AC Draining inside trailer

[John Geisen]

So, I recently noticed that my Penguin AC unit is leaking through the inside cover and onto the floor. I removed the inside cover and checked the drain hose which is clear. From inside the trailer I can see what looks like a plastic drain collector box to which the drain hose is attached. When taking the cover off the AC unit on the roof I cannot find where the drain pan drain is located. I'm stumped. Here are a couple of pictures. Thank in advance for your help and Happy Mother's Day to the appropriate Moms.



Hope this helps. -John

[A W Warn]

I had the same drip. Maybe this will help.
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f44/...an-105615.html

[John Geisen]

Originally Posted by A W Warn

I had the same drip. Maybe this will help.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f44/...an-105615.html

Thank you. I'm sure hoping my drain pan does not have a crack in it. I believe it is just clogged with debris. Is there a fool proof way to clean it? I don't see a way from the top of the Airstream. -John

[CRH]

Run a piece of weed eater line in the drain hole to clean it.

My pan had a couple of stress cracks where the around the nipple where the hose fits. I could see a small drip there. I cleaned the area, roughed it up with some sandpaper, and put JB Water Weld on the cracks. That cured my drip.

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by CRH

Run a piece of weed eater line in the drain hole to clean it.

My pan had a couple of stress cracks where the around the nipple where the hose fits. I could see a small drip there. I cleaned the area, roughed it up with some sandpaper, and put JB Water Weld on the cracks. That cured my drip.

^X2, pretty common. JB Weld has fixed mine for several years now. Sometimes seeing the hairline cracks is difficult. Use a strong flashlight and examine the entire pan closely. I had a couple of cracks.

[John Geisen]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

^X2, pretty common. JB Weld has fixed mine for several years now. Sometimes seeing the hairline cracks is difficult. Use a strong flashlight and examine the entire pan closely. I had a couple of cracks.

Thank you. Does anyone know how to get this cover off? It looks straight forward but it's not budging and I don't want to break it. -John

[VT Wanderer]

I had a couple of drips of water from our AS in our 2014 27ft. FC when we started it up in FL during our April vacation this year. I think mine was just the fact that the air temp was in the 90s and the humidity was 97 and higher at times. The hot humid air hit the coils and there you go. (We also had extra moisture running off the roof too - but the "drip hose" was just pouring water out as it should.

[KJRitchie]

If its not dripping from the exit hose area which you can repair, you'll have to remove the AC off its location to gain access to your pan. At this time you have a choice of repairing the pan using JB Weld or transition to the drip cups.

When I had my new 15k Dometic installed I went with the drip cups. If you go with the drip cups I would advise moving the T section that joins the hoses from the drip pans more to the middle. Verify the drain hose down from the T fitting has a constant down slope. If there is a future restriction then the condensate overflows to the roof of the trailer. If the trailer is leveled laterally then you may get condensate overflowing from the downhill side drip pan.

Kelvin

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by John Geisen

Thank you. Does anyone know how to get this cover off? It looks straight forward but it's not budging and I don't want to break it. -John
Attachment 285506

Sorry, I have a penguin 1, it is different.

[A W Warn]

Originally Posted by John Geisen

Thank you. Does anyone know how to get this cover off? It looks straight forward but it's not budging and I don't want to break it. -John

I've never seen that plastic part, all those that I have seen have been metal. The AC unit itself is held down with either 3 or 4 bolts (I've seen both ways) by clamping that ducting against the ceiling/roof. I can see two of those bolts in your photo. You should find another or two on the opposite end. I think those bolts are holding it in place. If removing those bolts does not release the plastic ducting, loosen any screws that are left. That piece will drop straight down without any prying, once you get the bolts/screws loose.

Even if you remove that piece, I doubt you will be able to clean anything out of that trough in the drain pan, from the bottom. I doubt there is anything there more than a little algae scum and dust, maybe a bug. However you might see a crack.

The suggestions above to use the weed whacker string might work for you. I know that it has worked to remove debris in the tube (like spiders or wasps and their mud nests). I've also used a shop vacuum, using a rag around the drain tube to seal, to suck trash out of the lines. I've also used compressed air to blow through the tubes, but no more than 30-40 psi or you could rupture the tube.

Good luck!

[John Geisen]

Originally Posted by A W Warn

I've never seen that plastic part, all those that I have seen have been metal. The AC unit itself is held down with either 3 or 4 bolts (I've seen both ways) by clamping that ducting against the ceiling/roof. I can see two of those bolts in your photo. You should find another or two on the opposite end. I think those bolts are holding it in place. If removing those bolts does not release the plastic ducting, loosen any screws that are left. That piece will drop straight down without any prying, once you get the bolts/screws loose.

Even if you remove that piece, I doubt you will be able to clean anything out of that trough in the drain pan, from the bottom. I doubt there is anything there more than a little algae scum and dust, maybe a bug. However you might see a crack.

The suggestions above to use the weed whacker string might work for you. I know that it has worked to remove debris in the tube (like spiders or wasps and their mud nests). I've also used a shop vacuum, using a rag around the drain tube to seal, to suck trash out of the lines. I've also used compressed air to blow through the tubes, but no more than 30-40 psi or you could rupture the tube.

Good luck!

Thank you so much for giving me more of your ideas. I'm a little concerned about removing the (4) bolts and the entire plastic bottom, fearful that something might shift.
I was referring to the middle section of the plastic cover. It looks like an access panel for electric connections, I assume but thought it might also let me work on the clog/drain. I believe it is wet sand that has worked its way down the drain pan. We live in Florida, but not near the beach; even so sand blows quite regularly. Thanks again. -John

[CRH]

I would remove the 4 bolts and drop that plastic piece with no hesitation. The AC weighs 100 lbs. It is not going to shift anywhere. The most important part is tightening the 4 bolts back down evenly when you are done.

[John Geisen]

Even though I'm hesitant, I think you and and AW Warn are correct. Is there a seal I will be breaking? -John

[CRH]

The AC is sitting on a foam gasket that is compressed when those bolts are tightened to make the seal. I doubt if the seal will be broken when you take the bolts out due to the heavy weight of the AC.

[John Geisen]

I meant is there a seal between the plastic plate I'm going to remove and the inside ceiling?

[CRH]

I doubt it.

[Wingeezer]

Our trailer is the same year as yours and has the Penguin AC, but the design looks a biit different.

We have had the same leaks and as others have found, it was caused by cracks in he plastic drip tray where the drain pipe is clamped on to a nipple. I suppose it is caused by flexing.

I don't believe you can remove that drip tray without actually removing the AC unit.

With out installation though, If I remove the interior grill, I can remove three long bolts that secure the AC and drop down a metal tray inside the trailer. This gives me reasonable - but not perfect - access to try to seal up the cracks.

I have had to do it twice over the years but at the moment it seems ok.

Hope you are able to do likewise if the problem is the same.

I used JB Plastic weld - a two part epoxy that supposedly works on most plastics, and also, a flexible sealant called E-6000

Both available at TSC and many other places.

[John Geisen]

Thank you Wingeezer. Shortly after purchasing our used Airstream I decided getting a new AC with thermostat was important. Of course, it wasn't. To make matters worse when JC took out our perfectly working AC they offered to relocate it to our bedroom. I had zero experience with how warm the International got until we started traveling and then wished we had kept it. Anyway, it's not the first time I've made a mistake. So, I guess we have a Penquin II. Perhaps I'll try to reach the manufacturer to find out. I'm guessing Lewster knows but he hasn't responded to this thread. Thanks for your insights. I think you are correct regarding access to the drip tray. Perhaps I need to get back on the roof which I hesitate doing due to my age. -John

[CRH]

If you take off that big plastic duct, I believe you can see most of the bottom of the drip tray.

[John Geisen]

So, I phoned Dometic this afternoon about the issue stating that I would like to remove the grey plastic bottom in order to get a better look at the drip tray. After keeping me on hold for about 15 minutes so the person could speak with a technician I was told that the only way to get to the drip tray was from the roof by removing the evaporator coil cover and then moving several more items around until I could see the bottom of the drip tray.

They suggested I take it to one of their authorized dealers. I told them that for several reasons (tires, brakes, bearing lube) I wasn't able to move the AS right now. They very politely said goodbye.

So, I decided I would remove the bottom cover anyway. The (2) 3/8" bolts in the front were easy to remove but the back 2 do not want to come out. It feels like there must be nuts at the top that are turning.

So, for now, unless there are some better ideas, I'm back to trying to suck out the drip tray.

I have examined the bottom of the drip tray carefully and do not find any cracks. Something as simple as a drip tray should be easy to service by the owner. -John