My wife and I are the third owners (our ownership is relatively recent) of a
1963 Safari Twin. It is in very good original condition generally, except the
original shower and bath were removed by previous owners. That area is now
carpeted, and there is floor rot under the carpet in that area. After a rain,
the floor in the corner formed by the intersection of the outside wall and the
curbside inside wall (next to folding bathroom door) in this former
bath/shower areas is wet. I have sealed all other possible locations where
water might enter, and suspect that the air conditioner is where water is
entering, then running down between the inner and outer walls, into the "C"
channel.
I had a very good RV repair shop look at the air conditioner last year. They
tightened it, but could not remove it to install a new gasket because it was
"gunked down" with so for leakage that would have been visible below the unit
inside the trailer, not for leakage making its way down between the inner and
outer walls and into the "C" channel.
The air conditioner is a Coleman, about 12 years old, and works well. It is
not the original air conditioner. This 1963 trailer may have had an air
conditioner installed when new--I think there are two 20 amp fuses in the fuse
box (the trailer is in storage at the moment and I am not certain about the
number of fuses in the panel).
QUESTIONS:
1. Is the air conditioner the likely source of the leak showing up in the
former shower/tub area? (I have sealed every other possible source).
2. If I replace the air conditioner (evidently necessary to seal the air
conditioner area) should I replace it with a Dometic Penguin? If so, what
size?
3. I don't want to tow the trailer to an Airstream dealer--too far. Will
Airstream sell me the contoured mounting pan for a new air conditioner, and
the drain hose used with the mounting pan?
a. Is the mounting pan to be sized for the specific air conditioner used,
or for the existing hole over which the current air conditioner is mounted?
(The existing installation has no mounting pan).
4. If there is too much space between the main bows (ribs, frame members) to
properly mount a new air conditioner without the addition of lateral supports
(2) between the main bows, what material should be used for such lateral
supports and how should these be attached to the main bows.
Advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Bob Olsen
PS: I am not concerned about scrapping the functioning air conditioner (I am
assuming that removing it to install a gasket will destroy it). I am very
concerned about the leak.