Help!!!

[b_ray_p]

The ac in our Airstream is leaking water into the rv! Lots of water. We are living in it due to a house fire, and it is hooked up to our septic system via pvc, so can't take it any where! Any ideas? Is there an Airstream guy,that makes house calls in the south east texas area?

[Protagonist]

Questions: Is it still blowing cold air? And is it leaking cold water or lukewarm water?

If it's leaking lukewarm water and blowing cold air, then the most likely cause, and the easiet to check, is a clogged drain line causing the drip pan to overflow. If you're willing to get up on your roof to check, you don't need a repairman for that. Just climb up and unclog the drain.

If it's leaking cold water and not blowing cold air, it could be leaking freon, causing the coils to freeze. When the ice melts, the meltwater would leak in. In that case, since RV air conditioners don't have recharge ports, you're looking at a complete replacement.

That's your best case and worst case scenarios. I'm sure there are other diagnoses that fall somewhere in between, but I can't think of them offhand.

[xrvr]

Try to find the drain tube if it has one, usually in one of the wheel wells. Blow on it to free any debris, or use low pressure air. This has helped me before,. Jim

[cwf]

Low pressure is about 10psi.... I would guess. A "suction" from a shop vac may help...do it outside where line exits trailer skin.

[perryg114]

Also pull the inside shroud and visually verify where the water is coming from. The tube might be clogged or it might not be. Using an air hose from the bottom of the drain tube where it comes out usually in front of the left side wheel well will usually get the clog out.

Perry

[b_ray_p]

Does this look normal!

[perryg114]

I don't see the drain tube. I do see a lot of caulk which is not normal. There should be a foam rubber gasket and maybe a pan glued to the roof. The pan should have a drain tube that should be visible from inside. It that a ducted AC unit?

Perry

[b_ray_p]

No the pan is there, just not visible from the angle of the pic. I didn't think it was supposed to have caulking in there either.

[dznf0g]

Lewster and I were PMing the other day about the sealer. Somewhere along the way AS quit using the large foam gasket and started using thin double sided foam TAPE and all that sealer gooped in the seam between the outer roof and A/C pan.

Not sure when they started that, but he said they are now using ONE foam gasket with the 2 cup drain system. They should be using 2 gaskets as with one, the cups are against the aluminum.

Kind of got off topic, but per Lewster, the sealer is normal....not correct, but normal.

[b_ray_p]

Originally Posted by dznf0g

Lewster and I were PMing the other day about the sealer. Somewhere along the way AS quit using the large foam gasket and started using thin double sided foam TAPE and all that sealer gooped in the seam between the outer roof and A/C pan.

Not sure when they started that, but he said they are now using ONE foam gasket with the 2 cup drain system. They should be using 2 gaskets as with one, the cups are against the aluminum.

Kind of got off topic, but per Lewster, the sealer is normal....not correct, but normal.

ok well that eases my mind a little!

[b_ray_p]

We recently had that air conditioner worked on, and they were supposed to order and change the drain pan! They are coming monday to do that and I am going to ask them about some of the other issues I've been having!

[b_ray_p]

I, my wife, and three children, have been living in it full time since our house fire in january! While the air was our most important issue, there are several others that are quite annoying! One is that you can't have the water heater on and use the microwave at the same time or it trips the breaker. The other one that comes to mind is the water pressure, specifically in the shower! It seems to be getting less and less every day! is this a usual trend with rv's or is there something that I can look for to help trouble shoot the problem! Also the toilet is god awful stinky at times and at others not so bad. Is there anything that ya'll could suggest to ease this issue! Also the drains seem to be very slow, and I have had to use a plunger several times to get them to work! Any info will be greatly appreciated!

[mimiandrews]

Originally Posted by b_ray_p

I, my wife, and three children, have been living in it full time since our house fire in january! While the air was our most important issue, there are several others that are quite annoying! One is that you can't have the water heater on and use the microwave at the same time or it trips the breaker. The other one that comes to mind is the water pressure, specifically in the shower! It seems to be getting less and less every day! is this a usual trend with rv's or is there something that I can look for to help trouble shoot the problem! Also the toilet is god awful stinky at times and at others not so bad. Is there anything that ya'll could suggest to ease this issue! Also the drains seem to be very slow, and I have had to use a plunger several times to get them to work! Any info will be greatly appreciated!

The electrical thing is just the way it is. The water heater element and the microwave together equal too many amps for the wiring, so the breaker does its job. Either run the water heater on propane, or turn it off when the microwave's in use. You have to manage electrical loads in a trailer.

How are you managing your black tank? It's designed for the valve to stay closed and to be dumped periodically, rather than leaving the valve open all the time when connected to sewer.

There's a good selection of environmentally friendly toilet chemicals on the market (RV store or WalMart) that should handle the odor problem well if used with a lot of water in the black tank.

Sorry to hear about your house fire. Best of luck with the repairs.

[Wayward]

Originally Posted by b_ray_p

you can't have the water heater on and use the microwave at the same time or it trips the breaker.

So someone, at sometime, hooked an electric water heater to the same breaker that was probably dedicated to your oven.

There is a simple fix for this. There is a gadget that allows you to connect two high current appliances to one breaker even though together they would trip it.

It is called a priority switch, load shedder, or automatic energy select switch.


It works by hooking two high current loads (up to 20 amps each) to the black box and then running the input to the breaker.

Your breaker only has capacity to serve one of these appliances at a time. So...... the microwave is occasionally used but you do know when you turn it on. You could avoid using the microwave at the same time as the water heater is running but it is hard to know if the water heater is on and drawing current.

Place this automatic switch near your breaker panel and hook wire going to the microwave to high priority side of it. Hook the water heater wire to the low priority side. If you turn the microwave on while the water heater is also on, the power to the water heater goes off. When the microwave is finished, power is returned to the water heater. Voila.

This is a simple rewire but if you are not comfortable doing it, buy the gadget and any electrician can come to your site and wire it in if you show him where the breaker panel is.

(ps you could also accomplish this manully by putting a wall switch on water heater wire. Switch the the water heater off before you turn the microwave on. If you remember to switch the water heater on when you are dome cooking......you will not find cold water later)

[b_ray_p]

I guess the water level is the key in the black water tank smell situation, it does seem to worse right after emptying.

[b_ray_p]

Thanks for the idea Wayward. I'll look into that!

[Foiled Again]

Poor water pressure problems. I don't know where you're living, but a lot of campgrounds have wells, which often have either high iron or high calcium content in the water. If you get a LOT of water spotting on your shower door you've got hard water. Quick unscientific test for iron? Put a white washcloth under a faucet and let it drip overnight. If you've got rust stains, your water has high iron content.

In either case start looking at the hose connection:

• Inline water filter? - Changed it lately? If not, do so.
• got a screen in the hose? Check it and backflush if needed
• Screens in the kitchen & bathroom sink faucets? Take them out and clean them.
• crappy water flow in the shower - get an Oxygenics shower head, you'll like it.
• water pressure regulator going bad? (find it &) replace it.
• White hose got green stuff growing in it (It can happen when a hose sits in full sunlight. New hose wouldn't hurt.

And to find the drain pipe for the AC look in the curbside wheel well probably in front of the front tire. It's about 1/2 inch in diameter and hangs down about 2 - 3 inches into the side of the wheel well. If ANY water is draining you'll see the drips. Again you can grow algae funk in the moist drain pan or line. Use a wet dry vacuum to encourage the clog to come out - just hold the drain line between your fingers and put the hose of the vacuum up to the opening.

[b_ray_p]

Originally Posted by Foiled Again

Poor water pressure problems. I don't know where you're living, but a lot of campgrounds have wells, which often have either high iron or high calcium content in the water. If you get a LOT of water spotting on your shower door you've got hard water. Quick unscientific test for iron? Put a white washcloth under a faucet and let it drip overnight. If you've got rust stains, your water has high iron content.


In either case start looking at the hose connection:

• Inline water filter? - Changed it lately? If not, do so.
• got a screen in the hose? Check it and backflush if needed
• Screens in the kitchen & bathroom sink faucets? Take them out and clean them.
• crappy water flow in the shower - get an Oxygenics shower head, you'll like it.
• water pressure regulator going bad? (find it &) replace it.
• White hose got green stuff growing in it (It can happen when a hose sits in full sunlight. New hose wouldn't hurt.

And to find the drain pipe for the AC look in the curbside wheel well probably in front of the front tire. It's about 1/2 inch in diameter and hangs down about 2 - 3 inches into the side of the wheel well. If ANY water is draining you'll see the drips. Again you can grow algae funk in the moist drain pan or line. Use a wet dry vacuum to encourage the clog to come out - just hold the drain line between your fingers and put the hose of the vacuum up to the opening.

Where would I find the inline water filter and the water pressure regulator?

[Foiled Again]

an inline water filter is IN LINE - on the hose. It's usually a blue cylinder about 2.5 inches in diameter and a foot long.

Internal pressure regulator. Varies with year & model. Sometimes found just inboard of where the white hose attaches to the trailer. It's often in a closet or near the water pump. You'll need a manual to find it. Airstream.com has PDF files of most of the old manuals online.

P

[b_ray_p]

Thanks, no inline filter, and no white hose. Will have to look for the other.