AC leaks

[042748]

I had a rain water leak from around the base of the AC. I've tightened the 3 bolts(2 at the front and 1 in the middle at the rear of the unit) compressing the seal. There is a sealant on the base of the unit on the roof, but slight pressure causes the roof to separate from the bottom of the unit. I suspect that this is where my leak originated. Any suggestions on how to reseal this without removing the AC, putting in a new seal, etc. Thanks.

[Belegedhel]

A little more information will help. What year is your Airstream? What type make/model of AC do you have? Is it installed in a plastic "pan" which catches and directs condensate into your drain tube? Is there some other mechanism for catching condensate? When you say that there is sealant between the base of the unit and the roof, do you mean the thick, foam rubber gasket?

[042748]

Thanks for your response. It's a 2003 Safari with a Dometic Penguin AC. The seal around the base is a white substance. I'm guessing Adseal or similar. The AC unit sits in a drain pan and there is a drain hose visible on the inside that drains into the left wheel well. Thanks for any future info.

[Belegedhel]

Alrighty--good information to work with.

The condensation pan should be basically glued to the roof with a lot of sealant. If the installer was skimpy on the sealant, and it has broken loose, then that is the obvious place for water to be getting in. You might be able to correct this by just sealing around the pan, but the better way to fix this would be to remove the AC, lift the pan, and then glue it back down with practically a continuous layer of sealant between the pan and the roof.

There are two other probable issues with the pan: If the pan has gotten cracked or broken, then it could be allowing water into it that is then leaking into the trailer rather than going down the condensate tube. Also, there are weep holes drilled around the bottom sides of the pan. These are there to allow rain water to leak out rather than to go down the condensate tube. If the weep holes have gotten plugged or if someone caulked them up, then this could cause the leakage you describe.

Finally, if the foam rubber gasket that sits between the AC unit and the pan is damage, hardened, etc., then this could allow for a leak. Since you can't even really see the foam gasket from outside, the best way to inspect it might be with the entire ceiling assembly removed, and looking from the inside.

Good luck!

[042748]

Thanks for your input. The installer was skimpy with the sealant. I cleared the condensate hose and think I'll just reseal leaving the weep holes open. Thanks again.

[Kingsmen 33]

The pre 2012 units have a unique Airstream only seal that the unit sits on. The leak probably is coming from where the seal meets the roof. Caulk is the only solution.