Front AC leaking

[Fred Cook]

I installed a new Penguin II AC a few months ago. We are currently in Branson, MO and we had a huge thunderstorm last night with lots of rain. Got up this morning and found lots of water on the floor directly below the ceiling duct closest to the AC air intake. The ceiling was also wet around the duct and around the AC. I checked the inside first and found that the seals were ok but I can reach up into the air conditioner and feel standing water above the seals. I then got on the roof and took off the shroud where I found lots of water on top and around the sealed cover over the air input/output and fan shroud. The drain hole was not plugged up. I am Wondering how water could have got through the AC shroud cover and inside the fan shroud and then down onto the floor. I was thinking that it might be condensation as I ran the AC  while it was raining last night. But then why did the water not leak out of the drain like it is supposed to? This is baffling. Any idea of what’s going on?

[David T. Richelderfer]

If the drain hole under the AC is submerged in water, then I would suggest the drain tube is plugged.  The drain tubes under our ACs run under the rooftop and above the interior ceiling.  The drain tubes exit the coach near the coach's outside edge where they drip/drain water onto the ground.  The drain tubes can get plugged from debris under the AC on the roof or the tubes can get blocked by small insect critters making a home by entering the tube from near the ground exit.  Also, I suppose the tubes' ground exit could get plugged from road grime while traveling during a rain event.

Our coach has three roof AC/heat pumps.  Whenever I run the ACs in hot and dry weather (not raining weather), I take note of the wet spots (one wet spot for each operating AC) on the ground near the edge of the coach where those drain tubes exit.  The wet spot means the drain tube is not plugged and is doing its job.

The roof under the ACs should be convex to allow the water to run away from under the ACs outside the seals.  If your roof has collapsed enough to become concave under the ACs, then you have an expensive roof repair issue.

I searched using "water roof leak" and found numerous posts regarding the issue.  Some sounded like they may be pertinent to your description of your issue.  Several posts addressed the older roofs some of us have.  Also, if you have not had your coach roof cleaned and painted with Rustoleum Topside Marine Paint, for example, then your roof could have some pinholes allowing leaks.

[Fred Cook]

Well, as far as I know there are no drain tubes on my coach. The original one I replaced drained on the roof. I can visually see the drain hole is not plugged and… is not under water. This happened only after an all night hard rain and the AC running all night. Still can’t understand how water made its way inside and… if it will happen again.

[Roy Boles]

Hi Fred:  If you have the Beaver installed solar panels, and if those panels are located in the vicinity of the leak, you might find that when they were installed in the factory they built a dam out of caulking around the hole for the wiring. Over time that caulking breaks down. Then when you get into a rain storm, it may start  leaking through the caulking dam. You will have to remove the panel to find the problem.
       When I had this issue,  I made a patch out of sheet metal, laid down some caulk and screwed it down with the wires sticking out. I then covered the patch with a sealing tape and reinstalled the solar panels. I had to do this for the both  the large and small panels.
     

[Fred Cook]

Hi Fred:  If you have the Beaver installed solar panels, and if those panels are located in the vicinity of the leak, you might find that when they were installed in the factory they built a dam out of caulking around the hole for the wiring. Over time that caulking breaks down. Then when you get into a rain storm, it may start  leaking through the caulking dam. You will have to remove the panel to find the problem.
       When I had this issue,  I made a patch out of sheet metal, laid down some caulk and screwed it down with the wires sticking out. I then covered the patch with a sealing tape and reinstalled the solar panels. I had to do this for the both  the large and small panels.
     

Thanks For the great tip Roy. The leak came through the ceiling duct. With the hard rain we had, the AC fan pushed the water down the duct where it then leaked onto the floor. Great advice about the solar panel though. I am redoing my roof this fall so I will keep it in mind.

[Joel Ashley]

Our Monterey has an almost unnoticeable flaw in the supposedly domed roof.  It dips just a tad to the curbside of the front AC over the “living room”, and near the center of the dip of course is the spot where the solar panel’s wires go down.  A split hiding on the underside of that entry point’s caulking, just where it covered and ran up the wires, allowed a 2016 Eugene gully washer to flood the living/galley while we were visiting relatives 15 miles away in Springfield.  Not an enviable surprise when we returned to the coach late that night.  It took me a half hour in pouring rain on the roof to locate the offender.

Repairing such a dip in the roof isn’t too plausible, so inspecting wire entry points is best done annually, and with inordinate care.  I passed over the caulking crack a couple of times before lifting the wires enough to spot it underneath, and at the time under the roof’s little “lake” of water.   I had to remove several ceiling fixtures, vents and lights, and fabricate mechanics to move air up there and help dry the spaces between roof and ceiling.   Then we left the worst (wettest) open for weeks afterward to thoroughly dry out. 

It was amazing how the water from that one 1/4” caulking crack spread out once inside the ceiling.  It seemed a veritable waterfall from vents and lights several feet apart across the room.  We mopped tile and rug and under cabinetry for countless hours after I used an old tube of sealant I had in the toolbox, one that can be applied under water;  glad I kept it around.  Days later on a scheduled trip to Bend, BCS professionally resealed the problem spot, and inspected all the other roof seals.

Joel