Just about everyone who owns any type of RV has been told that they must periodically reseal all the areas on or near their roof to protect against potential leaks. There’s another potential leak source that is just as likely to cause problem leaks as those seams and vents. What is it?
It’s the seal of roof-mounted air conditioners. Those air conditioners sit on top of the RV but between them and the roof is a 14-inch by 14-inch gasket or seal. That seal is very thick—up to 4 inches—and the unit actually sits on top of the seal.
Over time, the seal compresses under the air conditioner’s weight. With time and constant movement, the cooling unit can become loose in its mounting hole through the roof and voila! – a potential leak.
It’s usually very easy to access the bolts that snug the air conditioner to the roof. This is done by opening or removing the interior return grille on each unit, thus exposing three or four through-bolts and nuts. In turn, this hardware can then be snugged down with a socket, ratchet and extension – tools that almost everyone owns.
A leak created by a loose air conditioner can easily traverse the interior of the roof and drip out in areas far from the leak, complicating efforts to determine the source. Checking the tightness of your air conditioner should be on your list of maintenance items to be checked yearly. It could save you lots of dollars.
Courtesy: Motorhomes of Texas
Don’t have a SoftStartRV™ for your RV’s A/C? You need one! Here’s why.
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RVT1264
I had a 2012 Cedar Creek fifth wheel, when it was five years old I noticed the roof was getting soft behind the rear air conditioner. I removed the AC unit and found when the camper was assembled they did not line the AC gasket with the square hole in the roof! I had to replace all of the roof from the AC unit back. Luckily there was no interior damage! I was able to remove and put back the rubber roof material.
Good tip, thanks.
So how do you tighten the bolts if your primary AC doesn’t have that big filter grill?
You will have to see how your A/C unit is mounted. Many ducted units do not have the mounting bolts as shown.
I have a Newmar and they install a metal plate in the roof, under the fiberglass, around each AC area. They screw the unit to that metal plate. So, to ensure they are snug, I go on the roof and remove the AC cover (something I do anyway to clean the AC unit annually). The four mounting bolt heads are clearly visible.
Net, check with your manufacturer to see how they mount the AC unit and go from there.
There are specific instruction provided by most air conditioner manufacturers on how to properly tighten the hold down bolts. Damage can be also done by over tightening the bolts. They should be checked at least annually.
Thank you for the reminder to include the roof air conditioner units in the periodic check of roof seals, RV Travel. Have a great week and safe travels!
Just a note on a/c hold down bolts. I have the Coleman/Mach units and they recommend a torque of 13 to 15 inch pounds. I torqued them to 14 and couldn’t believe how loose they were. Definitely worth checking out. We have a 2004 Fleetwood Bounder bought in 2016 and don’t think the torque was ever checked.