely.
Click to expand...

This question came up a couple of weeks ago and this is what I had posted:

I just check the installation manual for the AC I installed up front and it said do not over torque the bolts. Torque them to 40 to 50 inch lbs. That's 3 to 4 foot lbs.
 
basshuntin said:
I need help with this one. rain water is leaking through my A/C unit. Ive already replaced the roof gasket. It actually looks like its coming in above the gasket. The shroud is in good condition with no cracks. Its a Duo-Therm unit. Im posting a picture that hopefully will show where its leaking from. Any ideas will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
We've had a lot of rain lately in our area and when I went to check on our TT I noticed a very small amount of water (about a tablespoon) on the floor below the AC unit. I'll probably go over this weekend to scope out the problem. Has anyone experienced this type of issue? Suggestions on where to look?
Thanks,
 
If you have a flat roof, it's possible the weight of the air conditioner has made it sag a bit and form a pond around the unit. It doesn't take much water to go up and over the gasket and lip. I wound up just parking slightly down at one side (not enough to affect the refrigerator) when rain was expected so any standing water could drain off.
 
Remove the inside cover and tighten the four hold down bolts just a touch, the foam gasket may have relaxed a little.
 
Are you sure it's rain water? When it's raining the humidity is rather high.. So condensation happens. Now if the drip path is blocked or some other things the water ends up INSIDE. even a dirty warm air intake filter can cause water to drip INSIDE the RV.. Like niagra when you turn the A/C off.
 
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