Air Conditioner Leak during heavy rain

countrygirl · 09-02-2007, 10:01 PM

Hi we just got in from a weekend camping trip. We dry camped at an archery tournament in Calvary, Ga. On Friday night it rained really hard while we were at a neighbors camp site for a steak cookout. When we returned to our camper we were surprised to find rain pouring in through the air conditioner. Tom took off the inside cover and the flat metal area in the inside of the ac cover was full of water. Inside the ac where the round hole is rain was pouring in....

There was enough water on the floor and cabinet to saturate a large bath towel. I put my largest pot under the center of the ac to catch the rain and one placed on the counter top catch the rain that flowed from the ac in that direction. Eventually Tom took hand towels and dried out the inside of the ac. He put the ac back together and turned it on and it still slung water.... so he took it apart again and redried it. Once the rain slacked off...it did not continue to leak.

It rained last night again...just a soft rain and the air conditioner did not leak.

One friend told me that when he visited the portolet on Saturday am the floor was very wet...and he felt that there had been a driving rain that blew the water in through the vents in the portolet and that he thought maybe that is what happened to us in our tm on Friday night.

I have searched ac leaks ...and read what I found...but I am tired...bone weary from the tournament....I shot three classes...at 50 targets each plus the Iron Man course.........and really want/need some advice from you tm gurus!

countrygirl · 09-03-2007, 10:14 AM

Has anyone else had their new ac in their new tm leak like this? Is this normal or should we just take the tm in under warranty work? Thanks in advance for your advice.

**Bill** · 09-03-2007, 01:21 PM

No, it is not normal. The TM is absolutely snug and dry. My guess is that something was assembled incorrectly. I'm pretty sure that if we could take the shroud off the outside, we could see what it is. And if your dealer is a long way away, this might be the easiest course. But if your dealer is reasonably close by, it is probably easier to take it to him, and let him deal with it.

I've studied the installation and operation manuals that came with your TM (they're in the blue book, and they're also on line), but they don't have enough detail to enable me to suggest a fix.

Bill

countrygirl · 09-03-2007, 03:13 PM

Thanks Bill....I just came in from taking pics from the inside with the inside cover off. I will be back in a bit with pics...after I lower it.

countrygirl · 09-03-2007, 03:57 PM

Okay...

Here are some pics of the ac with the shroud off...they are in my webshots folder:

http://community.webshots.com/album/560538511uVfwCN

countrygirl · 09-03-2007, 04:01 PM

In some of the pics I took pics to show you a small amount of water sitting in the the galvanized steel pan that the ac sits on. This pan has drain holes and they are clean with no debris. We did notice that one corner of the pan appears to be bent upward....maybe this kept it from draining correctly.

countrygirl · 09-03-2007, 04:13 PM

Here is a link to pics from inside the camper

http://community.webshots.com/album/560537455tnBCQO

**Bill** · 09-04-2007, 08:15 AM

I'm still not seeing what the problem could be. You need to figure out what path the water is taking to get inside. Judging from the wet parts inside the outer shroud, it is coming down through the round fan opening, and is not a leak in the caulking around the air conditioner. But more than that, I just can't say.

Is it possible for one of you to go up on the roof with a slow-flowing hose, while the other gets inside the trailer to watch the result? With the inner and outer shrounds off, trickle (don't forcefully spray) water down through the fan blades. Do this at the location of your choice in the fan-blade circle. Watch where it goes. Does it all end up in the galvanized steel pan you described? Or does some miss the pan and go elsewhere? Does the pan fill up and overflow, or does it drain properly? If the pan drains as it should, where does the drain water go? Now plug up the drain and continue adding water. The pan should fill up - if it doesn't, there is a leak in the pan somewhere.

If all looks good, trickle the water in from some other location in the fan-blade circle. Try 3 or 4 if you need to. At some point, the inside person should begin to see water.

If still nothing, increase the flow a bit and try again. You're trying to approximate the heavy rain you experienced in Georgia.

Many of our members have spent time in their TMs during near-hurricane conditions, and have experienced no leaks. So I don't think wind-blown rain is the problem.

Bill

**mjlaupp** · 09-04-2007, 08:31 AM

Countrygirl,
Looking at your last 2 pictures from the outside, I don't see a gasket or the space for a gasket under the drip pan. The gasket is almost 1 inch thick and is usually pulled down to 1/2 inch thick with the 4 A/C mounting bolts. You can also see this gasket from the inside by removing the inside shroud from the unit. Be sure to unplug the TM from the shore line before doing this since you will expose 110vac wiring and terminals here. A leak through the gasket would put water into the filter cover where you noticed your leak. Mine leaked just like yours due to a faulty gasket. If your TM is under warranty, take it back to the dealer for repairs.
Mike

09-04-2007, 10:51 AM

Same rig, no water entry problem.

Knowing you are some distance from the dealer, I'd throw a cover over the air conditioner when camped and not in use, and save it up for your checklist of repairs, and deal with it when you bring it in with a bundle of other items.

Just a heads up: I've had some trouble getting a service date from suncoast tampa. I think they are thin on service people. Call well in advance and let us know what you conclude.