Replacing ac gasket

[Zach]

Hey everyone. Just wondering if anyone has any knowledge on changing the ac gasket they'd like to share with me. I thought i had fixed my slight and occasional water leak at my ac when i found a loose bolt last week but after cleaning the roof on sunday its quite apparent the leak is still there. May have looked worse due to high volume of water on roof from cleaning but if the gasket is working correctly the amount of water shouldn't matter and things should stay dry.

Anyway - let me know what you know so i have an idea what im getting into this weekend before i go ahead and replace it.

Thanks.

[Tunce the traveler]

Is your unit new (under warranty) ?

[Zach]

No. Its an 06.

[Colorado]

Originally Posted by Zach

Hey everyone. Just wondering if anyone has any knowledge on changing the ac gasket they'd like to share with me. I thought i had fixed my slight and occasional water leak at my ac when i found a loose bolt last week but after cleaning the roof on sunday its quite apparent the leak is still there. May have looked worse due to high volume of water on roof from cleaning but if the gasket is working correctly the amount of water shouldn't matter and things should stay dry.

Anyway - let me know what you know so i have an idea what im getting into this weekend before i go ahead and replace it.

Thanks.

I completely removed mine last summer to replace the ac unit with a Maxxair Fan. Remove the inner portion of ac unit, take pictures to help putting it back together. Pull the AC UNIT straight up, it may stick to the roof, rocking it back and forth can help. Be careful lifting it up, if it sticks and suddenly lets go it could throw you off the roof! Pull old gasket, throughly clean both the camper and the bottom of the ac unit. Check for any bends, kinks etc in the roof...anything that could impede the ability of the gasket to properly seal. I’d buy a brand name gasket rather than an aftermarket one… the job isn’t hard just a time consuming PITA!

[Zach]

Bought an OEM coleman mach gasket yesterday.

[Tunce the traveler]

Mine installed and the other pieces in the kit keep it from bouncing up & down while driving down the road.

[Zach]

Awesome. How long and hard of a job is it to do.

[Jagiven]

Its not hard. Regarding the amount of time, probably an hour, but really depends on how many trips up and down the ladder you do, to get additional items.

Start inside; remove the cover, mounting screws and wires. At minimum you will have 3 wire connections for the 120V power. If you have a thermostat for the AC on the wall, they a couple more wires for that. Take a picture, and mark what wire goes where.

Outside; need a screw driver to remove the outside plastic shroud. Probably can do the job with it on, but it is easier with it off. You will want something to place the AC onto, to keep from damaging the thin roof membrane. Like a piece of old carpet, cardboard, old couch cushion. Next you will want to clean the crude off the old membrane and AC. I like good old soap and water, others use chemicals. Just make sure it is compatible with your roof. Inspect the area around the opening. Reinstall the AC, it is very helpful to have an assistant to place it.

Inside; re-install the electrical and shroud. Do not over tighten the gasket screws.

Clean up! and enjoy

[Zach]

Is there a template or something to referance to so you know your putting gasket on correctly and straight/square?

[Scott91370]

I've never seen a template but if you're worried you can trace the current gasket/seal on the bottom of the A/C unit then apply the new one in the same spot.

[Tunce the traveler]

Before you remove or lift off the A/C unit take some painters tape and outline the A/C unit as close as you can so when you set it back in place it will line up perfectly when you go inside to replace those 4 bolts. By doing this it’s a one person job and remember to just snug down those 4 bolts (lightly) and each season you’ll snug them down just a little bit again. You’ll find that traveling down the road they’ll loosen up just a tad.

[Tunce the traveler]

After 4,000 miles this is what one bolt did.

[Zach]

Thats what mine looked like initially when i found the leak. I snugged that bolt and snugged the other 3 only to see it still leaking - which is why im now here asking about replacing the gasket.

[RedHorse1]

Zach, are you sure it’s a gasket issue? Condensation from the evap coils should drain out holes in the evap enclosure. If the holes get blocked with debris the water can find its way inside.

[norty1]

question, in the picture posted, it looked like the unit was resting on it's side. I was always cautious to not turn the unit upside down or sideways. Did you have to let it sit afterward before running it?

My son had a perfectly good residential freezer/ fridge and when he moved it to a new house he layed it on it's back for the short drive to the new place. The fridge would never freeze after that.

[Scott91370]

After tilting something with 'Freon' you should let it sit for, what I've been told, 24hrs to let everything settle before turning it back on. Has something to do with it being both a gas and liquid - or some explanation I don't have enough knowledge on. But I've done this and haven't had issues.

[Zach]

Originally Posted by RedHorse1

Zach, are you sure it’s a gasket issue? Condensation from the evap coils should drain out holes in the evap enclosure. If the holes get blocked with debris the water can find its way inside.

Its got to be. It happens during long duration rains when ac unit hasnt ran for weeks.

[Jeff Evans]

Originally Posted by norty1

question, in the picture posted, it looked like the unit was resting on it's side. I was always cautious to not turn the unit upside down or sideways. Did you have to let it sit afterward before running it?

My son had a perfectly good residential freezer/ fridge and when he moved it to a new house he layed it on it's back for the short drive to the new place. The fridge would never freeze after that.

It’s not wise to turn refrigeration equipment on its side. There’s oil in the compressor that travels with the refrigerate during it’s cycle and if it gets on top of the valves in the compressor it can cause the compressor to stall. Refrigerate compressors are like 2 cycle motors. The valves are reeds (spring on top of reed) and they’re low torque motors. It’s always taking a chance if you do turn them on the side.

[Mick]

One thing no one mentioned is to tighten the bolts enough to compress the gasket about half.

[Tunce the traveler]

Sorry for the late response Norty but my unit is working just fine and if you don’t turn it on it’s side then how do you work on it.