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Perplexing Problem. The Dreaded Drip!


markwilliam1

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Not using my AC while camping in one of the most torrential downpours ever I felt a drop of water on my neck! Looking up I noticed it coming from one of the air filter vents on my AC. About a drop every 30 seconds. The little drip stopped when it stopped raining. My roof AC sags some where water will pool around part of it after it rains. My initial thought was the gasket failing. I removed the inside cover and noticed the drip was inside the metal AC railing not around the edges where the gasket is. Couldn't see the source. In fact the gasket looks perfect. No evidence of it leaking anywhere. Even the 2x4's where the AC is mounted on are perfectly dry and no water stains anywhere! Am I missing something? Is it possible that water might have splashed into the base of the AC unit causing the drip? If the gasket was leaking wouldn't there be evidence of water somewhere around the base of the gasket and wouldn't the surrounding wood be wet?? Sure don't want to go to the pain of replacing the gasket if not necessary. Thanks in advance! Mark

Edited by markwilliam1
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There is a drain in the AC framework it drains onto the roof  if that is pluged it can leak inside pull the cover and have a look.

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 I will check the drain. Any idea where it might be located? I have a Dometic Penguin 11K. So even if water got splashed into unit it wouldn't cause a drip inside? The gasket looks perfect.

Edited by markwilliam1
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It appears my roof AC has no drain anywhere I could locate Maineah. I took off the shroud and all the sheet metal coverings and found no drain that could be plugged. The gasket is dry. The surrounding 2x4's are also dry. No evidence of a leak anywhere. The AC sits about 1 " above the roofline  where water pools around it during rain. It is the low spot on the roof due to sagging. I think water could easily splash into the unit around the AC lower metal vents causing a drip inside?? Any other ideas or comments would be appreciated. Thanks!

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Your AC unit sits in a drain pan that should have weep holes so it can drain onto the roof and evaporate. If you can see them or can find a manual that shows where they are you could make sure they are clear. I also saw a YouTube vid where the seal between the AC unit and the drain pan had cracked and water was getting in there. Would be in the center and not near the foam seal. Search You Tube for ac leaking into motorhome and there are quite a few possibilities

Linda S

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Thanks Linda I'll try that! I still think my theory of water splashing inside the bottom of the AC during that downpour was the culprit Hopefully. Never had a leak before. My rig sits on my slanted drive now and after some hard rains here No leaks but the water does not pool around the AC. Flows away. I'll report back after my next trip. I'm going out with Grannie and Joe (hunkaman) and his Winnie to the Total Eclipse in Illinois next month.

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As previously stated the AC was turned off. No condensation. Wish I could find the drain. Not apparent with the shroud and all surrounding sheet metal removed!

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I don't know if this relates but I had a little drip of brownish water coming in at the ac. At first I thought it was the ac seal. In the end it turned out to be from a leak on another place on the roof that migrated over and leaked out at the ac. It was before I coated the bare aluminum roof to seal up all the tiny holes that had developed. 

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Thanks Bike. No brown water. I still haven't figured it out yet!

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What brand AC??

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There is a seal under the AC unit that covers the vent area frankly it really should be replaced about every 5 years. But that only keeps rainwater out. The AC drain is not just a little hose, it 's part of the unit it lets water out onto the roof. The seals where the AC sits start at around 1" thick and over the years flatten to maybe 1/4" you would not believe how much quieter it make the AC too when they are new! It's not a bad job maybe an hour or two use plywood on the roof to spread the weight no need to completely remove the AC it can just stay on the roof. There is a long piece that comes with the 14X14 gasket  it fits under the back edge of the AC unit to help keep it level. No clue if will help your problem but it is a good maintenance project and may even fix it. 

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It's a Dometic Penguin 11k unit WME. Maineah when the AC runs it doesn't leak and water is draining out onto the roof. The little drip occurred when it downpoured and the AC was not running. Unfortunately my AC unit has a sag and water pools on one side of the unit after a rain when the rig is sitting flat. WME I checked the gasket and no evidence of a leak anywhere around the gasket....bone dry! I'm still hopeful water splashed into the base of the AC after that torrential downpour causing the minor leak. No leaks while sitting in my slanted driveway after a hard rain! Thanks for responding.

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If the AC drains on to the roof when its running, then the drain vents are open and working. A off the wall possibility is that the cold rain caused some condensation on the air ducting and thats were your drop came from

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Not sure about that WME as I never had the AC running the entire trip but it's a thought. The drip did come from the middle of the unit somewhere but not around the gasket.

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Garden hose , using a medium spray (rain drops). Make it rain for a while and keep checking in side.

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We've had significant rainfall here and no leaks but my rig is now sitting on a slanted drive which eliminates the water pooling around the AC.

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Simple thing, get the Toy level and flood the roof. Just in case the "rain" test doesn't find anything.

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