Home From Lonf Weekend Trip.....with some problems

[Dave Siegel]

We left last Friday to go to my Son's house in Deland and stayed until Tuesday. The bus could not have run any better. This time I was very careful with my mileage and fuel calculations and I figure that we got 9.48 miles per gallon. (My previous record is 8.4) I ran at a constant 60-62 mph and there was very little cross wind. We didn't tow anything.

And Hey Jack! I put you out of a job with my new antenna. As you all know I have struggled for years trying to get a portable satellite antenna to receive signals. It seems that Jack Conrad or someone there always had to come and set up the darn dish for me. I even went to Camping World and bought one of the automatic Winegard satellite antennas and it turned out that that one was defective, and it didn't work. Well I finally drilled some holes in the roof and installed a Winegard Batwing with the Hi Def extension nose. I pulled into my son's yard. Cranked up the antenna, set the tv to auto scan for channels and within 1 1/2 minutes hi def tv was on the screen. WOW! What a picture. (So I won't watch the Food Channel for a weekend. While we're out.)

Here's the problem. We have two Coleman roof top A/C's and they both leaked on the floor like someone was pouring a hose up there. I have made a post similar to this and I was told to remove the shrouds and check for blockage and I saw none. This is a serious problem because of where we live we depend on A/C even for the shortest time in the coach. What can be done?

Dave

[redbus]

How old are the A/Cs? Colman had a problem with the plastic drip pans cracking.

[Dave Siegel]

They are about 6-7 years old.

Keep in mind that I have a covered roof pole barn that I keep the bus in, so they have been exposed very little to outside elements. We also use the bus very seldom. (I know that is not a good thing but we have very little time to go out anymore.)

Dave

[JackConrad]

Dave,
  This is probably a long shot, but you might remove the inside cover and check the 4 bolts that clamp the top and inside parts together. The thick gasket on the roof may have shrank over time. Glad to see you got an antenna working.  Jack

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Hi Dave,

I would have to agree with Jack on the gaskets but, it's hard to belive that both failed....

I would then have to lean twards low refrigerant. If they iced up, the ice would block the drain

ports and spill over. Did the leak take a couple hours to start?

Nick-

[Dave Siegel]

The leaks start almost immediately. And they seem to diminish as they are run, but they continue to leak like.... drip drip drip drip.

Dave

[niles500]

Blocked/plugged drain?

[Dreamscape]

We also have one that started dripping yesterday. I'm going on the roof, pull off the shroud and see what's up. Ours usually is OK in a dry climate, had some humidity yesterday. I need to clean them up anyway. I think the condensor coil might be freezing up, but will know tomorrow. I really need to replace them, they are probably older than the bus! I just don't want them to die in the middle of summer, it's gets darn hot here!

[Dave Siegel]

While you're up there perhaps you can take a picture of what I am supposed to be looking for . I have had the shrouds off and I can't see anything that even resembles a drain line.

Dave

[niles500]

Dave - somewhere in the pan there should be a weep hole or outlet for the condensation to drip from - not knowing your AC model I would say you may just have to look for it - HTH

[Dave Siegel]

They are both the Coleman Max model 15K's

[niles500]

Dave - I'm assuming it's a "Mach" unit - that being said the schematics online don't identify the location of the condensation discharge point(s) on the pan - If you can get on the roof and look on the underside of the unit you should be able to spot it - then "rod" it out with something of appropriate size - sorry I couldn't be more helpful

[Dreamscape]

Dave, I won't get to it until sometime next week. You'll just have to look around, because I have no idea myself.

[Dave Siegel]

I will get up on the roof Sunday AM and look under the units for some sort of drain. Since we have a lot of mud daubbers down here, it is possible they might have plugged the holes. I have also found tubes and hoses plugged with stupid chameleons or skinks that have found that a tube is only one way to death.

I'll take pics if I find anything.

Thanks for all the advice.

Dave

[JohnEd]

Dave,

If it starts right off to leak then you are not freezing up as the cause of the drip.   Doesn't mean that youaren't freezing later.  If "later" you have the drip AND full air flow blasting out on Hi, then you are proving that you aren't freezing up then either.

In the top side you have a pan/containment area of sorts.  They use the water that runs off of the evap coils to help cool the condenser.  Really improves the unit efficiency so you want the water up there.  In dry heat the condenser will evap all the condensate.  In hi humidity there is a lot left over to run down the side of the coach.  That collection pan takes a while to fill and pass water back to the condenser so if you get water quickly then that pan must be leaking before it gets full and passes water on.

Ideally the concenser will use the condensate and spill the water down the side of the roof.  If the main roof gasket is not secure then some of that water might run back into the bus from outside.  In that case you could get a leak from a perfectly operating unit.  Installation problem.  If the same guy installed  both then you might logically look for the same problem in both.

Pull the inside shroud off of the unit and determine "where" the water is coming from.  The cracked pan seems the most probable.  That pan is under the shroud so being under a roof won't make much difference in its life span.  Bad plastic formulation.

HTH

John