ac leaking water inside rv during rain ..I'm bummed

[Winnebago Warrior 94]

My little winnebago  was just about perfect inside ..we had 2 days of hard blowing rain and i discovered it leaked inside and water coming from the ac dripping  and possibly pouring inside my rv from the ac ..it messed up my dinette  legs which are made of particleboard soaked that water right up ..also messed up the particle board on the bottom where refrigerator  is ..it has don't this before that I know of but it did it in the hard blowing rain ..I read wherr you check for the sponge gasket to see if it needs replaced ..so we will do that ..we took the cover off the ac unit and there was alot of leaves and other things clogging  up the pan ..I read articles that say the ac unit can leak inside if this is clogged but it is not saying  if this is clogged and the ac unit isn't running  and if you get a hard blowing rain will the drain pan that was filled up with the leaves and other debris will get water in it from just the hard blowing rain that can't drain ..I want to know if that can fill up with rain water and overflow into the inside of the rv from the ac area being full of leaves or can it fill up with rain water like that or would it more  than  likely be the foam gasket? It hasn't leaked there at all and I have checked it out during rain ..my interior  was really Nice and now in 2 days I'm so sad 😭..I have been driving it a little so maybe the screws worked loose that hold ac unit down ..but I'm really sad about the particle board getting messed up ...like I said it hadn't leaked before and it looked new and now it's water soaked ..we got leaves out and will check gasket tomorrow any helpful advice appreciated ..I'm bummed at what it did 😂 ..I'm thinking it's the ac being clogged and rain water couldn't escape but not sure if it can do that in the drain pan area from a hard blowing rain or if it the gasket .sad camper here

[stanDman111]

you are not alone

[Winnebago Warrior 94]

Did your just recently  happen too or has yours done it in the past ? Did you find out why it was leaking ?.sorry about your rv

[legomybago]

Did you tighten the hold down bolts while you had the inside cover off?? The foam gasket over time collapses and the unit can get loose. You may be in luck with just tightening them.

[Froggy1936]

Note: With everything OK and no leak at the gasket, In that kind of weather you can get water coming in .  Hm? Further if the roof has sagged 1 in @ A/C location you will constantly have a leak in a heavy rain  !  Best solution carry a 5 Gallon bucket For such conditions !   Frank

[Winnebago Warrior 94]

I just got through doing the red dye in the water test ..I got the idea when my hot tub was leaking ..it said put a dark colored dye in the water and you can tell where the leak is ..I took the inside cover off and I noticed water around the edges of the he I'm side the unit where the sponge gasket is..one  side I can feel the top of the metal roof and there was water on top of it ..I stuffed a white towel on that side  where you can feel the top of the roof ..i climbed on top of the roof with my gallon jug of red water and I poured it on the side of the roof where my husband noticed a little water puddled up ..I'm sure from a slight sag in the roof ..I'm poured a little of the red dye water in that area and sure enough  when I checked back inside the towel is red on the side where  you can feel the top of the metal roof ..the foam is right past where you feel that so that means it's running past the foam gasket .I didn't pour any in the pan on top yet and I planned on doing it another color to see if it is leaking ..I read that you can put plywood shims   in between the metal and the ceiling inside the rv to make the water run off ..it raises the metal on the roof and helps to get the sag out .it plan on changing the foam gasket and adding the plywood shims to get the slight sag out so water will hopefully  not just collect there ..the spring screws inside the rv that tighten it down have a little play in them to tighten    but not alot ..it read that you are supposed to leave like a 1/2 inch gap on the top between the roof and the unit so sure if tightening the springs will do the job or not ...do yall think it would be better to change the gasket out or just tighten   the springs screws down a little more ..I'd  really like to be on the safe side and hopefully  not have the unit leak on me again . .has anyone   change the foam gasket out and if so was it alot of trouble ..I watched a u tube video on it and it didn't look hard but you know how that can be sometimes

[Rickf1985]

It is not real hard and you looked at the video so you have an idea of what to do. The unit is not light so be sure to have help. Take your time and get all of the old gasket off and get the surface nice and clean and dry before putting the new gasket down. Proper prep is the key to success in anything you do.

[Winnebago Warrior 94]

Thanks friend ..I scrubbed and scrubbed the area ..I used a real good scrub pad to clean it and some 409 cleaner and I also used vinegar   to clean off any residue from cleaners ..I has called the rv place and she said that most gaskets are 14 x 14 and some of them are 16 x 14 ..I told her mine was a 94 model and she said probably  14 x 14..well I measured the opening  after I took the cover off inside the rv and the  4 spring bolts ..the electric connection came part easy just a connection  and the other side didn't need to be taken off ..hubby picked up gasket at rv place ..when he got here he cut the shims and placed them under the metal ...before he got here I had cleaned the front coils  and the rest coils on the ac unit ..so ac was cleaned and ready to be installed  ..wouldn't you know it gasket is 14 x 14 exactly  and the older gasket was 16 x 14 so ill stick with  that....lucky me ..lol ..so needless to say didn't get to put the gasket on today ..isn't that the way it always goes ..the travel trailer place is a 35 mile drive and was closed  so here's to hopefully  getting it installed  tommorrow

[Rickf1985]

What size is the hole and the flange? Is it possible someone put the wrong size gasket on before and that is why it was leaking?

[Winnebago Warrior 94]

The hole size is 14 x 14 and the gasket size is 16 x 14  ..it looks to be the original  gasket ..it looked older and it was compressed pretty good ..it was  white gasket in color and aged off white look ..I think it may have stated leaking because it was older  and we have been driving it on the back roads lately ..they are a little bumpy ..I think it must have work the old tape loose .and I didn't know anything  about tightening The 4 spring bolts down from time to time and I'm sure the previous  owners new nothing about that so im sure that helped the tape  that was older and compressed to vibrate loose...it hadn't ever leaked on us before ..the interior was in great shape ..that's what makes me sick ..it messed it up a little with the water coming in ..quite  a lot of it ....it to figure it would be better to go with the same size gasket that was used originally  ..is it OK to go with a different  size or should you stick with the same size ?

[Rickf1985]

I can't say since I am not looking at it, The A/C unit may have been replaced at some time with one that used the larger size gasket.

[Winnebago Warrior 94]

I'm pretty sure it's the original unit ..it's an older style ..but it worked the last time I checked it ..I hope it still does ..lol ..and I believe the gasket was the original gasket to ..there was  no other stticky residue from another gasket being on there or marks  ..you can tell it is old and original . The other gasket fit into place perfectly and we got it cranked down and hopefully  it is all good to go ...the old gasket was smashed down pretty good and wasn't in good shape ..I'm sure from us driving on the back roads probably   moved the ac unit around a little with the gasket so smashed and worn out and the spring bolts on the ac unit not being cranked down any ..now in know to check that ..I've had several  travel trailers  before and never new that. And I'm still bummed about the messed up spots when it was in such great shape .but stuff happens unfortunately . .I cleaned up coils and etc on the unit and we got everything  back in place ..the ac roof cover is dry and somewhat brittle so I painted it with the elastomeric  roof  coating  stuff ..I use to paint all my other travel trailer plastic roof top stuff with it ..I don't want to have to buy a new one yet so that give it a little extra protection  so hopefully  I get a few more years out of it ..it is supposed  to rain later tonight so hopefully  everything  is back to being water tight .I did leave a big bucket and towels on the floor ..just in case ..if I hear it raining ..I will get up and go check ..it wasn't that hard to change out so being as it had to be done that makes it pretty Nice..like a ray of sunshine  after a storm

[Winnebago Warrior 94]

im happy to report that it rained cats and dogs today and no cats and dogs leaked through my roof ..so the fixed worked and I hope it stays that way ..hip hip hooray the gasket saved the day  im so very happy no water inside ..I wish I had caught it sooner ..but im thankful that it wasn't worse ..I also took off my front windsheidl trim and I cleaned it all out really good and I cleaned and scrubbed all the gaskets and clean the crevesses where the window gaskets go and I used the flex seal clear in it and I didn't notice any drip on the dash either ..so I hope that fixed it for awhile .I plan on giving it plenty of cure time so I wont drive the rig for several days to make sure its good and dry and sealed up good .like my friends on this site told me prep is the key and I prepped and cleaned on it all day long ..my legs was killing me that evening ..got the roof ac gasket sealed (I prepped and cleaned everything for that too )and I got the the front window trim all cleaned up and hopefully sealed up ..I took the time to clean it all up properly ..so far im happy with the results and very proud of the job we did ..does anyone know how often you should check the spring ac bolts to see if they need tightened and how often should you change the sponge ac gasket ?

[legomybago]

does anyone know how often you should check the spring ac bolts to see if they need tightened and how often should you change the sponge ac gasket ?

The reason this started leaking was probably due to loose mounting bolts. Anyone reading this thread REALLY should snug these bolts up every few years. Their really is no other reason (other than roof sag) that this foam seal will start leaking. MO Congrats on your fix! More than one time I've had leaks up front near the windshield that resulted from old/aged clearance marker lights on the roof. Be sure to check those.

[Winnebago Warrior 94]

thanks for that tip ..ill be sure and do that on the lights up top ..I plan on doing that really quick ..im going to rewash the roof of the rv again here pretty quick and scrub it down again ..I had don't that before already but my hubby was working on the brakes and I couldn't move the rv ..it was fall and leaves was falling ..but he has those fixed so now I can move it ..I have the elastomeric roof sealant im going to use on it ..the roof had had a lot of pine straw on it and leaves before ..I fixed a few tiny pit spots cause from the pine straw and leaves but want to cover the entire roof ..I will paint the roof sealant on roof and around and on all plastic on roof ,,then I will take the lens off the light and clean inside and I will seal around them ..I like to be safe than sorry ..and after that I will work on painting this little rig ..ive been out in the rv all day and it has rained alot ..the ac gasket is still working no leakes today ..the person I bought the rv from had lost sll the keys except for 1 engine key ..I had to track down front door key ..I got a person to make it on ebay but I cant they say they cant make the dead bolt key ..I have the number but its not showing up at trimark ..and the barrel lock keys on the compartments are missing too ..I will just order bew ones for them ..but I had to break into the water holding tank compartment today ..im replacing the holding tank water hose ..old one dry rotted ..line is behind the couch and not super easy to get to ..I had some hose from a swimming pool ..some reason a little tight to just slip on ..fixing to stick hose  in some hot water to see if it will loosen up ..and ac wasn't leaking any rain ..yippee !!!!

[legomybago]

If your marker lenses have small cracks in them, replace. The small micro cracks allow moister to build up inside the light assembly then leak down in on you

[Winnebago Warrior 94]

  great advice again thanks I shall do