discolored ceiling due to a/c?

[aRAYwego]

Not sure where to put this but will start here. Sheila and I were sitting in the living room last night and happened to notice a weird shape on the ceiling. We first thought it was just shadows but after turning on all lights we soon realized the ceiling was actually discolored. There is a perfect square right where the LR a/c unit sits on the roof. In addition to that, we noticed a perfect line the width of the cold air ducting running the length of the LR/Kitchen. At this point we were freaking out a little to say the least. The weather recently turned pretty humid so my first thought was condensation. We have water running off the roof on the right rear corner like always when it gets humid. I felt the ceiling surface for dampness but all was dry also taking off a "puck" and feeling inside the duct, but all dry. While running my hand over the ceiling we noticed the sound is different when you rub the discolored sections.The material is not loose or damaged in any way. I tried wiping with a damp rag with the thought that maybe dust was collecting in the colder spots but it doesn't wipe away. Any thoughts?

 

[Garypowell]

Probably the easiest suggestion is to call the factory. If others have complained they might have an idea.

I don't know how the ceilings are formed now but they could be using some vacuum forming like is used on the floors. This could be compressing the ceiling too much causing the stress points showing up.

 

[aRAYwego]

I don't see these as stress points. They are perfect brown outlines of the a/c plenum and discharge duct work bleeding through the white ceiling material. Even worse than finding the cause is I don't see any viable way to repair short of removing the entire ceiling. On a side note there is no issue with the bedroom a/c or ceiling. Couple these issues with the LED sting lights on the awnings and the LED string light in the bedroom warping and going out and it seems like much more than I should be dealing with in a 2015 Landmark.

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[hoefler]

Most likely condensation from the A/C duct, probably where there is contact between the duct and ceiling.

 

[aRAYwego]

So an update......took the rig to the dealer last Thurs. They replace the 2 outside LED strips and have ordered the strip for above the bed. Since my last post and when I took it in on Thurs., the bedroom a/c started acting strange. The fan would kick on for a few seconds then the condenser would try to start then quickly shutting off. It tried several times until I thought I smelled a burning odor and I shut it off. The dealer replaced the hard start kit and it seems to have fixed that issue. The living room ceiling discoloration issue is not so easy. The dealer put in a call to HL and also sent pics, all involved are stumped. The dealer did have a chemical cleaner that did an ok job of removing the "stain" but its not completely gone. Not sure where this will go next. Next issue is the leaking grey water tank. It only leaks when full. I live in my LM and it was getting close to quitting time for them so they didn't get too far in diagnosing this issue. Next Thurs for that.

 

[TravelTiger]

Can you post a pic of the discoloration?


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[aRAYwego]

Only have this pic

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[azbigfoot]

Please keep us informed about this problem. I am beginning to notice it in my Landmark too.

 

[Bones]

I'm curious. Does your unit have the heatpump option? Do you run the heatpump or was this only with the Ac running?

 

[aRAYwego]

I don't have the heatpump option on mine so was just a/c.

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[azbigfoot]

Mine is just an A/C too. The discoloration is the same as sdnative and I'm starting to see it very slightly in the bedroom.

 

[azbigfoot]

Okay I think I have the solution to this problem or at least the reason why this is happening.

After I read that the dealer cleaned the ceiling with some type of cleaner I went and touched that area with my finger. I noticed the area I touched was cleaner. So I got a rag and dampened it slightly with water. It was just a layer of dust, much thicker than on other areas of the ceiling. Guess I will have to add the ceiling to our spring cleaning list.

Here is an article that explains what is happening
http://www.joneakes.com/jons-fixit-database/609-Dust-marks-following-studs-on-wall-Ghosting

 

[aRAYwego]

If it was just dust, it should completely disappear. Mine didn't. Also if it was only dust I don't think you would hear a difference in sound when you run your fingernails across it. I believe the sound difference is because of a change in the materials density.

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[azbigfoot]

You might want to check to see if the dealer did a good job cleaning it. I ended up wiping down the whole panel.

I couldn't tell if there was a density change in the ceiling material but it could certainly feel/sound different if the A/C was running and there was a big temperature change.

Another possibility is the ceiling might not be perfectly flat at the A/C location. In our bedroom I can feel the ridge of the plenum (square) on the ceiling. When the lights are on there is just enough shadow where you can still see the faint outline of the plenum. The ridge in our living area is not nearly as defined. I pulled out a flashlight and was able to cast shadows on the living area ceiling. I could make out just one edge of the square using the flashlight and when I touched it, I could feel the ridge.

I'm not saying this isn't a problem because it would be nice to have a perfectly flat ceiling. It just the dust really accentuated the problem and now our eyes are having a hard time not seeing it anymore with subtle lighting conditions.

 

[aRAYwego]

I'm at a loss. I have wiped the entire ceiling side to side, front to back, no change. I haven't run the a/c in a couple days and the sound difference is still there. I tried the flashlight thing and it appears the ceiling is indeed flat. No ridges, high or low places.

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[Bones]

I think we all should jump in the coach with costumes on and scare the ceiling back into shape. Thoughts??????????? I think it would work.............





Or it could actually be a oily residue that somehow got onto the duct work when it was laying around and you now have that transfer to the ceiling with a permanent stain. This could also be the reason for your density change because that area of the ceiling has absorbed something.

 

[azbigfoot]

Hmmm ... I'm not sure what else to suggest. The picture you posted looked exactly like my ceiling which cleaned up just fine. Our living area was much worse than the bedroom. Still it seems like some type of airborne particles are attaching themselves to the cold ceiling right at/near the A/C.

I wonder if the dust in your area comes from materials that could cause staining? Or did the cleaner used by the dealer cause the dust to breakdown and stain the ceiling? Might try to find out what they used. I just used plain old water. I hate to ask but does anyone smoke in your rig, use scented candles, use a bunch of air fresheners, or do you cook a lot inside without running the exhaust vent? Think of something you might be unsuspectingly adding to the air which gets attracted to the ceiling at the cold A/C location.

 

[aRAYwego]

I think we all should jump in the coach with costumes on and scare the ceiling back into shape. Thoughts??????????? I think it would work.............





Or it could actually be a oily residue that somehow got onto the duct work when it was laying around and you now have that transfer to the ceiling with a permanent stain. This could also be the reason for your density change because that area of the ceiling has absorbed something.

I like this idea. Lol

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[LBR]

If anyone has this odd, unexplainable discoloration and burns aromatic/scented candles, it could be that. ONE of us burns scented candles all night when camping in our cargo trailer and, while the candles will darken the paint throughout the rig, it will show much more pronounced where the structural ribs are behind the thin wall. It does cleanup with a stronger cleaner, but yet is not simply a soot and will easily come off with your dampened finger or lesser aggressive cleaners.

It is because of the aluminum metal ribbing behind the wall that it "attracts" the candle smoke.

 

[NHCelt]

Looks like a dirt stain as dust etc. is attracted to the cold...much like we get here in our homes in northern NH from cold roof rafters in winter. I actually had similar in my Carriage cameo on the ceiling joists...the solution was the magic eraser...worked like a charm on the ceilings.

Celt