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Old 03-09-2013, 07:07 AM   #1
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A/C gasket leaking??

I am a little concerned about the gasket around our A/C and not quite sure what is going on. Right after we brought it home I did discover the two rear mounting bolts were VERY loose and that the AC was "off center" side to side. I also found a small drip coming from the side where the gasket is sort of on the edge of the roof, rather than being flat on top of it.

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I tightened all the bolts and thought all was good, then yesterday, I again noticed some water coming in. Portions of the gasket are really wet, like water in a sponge. I know it's hard to see much in the pics, the entire bottom edge of the gasket is wet/damp. The area circled is wet top to bottom.

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Keep in mind, there is a LOT of water sitting on the roof right now. The ice and snow have created a dam around the AC.

Is this happening because of the excess water on the roof?
Is the gasket bad, perhaps because the bolts were so loose?
I don't have a problem replacing the gasket, but if this is just "normal" from excessive water on the roof, it may not prove much to replace it.

Thanks for any thoughts/suggestions.

Allen
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Old 03-09-2013, 07:42 AM   #2
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There's no doubt with the bolts that loose that driving down the road the seal broke loose from the A.C. unit. I would tighten things up and as soon as weather permits replace the gasket seal on the roof. You'll need to clean the area where the old gasket was before installing the new one.
If the leak is bad now you may want to take it in to a dealer and have it done right away so that you don't have any ceiling problems inside. Water has a way of really traveling once there's a leak.
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Old 03-09-2013, 07:46 AM   #3
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Not sure how to know for sure.
I would get the snow and water off the roof, let it dry and see if it leaks by using a water hose maybe.
How old is the gasket? I believe the A/C units have a 1/2" flange tab to keep you from compressing the gasket beyond 1/2"
The gasket could be compressed as far as possible and not sealing. In this case a new gasket will be needed.
The gasket may have gotten out of position as well with it being loose, which could make it difficult to get it to seal properly.

Once you have addressed the easy fixes, personally I'd install a new one.

There was a recent thread with the procedure laid out very well. Part I think was around $30

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Old 03-09-2013, 08:18 AM   #4
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Exjay1 showed us his repair in the" tec talk " section of the forum with very good photo's to help.
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Old 03-09-2013, 08:24 AM   #5
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... can't think of anything to add that the first 2 didn't say.

just wondering if melt water was being held by remaining ice and it's more than the gasket was designed for. but might seal OK with regular runoff
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Old 03-09-2013, 08:46 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OnTheGo View Post
... can't think of anything to add that the first 2 didn't say.

just wondering if melt water was being held by remaining ice and it's more than the gasket was designed for. but might seal OK with regular runoff
That is what I am wondering, the water was over 1/4" deep around the AC, you could no longer see the gap between the base of the AC and the roof. It's not usually like that when it rains. I did just go out and raise the tongue to get the water off the roof. That sort of scares me when all the water hits the rear bunk door, hopefully that seal is good!

Hopefully it will get warm enough today to get the rest of the ice off. I did see the thread on replacing the gasket, looks fairly simple, just not sure if its a bad seal or to much water around it. The unit is only a couple years old.
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Old 03-09-2013, 09:50 AM   #7
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Not knowing if the gasket was initially installed and compressed correctly, I would replace it with the correct procedure. The cost of the gasket and a couple of hours max of your time is cheap compared to the cost of fixing water damage.
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Old 03-09-2013, 10:38 AM   #8
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Quote:
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Not knowing if the gasket was initially installed and compressed correctly, I would replace it with the correct procedure. The cost of the gasket and a couple of hours max of your time is cheap compared to the cost of fixing water damage.
I would agree, it's better to be safe than sorry. I don't really like how it's off center anyway. I also wonder if with the bolts being so loose, that dirt/debris may have got under the gasket which could be why it's not sealing correctly.
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Old 03-09-2013, 08:56 PM   #9
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My new gasket is a little bit thicker that what was factory installed (or what was left of it) and sat about 1/4" higher once secured with the AC unit on top. also found a low spot between the roof and gasket that was allowing water in.
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Old 03-09-2013, 09:31 PM   #10
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Curious, did the gasket have a brand name? This is what I am thinking of getting: http://www.amazon.com/Camco-25071-Un...rds=rv+ac+seal

I think my problem may be due to it being off center, where I see most of the little drips is where the gasket is sort of flopped over the edge of the roof. This was taken when I discovered the loose bolts, this side is only about half on the roof, most of it isnt compressed at all.

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I also have a feeling a fair amount of dirt may have gotten under it, with it being so loose. What makes it even more fun, it has been raining all day long.
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Old 03-10-2013, 04:46 AM   #11
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amabee, Is your AC an Airxcel? If so, they have been excellent with me as far as customer service issues are concerned.

Edit: I'm guessing you have an Airxcel 48000 series. If you do, there are about 16 different models in that series. Have all the tag information available if you contact them.
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Old 03-10-2013, 06:23 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by amabee View Post
Curious, did the gasket have a brand name? This is what I am thinking of getting: http://www.amazon.com/Camco-25071-Un...rds=rv+ac+seal

I think my problem may be due to it being off center, where I see most of the little drips is where the gasket is sort of flopped over the edge of the roof. This was taken when I discovered the loose bolts, this side is only about half on the roof, most of it isnt compressed at all.

Attachment 6797

I also have a feeling a fair amount of dirt may have gotten under it, with it being so loose. What makes it even more fun, it has been raining all day long.
Well I have a Coleman unit and when I asked about a specific seal for this unit I was told by the svc mgr that a universal seal for 14x14 opening is all that is needed and what they use. No manufacture name, just some hand written numbers and price on the removable paper. good time to service the unit while your at it (clean/inspect cooling fins, fan, and check for clogged drain pan)
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Old 03-10-2013, 07:40 AM   #13
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Quote:
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amabee, Is your AC an Airxcel? If so, they have been excellent with me as far as customer service issues are concerned.

Edit: I'm guessing you have an Airxcel 48000 series. If you do, there are about 16 different models in that series. Have all the tag information available if you contact them.
Yep, it's a Coleman Mach 3. I may contact them to see if they can come up with a reason why this is happening, don't know if I want a gasket from them though, this thing is soaking water up like a sponge, I don't think that should happen. But then again, this is all new to me, it is definitely seeping water under the gasket just about everywhere, nothing major, but certainly not dry. Several spots are soaked, top to bottom. I really don't know if tightening the bolts more is a good idea, they seem fairly snug to me. Not really sure how tight is too tight.

Quote:
Well I have a Coleman unit and when I asked about a specific seal for this unit I was told by the svc mgr that a universal seal for 14x14 opening is all that is needed and what they use. No manufacture name, just some hand written numbers and price on the removable paper. good time to service the unit while your at it (clean/inspect cooling fins, fan, and check for clogged drain pan)
No problem, the "Camco" is probably the same thing, they put the camco name on lot's of stuff, I don't know if they actually make much of it. Hopefully I can get our dealer to pay for the gasket, we bought used, but we do have a short warranty on all the appliances, which includes gaskets. Seems odd to me that a 2-3yr old gasket would be seeping water like it is. I just hope a new one will actually fix this problem.
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Old 03-10-2013, 05:53 PM   #14
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My owners manual says the following about the AC foam gasket; "A special foam gasket is placed between the roof material and the sub frame of the air conditioner to guard against water leakage. The air conditioner is subjected to wind pressures along with motor vibrations during normal operations". I can assume that "motor vibrations" could also mean road vibrations. Then in the Storage and Maintenance section it states; "Remove snow or ice as needed. Excessive weight can damage the roof, seals, etc. Water leaks and poor fit or operation are the results of this damage". My guess is that the snow load along with the stated wind and road pressures COULD be the problem IMO. If it were me, I would have it changed out under warranty then keep an eye on it.
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Old 03-10-2013, 06:30 PM   #15
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I think it has a lot to do with it not being put on right to begin with. I forgot about this sticky: http://www.jaycoowners.com/showthrea...-many-affected Oddly many of them are 2011's??

Apparently this is a fairly common problem, those bolts may have been loose from day one. I guess the previous owner was not concerned about checking things like this.
Either way, they didn't just get that way overnight, who knows how many times it was pulled down the road with them like that, plus the normal vibrations when it was running.
I can tell this is some type of closed cell foam, it really should be able to hold the water out, but its most likely been damaged by moving around on the roof.
Fortunately, its not leaking badly, it just seeps very slowly under the seal and I see zero signs of any water damage. Doesn't help that its been raining almost nonstop since yesterday.
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Old 03-10-2013, 08:01 PM   #16
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agreed. the bolts being loose could have caused the uit to shift some thus the overlap of the gasket and may have allowed water to seep in. Your 1/2 way there..replace and re-secure.
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Old 03-10-2013, 08:12 PM   #17
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and it needs to stop raining Hopefully I can get our dealer to send one on their $$, if not I will get one on the way. I also found the installation manual and I think the front two bolts have been overtightened, the little yellow tabs are supposed to be at the roof edge, mine are about half way below the edge, so the front is to tight and the rear bolts were not tight enough. Basically, this gasket is messed up.
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Old 03-12-2013, 05:10 PM   #18
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Ok, our dealer has a new gasket on the way, no cost. I want to make sure I do this right so I have a couple questions. Are the little "tabs" part of the gasket? I can't really tell from exjay1's photo but I do see them after it was placed back in the opening. Are the tabs the best way to determine if its compressed correctly? Just trying to make sure I don't mess this up.
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Old 03-12-2013, 06:01 PM   #19
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My understanding are the tabs are part of the A/C flange.
Compress gasket until tabs just touch roof, should be ~1/2"
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Old 03-12-2013, 06:13 PM   #20
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X2 Doug.
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