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jestal · 09-19-2014, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nowabeachbum

It doesn't really need a hose.

With no hose the condensate runs down the wire trough and drips onto the generator connectors and causes corrosion and other problems. Documented cases already on forum several times...........

So...just out of curiosity why would you say it doesn't need a hose...???

Nowabeachbum · 09-19-2014, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jestal

With no hose the condensate runs down the wire trough and drips onto the generator connectors and causes corrosion and other problems. Documented cases already on forum several times...........

So...just out of curiosity why would you say it doesn't need a hose...???

Mine drops on the top of the generator. There is no "wire trough". The only wires near it have a waterproof connection and there is no place for water to pool. I have had 2 Anthems and neither had a drain tube. I haven't had any issues drain tube related. The area actually stays relatively clean.
Btw, I also doubt if you had a completely blocked drain tube that you would ever know it since it would drain out the fresh air intake.

jestal · 09-20-2014, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nowabeachbum

Mine drops on the top of the generator. There is no "wire trough". The only wires near it have a waterproof connection and there is no place for water to pool. I have had 2 Anthems and neither had a drain tube. I haven't had any issues drain tube related. The area actually stays relatively clean.
Btw, I also doubt if you had a completely blocked drain tube that you would ever know it since it would drain out the fresh air intake.

Sorry about my syntax. There is a metal shelf angled downward from left to right (of the coach) that supports wiring, heater hoses, the AC evaporator feed line, etc. That is what I was referring to as the "wiring trough". I'm sure your Anthem has one of those as all of them (including mine) I have looked at had it. The water from the evaporator drips onto that without a hose and runs off the end and drips onto the generator and an unsealed junction box with wires inside.

Glad you have had no problems. Leave the hose off.

On the other hand my experience as an automotive engineer is that dumping water onto electrical stuff (sealed or not) is just not good practice as sooner or later those seals fail or the water finds itself into the wrong place when you are parked at a funny angle for the first time.

Good design practice is to put a hose on the evaporator drain and route it to an exit where it cannot end up on anything electrical or that would be water or rust sensitive.

If the hose was blocked the HVAC case probably would fill up and spill out of those "fresh air" openings. I am not going to test it as more than often in HVAC systems with no evaporator drain the water ends up pooling and getting sucked thru the system and ends up in the carpet in the cabin. Letting it pool without an active drain also tends to cause algae and mold to form which can result in nasty smells from the HVAC system . Proven fact. Been there and done that. All that dust on the evaporator and heater core from those unfiltered fresh air inlet openings just aggravates the system and gives the algae something to eat.

That is why my fresh air openings now have panel filter elements over them to filter all fresh air inlet to keep the dust out of the cabin as you rool thru a campground in a cloud of dust from the generator or AC condenser fan.

Sorry to run on. Just cannot forget all those years of trying to prevent automotive HVAC problems like this.......:-)

Flora · 09-20-2014, 11:19 AM

I agree - mine was missing and I installed a hose today and ran it to the front and down below the frame edge. John

Nowabeachbum · 09-20-2014, 12:03 PM

Jestal, I agree with everything you've said. I am simply suggesting that, in this case, what you don't know will probably not hurt you. If you want to install a drain hose, go for it. If you are worried that it might cause problems down the road, there are about 487,000 things that will probably happen first. It sounds like Entegra may have added a hose somewhere along the line, don't know.
I did have a problem with condensate but it happened on the inside with the uninsulated duct hose "sweating" and dripping on the electronics in the dash that don't have weatherproof connections. Had to wrap the ducting. Btw, my career was in heavy duty mobile hvac as well, beginning with Evans-Tempcon(then Evans Products).
Of the things discussed about the dash ac, the more serious issue is the unfiltered fresh air door. I was surprised that they even had a working fresh air door. And while it is fine to be used as a vent, it should never be opened with the air conditioning on, which of course it is in regular ac mode. In the max ac mode it is closed. I would advise everyone to run the ac in max mode only. Adding the filter is a good idea and certainly something Entegra should do.

jestal · 09-21-2014, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nowabeachbum

Jestal, I agree with everything you've said. I am simply suggesting that, in this case, what you don't know will probably not hurt you. If you want to install a drain hose, go for it. If you are worried that it might cause problems down the road, there are about 487,000 things that will probably happen first. It sounds like Entegra may have added a hose somewhere along the line, don't know.
I did have a problem with condensate but it happened on the inside with the uninsulated duct hose "sweating" and dripping on the electronics in the dash that don't have weatherproof connections. Had to wrap the ducting. Btw, my career was in heavy duty mobile hvac as well, beginning with Evans-Tempcon(then Evans Products).
Of the things discussed about the dash ac, the more serious issue is the unfiltered fresh air door. I was surprised that they even had a working fresh air door. And while it is fine to be used as a vent, it should never be opened with the air conditioning on, which of course it is in regular ac mode. In the max ac mode it is closed. I would advise everyone to run the ac in max mode only. Adding the filter is a good idea and certainly something Entegra should do.

I think I started the discussion about the lack of filter as I was appalled at the amount of dust entering the coach when idling along in an unpaved lot. It is totally unacceptable and I have used Max AC to force internal recirc mode since then. The only problem with this is any other mode...like heat, defrost, etc. the system will go back to fresh air inlet. I just use max AC for everything now and even marked the dial with a piece of tape. My fresh air doors are positively filthy and the evaporator I can see with a mirror is covered with dust and dirt.

I tried a quick and dirty filter addition: a small pleated air filter from Briggs and Stratton covers the two openings almost perfectly..at least for a prototype. I tried just attaching them with two sided trim taped and the setup looked so perfect I thought I had it made......duh. Unfortunately, as you sort of predicted the water raining down from the evaporator when in fresh air mode almost immediately soaks the filters and they would never last very long. The inernal recirc door seems to catch and direct most of the condensate to the drain as a steady stream ensued. Any approach to a filter on the inlet air will need to divorce them from the immediate fresh air openings which makes the ducting much more difficult to fabricate.

I did look at air flow from the outlets with and without the filters and there was no loss of flow with the filters in place....until they became sodden with condensate and my joy turned to dismay. Back to the old drawing board.