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Old 08-16-2014, 11:50 PM   #1
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Stone Mountain , Georgia
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AC condensate is dripping from the ceiling

Hi All,

The search function for this forum does not work very well for me. So I apologize, and ask for a link if there is (and there probably is) a thread addressing this issue.

OK, the issue is. My 74 Tradewind went to the hospital last week and got all new water lines and new faucets installed. (That's another thread.)

Since her return however, the ac is dripping water into the trailer from the unit itself but also from the ceiling strips that run fore and aft.

What could be causing this?

I will add that i am in a high heat but low humidity area. I full-time in the trailer and we are stationery.

Thanks in advance,
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Old 08-17-2014, 05:57 AM   #2
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Condensate dripping means one of three things to me:
1 - Your condensate drain line is clogged causing the drip pan to overflow;
2 - Your A/C is low on Freon, causing the outside of the coils to ice up. Then when the ice melts, the drip pan fills too fast for the small drain opening and again it overflows;
3 - Your trailer isn't level, and the drain line is on the high side so the drip pan overfills before it can drain. But you'd know if that was the case.
I'm sure others with more expertise can think of other reasons, but these will at least give you someplace to start looking.
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Old 08-17-2014, 06:24 AM   #3
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Are you actually in College Station, TX? Currently the humidity is at 96% there, granted it's a bit early in the Am however, but thats certainly enough to turn an AC unit into a "water maker" If it's making its way through the unit I'd definately get the shroud off and check the condensate pan, especially if this is a new problem.
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Old 08-17-2014, 06:30 AM   #4
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Our AC started dripping into the inside when we where at south Llano this past summer. It turned out the black plastic drain line had gotten brittle and cracked where it slips over the T in the new drain line. You may want to pull the inside shroud and check for cracks in the old line.
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Old 08-17-2014, 07:27 AM   #5
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Thanks, All!

Sorry, I will update my profile; I am in Kerrville now.

Well, the trailer is not perfectly level. I wasn't here when she was brought back from the shop, I think the guys just lowered the stabilizers til each was touching and left it at that. I have fooled with it some and made it a little better but it still isn't right. (The rear street-side jack is very hard to turn. Even a husky neighbor had trouble turning it. I will try lubeing it this morning and see if that helps.)

but the quantity of water makes me think Protagonist is spot on. It blows super cold, so maybe the freon isn't low? I will attempt to check the mysterious inner workings of the ac this morning.

i forgot to mention it is a newer ac. Not original.

I might as well bring this up here, I guess? Or should I post a new thread?
Was going to ask ya'll about a phenomenon that occurs each time the trailer is moved. (3 times in two years.) after each move, the ac blows filthy air out; dust, grime, insect parts, leaf parts, etc. Takes a couple of days, of intermittent use before it is not noticeable. I spend a couple of days wiping everything down, sweeping and wiping the floor until it finally blows "clean" (which is probably not very clean, after all.)

First I wonder how in the world did it get so dirty in the ac that this still happens after all this time? (I think the filth accrued before I got her. The ac didn't blow dirty air when i looked at her, but she hadn't been moved in years. and for half the time that i have had her she was under a shelter.)

Second, any advice on how to clean the ac out? I assume i will have to clamber up onto the roof and remove the large white shell? if i do that, will it be obvious where to clean, what to do?

any warnings? advice? i know to stay on the rivet lines...

Thanks again! Mucho thanks,

gina
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Old 08-17-2014, 09:00 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SpiritAtBay View Post
Thanks, All!

Sorry, I will update my profile; I am in Kerrville now.

Well, the trailer is not perfectly level. I wasn't here when she was brought back from the shop, I think the guys just lowered the stabilizers til each was touching and left it at that. I have fooled with it some and made it a little better but it still isn't right. (The rear street-side jack is very hard to turn. Even a husky neighbor had trouble turning it. I will try lubeing it this morning and see if that helps.)

Sorry I realize this is off subject, but you aren't using your stabilizers to level your AS are you? That's a no-no.


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Old 08-17-2014, 09:21 AM   #7
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Landrum,
My ignorance is vast.

I have read up on how to level and see that yes, I (and all those who have helped me in the past) have been doing it incorrectly.

Thanks for "aluminating" me.
:-)
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Old 08-17-2014, 09:23 AM   #8
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I think at this point, you or someone needs to do a serious maintenance routine regarding the A/C, roof sealing and drain tube and connection at the drain pan. As an example, I found a gap between the roof skin and the bottom of the A/C unit at the gasket. That caused a leak when it rained. Then I found a separation in the connection between the tube connecting the drain tube to drain. After addressing both of those problems with the proper adhesives and caulk, problem solved. Protagonist hits the nail on the head (very often, BTY) check out all his points.

Also BTW the stabilizer are just that, not levelers as stated by Landrum. Ouch to the underbelly of your AS!
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Old 08-17-2014, 09:35 AM   #9
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If the humidity is that high, shut off the AC for an hour to see if it thaws the coils, that may solve it. We ran into this last summer while camping in heat with high humidity and it resolved itself. When it is working properly you should have a fairly steady drip of condensate coming out the drain tube OUTSIDE of your AS


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Old 08-19-2014, 07:19 PM   #10
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Thanks everyone for your help.

I leveled the trailer properly.

I climbed up on the roof and cleaned out the ac (a friend brought over an air compressor, that was very helpful.)

a big storm system moved into the area late yesterday evening and we got lots of much-needed rain. also provided a big test of the ac. With the high humidity, let's see if it rains indoors now!

I think once the unit blew out the existing water, all the drips stopped. Yay! Thanks again!

While I was on the roof, i looked for and did not find a drip line. There was a u-shaped channel that spills into an opening in the pan. the water then apparently meanders around under the ac unit until it spills over the side.

is this kosher?

It is not the original. i believe this unit to be about 5 years old.

Thanks again.
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Old 08-19-2014, 08:01 PM   #11
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This is a concern I have with the new ducted systems. If a condensate leak develops, will it not flow between the skins along a path of least resistance? Probably to the floor. Plus, there is no access from the bottom for problem solving and repairs. Am I wrong?
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Old 08-19-2014, 11:42 PM   #12
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AC condensate is dripping from the ceiling

I think Handyman nailed it, especially if your trailer still has an Armstrong unit.

Pull the bottom plastic cover and you should be able to see the black plastic drain line. My bet is that it is cracked at the tee just like Handyman said.

Edit; oops, never mind....
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Old 08-20-2014, 08:39 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SpiritAtBay View Post
The search function for this forum does not work very well for me.
I've found the vBulletin search to be clumsy and tedious. You can usually get around it by going to Google and narrowing your search to this site, plus keywords, by using the following for your search string (example):

site:Airstream Trailer & Motorhome Owners Community AC dripping water

It combines the indexing power of Google's engine with the narrow focus of your search terms on this forum and usually is quick to serve up the desired results.

Quote:
Originally Posted by SpiritAtBay View Post
What could be causing this?
My relatively uneducated guess would be that the condensation drain tube (assuming there is one) is plugged with debris somewhere and is causing the water to back up into the drip tray (assuming there is one) and spill over. Just a guess.
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Old 08-20-2014, 08:50 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by amm3824 View Post
I've found the vBulletin search to be clumsy and tedious. You can usually get around it by going to Google and narrowing your search to this site, plus keywords, by using the following for your search string (example):

site:Airstream Trailer & Motorhome Owners Community AC dripping water

It combines the indexing power of Google's engine with the narrow focus of your search terms on this forum and usually is quick to serve up the desired results.
Thanks so much! Yes, I usually start out by trying the vBulletin search function, get frustrated, go to google, and choose the airforum results that pop up.

I will try what you suggest, should be even better!

thanks again,
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Old 08-21-2014, 06:42 AM   #15
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Quote:
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Thanks so much! Yes, I usually start out by trying the vBulletin search function, get frustrated, go to google, and choose the airforum results that pop up
It looks like vBulletin mangled my suggestion, converting the URL to something else.

I'll try again.

The search string should be as follows. (don't put any space between site: and www)

Code:
site:www.airforums.com AC dripping water
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