A/C leaking condsentation into interior 2016 Madison
- Thread starter lve2fsh
- Start date
jimtoo
Moderator
Hi Ive2fsh,
Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and to the family. We have a great bunch of folks here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed.
There are several things that can cause the water leak. The first thing I would check is to make sure the drain on the unit is not plugged up and overflowing to the inside instead of draining on the roof. Also is the compressor cycling? There is a temperature sensor clipped to the evaporator fins to prevent freeze up and ice build up and leaking inside. Also I think a couple of folks have found the 4 bolts that secure the unit and compress the seal have been loose and allowing a leak there to the inside. We have some good manuals under the "Tools" tab at the top of the page also. I'm sure some of our other members will jump in soon. Let us know what you find.
Be sure and check out our Heartland Owners Club. Join us at a rally when you can and meet lots of the great folks here and make friends for a lifetime.
Enjoy the forum.
Jim M
Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and to the family. We have a great bunch of folks here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed.
There are several things that can cause the water leak. The first thing I would check is to make sure the drain on the unit is not plugged up and overflowing to the inside instead of draining on the roof. Also is the compressor cycling? There is a temperature sensor clipped to the evaporator fins to prevent freeze up and ice build up and leaking inside. Also I think a couple of folks have found the 4 bolts that secure the unit and compress the seal have been loose and allowing a leak there to the inside. We have some good manuals under the "Tools" tab at the top of the page also. I'm sure some of our other members will jump in soon. Let us know what you find.
Be sure and check out our Heartland Owners Club. Join us at a rally when you can and meet lots of the great folks here and make friends for a lifetime.
Enjoy the forum.
Jim M
carl.swoyer
Well-known member
Your mixing box is leaking and blending warm and cold air. I had the same problem with my 2012. It's also possible that the ac roof seal is not tight enough.
Carl & Christine, 2012 Landmark Rushmore, 2005 Silverado crew cab lt 8 foot bed 6.6 lly /Allison -custom dual exhaust-205000 miles !
Carl & Christine, 2012 Landmark Rushmore, 2005 Silverado crew cab lt 8 foot bed 6.6 lly /Allison -custom dual exhaust-205000 miles !
mikeandconnie
Well-known member
Make sure your rig is level. My auto level was out of level and my ac was leaking condensation. I re-leveled and calibrated and the condensation coming in
went away.
went away.
carl.swoyer
Well-known member
Go up on the roof when this happens. Remove both ac covers and see if the tray is Full of water..ie supporting the block drain theory. Condensation on the interior ceiling is from hot and cold air mixing. When this happens water pools collects then runs through your ceiling.
Carl & Christine, 2012 Landmark Rushmore, 2005 Silverado crew cab lt 8 foot bed 6.6 lly /Allison -custom dual exhaust-205000 miles !
Carl & Christine, 2012 Landmark Rushmore, 2005 Silverado crew cab lt 8 foot bed 6.6 lly /Allison -custom dual exhaust-205000 miles !
carl.swoyer
Well-known member
I had this problem with my rig in 2012. manufacturing moves so fast! ? My ceiling in the bedroom has blistering from the water damage. 😠
Carl & Christine, 2012 Landmark Rushmore, 2005 Silverado crew cab lt 8 foot bed 6.6 lly /Allison -custom dual exhaust-205000 miles !
Carl & Christine, 2012 Landmark Rushmore, 2005 Silverado crew cab lt 8 foot bed 6.6 lly /Allison -custom dual exhaust-205000 miles !
DavidAndWendy
Member
Same thing happening in our 'right off the lot' 2017 Big Horn. Very disappointing to not be able to stay in it over the holiday weekend 
So hauled it back to the dealer today.
After we cranked up the A/c in front and rear after abour 30 min the rear started leaking water, like rain pouring from ceiling across one seam from one side of rv to the other. Turned it off and shortly later the front a/c (in lounge area) starting getting E1 error and quit working. Haven't heard back from dealer what the problem is yet
So hauled it back to the dealer today.
After we cranked up the A/c in front and rear after abour 30 min the rear started leaking water, like rain pouring from ceiling across one seam from one side of rv to the other. Turned it off and shortly later the front a/c (in lounge area) starting getting E1 error and quit working. Haven't heard back from dealer what the problem is yet
NHCelt
Well-known member
See my posts on ac issues, but unless your ac is freezing the issue is likely a gasket that needs to be tightened. Both ac units on my Bighorn manufactured 2/16 leaked. Re-leveling just means that you are directing the condensate to another spot...it may temporarily stop the leak but is not a solution. If you have ac units with no inside access, remove the ac shrouds from above and look for the 4 bolts covered in dicor...these are the bolts that will tighten the ac down on the gasket. Prior to tightening, check to ensure that the ac sits squarely on the gasket. My experience is that the bolts are about the correct tightness when you feel them start to snug and see that the gasket is showing compression around the center. The gasket is all that keeps rain and condensate out.
The approx. torque is 40 inch " lbs. per dometic ...if you have the new blizzard. The visual translation for that is that the gasket should be starting to bulge from the middle and you will start to feel it snugging. Don't just crank down on it. Took about 8 turns of the mounting bolts to resolve the issue.
It could be a cracked or broken /clogged drip tray but my first bet is the gasket.
Celt
- - - Updated - - -
Also, if you are freezing up, a likely cause is the end of run foam blocks leaking cold air into intake air. Took a lot of rv mechanics to figure out what was going on. I feel pretty well versed at this point. This seems to be a very common issue suddenly. Heartland may have someone new on line.
The approx. torque is 40 inch " lbs. per dometic ...if you have the new blizzard. The visual translation for that is that the gasket should be starting to bulge from the middle and you will start to feel it snugging. Don't just crank down on it. Took about 8 turns of the mounting bolts to resolve the issue.
It could be a cracked or broken /clogged drip tray but my first bet is the gasket.
Celt
- - - Updated - - -
Also, if you are freezing up, a likely cause is the end of run foam blocks leaking cold air into intake air. Took a lot of rv mechanics to figure out what was going on. I feel pretty well versed at this point. This seems to be a very common issue suddenly. Heartland may have someone new on line.
I have a new 2016 Bighorn. it is just weeks old.. We stopped in Memphis TN, Both Whisper units worked fine. It also rained, HARD.. No problems.
They both cycled on and off and kept us comfy. We are now in Nashville,both worked fine under semi hot conditions. We left the camper for 4 hours yesterday.it was hot, The bedroom air drained thru the intake ceiling vent and covered the bed and floor. Upon further inspection, I found water marks in the ceiling from where is was just spreading until it ran long enough to get to the vent.
I took the top cover off the unit. Being new, obviously all was clean and open, but I found water puddled in the tray/box on the intake side. On the output side, under the squirrel cage, the foil was wet, no puddles. I will assume the water puddling in the foil tray on the input side is normal. The tray/box has foil and sheet metal lining it and on the corner where the input duct comes in, the foil doesn't not meet the sheet metal duct, the water is escaping outside the box, running across the ceiling and caused the damage I have found. Again,assuming the tray/box should have some condensation in it, and the unit works fine, poor workmanship has left that corner open, and damaged the ceiling, our bed and rug.
They both cycled on and off and kept us comfy. We are now in Nashville,both worked fine under semi hot conditions. We left the camper for 4 hours yesterday.it was hot, The bedroom air drained thru the intake ceiling vent and covered the bed and floor. Upon further inspection, I found water marks in the ceiling from where is was just spreading until it ran long enough to get to the vent.
I took the top cover off the unit. Being new, obviously all was clean and open, but I found water puddled in the tray/box on the intake side. On the output side, under the squirrel cage, the foil was wet, no puddles. I will assume the water puddling in the foil tray on the input side is normal. The tray/box has foil and sheet metal lining it and on the corner where the input duct comes in, the foil doesn't not meet the sheet metal duct, the water is escaping outside the box, running across the ceiling and caused the damage I have found. Again,assuming the tray/box should have some condensation in it, and the unit works fine, poor workmanship has left that corner open, and damaged the ceiling, our bed and rug.
NHCelt
Well-known member
redmancb...I don't think that is normal. I think water is getting past your gaskets. There seems to be a lot of that with this new dometic blizzard nxt a/c.
Both of mine leaked, and it will likely worsen if the gaskets are not sufficiently compressed.
On edit, the duct-work gap you mention is the same in mine, and allows some air leakage, but isn't causing your leak. Freeze-ups in this ducted system seem to be mostly related to air blowing past the end of run foam blocks and mixing in the plenum. Leaks either from freezeups or loose gaskets.
For me, the one constant has been that most rv techs don't have much knowledge of these whisper quiet systems.
Both of mine leaked, and it will likely worsen if the gaskets are not sufficiently compressed.
On edit, the duct-work gap you mention is the same in mine, and allows some air leakage, but isn't causing your leak. Freeze-ups in this ducted system seem to be mostly related to air blowing past the end of run foam blocks and mixing in the plenum. Leaks either from freezeups or loose gaskets.
For me, the one constant has been that most rv techs don't have much knowledge of these whisper quiet systems.
DavidAndWendy
Member
Yep.. poor workmanship indeed. We are still very new to this and have already heard so many stories of poor workmanship with Heartland campers. Such a shame because they appear so nice on the surface and are beauties. Seems to be very little Quality Assurance testing involved with these things. And the dealer even admitted to it... said that once they fix the a/c it will be even better than right off the lot because they take their time and do it right. COME ON HEARTLAND.. DON'T ROLL OUT SHODDY WORK! OK, rant over.
I ran 2 businesses over 20 years. Both very successful and I sold them at a premium due to my mind set of doing it right the first time, period. Obviously, the shoddy product creates work for the dealer BUT also a bad reputation for the builder... I opened the A/C again, and found the gasket people here are talking about. It is tight around the perimeter BUT the gasket has a 1/4 of play between the intake and output chamber of the unit.I can touch my fingers thru the open area. I found the 4 bolts snug, so this must go to the dealer when I get home. My ceiling in the bedroom has a line of bubbled panel, and a cross line of water stains. The ceiling should be replaced due to the failure of the builder to do it right the first time. Not to mention the soaked mattress and rug... I don't know what other structural damage behind the ceiling panel may be found.
carl.swoyer
Well-known member
I had the same problem. hot and cold air mixing creating condensation. I have a blistering and delamination as well.
Carl & Christine, 2012 Landmark Rushmore, 2005 Silverado crew cab lt 8 foot bed 6.6 lly /Allison -custom dual exhaust-205000 miles !
Carl & Christine, 2012 Landmark Rushmore, 2005 Silverado crew cab lt 8 foot bed 6.6 lly /Allison -custom dual exhaust-205000 miles !
NHCelt
Well-known member
Yes, the four bolts with Dicor are the ones. There is no way to tell if they are properly tightened without looking at the gasket. From this pic you can not see the gaskets that seal the base around the plenums. To see this, you have to carefully remove the foam covers and examine the black gasket between the ac base and roof. Be careful removing the covers as there is some adhesive around wires and stuff. The air exchanges are separate, and both seal with compression gaskets. If the gaskets do not show compression by demonstrating a bulge in the middle, then they are not tight enough. I got a good 8 turns on mine before the gasket showed signs of compression. They were so loose they felt stripped. I think they are a fine threaded bolt.
It took me three rv techs to get to the point that the front ac was fixed. I decided it was easier to fix the rear one myself. The level of incompetence is amazing.
Dometic said 40 inch lbs, but I did not have an appropriate torque wrench, so I went by sight and feel. You will feel the bolts starting to snug...but you won't be wrenching them down tight.
While you have it open, it is a good time to check the condensate drip tray for construction debris and make sure the drain holes are clear.
QUOTE=SNOKING;489897]Took the cover off the front AC unit. This is what I saw. Not sure if the bolts sealed with Dicor are the ones people say are lose. The unit appeared to be tighened correctly. There are other small bolt a few inches inboard from the ones with Dicor. Chris
[/QUOTE]
It took me three rv techs to get to the point that the front ac was fixed. I decided it was easier to fix the rear one myself. The level of incompetence is amazing.
Dometic said 40 inch lbs, but I did not have an appropriate torque wrench, so I went by sight and feel. You will feel the bolts starting to snug...but you won't be wrenching them down tight.
While you have it open, it is a good time to check the condensate drip tray for construction debris and make sure the drain holes are clear.
QUOTE=SNOKING;489897]Took the cover off the front AC unit. This is what I saw. Not sure if the bolts sealed with Dicor are the ones people say are lose. The unit appeared to be tighened correctly. There are other small bolt a few inches inboard from the ones with Dicor. Chris
[/QUOTE]
SNOKING
Well-known member
Thanks. I will see what Heartland has to say. I want the issue documented with them. I wonder if the 32 degrees is a read out of a iced up condition. I got the 32 degree read out for a few hours.
At the location of the hold down bolts I could see a pinched rubber piece(not black) between the bottom of the unit and roof.
BTW paper work in the blue bag on the thermostats but not the AC units.
Chris
At the location of the hold down bolts I could see a pinched rubber piece(not black) between the bottom of the unit and roof.
BTW paper work in the blue bag on the thermostats but not the AC units.
Chris
SNOKING
Well-known member
OK guys back on the roof. Talked to Scott at VS. there are four additional mount points that are open to the plenum. He said to seal those. Found water still in the front left hole, these are threaded inserts. Also found front left corner of plenum not sealed with a gap. 32 is because of frost condition. Both foam covers had broken pieces that I fixed. Chris
SNOKING
Well-known member
I talked to Scott again this morning in CS about the air conditioner leaking water into the trailer, providing feed back on what I found. They are not sure when the four additional mounting holes were added, so that they can start contacting people. So if you find these holes as pictured above post when your trailer was built. AND Seal them up!!! Chris
