Leaky !@#$% Roof Air Conditioner

[dragonflyspit]

1987 Fleetwood Bounder. Previous owner must've had trouble with it too because there is slight ceiling damage from moisture, but it's minimal. He replaced the gasket before I bought it in 2007. I replaced it when it leaked in 2008, again in 2012, and as soon as the Oregon rain began this fall, the !@#$% is leaking like sieve again.

I can't believe replacing this gasket every year is normal. What's the catch?

[camperpaul]

There is one park where I stay that has a bunch of cottonwood trees and the seeds clog up the weep holes on my AC, so I clean them in a small parking area near the dump station on my way out.

[dragonflyspit]

I have to use Lego-like levelers with this old thing, but I'll see if I can un-level it a hair. Thanks for that info. Nice to think the roof might not collapse (if I can keep the water out of it, anyway).

Meant to thank Paul for the weep hole tip too. Didn't know about that.

Appreciate the advice, everyone. Thank you.

[2112]

Chris Bryant wrote:
http://bryantrv.com/roofacleaks.html

Good info. Thanks for sharing.

I guess my shim under the A/C fix wasn't so original after all :B

[rockhillmanor]

dragonflyspit wrote:
There is some sag and it does pool a bit. Didn't realize the gasket wouldn't seal against that. Afraid to keep it off-level as I'm full-time and don't want to damage the fridge, but I'll try doubling the gasket, and I'll read the info on the link. Wish I had the money for roof repair, but I don't. Thanks everyone.

Don't fret about repairing it. My service guy says he see brand new units that the weight of the ac brings the roof down just that fraction to create pooling. It doesn't always mean your roof is going to collapse!

Regarding being unlevel. It only takes a micro off balance to get that water to run. AND you can 'pick' what corner you want it to run off of It's really not enough to affect a fridge. I dropped on tire ever so slightly to rectify it and didn't even feel the level change inside.

I was parked for 4 months when mine started pooling for the very first time ever. It was because I had found a nice 'shady' spot for those hot humid months so it wasn't getting the sun to evaporate.

Hasn't leaked since then, on the road and parking in the sun!

[dragonflyspit]

There is some sag and it does pool a bit. Didn't realize the gasket wouldn't seal against that. Afraid to keep it off-level as I'm full-time and don't want to damage the fridge, but I'll try doubling the gasket, and I'll read the info on the link. Wish I had the money for roof repair, but I don't. Thanks everyone.

[ksg5000]

I would try doubling up on the gaskets - if that doesn't work then it's likely you need to fix the sag issue.

[Chris_Bryant]

http://bryantrv.com/roofacleaks.html

[rockhillmanor]

full-timer wrote:
Your roof may be sagging and the water is pooling around the air conditioner.Joe

x10!

Mine did the same thing. Called out RV mobile repair.

All it takes is a very small amount of sag around the AC to keep the condensation from running off. 'Especially' if you are anal about having the RV perfectly level when you are parked.

If it is 'real' hot out and sunny, the pooling evaporates. Cloudy days or cooler days it just sits there. That's why my leak was sporadic.

RV mobile repair fix for water leak?.......
Tip or lower one of your levelers.
I took out one leveling block on one tire and watched all the water run off the roof that was just sitting there dripping into the coach.

Which is why I like using RV Mobile Repair over dealerships. They have been there done that and not looking to charge you for stuff you don't need.

[camperpaul]

One thing that is frequently overlooked is the condensate weep holes.

they need to be cleaned with a 'pipe cleaner' at least once per year.

[2112]

Mine was sagging and pooling and leaked. My decking was rotten on one side of the AC hole so I had to remove the AC, work out the rotten material between the rubber roof and frame with a screwdriver, Fill it with stacks of thin wood paneling to build it up to the right height and reinstall the AC with a new gasket. That held up for a few years before I sold it. I do not know how long it held up after that.

The proper way was Expensive so I took this route.

[full-timer]

Your roof may be sagging and the water is pooling around the air conditioner.

Joe