NN5I
09-22-2016, 11:55 AM
Yesterday I got hit on the head by a big drop of cold water inside the Diesel Pusher. It was from the front A/C. Bummer.
It wasn't raining, but the A/C wax running, so it had to be condensed water from the evaporator coil.
Set front A/C to fan only and fired up the rear A/C. It can wait until morning.
Time to do some Internet research. Under the evaporator there is a little pan to catch condensed water. This has drain holes to drain onto the roof. All research pointed to the probability that these drain holes were clogged. Looks like the only way to get at them is from the top.
This morning at sunup I climbed atop the DP to remove the big plastic shroud from the front A/C. Screws wouldn't budge.
Can't find my#3 Phillips screwdriver bit, so off to Lowe's to get another. With the bit in a socket on a speed handle (crank-type socket handle) they came right out. Whew.
Off with the shroud, four big screws. Off with the evaporator cover, three big pieces of sheet metal, about thirty smaller screws. Thirty!
Surprise! Still can't really get at the drain holes. But with a flashlight I can see where they are. I can see them from above, so they're not clogged from above. Must be clogged from below. Scrape around under the edges of the A/C on the roof, fetching a lot of pine straw. Climb down and fire up the A/C. Climb up and mirabile dictu, water is running out on the roof, just like it's supposed to, where I scraped out the pine straw.
I needn't have taken anything apart. But as long as it was apart, I cleaned the evaporator coils with a brush even though they didn't really seem to need it.
Reinstall the sheet metal, all thirty screws (gotta lie on my side on the now-wet roof). Reinstall the plastic shroud.
Both A/C running now for about an hour, no dripping inside.
Moral: If condensed water drips from your roof A/C, before taking anything apart use a popsicle stick or a piece of small dowel or something to clean under the edges of the A/C on the roof. Had I done that first, I would have saved a lot of sweat. Learn something every day. At my age, forget it tomorrow.
It wasn't raining, but the A/C wax running, so it had to be condensed water from the evaporator coil.
Set front A/C to fan only and fired up the rear A/C. It can wait until morning.
Time to do some Internet research. Under the evaporator there is a little pan to catch condensed water. This has drain holes to drain onto the roof. All research pointed to the probability that these drain holes were clogged. Looks like the only way to get at them is from the top.
This morning at sunup I climbed atop the DP to remove the big plastic shroud from the front A/C. Screws wouldn't budge.
Can't find my#3 Phillips screwdriver bit, so off to Lowe's to get another. With the bit in a socket on a speed handle (crank-type socket handle) they came right out. Whew.
Off with the shroud, four big screws. Off with the evaporator cover, three big pieces of sheet metal, about thirty smaller screws. Thirty!
Surprise! Still can't really get at the drain holes. But with a flashlight I can see where they are. I can see them from above, so they're not clogged from above. Must be clogged from below. Scrape around under the edges of the A/C on the roof, fetching a lot of pine straw. Climb down and fire up the A/C. Climb up and mirabile dictu, water is running out on the roof, just like it's supposed to, where I scraped out the pine straw.
I needn't have taken anything apart. But as long as it was apart, I cleaned the evaporator coils with a brush even though they didn't really seem to need it.
Reinstall the sheet metal, all thirty screws (gotta lie on my side on the now-wet roof). Reinstall the plastic shroud.
Both A/C running now for about an hour, no dripping inside.
Moral: If condensed water drips from your roof A/C, before taking anything apart use a popsicle stick or a piece of small dowel or something to clean under the edges of the A/C on the roof. Had I done that first, I would have saved a lot of sweat. Learn something every day. At my age, forget it tomorrow.