Front AC leaking after rain

[SMR]

We had about 1.5" of rain yesterday and I found water coming in the front ac unit.
I checked the drain pan and it is draining correctly, looks like water is coming in at the front door side corner under the gasket. I'm letting everything dry out right now.
I want to check the bolts too make sure they are not loose, is there a torque spec for those?
There is sealant over the bolts, can they still work loose?
Also any other thoughts on what I should be looking for.
AC was not on during the rain.
Thanks

 

[Rene T]

I don’t know what the torque spec is but it is in inch lbs. just go in and snug all four maybe 1 full turn

 

[SMR]

I read the bolts that go into the unit from inside the campers is 40 to 50 inch pounds, would that be the same for these even though they screw down from the top of the unit?

 

[RayIN]

Newer style gaskets have an indicator built-in to show when the gasket is compressed 50%. SMR is correct on lb/in.
Otherwise the old-old method was "finger-tight".

 

[SMR]

Just talked with Dometic and they told me to use 40 to 50 inch pounds. I order an inch pound torque wrench, I can also use it on my bicycles.

 

[Rene T]

Just talked with Dometic and they told me to use 40 to 50 inch pounds. I order an inch pound torque wrench, I can also use it on my bicycles.

Or 3 to 4 ft lbs

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Hope it's that simple (the gasket needs tightening), but remember that water penetrating anywhere on the roof will very likely show up at the a/c hole on the underside. It seeps along under the roof skin or even under the substrate until it reaches that gaping hole in the ceiling and dribbles out. Leaks along the front cap seam or nearby antennas or vents can show up at the front a/c opening.

 

[SMR]

I could see the water drip at the gasket when I opened the unit.

 

[DonTom]

We had about 1.5" of rain yesterday and I found water coming in the front ac unit.

You probably wanna read the thread here.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[RayIN]

Just talked with Dometic and they told me to use 40 to 50 inch pounds. I order an inch pound torque wrench, I can also use it on my bicycles.

Like the old method, finger N thumb-tight. The old style bolts only had a wing type head.

 

[SMR]

Tightened the bolts down and they were all loose on both units.
I set the torque wrench to 40 inch pounds and the gasket went back to 1/2". The bolts on the front where a little looser (?) than the rear bolts.
I tested the gaskets with a lot of water and no leaks. I attached a picture of the bolt going from the unit into the roof, the green stuff is pollen and its really bad right now.
I'll spend a few days after the pollen is gone cleaning everything ...my white truck has a green tint to it.

 

[Rene T]

Congrats

 

[Adventurous Traveler]

On my prior motorhome, a Georgetown, I had a ceiling leak in the bedroom. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out where the leak was coming from. I cleaned out the Dicor sealant along the rear cap and re-sealed the seam with Eternabond Tape, but that wasn't it. I tightened the A/C bolts from the inside with 1/4 inch socket, but that didn't go far enough.

I finally went to what I believe was the Dometic website and saw that the A/C unit should be installed with the mounting bolts torqued to 40. Thank God I checked this out on another forum where one of the replies was just like on this thread, "remember that the torque setting is in inch pounds, not foot lbs." I would've used my foot-lb torque wrench and probably ripped the A/C right through the roof. Yeah, for Harbor Freight, where I bought an inch-pound wrench for not a lot of money.

I was amazed at how loose the mounting bolts were. I had to trust the torque wrench and the 40-inch lb setting as I tightened and tightened the bolts. Afterwards, the ceiling leaks were gone. I checked the front A/C, surprisingly they were torqued down to the proper setting.

I thought I would have to replace the whole padded vinyl ceiling in the bedroom because it dropped down along the center seam. But a roll of Ace Hardware white duct tape for $3.95 fixed that.