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Originally Posted by Scott D
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My question is about removing those 4 bolts - is it very straight forward to do and then be able to lift the AC from above, or any cautionary tales on doing this? I want to replace that gasket too and would like to know who sells it.
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Have you had the trailer since 2016? Or for some number of years? If so, then my first thought is that if you never had a leak before then it’s unlikely that a screw penetrated the roof unless you did it when putting the ADB back on, which would be all too easy to do. So, if the leak developed without anyone working on the A/C then I would suspect that the long hold down bolts got loose and/or the gasket wore out.
I was lucky that I did not have to remove the A/C. I only had to lift one side of it. But for gasket replacement you will need to remove the A/C and that’s something I have not done myself.
Of course, you should not get on the roof.. do not expect it to support the weight of a person.
The manual warns that sliding the A/C will damage the gasket, so with the new gasket, it has to be lowered down straight down and into place.. a bit of a challenge I would guess. Perhaps a winch to lower it, or setting up scaffolding support. One or two people on the outside and one inside. The one inside can guide it in place as its lowered and lift up a little if needed.
Just maybe you could use a floor jack / screw jack to lift the A/C a few inches to get a new gasket on. Might have to put the jack through the middle of the gasket, lift the A/C with someone outside to keep it balanced, and work the gasket up and through the hole (inside the camper). Then get it in place and lower the A/C. Also, use a board or something to distribute the jack support area in a way that does not damage the A/C. BUT FAIR WARNING… this is just something I thought of this minute and no idea if its practical. I would look at it carefully before considering that approach.
However you do it, with the A/C off the roof you can inspect the roof for screw holes. Even with the A/C in place you might be able to see a screw protruding by shining a flashlight in the gap between the roof and the A/C (at night or a dark day). You could lift the A/C to get a better look but then you take a chance of damaging the gasket, so you might be better off doing a full gasket replacement (esp. aft 7-8 years).
Personally, I would probably go to a shop when they have the tools and experience, but make sure they know not to put their
weight on the roof. If its Dometic, their website list service centers... but one is Camping World and too many unhappy customers there for me to use them.
For the gasket, it looks like there are lots of suppliers online… some are generic and some OEM. IDK if that matters. I wonder if Scamp sells parts for 2016 model A/Cs.
Hope that helps some.