Water coming in from around roof air conditioner

[jwbspecial]

Sent: 10/24/2008

Im brand new to CWVRV and just purchased 1972 Brave   overall still good shape for age when looking at inside ceiling thought some moisture in it past but taken care of to big deal . Now since it rained yesterday we have water behind ac unit cant tell if water came thru ac unit or roof leaks it soaked 1/4 inch plywood strrofoam seems dry . Do I go to extremme replace whole roof or patch job  looking for input from anybody with roof experience  Im in minnesota maybe some local help or anybodys great wealth of knowledge

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Sent: 10/24/2008 
First pull the air conditioner shroud of the roof unit...that is the big white plastic cover on the roof.  See if the roof pan is full of water and not draining.  Some have a small drain hole, so look of it if its full of water, and clean it out with something.

If the wood is wet, it could just be a bad AC seal.  You can get a new one for about 30 bucks...which is a better way to go than just globbing sealer on the old seal.

You'll have to remove the inside ceiling unit (the plastic cover inside) and find the 3-4 bolts (depending on brand) that clamp the upper metal unit on the roof to the inner metal unit on the ceiling.  DISCONNECT YOUR POWER SUPPLY, and unplug the wiring from the unit.  Remove all the AC bolts mentioned above, and then carefully lower the inside AC unit from the ceiling, and put it somewhere safe.  There is probably a flexible duct between the upper unit and lower unit, so disconnect it...some are a ring that your need to unscrew, sme use what is effectively a big hose clamp.  Now carefully lift the AC unit off the 14inch square hole on your roof.  Tilt it to the side, remove the old gasket, install the new one, place the unit back on the roof, make sure the gasket is centered, and then reinstall the inside ceiling unit...replace the bolts, and tighten them evenly until the gasket compresses by about 60%.  Rehook your wires, reinstall the roof plastic shroud, and then reinstall the ceiling plastic unit.  Done!

If that isn't it, another thing to look for is water pooling around the AC unit on the roof after a rain.  If your AC unit is sagging from years of weight on the roof, it is possible for water to pool around the AC unit...if the sag is deep enough, the water can pool deep enough to come up OVER the metal pan on the roof, and pour into the rig...usually this doesn't wet the wood too badly though...it just gets your floor wet.  The solution to this is to install a brace for the AC unit (instead of replacing the whole roof)...and if you have to do this, let us know, and we can give you detailed instructions and advice.

Kev

[LJ-TJ]

If that isn't it, another thing to look for is water pooling around the AC unit on the roof after a rain.  If your AC unit is sagging from years of weight on the roof, it is possible for water to pool around the AC unit...if the sag is deep enough, the water can pool deep enough to come up OVER the metal pan on the roof, and pour into the rig...usually this doesn't wet the wood too badly though...it just gets your floor wet.  The solution to this is to install a brace for the AC unit (instead of replacing the whole roof)...and if you have to do this, let us know, and we can give you detailed instructions and advice.

Ok Kev Tell us more.

[DanD2Soon]

Jon,

If you aren't going to be able to get right into this,  at least for the time being, reposition your Brave on an slant / slope/ angle so the rain can run off the roof without pooling.

[rushenge]

We had a similar problem with water leaking through the air conditioner on our '72 Brave.  The roof was sagging.  After several unsuccessful attempts to stop the leak - including removing the air conditioner and covering the hole - we finally replaced the roof.   

The real leak originated at the refrigerator vent.  Over the years, the leak damaged the roof, and water drained toward the air conditioner.  I think there may also have been a wiring tunnel running from near the refrigerator vent to the air conditioner.   From the top, the roof looked good, but in fact there was heavy water damage everwhere.

Gerry

[LJ-TJ]

Install a brace for the AC unit (instead of replacing the whole roof).. Hey Kev tell us more, better yet..got any pictures? Hm?

[ClydesdaleKevin]

My albums are a mess, but if you look through them you'll see the metal brace a PO installed on the roof of our Itasca, and then you'll see the oak beam he put on the ceiling.  The metal support spans the entire roof resting on the walls to either side.  Bolts come through the roof, and then through the 2x2 oak beam, where it is secured with washers and nuts.  Its not the prettiest thing but it works.  The whole thing is sealed all the way around to keep water coming in.  Inner walls keep the rear AC from sagging.  Eventually we plan on boxing in the oak beam with facia to make it look like a larger oak beam...it will cover the nuts and washers. 

This winter I plan on asking Mark to delete all my albums once I organize all my photos...then I'll post new albums with the pictures organized into subsections.

Kev

[ClydesdaleKevin]

Okay, to keep this entirely on-topic:

There is a metal brace a PO installed on the roof of our Itasca, just forward of the AC unit.  It is shaped like this essentially, [ , but more like a top hat.  The open side is down. 

The metal support spans the entire roof resting on the walls to either side. 

Bolts came through the roof, and then through a 2x2 oak beam which spans the inside ceiling from wall to wall.  It was secured with washers and nuts but they hung down a bit and I didn't want to hit my head on them...so one at a time when we first bought this thing I took them out and replaced them so the bolt head was on the inside, with the nuts and washers on the outside of the metal support. 

Its not the prettiest thing but it works.  The whole thing is sealed all the way around to keep water from coming in and I made sure I payed special attention to the nuts and bolts...we've never had a leak from them. 

Since the metal support rests on the sidewalls, the walls themselves keep the front AC from sagging.  The oak ceiling support keeps the roof level right before the AC unit...it still sags a little at the unit, but would be MUCH worse without the support...the front AC is over the kitchen, and there are no interior walls at all close to the AC unit to keep the roof from sagging. 

The rear AC unit is supported by the closet wall on one side and bathroom wall on the other, and doesn't sag at all. 

Eventually we plan on boxing in the oak beam with facia to make it look like a larger oak beam...it will cover the bolt heads.

My digital camera got wet and is now dead or I'd post a few pics, but I think it is pretty clear even without the pictures.

Carrier AC units are just plain prone to drip water if the rig isn't perfectly level and/or there is even the slightest sag in the roof around them.  Even my rear unit, which has no sag, can drip a bit if it rains hard or is super humid and the angle is just right. 

One of the things I've found to minimize this is to keep the inside filters clean.  This minimizes the condensate that forms inside the unit that adds to the drip-ability (Bushism...lol!)  Also, at least the way ours is set up now, if its super-humid or raining hard, I'll raise the jacks a bit on the passenger side and lower the jacks on the driver's side, just enough so the puddle around the front AC doesn't get too deep and start dripping inside.  Instead it pours off the roof near the dinette window.

Hope this clarifies things, and helps anyone else out with AC drips!

Kev