A few years ago I bought a used Carriage 30RLS with ducted AC. This has always been stored inside a storage building. This building has 2owners who I will call A and B. The door is just barely high enough to get my unit into. The door stop springs have to be compressed to get the fiver inside. Last fall when I was putting the unit away the wife of owner B was the person who opened the building for me. I specifically asked if the door was open all the way and was told yes it was. As I was backing up, the door seal contacted the AC was tapped. I stopped right away and checked. The AC unit was knocked slightly out of position. The AC was twisted slightly, by about an inch. How much damage have I done? Will this cause leaks next summer when using. What about when I am driving down the road in a rain? The roof does have a slight crown so water should run off, if no wind, but I am concerned about wind driven rain.

If it was knocked out of position as you say, I'd get it looked at just to be safe.

At the least it'll need to be removed and the new seal installed under it.

The next time you are going in or out, make a visual inspection of the door before moving your unit to assure that the door really is where you need it to be. As the driver, YOU are responsible for making the clearance.

Probably no damage. But the 14 inch square hole the AC covers does not have a tolerance for a AC out of square. So, on your unit you just loosen the 4 mount bolts and then align the roof AC and then retighten the bolts. Doug

If the AC unit has been moved, something structural was damaged.I lived on a street with a big oak tree overhanging the street. I drove my unit under that tree a hundred times and never had an issue. One day the limb contacted my AC unit. I had the same issue. There was barely any noticeable damage. I took it to the dealer to be checked out and they found that the joists in the ceiling had been broken. The total cost was 3500. I paid the 500 dollar deductible and the insurance covered the rest.

AC knocked while crossing door? | Good Sam Community

30 Replies

j-d
Explorer II
Feb 11, 2015
How do those door springs get compressed? Could you make a "prop" that'd push the door up into its otherwise overextended position? I'm thinking of a length of electrical conduit or a 2x4 cut to the length that pushes the door up to a safe height. You'd move the RV only if the prop was in place.
TucsonJim
Explorer II
Feb 11, 2015
I'd loosen the mounting bolts, reposition, then put a sprinkler on the roof for a while to check for leaks. If you don't have any leaks and the unit is functioning okay, you're good to go.
MFL
Nomad II
Feb 11, 2015
dougrainer wrote:
Probably no damage. But the 14 inch square hole the AC covers does not have a tolerance for a AC out of square. So, on your unit you just loosen the 4 mount bolts and then align the roof AC and then retighten the bolts. Doug

I agree with Doug. If you just lightly bumped, moved slightly, you should be okay.

The 4 bolts under inside cover should not be real tight to start with. You may have to still loosen a little, to realign AC, and maybe the gasket.

Once moved back, just SNUG up the bolts. I'd check it closely after being in the rain. If any leak, a new gasket may be the next step.

Good luck,
Jerry
ScottG
Nomad
Feb 11, 2015
We Cant Wait wrote:
At the least it'll need to be removed and the new seal installed under it.

Same here.
While it's likely that you could just loosen it up and reposition it, it's not worth the risk of getting stains and water damage inside the rig.
azrving
Explorer
Feb 11, 2015
Remove the inner cover. As you look up at it you will see 4 long bolts that compress the gasket. Loosen them, reposition the unit then inspect the gasket to see that it looks uniform. The gasket is heavy black foam and about an 1 1/2 or 2 inch thick.

The roof is honeycomb so that the air ducts and wiring can run through it. Be sure that the honeycomb has not collapsed or look like it's compressed. If it has, you will need to completely remove the bolt tension glue in more blocking to support the bad areas.
mabynack
Explorer II
Feb 11, 2015
If the AC unit has been moved, something structural was damaged.

I lived on a street with a big oak tree overhanging the street. I drove my unit under that tree a hundred times and never had an issue. One day the limb contacted my AC unit. I had the same issue. There was barely any noticeable damage. I took it to the dealer to be checked out and they found that the joists in the ceiling had been broken. The total cost was 3500. I paid the 500 dollar deductible and the insurance covered the rest.
dougrainer
Nomad
Feb 11, 2015
Probably no damage. But the 14 inch square hole the AC covers does not have a tolerance for a AC out of square. So, on your unit you just loosen the 4 mount bolts and then align the roof AC and then retighten the bolts. Doug
Popsie
Explorer
Feb 11, 2015
The next time you are going in or out, make a visual inspection of the door before moving your unit to assure that the door really is where you need it to be. As the driver, YOU are responsible for making the clearance.
We_Cant_Wait
Explorer
Feb 11, 2015
At the least it'll need to be removed and the new seal installed under it.
Helimech
Explorer
Feb 11, 2015
If it was knocked out of position as you say, I'd get it looked at just to be safe.

Forum Discussion

AC knocked while crossing door?

30 Replies

About Technical Issues

Related Content

Knock It OFF!

Engine knocking

cross winds?

8.1L Knock and Update

Crossing into Canada