New A/C is dripping

[JoAnR]

We just had a new ducted AC installed in our 1998 40’ Mountainaire. I provided the AC and a gasket from Newmar, but the gasket was not installed. We turned AC on over weekend, and the front vent dripped, and the headliner was wet around the vent. Is this normal (newbie here) it was very hot and humid outside.

[Podivin]

No, that's not normal. If there is no gasket installed then I would expect it to leak. An air conditioner creates a lot of water through condensation, the gasket is necessary to keep that water up on the roof where it belongs, and not dripping down inside the RV. I think it's time to invite the installers back so that they can correct the issue they've created.

[rffowler55]

The gasket is designed to prevent what you are incurring. I would take it back to the installer and get them to reinstall with the gasket.

[ThomB]

That makes it sound as if the unit was not tightened down enough to seal the gasket to the top. It's not supposed to be crushed, but should be tight enough to seal out issues like this. You can probably give the inside 4 screws a couple turns to seal it better. On our rv there is a tab that shows how tight it should be to make a proper seal.

[JoAnR]

Thanks, the installer told me to bring it back for them to take a look. Unfortunately it’s an hour and a half away from our house. He assured me there is a gasket (I still don’t understand why he didn’t use the brand new NewMAr gasket I provided him) Oddly there was no charge for the gasket, I would have expected that part added to my invoice. They are very cooperative, he thinks the gasket may have been pinched or a corner rolled under.
So, back we go.
Day trip

[jacwjames]

I just replaced the gaskets and drip pans (most coaches don't have drip pans) last year. The gaskets that I purchased for the Dometic AC's have a peel and stick adhesive on one side. Hard to screw it up if you are paying attention. The OEM gasket is ~1" thick and when you install you only tighten the bolts about 5 in-lbs (not much). You may have to go back later and check but not suppose to over tighten.

Hard to believe a RV repair person would not use gaskets. Also hard to believe an experience repair person could screw it up.

[NCC-1701A]

Originally Posted by jacwjames

The OEM gasket is ~1" thick and when you install you only tighten the bolts about 5 in-lbs (not much). You may have to go back later and check but not suppose to over tighten.

Perhaps different makes have different specs. This from Dometic's installation instructions:

"Evenly tighten the bolts to a torque of 40 to 50 inch pounds. This will
compress the roof gasket to approximately 1/2". "

[wolfe10]

Before making the trip back to the dealer, pretty easy for you to determine if this is a gasket issue or something in the A/C unit itself (clogged condensate drain, improper freeze sensor, etc).


If water gets in when it rains or when you pour water on the roof around the A/C unit, it IS the gasket.

[nomad bull]

The condensation drains were not drilled out on my rig and caused the units to fill up shorting out the communication cables. This was on my first trip out.

[OverDo]

You can also use a thick bed of silicone sealant in place of the gasket. It takes two people to get it done but it’s a permanent solution if the roof is too uneven for the gasket to work properly

[96 Wideglide]

It would be pretty stupid to re-use a 23yr old gasket when they had a brand new one in their hand!

A 23yr old gasket is as crushed as it is going to get!

[hohenwald48]

^^^^^^ What he said ^^^^^^

Also, the gasket used on a Newmar is not the same as a standard gasket. Even if they installed a new standard gasket it could leak due to the difference.

[NCC-1701A]

Originally Posted by hohenwald48

^^^^^^ What he said ^^^^^^

Also, the gasket used on a Newmar is not the same as a standard gasket. Even if they installed a new standard gasket it could leak due to the difference.

Is it that the "main" gasket is actually different than a standard or that in addition to the "main" gasket, Newmar requires some additional gaskets?

I'm not sure if these are the current Newmar procedures since they fail to date their document or have the applicable years it refers to, etc. but I've attached a
link to what I could find as the current document on AC's. I see Newmar states 60 inch pounds (compress to half the thickness).

https://newpar.newmarcorp.com/instan...s/SS2011AC.pdf

I have been interested because I am going to be changing out all three of my seals as my middle AC started a small drip. I purchased the gasket kit from STEELE RUBBER PRODUCTS. While it cost more than the cheap Camco version ($50 on Amazon and shipped from Steele) it has no seams on the corners and it basically comes as a full 17" x 17" square of top-grade EPDM material with the cuts for the outside ring with a 14" opening, a full 14" length insert for dividing, two 7" cutouts for the back balancing blocks, and all the leftover 11" x 13" material to make whatever else might be needed for gasketing materials for your specific application. In my mind, this kit is definitely worth the extra cost for higher quality, seamless design plus extra material to get the job done.

https://www.amazon.com/Steele-Rubber...90612550&psc=1

On Amazon they don't show all the extra material, but I have the product in my hands and it comes all packaged together.

[Spk64]

On Newmar’s it is an extra gasket to separate incoming and outgoing air.
See post#15.
https://www.irv2.com/forums/f103/rep...ml#post4880784