Air conditioner water

[Canadian_in_NJ]

Hey all,

We have a 2018 jayco 17bh

It has the house wall style ac unit in the wall near the bed.... I noticed outside there is minimal water/ condensation dripping down the side. We have had it on since 9am, it's now 3pm, trailer is level front to back and pretty much level side to side. Came back from the beach and noticed the bed was wet... Felt the overhead cabinets and they were wet.... Followed the trail back and it's coming from the side of the unit...

Anyone encountered this? Is there supposed to be a drain pipe similar to my fridge to allow the water to drain. If I haven't seen this on the inside before, and not much on the outside, is it correct to assume it's dripping between the inside wall and outside siding?

I assume this will require a trip back to the dealer?

Thanks

[Swampy]

Originally Posted by Canadian_in_NJ

Hey all,

We have a 2018 jayco 17bh

It has the house wall style ac unit in the wall near the bed.... I noticed outside there is minimal water/ condensation dripping down the side. We have had it on since 9am, it's now 3pm, trailer is level front to back and pretty much level side to side. Came back from the beach and noticed the bed was wet... Felt the overhead cabinets and they were wet.... Followed the trail back and it's coming from the side of the unit...

Anyone encountered this? Is there supposed to be a drain pipe similar to my fridge to allow the water to drain. If I haven't seen this on the inside before, and not much on the outside, is it correct to assume it's dripping between the inside wall and outside siding?

I assume this will require a trip back to the dealer?

Thanks

While I am not familiar with the wall mounted RV A/C units, they can't be much different than a standard residential window unit.

The water that acumulates on the Evaporator coil is normally collected in a plastic tray under the coil, then a tube carries the water to the tray under the condensing coil. The blower fan usually dips into the condenser tray and splashes he water onto the coil where it helps efficiency of the A/C by cooling the coil with the water spray and from there, once the tray is over filled, it drips harmlessly outside.

I suspect the tray under the evaporator coil is either cracked or the tube going to the condenser tray is blocked up (usually dust and algae block it up). Here in SE Louisiana, it is very common for window A/C's to leak as you described. To fix a dirty A/C, get another person to help you, pull the front plastic grill off the unit, Carefully slide the unit out of it's support frame in the opening, and haul it outside. Once you get it into a position to clean out the interior, cover the fan motor with a plastic garbage bag and hose out both coils and the tube between them. Be careful not to hose off the switch and thermostat controls in the front of the unit. If the dirt is particularly stubborn, using a soft bristled brush, apply some dish soapy water and carefully brush and hose it out some more. once you are satisfied you have it cleaned, let it drain for a half hour, remove the bag over the motor, and re-insert into the frame, re-attach the grill, plug it in and enjoy the fruits of your labor. BTW You should plan on doing this at least once per year. You should also plan to wash out or at least vacuum the filter every trip.

I hope this helps you save a trip back to the dealer for the dirty A/C .......

Good Camping ... Swampy

[Paullin]

Obviously, all AC's will emit water but inside is not okay. We also have the wall mounted A/C in our SLX 175RD. I haven't noticed any water inside but will be looking closely in the future.

[RogerR]

I have been considering taking off the outside plastic grill and finding the drain tube. I would then like to route it out the side with an inch of pipe protruding. This would allow it to drip without running down the side of the RV.

Currently, it just seems to seep out the grill randomly. Probably due to slight tilt of the trailer when parked.

Anybody tried it? Did it work?

I could then shop vac it out if small blockage occurred while traveling or as a maintenance item.

We like to camp in the mountains and don't use it much.

[Canadian_in_NJ]

Just a quick update... Put a one inch block under the opposite side wheel and water poured out from around the bottom of the ac unit outside.

This is obviously a design issue, as now the trailer is out of level!!!

I don't want to take the frame off from the outside and inspect as that will require me to have to re-seal the screws.

Again my concern is if it has never leaked on the inside before, and I haven't really seen much water on the outside, it could have well been draining into the wall...

Will be calling the dealer when I get back home.

[enri1982]

YES!!!!

Same here, I just got a 2019 JayFeather SLX 174BH May 19th 2018 - and on that first night we used it all night as we are in Miami ! 98% humidity and hot as hell !

well once I turned off the A/C all the water leaked into the unit into the cabinet over the bed...... drip drip.

I don't even see an exit hose on the back for the condensation.....

has anyone taken the unit out and checked inside? im curious to know how it is all supposed to leak out...

After calling the dealer (they are 4 hours away) they said I need to bring it back for them to look at it and p.s. they dont have space to keep it so I have to take it back with me in the event a part needs to be ordered I would have to drive back.

Any help would be awesome

[Canadian_in_NJ]

I will be calling the dealer for mine tomorrow. They are 2.5 hours away from me.

I am not willing to take the outside frame off, as I don't want to have to re-seal the screws and whatever else is under there.

Im pretty sure there was no plan when these were put in. I would have thought there would have been a similar hose sticking out the side similar to the fridge drain.

Id like to know the dealers plan, for the expanded wood on my cabinets and their plan to remedy any water that has leaked into the wall.


I'll post about our conversation tomorrow.

[87Yugo]

Its exactly same as a house unit. There has to be some degree of tilt, usually about 1/2 inch, so that the water will drain towards the back of the air conditioner. Check out youtube on how to install a window air conditioner. Its the same.

[Canadian_in_NJ]

The attached picture, (if it is attached) is how, much I had to tilt trailer to drain... Seems a little rediculous. I removed a block, so it wasn't so drastic.

[Canadian_in_NJ]

Oops, sorry, not sure why the picture is sideways!

[Canadian_in_NJ]

Got word back from the dealer in regards to the water:

Jayco is not having any issues with air conditioners not draining properly at this time. There is a drip pan that runs from the back of the air conditioner to allow the condensation to drain to the outside. There must be a problem with the drain or a block. Unfortunately, without being able to look at it in person it is difficult to diagnose exactly what the problem is. I understand you are not close but if you can schedule an appointment we will try to get you in right a way. If you want to call a closer authorized Jayco dealer you can but I do not know what the scheduling will be like. I am sorry you are having this problem and please let me know what you decide so we can get this resolved as soon as possible. Lastly, based on the pics you sent we may need to order some materials to repair any wood that may have been damaged.

I did call Jayco direct and spoke with Josh in service and he also confirmed there are no TSB or recalls regarding this issue. I know there have been other cases for sure but they are on a case by case basis depending on what the problem was and how to go about fixing it. The only thing I can do at this point is see if you can get it scheduled and brought in so we can find out why it is happening and get it resolved for you. If you have any questions please call me.

Thanks,

[enri1982]

My dealer is 4hr away, so I will take the a/c inside apart and see of the tray/ drain is plugged.
Will post pics soonest

[ALJO]

That's the way to do it Enri, if you want quick service.......you have to do it yourself.

Warranty is useless on RV - usual to go to a dealer you loose a day. When buying new your better off with an extra discount. RVers have to learn to be DIYers.

[Kozmo]

It should be easy to raise the front of the AC to give it an angle for drainage. I have the wall mounted unit, but I haven't tried to adjust the level. But it seems like it shouldn't be too hard. Now that I say that, it might be tight to the cabinet above. Just a thought.

[enri1982]

Im just going to always set up with the tow vehicle side higher than the rear so gravity takes it. I have yet to take the ac apart

Originally Posted by Kozmo

It should be easy to raise the front of the AC to give it an angle for drainage. I have the wall mounted unit, but I haven't tried to adjust the level. But it seems like it shouldn't be too hard. Now that I say that, it might be tight to the cabinet above. Just a thought.

[kmyers9726]

I have to level my rig to the left or ac side or the ac condensation drips back inside.
Terrible design

[Chickeneye]

I just had this problem in my 17RB I took the filters off and found that the 4 main bolts holding the AC unit together were all loose. One was about 3/4” undone. I tightened everything and my drip stopped and it started draining on the outside of the camper like it was designed.

[enri1982]

Well it leaks stilll

Originally Posted by kmyers9726

I have to level my rig to the left or ac side or the ac condensation drips back inside.
Terrible design

[mhjohns]

We have a 174BH and I was concerned about water leaking in from the AC unit. We haven’t had any issues yet but I did notice something interesting.

We had our AC running constantly on a humid day and no dripping outside. I shut the unit off and it purged a whole bunch out. If I run it on energy saver mode it purges water out every time it cycles off.

The water is coming out the drains on the bottom of the black frame of the protective screen. Not exactly sure where all this water is before it purged out or what’s holding it in until it cycles off.

[Perrins3]

We bought a 2015 154BH new in October 2015. Didn't truly use the AC until late March (live in FL). In July we noticed a slow drip down the wall under the AC unit, took it back to dealer (CW) who said it was excessive condensation. Happened again shortly after but this time it was overflowing drain pan and leaking inside unit by way of wood trim. They contacted Jayco who offered no resolution and claimed it wasn't a known problem. CW replaced all trim, took off plastic trim on outside, cleaned it out to make sure drain holes were not clogged and resealed the window. With no real solution it leaked a third time so back to CW we go. The Service Mgr. again contracted Jayco and worked with his techs until they came up with an idea to permanently lift the front of the AC unit. So far so good!!