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Old 06-05-2019, 08:49 PM   #1
Expanderoo
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Default What is this part called between air conditioner and roof of TrailManor (3124KB)?

What is the part between the air conditioner and the roof of a 3124KB (and it looks like other models with roof mounted AC) called? I put some arrows at what I'm talking about in this photo:

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I noticed there seems to be a very precise caulk/seal around the edge of this on the part that attaches to the roof. I also noticed there is some additional caulk that someone added at the front side of this and I'm wondering if I'm redoing all the other caulk, should I do anything there?
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Old 06-06-2019, 06:50 AM   #2
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I don't know if it has a formal name, but I've seen it referred to as a "riser", for obvious reasons. The join between the riser and the roof surface must be well caulked.

As for the join between the top of the riser and the air conditioner, I'm not sure that this needs to be caulked. After all, rain is expected to get into the air conditioner housing through all the openings and slots in the air conditioner case, so there must be a pan in there that catches that water (along with the condensate) and directs it out to the surface of the roof, where it runs off the side of the trailer.

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Old 06-06-2019, 08:13 AM   #3
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I believe between the top and the AC unit there should be an AC gasket and that's all you need. Maybe someone thought it was leaking???

I would not caulk buttom unless it was leaking. Too easy to leave some old caulk and make a leak. Top I would put a new gasket on if it leaked. Caulk property applied is good for 20+ years.
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Old 06-06-2019, 09:18 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tentcamper View Post
I would not caulk buttom unless it was leaking. Too easy to leave some old caulk and make a leak. Top I would put a new gasket on if it leaked. Caulk property applied is good for 20+ years.
I'm not sure of this. As noted in the post above, the air conditioner unit has a pan at the bottom of it, which means that the pan is above the riser. In normal operation, water that gets in through the slots in the shroud is caught in this pan is piped away onto the surface of the roof, where it runs off the edge.

However, if water flows under the bottom edge of the riser, it is under the pan. From that location, it MAY (I say may because I don't know for sure) leak inside.

The air conditioner's Installation Manual should answer this question.

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Old 06-12-2019, 12:04 AM   #5
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My impression is the thing I'm pointing at in the picture is a special riser for the TrailManor and similar trailers with not much headroom. Other trailers seem to mount the AC units more directly but if we did that, it would bonk the taller of us in the head as it would drop down too far (although the air flow would probably be better).

I also noticed the gasket it has (the one between the roof and the riser) seems manufactured. At least, not applied by hand from a tube. But I do wonder why the front of this riser between the lower riser and the roof has some additional caulk gunked on. I'm still debating if I want to dig into it. I halfway suspect it might have been an attempt to fix a leak that was more likely coming from the seam and not this area so the caulk is a red herring but...
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Old 06-12-2019, 12:51 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Expanderoo View Post
My impression is the thing I'm pointing at in the picture is a special riser for the TrailManor and similar trailers with not much headroom. Other trailers seem to mount the AC units more directly but if we did that, it would bonk the taller of us in the head as it would drop down too far (although the air flow would probably be better).

I also noticed the gasket it has (the one between the roof and the riser) seems manufactured. At least, not applied by hand from a tube. But I do wonder why the front of this riser between the lower riser and the roof has some additional caulk gunked on. I'm still debating if I want to dig into it. I halfway suspect it might have been an attempt to fix a leak that was more likely coming from the seam and not this area so the caulk is a red herring but...
Yes, the square gasket is a manufactured part. Below is an Amazon link that shows a lot of different gaskets for different model A/C units. This is a part that should be replaced 5-10 years. A bit of work...but it is cheap insurance against leaks between the a/c and the roof...or in our case the riser.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rv+a%2Fc+gasket&ref=nb_sb_noss"]https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rv+a%2Fc+...ref=nb_sb_noss[/URL]
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Old 06-12-2019, 06:38 PM   #7
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Ah! That is good to know -- I think the link didn't make it somehow. I'd like to take a look at that if you have the link.
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Old 06-12-2019, 06:55 PM   #8
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Sorry...operator error! LOL I did go back and post the link in the post. Same link is below!

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=rv+a%2Fc+...ref=nb_sb_noss
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Old 06-13-2019, 09:50 AM   #9
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Ok I just had that all apart to install my new Atwood A/C. The plastic piece you are pointed to is just a plastic shell. It is siliconed to the roof. Precision, you say? Not on mine, it wasn’t. Anyway, the plastic shell has a 13.5”x13.5” cutout with a raised lip for the A/C to blow thorough. The gasket Travis (FlyBoyTR) is talking about goes around this cutout, between the plastic shell and the A/C unit.

Below that shell is the actual riser. It’s made of a piece of TM foam & aluminum sandwich, with a similar cutout for the A/C to blow through. Then it is raised with a frame made of either wood or PVC board 1”X2”. The riser is sealed and screwed to the roof, there was a bead of silicone around the opening between the shell and riser, with the foam gasket and A/C on top of the shell.

So what’s the purpose of all this? In most RVs the A/C control unit is just mounted to the ceiling. That won’t fly on a TM because when you close the camper, the control unit would get crushed between the overlapping shell roofs. So TM came up with this system to allow the control unit to be recessed into the ceiling.

I attached some pictures from when I had it all torn apart. First two are the shell, last two are the rebuilt riser.
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Old 06-13-2019, 10:03 AM   #10
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As for whether to caulk or not to caulk (that is the question), if the actual RISER is sealed properly to the roof then I don’t know why the shell needs to be caulked to the roof. That said, the PVC frame on my riser was cracked in about 10 places and a couple sections had walked out entirely. That was allowing water to get inside, and is what prompted this whole project.

Also I spoke with Jacob on the factory floor at TM, he said they put a bead of silicone around the shell at the roof.
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