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Old 07-21-2008, 03:13 PM   #1
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AC Question

We took our first trip in out new 08 21FB Micro Lite Flagstaff by Forrest River last week.Keeping cool was no problem worked fine.My question is that the other campers around me had water running off the roof and ours did not.Is there anything to be worried about? Thanks
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Old 07-21-2008, 03:35 PM   #2
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i am not sure what brand of a/c you have, but for some reason some of them dont drill drain holes in the lower casing and actually use some of the condensate water to help chill the rv. my front a/c has the drain holes to far aft to drain before it runs over the casing sides, so i added a few up front to help drainage.
the rear a/c has holes that get clogged about once a month with dead bugs and the like.
you may want to go up top and look and see if you have drain holes and if they are free of debris.
right now mine is on HIGH fan and only drips a few drips, but after it shuts off it dumps about 1 quart over the side,
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Old 07-21-2008, 03:42 PM   #3
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Dometic
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Old 07-21-2008, 04:20 PM   #4
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Dometic
i would look to see if the drain is blocked
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Old 07-22-2008, 07:41 AM   #5
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I would check the drain as suggested but a/c's are funny. Mine "pours" water off the roof. My BIL had one that never dripped a drop. It worried him till he got on the roof and found that the roof had a slight sag in it and it was holding the water on the roof. He had the mfg fix the roof and all was well. He dripped water like the rest of us. I should preface all this by saying that we live in the wettest part of the state and if your a/c don't drip here there's something wrong. Today it's gonna be 90ºF with about 75% humidity. WHEW!!!!
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Old 07-22-2008, 03:23 PM   #6
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Thanks for the tips.I will do some checking and see what I can come up with.
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Old 07-22-2008, 09:28 PM   #7
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Under normal conditions In a house once the humidity has been removed or it is under control condensate will slow down a bit. Insulation factors are much better in a house, but when it comes to TT or RV's It is different, the walls are thin, the windows are thinner, the door seals do not seal properly, the rubber around the slide outs leak and If there is more then one slide out then there is more leakage, then you have sky lites and air vents in the roof, now the floor, heat is transfered from the frame to the bottom of the camper and warms the floor no alot but it adds to the heat load. The condensate that you see on the roof and dripping down the camper side is humidity that is being removed by the A/C unit from in side of the camper. When the A/C is on air is returning back to the A/C unit at the return and through the filter then it passes though the evaporator coil where the heat is being removed. The refrigrant in the coil obsorbs the heat from the air, this is called (HEAT TRANSFER) then it is transfered to the compressor and condensing coil then discharged to the out side. Along with the return air there is moisture that is in the air, when the warm or hot air passes though the evaporator the moisture condenses on the coil and that is known as condensation and it is discharged out side. As long as the humidity is high there should always be condensate. The normal range for humidity levels is 45-55% for people. Just a few days ago where I live the temp was at 93 degrees but the humidity was at 30%, for the amount of condensate that was produced from my A/C unit it was evaporating right off of the roof, It never had a chance to hit the ground. The heat gain on a TT or RV is tremendous with air leaks and lack of Insulation, A/C units run almost all the time and that's ok. I suggest to leave the fan control on ON so it keeps the air moving all the time and this will help with hot spots in the camper.
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Old 07-29-2008, 07:31 PM   #8
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Here's what I found out. The air conditioner is dripping water,but the roof is sagging and holding the water.I will call the rv dealer and see what he tells me. from looking at the whole roof it looks like it was made that way.
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Old 07-30-2008, 04:18 AM   #9
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Here's what I found out. The air conditioner is dripping water,but the roof is sagging and holding the water.I will call the rv dealer and see what he tells me. from looking at the whole roof it looks like it was made that way.
I don't think a sagging roof is part of the design. I hope the dealer as a solution and that there is no structural defects. Can you see any problems from the inside in that area?
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Old 07-30-2008, 05:28 PM   #10
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Camper level side to side and end to end I poured 4 1/2 gallons water of water on top and still did not run off. I have a call in to the RV dealer. See what he has to say.
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Old 07-31-2008, 07:22 AM   #11
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If I were you I'd take pictures of the roof and the ceiling with and without water on it. I'd also get a straight edge and check the sag inside and out and take pictures of that. Also take a pic or two of the straightedge on a flat surface. Better thing to use is a string and gauge blocks and measure the sag. Your dealer may well tell you it's normal. If they do I'd demand a letter stating that the amount of sag you have is normal from Forest River and from the dealer. Be persistant about either getting it fixed or getting the letters signed by someone of authority at FR and the dealer. Make at least three copies and send one to Forest River, one to the dealer and keep one in a safe place for future reference. Sign and date the copies and it's not a bad idea to put the VIN on them either.

Now to the fix. They can take the roof off and place a positive bowed stiffener(s) (bowed in the up direction) along side the rafter(s), jack the roof up and secure the stiffener(s) to the rafter(s) and bring the sag out that way. They'll probably want the unit back at the factory to do it.

P.S. Never admit to walking on the roof. Don't let the dealer try to put anything under the ceiling to fix the problem. That'll ruin any resale value it may have in the future.

I'm not trying to scare you. This can be fixed and as far a that goes it's not as terrible as it sounds. It may indeed be a normal amount of sag and may not be a problem at all but, a little CYA goes a long way if something happens down the road.
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Old 07-31-2008, 05:05 PM   #12
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I talked to Dealer today.He said for me to bring it by and leave it. He said it sounded like they may have to peel the roof back to repair it. I will take it saturday and leave it. I will post the out come after I know something. Thanks to ALL for your input.
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Old 08-06-2008, 08:04 PM   #13
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RV dealer said it was only 1/8" slag and Forest River said it had to be at lease 1/2" before they would fix it. He said the water standing would not hurt anything and that the Dicor sealers would not let water leak around the vents. He said Sorry but Forest River was not going to pay them $6000.00 to fix a 1/8" sag.
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Old 08-07-2008, 07:28 AM   #14
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That sounds reasonable. I wouldn't worry about it. A 1/8" sag will hold a good bit of water and it'll evaporate quickly on a flat surface like that. That's why you have no runoff. Definitely keep a check on it though. Also, keep a check on the sealant around the vents. There is also a soft rubber gasket sealing the A/C to the roof that requires periodic tightening (maybe once/year). Be careful not to tighten it too much or you'll cause it to leak. It's very soft material so the bolts are only a little more than finger tight. You have to pull the inside grill off to get to the 4 bolts.
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Old 08-07-2008, 10:32 AM   #15
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Question. Did you check the amount of sag yourself as previously suggested? It might not be the best idea in the world just to rely on what the dealer said.
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