New Member: Water leak

Howdy everyone, this forum was a great resource to lurk and research before buying. Picked the rig up up in LA and drove cross country to FL with zero issues, expect maybe for the locals doing burnouts in the Walmart parking lot outside Tucson at 3AM.. but I digress.

When heading through TX and into FL I ran the AC for an hour or two at night to cool down the rig. I noticed when I got home a small leak had developed in the rear corner. No rain on the way back, so I am assuming it's condensation from the AC, and a drain that may be clogged/corroded. Anyone ever have this issue? Searched the forums with no joy to anything Westfalia specific in the area.




Thanks for the steer!

Welcome.

https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27332&highlight=Removal

When first imported into the USA, condensate leaks were very common as a result of poor design (condensate hose fittings were not clamped??? And the hoses.were.often split/cracked near the ends???) And sloppy installation (loose and poorly routed hoses). I believe this was on the original lower-profile air conditioners, which were later replaced by the larger units (but this is all from memory).

https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=551&highlight=Air+conditioner+condensate

Anyways, take a look at the first photo by Grozier in the very first link above. You will see the cabinet cover has been removed and the condensate hoses exposed. There is a condensate hose on each side which the two hoses join together like a Y. The terminal hose runs down the corner of thr bathroom wall and upper kitchen cabinet, and out the Sprinter floor near the tire.

TRY THIS FIRST: The little plastic tube downspout near tire (believe it exits from behind rear of tire) can also be plugged which causes the condensate to backup. Think it was Mogul who posted r this issue and how to fix: Use a very thin wire or pipe cleaner to clean out gunk from the tube.

If you're in humid Florida and don't see condensate dripping and making a puddle near rear tire when AC is runnng, then a plugged up or disconnected/split hose?

https://sprinter-source.com/forum/showthread.php?t=58939&highlight=Air+conditioner+condensate

Get (a) the repair CD Manual (downloadable from sticky link threads at top of first page of this forum and sprinterwestfalia.com), and (b) the Airstream Parts Manual from same places (can't get parts.but diagrams are useful).

Note: As time marches on, various modifications are made to the Westies. I'm assuming you have an original Kerstner air conditioner which runs off 12V. Several Westy owners have replaced their air conditioners with American 120v units.

Please post whatever you find and do. Thanks.

NOTE: Try to make the Labor Day Westyfest in the Northeast.

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/sprinter_westfalia/conversations/messages

The original Westy folks got together on Yahoo and older experiences are posted there. A few years ago, Yahoo groups was redesigned and many posters migrated to this subforum with encouragement from Zach Woods. Most Westy owners belong to both.

Thanks Old West, having read a lot before the purchase you are the sage advisor 'round here. Of course the damn evaporated hose had to be on the other side of the leak! I'll post up what the outcome is. Thanks

You might get lucky and be able to access from bathroom AC door and/or remove just the plastic louver vents, the bottom metal plate, and/or other pieces to see inside the AC cabinet and fix any issues up in that area.

1. Protect the countertops.

There are metal plates around the dropdown hat/DVD storage compartment which can gouge countertops if dropped when removed.

2. Use a bit of wax or soap on the top leading edge of the upper kitchen cabinet. The AC cabinet rests on the upper kitchen cabinet and you'll be sliding and rotating the AC cabinet a bit. You can see from Grozier's photos that there is plastic edging on the top leading edge of upper kitchen cabinet which does not extend under the AC cabinet.

3. Cramped quarters and as Grozier suggests, an assistant is invaluable to hold and rotate one side of cabinet. Never used these but something like them might be helpful to hold the passenger side of the AC cabinet up in place as you unscrew/unbolt (either a short one resting on fridge cabinet with protective padding or a taller one resting on floor).

https://www.fastcap.com/products/3rd-hand-series

Good luck.

Those pictures in the link are perfect to know what's ahead. So the drain (exiting on the left side, just aft of the left tire) was flowing just fine. As alluded, the condensation drain valves form a "Y" intersection on the LEFT side, combining ports from both the right and left side to drain out of the vehicle.

My leak is on the right side, the hose that requires the furthest travel to meet the "Y" intersection and drip out. There is no room up there to work, those crafty Germans... Looks like the overhead cabinet will need to be removed to access hopefully a 10 second job of a loose hose clamp. Looks like next weekend just got booked!


Thanks again Old West for the info, that should all help the cause with the tips to boot.

Got after it, looks like I will just replace all the hoses prior to the "Y clamp with new hose clips as well. Any idea on the diameter of hose(s) prior to pulling it off? I would guess 5/8', but not sure if they are metric; Probably not since the retro was stateside. I reckon all the other stuff can be sourced with current tech from a box store. And the goop stuff? I guess I'll explore Home Depot unless one of you fine folks know exactly the brand.

Big thanks for the link to the repair manual, about gave up on the .zip files until the .pdf was a few pages in...

1. Hoses

Don't know sizes. I wonder if a different type of hose might be better.

The hose needs to be rigid enough not to collapse (so condensate can flow) but also needs to be flexible/pliable enough for a watertight seal (with or without clamp) at the various connections.

2. Goop

Sure looks messy. Wonder if that goop is an aftermarket attempt to seal the.connections. i wonder if the clamps crack the corrugated hoses when tightened. But without clamps, hoses are too loose?