air conditioner: what to do about leaks?

[la nomade]

it was 92 degr and i had to put the front ac on, the rear one leaks..but now the front one leaks again after i re routed the drain,so it took it all appart this afternoon to dicover that its actually the platic holding pan that is leaking at the connection to the tube,the whole thing seems to be desintegrating at the joint,what to do???i am in nova scotia right now,its beyond my fixing it myself,so the question is are those ac special to the A.STR or standard???can a rv place here replace that part,or is it a air str part???Coleman??????would like to know before i call around .....it should be fixed just in case climate change acts up again....such hight temp here are unheard of.....

[ADK Jim]

Hello MV - I suffer also from leaking A/C (rear unit) and went up on the roof to search for problem. Removed the cover and couldn't find anything that appeared broken, missing, etc. I believe the pan portion that the A/C sit on is a standard part (plastic pan) that is not specific to Airstream but rather specific to the brand of air conditioner- Dometic in my case. Hope you can stop by your return home. JM

[Landshark]

As a non-technical person and speaking from sad experience over the last several months, only one AC unit on the market has the capability of the internal drain system used by A/S to avoid condensate running down the outside of your trailer: a Dometic, but be sure your supplier knows A/Ss and query that issue vigorously. I mentioned that issue to a non-A/S RV person and he went ahead and installed the wrong one anyway. I should have pursued it more carefully. Good luck and hoping for cooler weather ahead!

Vivian

[cwf]

Get some silicone tape. It stretches, seals some leaks and is easy to remove.

[rstream]

I have the same leak around the discharge tube at the bottom of the drain tray. Once i cleaned away all of the airstream applied sealant, it looks like the clamp was installed too tight and or the plastic has become fatigued. Anyway it leaks at the tray tube. There is nothing wrong with the internal wall drain. I applied several coats of sprinkler pipe adhesive and have fused the plastic cracks. No leaks. Will also reapply some sealant all around the clamp and drain tube like airstream did just to make sure.

[la nomade]

this morning i called a rv place they are too busy to take this on they said....went to the local Ford dealer who does my oil change and checks everything before i hit the rd and they suggested to give a call to this A.C.repair company who actually comes to you and fixes a.c.so i am waiting for them to come next week,better this then my putting a band aid on...will have them look at the rear one as well...and will report as to what the solution was...apparently Coleman is pretty standard....thank you for your input....M

[ScrapIrony-2]

Hmm...we just had both roof units replaced(Coleman to Dometic), and the pan for an AS IS different(had to wait for the second pan to be delivered). The ac's work fine, so far, and are MUCH quieter...we never could get both units to work at the same time, though the wire-around and switch were there. Now, both run with the gennie powering...haven't tried a landline yet. The pans are curved to fit.

[la nomade]

my A.C ,when i want them both to work at the same time do so only when the generator is on, otherwise i have to choose front or back....will pass on your info to the repair man and then let you know what was done...thanks..M.V.

[la nomade]

the repair man came and basically was useless,he works mostly on the cooling part,he did put some silicone stuff on it, there is a big a hole in the plastic tray near the connection and said it should be rebuild with fiberglass tape????anyway, we are having another heat wave, its on,and leaks into a medium size garbadge can....so back to where i started..thinking of opening up the rear ac and see where the leak comes from there,maybe its a less severe situation...hopeful thinking..it definitly is a cracked plastic problem....

[Wazbro]

The air conditioners are standard, but the drip pan is Airstream only bought from Airstream dealers or the Airstream factory. There are "drip kits" made by AC manufacturers that can replace the drip pan from Airstream (must remove AC to install).

[la nomade]

that is very depressing news...costly...for now i will persist in sealing it the best i can and if it leaks i will just put the garbage can to catch the drip!!!!

[Orlop]

Getting a car body kit that has some fiberglass cloth in it (Bondo is one maker) and applying the cloth with the resin and harder may get you sealed up. Cut the cloth in strips to apply. Another option, if you can get to it, may be to put JB Weld over the problem areas .... a little sanding would help it to adher. Good luck.

[raveson]

You can get both air units to operate on shore power. Check back into my threads, there is one that shows how to wire for a second 20 amp cord to the power pole. Running both is the only answer to staying cool in heavy heat. The instructions are for a product no longer available, but the conversion can be done easily. Put mine in 8 years ago and no problems.

[Penmaenmawr]

I am with Orlop on the fiberglass kit from car or boat store or hardware. Very easy to use. Make sure you get one with the WOVEN as opposed to randomly laid fiberglass mat, much easier to use. Make sure you clean well with acetone or cellulose thinners first over the area to be glassed, leaving a good margin. Wet the surface well with the resin, then lay down your sheets making sure they are pressed well down and saturated with resin..... no rolly bits rising above the surface. 2 or 3 layers will be all you need. On the back I`d be tempted to use a length of Eternabond tape, if you have any around, but since there won`t be much flexing, this is optional.

You will have to work quickly in the coolest part of the day, as the resin goes off at amazing speed once the hardener is added, so have all your cloth sheets cut to size before starting. (I like to cut small squares or strips rather than larger pieces the size of the job, since it`s easier to lay and saturate small strips) Use a small, short, stiff brush.... I usually take about a 1" paintbrush and use scissors to cut it down to half its original length.

You`ll be able to use the air conditioner a couple of hours later.

[la nomade]

thank you for this very constuctiv and creative solutions...i will look into it...fortunately the weather is back to normal nova scotia temp....the first thing i will have to do is remove all that silicone that the ac man put on,that will take some doing....will ask the local fisherman as to where to get the fiber glass material,maybe one of them can help me ,they fix their boats with it.....will keep you posted....this forum is the best!!!!!thanks

[Penmaenmawr]

Originally Posted by la nomade

thank you for this very constuctiv and creative solutions...i will look into it...fortunately the weather is back to normal nova scotia temp....the first thing i will have to do is remove all that silicone that the ac man put on,that will take some doing....will ask the local fisherman as to where to get the fiber glass material,maybe one of them can help me ,they fix their boats with it.....will keep you posted....this forum is the best!!!!!thanks

I didn't notice you were in NS. Best place to find the fiberglass kits for you would be Canadian Tire or any Home Hardware.

[Penmaenmawr]

..... Walmart, NAPA, Bumper to Bumper.......

[la nomade]

yes,i summer in nova scotia...would be happy to host any a.streamers...i am near liverpool on the south shore....off to canadian tire with my shopping list .....

[ASTailgate]

Hi, I had that problem on my rear Ac two years ago. I went to Home Depot(hardware store) and bought a putty like JB Weld putty that you have to kneed in your hand for about 20 seconds to activate it. It's is used on water pipes and is sometimes called aqua weld. After you kneed it, you just have to press form it into all the cracks. I had several cracks from tubing connections and the pan in several places. It only takes a few minutes to cure. I turned on the Ac and let it run for a long while without the bottom shroud. It has worked perfectly.

[ASTailgate]

Pls make sure you buy the stuff for water leaks.