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benjisgal · 07-23-2012, 08:32 AM

My A/C works well, but it seems to have an unusual amount of runoff. I noticed it and a man who caravanned with me knocked on my door out of concern when he saw water pouring from it. Water trickles from the unit when the A/C is running, however, when I cut the unit off...it seems like a gallon of water than rushes from underneath my unit (all from the A/C...I assume). The A/C also leaks a little on the inside, however...not enough to bother me. I also noticed that when it rains hard, rain water enters the trailer through this unit. Now, I have had to put a pot on the floor to catch the rainwater on one occasion (this should not be normal). In any event, I am asking and plan to call Airstream and read the Dometic brochure to see if I can figure this problem out myself. I just wanted to see what was normal for the rest of you (and your units). I am just returning to Georgia from a trip from Mackinaw City, Michigan. Again, my A/C appears to be producing an inordinately amount of runoff.

The A/C malfunctioned last year but it was a minor problem. According to the person who solved the problem, the A/C was not properly seated causing the fan not to run--something he said that the dealer should have made sure was taken care of before selling the unit to me. In any event, I learned that those warranties through Dometic are useless. I am still under warranty with Airstream since my unit is still less than two years old--so I want to get items like problems with the A/C corrected. I did purchase an extended warranty on my A/C for three additional years.

**DKB_SATX** · 07-23-2012, 08:55 AM

An AC as new as yours, running properly, should only drain through the condensate tube. Unless you're in extremely humid conditions there shouldn't be water leaking into your trailer and little or none leaking onto the outer skin from under the AC unit.

Scott J-24 · 07-23-2012, 09:05 AM

We had a leak inside our trailer from our A/C when it rained. Turned out that there was a small crack in the A/C's drain pan next to where the condicet drain tube attached to the pan. It was fixed with some epoxy and no longer leaks.

idroba · 07-23-2012, 09:38 AM

It also sounds like your unit may be icing up (that is the evaporator coils are running too cold) so when you shut it off, the coils melt icewater and you get a lot of water runoff.

Be sure there is proper air flow over the coils. Clean the filters and if in doubt see if you can clean the cold side coils themselves.

The leak problem should be taken care of, either the drip pan is leaking into the coach, and/or the main seal around the unit is leaking. If you are not into the do it yourself area much, time for a good professional to work on it. Now, finding such an individual can be a real issue in itself.

AWCHIEF · 07-23-2012, 10:19 AM

In my trailer the humidity is so high right now that the drain tube can not keep up with it. The drain pan fills and ends up running over into the inside control unit and on the floor. I have blown out the hose from both ends with no change in the overflow several times. Annoying but knowing it is going to happen I can deal with it.

AirHeadsRus · 07-23-2012, 03:10 PM

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f427...ide-52164.html

Michael,
Here is a thread where I had the same problem. I fixed it and had no other problems. Take a look and I hope it helps.
Joe

AWCHIEF · 07-23-2012, 05:11 PM

Joe, my pan appears ok, no cracks showing. It fills and overflows over the sides. I think the hose the way it is routed just cannot keep up with the condensation the high humidity is causing. The hose comes out of the pan and loops all the way around to the other side of the unit and then drops down thru the refrigerator vent stack to the outside. Too many turns, maybe. I think my next step is to try to replace the hose with a new one with a larger inside diameter. Other than that the old Coleman is working great. Yesterday while putting in the new lounge chair I turned the system on. It started out at 103 degrees in the trailer and after an hour it was down to 78. Felt great compared to the outside temps.

AirHeadsRus · 07-23-2012, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AWCHIEF

Joe, my pan appears ok, no cracks showing. It fills and overflows over the sides. I think the hose the way it is routed just cannot keep up with the condensation the high humidity is causing. The hose comes out of the pan and loops all the way around to the other side of the unit and then drops down thru the refrigerator vent stack to the outside. Too many turns, maybe. I think my next step is to try to replace the hose with a new one with a larger inside diameter. Other than that the old Coleman is working great. Yesterday while putting in the new lounge chair I turned the system on. It started out at 103 degrees in the trailer and after an hour it was down to 78. Felt great compared to the outside temps.

Ok, it was a long shot. I would check to make sure with all the routing of the drain hose it did not get higher than the pan. That happened with a refrigerator drain that caused it to flood it. Good to hear the air works so well. Sounds like you may be able to get a new hose hooked up. Be careful, my pan was really brittle.

Mike Leary · 07-23-2012, 08:03 PM

It's common for junk to get into the pan. I compressor-blow the tube from the bottom a couple of times a year and the road wind seems to blow out the debris. And, yes, in high humidity, you can get overflow.

63air · 07-24-2012, 03:15 PM

Not sure how Dometic AC is mounted but if it is similar to a Coleman and you are getting leaks in through the main seal it is an indication that the mounting bolts are loose. Something else you might want to check. Cole man advises to check them periodically.

benjisgal · 08-19-2012, 05:51 PM

Thanks everyone. I think I am going to take it in for an overhaul. It seems like something is definitely wrong. It is leaking too much water.

Silver Goose · 11-15-2012, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 63air

Not sure how Dometic AC is mounted but if it is similar to a Coleman and you are getting leaks in through the main seal it is an indication that the mounting bolts are loose. Something else you might want to check. Coleman advises to check them periodically.

How many mounting bolts are supposed to be installed?

In A/C mode my Dometic drains properly through the line that exits in the ss wheelwell. In heatpump mode, the unit essentially runs in reverse and the condensation runs off the roof, or it's supposed to. This morning I noticed a small leak dripping through the foam intake filter. I can see where the water is coming through the sealant between the A/C and the roof so when I get home I need to take the shroud off and investigate if I have some leaves and junk preventing the heatpump condensation from freely exiting the pan on the roof.

My question is how many bolts should be installed to secure the A/C unit to the cross bars on the ceiling? While looking for the leak I noticed I have only 2 bolts. There are 4 threaded bolt sockets on the A/C but no corresponding holes in the cross bars other than the 2 the have bolts installed. Should I drill 2 additional holes in the crossbars and add 2 bolts, or is there a reason only 2 are used? Picture of one of the "missing" bolts is attached.

Aviator · 11-15-2012, 10:37 AM

The Dometic installation instructions call for 3 bolts, but I broke mine using just 3. 4 worked great and you you get a more even pressure distribution on the gasket.