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Why is my rooftop AC leaking?

By Sophia Aguilar |

Why is my rooftop AC leaking?

Another common culprit of leaking from the air conditioner into your RV is a clogged drain pan. Sometimes the drain pan gets clogged with dirt, leaves and other debris, prohibiting the water from draining through the small hole in the pan and onto the roof.

What causes an air conditioner to leak from the front?

A clogged condensate drain line is the most common cause of water leaking from your AC into your home. If the drain line gets clogged with dust, dirt, sludge or mold, that water backs up into your home. There are multiple unclogging methods, like using a wet/dry vac on the condensate line.

Why does my air conditioner leak on the roof?

The reason for this gap is that on most roof top A/C/ units, the condensation drains out the bottom of the unit- between the base of the air conditioner and the roof.

What to do when your air conditioner is leaking?

For either “rain only” or “while A/C is running” leaks, first make certain there is at least 1/2 inch of gasket left (it is not tightened right down to the roof), then check the bolt for tightness- just make sure they are all snug, but don’t over tighten – there must be the gap between the bottom of the A/C and the roof.

How is an air conditioner sealed to the roof?

The main thing to keep in mind, is that the air conditioner is sealed to the roof using a sponge rubber gasket- this gasket is compressable, and really is a long term maintenance item (they can last years, but not forever). This gasket is compressed by 3 or 4 bolts running from the inside assembly up to the top.

Why does my RV air conditioner keep leaking water?

Lets see the reasons in detail. One of the most common causes of the water leaking from air conditioner in RV is drain pan not able to drain the water properly. Which ideally should drain the water from the evaporator coil on the roof instead of inside of the RV.

Why is my air conditioner leaking on the roof of my RV?

When mounting an air conditioning unit onto the roof of an RV, a rubber gasket and mounting bolts are required to lock it into place. One or both of these parts can shift or become damaged, causing leaks over time. The rubber gasket is clamped between the top of your RV and the air conditioning unit.

For either “rain only” or “while A/C is running” leaks, first make certain there is at least 1/2 inch of gasket left (it is not tightened right down to the roof), then check the bolt for tightness- just make sure they are all snug, but don’t over tighten – there must be the gap between the bottom of the A/C and the roof.

What causes an air conditioner drain pan to leak?

The main function of the drain pan is to obviously collect the water from the evaporator coil which is due to the air conditioning process. When you start the air conditioner inside the RV, the evaporator coils start to become cold. The process starts to remove moist air from inside of the RV, and the cold air is pushed inside of the RV.

The main thing to keep in mind, is that the air conditioner is sealed to the roof using a sponge rubber gasket- this gasket is compressable, and really is a long term maintenance item (they can last years, but not forever). This gasket is compressed by 3 or 4 bolts running from the inside assembly up to the top.