Oh, the depressing feeling of finding out your camper has a leak, at any time of the day. When you’re in a pop up camper, water’s winding ways can turn into a wad of whining. To fix the problem, find out what’s wrong. Is is a leak from rain? Is it an unlevel camper? What about that A/C unit up on the roof? Is water coming in from there? A little detective work should give you an answer and keep that life giving nuisance where it belongs.
A level camper is a happy camper.
I used to go camping with the same group of guys from high school every year for a few years. Upon arrival, two or three of them would become obsessed with the level of the camper. That was the part where I would sit back, let them do their thing and enjoy not being in that beehive of activity. Unless you’re way off and the coffee pot slides off of the stove, the levelness, or lack thereof, should have little to do with water finding it’s way into your camper. As far as leveling goes, just keep the camper level enough to keep the blood from rushing to your head when you’re laying down in the bed, and the door from slamming shut or swinging wildly open. Listen up! If the door fits nicely within the frame, and it hangs there without closing or opening by itself, you’re close to level. Also, lay a water bottle down on the camper table and see which way it rolls. That’ll help reveal which direction you might need to raise up a bit. These tricks are useful especially if the camper’s levels are fogged, broken or missing.
Unplug it before you begin working on it!
One of the main ways water comes inside is around or through the roof mounted air conditioning unit. There are several reasons water leaks are often associated with camper rooftop A/C units. Let’s dive right in, immerse ourselves in this common conundrum and wring out some answers.
Close the gap? Nope. Check manufacturer's specifications for proper torque.
The unit has become loose and needs to be tightened. Make sure the mounting bolts are the correct tightness. Not too tight, though. There should be a sponge rubber gasket with a bit of clearance between the bottom of the unit and the rooftop. This gap needs to be maintained. Try for 1/2″. It may be tempting, but do not caulk around the base of the a/c unit.
Easy there, Brutus! This plastic is weaker than your mother-in-law's iced tea.
If that didn’t fix the problem, check drain hole(s) to verify that the drip pan is not clogged. If it is, water can collect inside the unit and back up into roof opening. To access the drip pan, remove the unit’s shroud. If the camper’s a few years old, beware the shroud can and probably will be brittle from weather and age. They are made to fit snugly around the various air conditioner components, so any bending or twisting of the shroud while sliding it up and off the roof could result in the weak plastic breaking apart in your hands. Should you decide to remove the cover for greater access, know that these things cost well over $100 to replace. Now that you’re worried about incurring extra costs by fixing the problem yourself, it’s time for the real hard part. Not really. It’s just different.
Weeping and drainage can be a good thing.
To keep water from storing up inside the unit, make sure all weep holes are clear of debris. If you take off the sheet metal cover for the evaporator coil, mark where the numorous screws go to ease the process when returning it. Some screws may be different lengths. Careful, careful, careful you don’t damage anything under the cover. It’s under there for a reason. Get a visual on the drip pan. There’s a chance that it could be cracked. Some of them are plastic. Next, spray down the coil with Formula 409 and rinse with a light flow of water. You don’t want to add to the water that sparked this investigation. It’s called a drip pan, not a drip pain!
Fewer problems means more time for posed campout photos!
If you experience the leak only when it’s raining, have a buddy spray the roof with a water hose while you stay inside the (popped) camper. Keep an eye on the area where the water is being applied to look for the location of the leak. Remember though, that water can travel a distance before it resurfaces as a leak from the ceiling. There are products specifically designed for curing the heartache of camper water leaks. Look ‘em up and read the reviews. Or just camp when it doesn’t rain and when you don’t run the air conditioner.
Get out there. Pop it up, then fix it up.
Thanks for the tip! We’ll know where to look next time.
Looking forward to more articles!
That guy with the guitar is handsome.
this page was very helpfull
Is the 14″ roof opening for your popup air conditioner framed with wood or metal? I’m asking because I just installed a low profile Carrier on my Coleman E3 popup camper. When I tighten the bolts to compress the foam seal around the roof opening on the upper unit, I can see the actual roof of the camper warping. The end result is that, due to the bending of the roof (which is about 1 1/4″ thick, but it’s just a foam core), some of the a/c foam is compressed more (near each of the 4 mounting bolts) in some places than others. I’m now considering removing the air conditioner and adding some kind of either metal or hardwood frame to surround the 14″ vent opening. Thoughts?
Hey Roy,
After a quick internet scan, I learned that a typical support frame is made of wood. I also learned that shims are recommended to raise the unit up above pooling water that collects from a sagging roof. I personally would be hesitant to perform such repairs myself, as I would probably have to not only buy a new roof by the time I completed the project, but most likely a whole new camper as well!
My advice to you, sir, is to consult a sales/service company, and do your homework by seeking wisdom from people who are much more experienced in these repairs than me!!! Hope this helps, buddy. Hurry up, ’cause the weather’s warming up!!!
I completed the job yesterday and think that I’ve solve the problem myself. I could not find much info on this anywhere on the web (searched alot myself too).
From Home Depot I purchased a few 4 ft lengths of 1″x1″ angle aluminum strips (90 degree angle) to reinforce the 14″ opening in the roof of this 2008 Fleetwood Evolution E3. After cutting the aluminum to just under 14″ lengths into 8 pieces so as to frame out the opening. Each side of the square opening got 2 angle aluminum sections, one lying agaist the inside cieling so the angled portion faced up, then I covered that one with a piece that layed on the roofside, under the air conditioner foam seal where the angled part faced down over the opening and over the other piece … this formed a “U” channel. To secure, I had first put a bead of silicon around the cut opening to hold things in place while I worked, then I drilled a small pilot hole through the overlapping aluminum and popped in a metal screw to hold them firm … all while squeezing the two pieces together from top and bottom, to make the U fit as snug as possible to the rooftop and inside cieling. This stiffened the opening enough that I could torq down the air conditioner bolts to factory specs without seeing the cieling warp upard.
Note that this is a single roof cieling, so there is no gap between the roof and the internal cieling … it’s all one piece.
Yikes! Ever consider opening up your own shop? Sounds like you have a handle on the situation, and you’re ready to get out there. Bring on the warm weather! Thanks, Roy, for sharing. Hopefully, your hard work and determination will help someone else out there with a similar problem. May the winds blow COLDLY in your favor this summer!