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Old 08-11-2015, 04:44 PM   #1
Bigiron
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2016 Impact 311 living room slide leak.

Hey everybody. Just two months ago picked up our new Impact. Been working thru a few bugs. Nothing major, mostly shoddy workmanship. One thing I can't wrap my arms around is a slide leak. First off trailer was not level. Gaskets...well they are new and are in good shape. At bottom corner the water puddled below carpet and ran across floor. The only thing I can think is water runs down side of the slide and hits the molding strip on the bottom edge of the slide then tuns right under the slide inside the coach. Nothing in the middle, just at that very end.
Anybody else see this. BTW when level, no sign of water. ...yet.
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Old 08-11-2015, 07:31 PM   #2
Festus2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bigiron View Post
The only thing I can think is water runs down side of the slide and hits the molding strip on the bottom edge of the slide then tuns right under the slide inside the coach. Nothing in the middle, just at that very end.
Anybody else see this. BTW when level, no sign of water. ...yet.
Bigiron -
Some members have had water intrusion from the area you described. Try removing the molding strip along the bottom (and side if present), scrape off all old sealant and recaulk. I'd put a dab of sealant into each screw hole before resetting the screws.

If there is any plastic wrap, be sure that it is tucked in firmly before sealing everything up.
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Old 08-12-2015, 05:01 AM   #3
therink
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Like Festus2 said, the end slide out walls are a very common leak point. I once had the same leak as you described on a brand new unit.
Upon close examination of the lower drip edge strip, I noticed a tiny pin hole void in the caulk along the top horizontal edge of the strip. I removed the strip and applied new butyl caulk and filled screw holes with Eurethane caulk and re-installed the strip. It never leaked again.
All water that runs down the slide wall hits the top of this strip. The smallest of defects in the caulk will leak. Personally, I think it is a poor design, but I have noticed that most slide units are made this way.
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Old 08-12-2015, 06:06 AM   #4
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Great answers and direction. Checked end walls this morning and noticed several screws in trim stripped out and while looking underneath saw the exposed wood. The caulk looked good but i will redo and also seal bottom edge as well. Im thinking of using pan head stainless screws in place of counter sunk flat head
screws there now. Also see my pics. I also thought where the gasket overlaps the trim strip, water could travel on the lip of the trim. We'll find out more after I recaulk and add larger/screws....
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Old 08-12-2015, 06:15 AM   #5
Bigiron
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Like Festus2 said, the end slide out walls are a very common leak point. I once had the same leak as you described on a brand new unit.
Upon close examination of the lower drip edge strip, I noticed a tiny pin hole void in the caulk along the top horizontal edge of the strip. I removed the strip and applied new butyl caulk and filled screw holes with Eurethane caulk and re-installed the strip. It never leaked again.
All water that runs down the slide wall hits the top of this strip. The smallest of defects in the caulk will leak. Personally, I think it is a poor design, but I have noticed that most slide units are made this way.
This is exactly what is happening. Caulk looks good, but there could very well be a void or possibly the water might be leaking through capillary action into the uncaulked bottom void where the stripped screws are creating an open gap exposing the wood. I hope this solves the problem....its a little nerve-wracking to gave a water leak on a 2016 model toy hauler...
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Old 08-12-2015, 06:19 AM   #6
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Bigiron -
Some members have had water intrusion from the area you described. Try removing the molding strip along the bottom (and side if present), scrap off all old sealant and recaulk. I'd put a dab of sealant into each screw hole before resetting the screws.

If there is any plastic wrap, be sure that it is tucked in firmly before sealing everything up.
Yes, I will do this. I should have searched before posting as after I posted, I searched the forums and began gaining a direction on a solution.
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Old 08-12-2015, 06:24 AM   #7
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Avoid using silicone caulk. It has the poorest adhesion of any caulk and once it starts to peel, the whole joint is quickly lost. Exterior use urethane or butyl caulks are both good choices.

Pan head SS screws are a great choice. When I replace exterior hardware, pan head SS or hex head metal roofing screws with washer and gasket are my first choices whenever possible, depending on the application.
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Old 08-12-2015, 07:11 AM   #8
Bigiron
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Avoid using silicone caulk. It has the poorest adhesion of any caulk and once it starts to peel, the whole joint is quickly lost. Exterior use urethane or butyl caulks are both good choices.

Pan head SS screws are a great choice. When I replace exterior hardware, pan head SS or hex head metal roofing screws with washer and gasket are my first choices whenever possible, depending on the application.
Outstanding point. I was just checking to see how much silicone caulk I had left. I
was just getting ready to jump in and ask what the best caulk would be.....thanks for the heads up on the silicone. ...
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Old 08-12-2015, 10:05 AM   #9
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The best caulk in my opinion is Proflex or Dicor lap sealant.
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Old 08-13-2015, 12:39 PM   #10
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The best caulk in my opinion is Proflex or Dicor lap sealant.
Picking up a tube of the proflex in black to match slide color. Just realized that after our last trip the slide leaks both open and closed. Strange as I thought the outer gasket would seal it up tight even if the side slide trim was not properly sealed. Strange, as it appears to close tight the the side when closed. Initially we thought it only leaked when open. Urggghhhh. I hope the side wall re seal and re screw will work. We purchased 200 miles away as out dealer did not stock one, had no interest in ordering one, and I can imagine they won't want to do warranty work on this one either. I am not ready to call it a lemon, but leaks like this are just plain not acceptable on a brand new unit.
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Old 08-14-2015, 04:18 AM   #11
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I wrote up a bunch of details here that might give you some ideas:

http://www.nelsonet.net/wordpress/bl...hauler-part-1/

I chased water leaks through my 4 part blog postings and have since had no water come in through my slide since then by combining the repairs you'll see there and making sure the RV is level when I'm camping. I think the vinyl flap behind the bottom trim was important to stop water from wicking behind the trim or across the bottom of the floor. Additionally I found the interior carpet touched some of the rubber seals and when water would get near the carpet the carpet would suck it up and distribute it across the floor of living area. I just cut the carpet back and that problem went away too.

I would recommend against using stainless steel screws, and here is why; the screw heads rust when they get wet from behind give you a nice visible cue that something is not right. When you see a rusty screw you can remove it to see if it's just external rust or if something more serious is going on. If the threads are also rusted it's time to figure out why. The stainless screws will not rust and therefore will hide water issues until it's too late. It's very easy to scan screw heads along seams, gutters, windows, etc...
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Old 08-14-2015, 05:42 AM   #12
Bigiron
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I wrote up a bunch of details here that might give you some ideas:

http://www.nelsonet.net/wordpress/bl...hauler-part-1/

I chased water leaks through my 4 part blog postings and have since had no water come in through my slide since then by combining the repairs you'll see there and making sure the RV is level when I'm camping. I think the vinyl flap behind the bottom trim was important to stop water from wicking behind the trim or across the bottom of the floor. Additionally I found the interior carpet touched some of the rubber seals and when water would get near the carpet the carpet would suck it up and distribute it across the floor of living area. I just cut the carpet back and that problem went away too.

I would recommend against using stainless steel screws, and here is why; the screw heads rust when they get wet from behind give you a nice visible cue that something is not right. When you see a rusty screw you can remove it to see if it's just external rust or if something more serious is going on. If the threads are also rusted it's time to figure out why. The stainless screws will not rust and therefore will hide water issues until it's too late. It's very easy to scan screw heads along seams, gutters, windows, etc...
WOW. Thanks for the details. What you show is exactly where I believe the water is coming in. I did speak with a small dealer last night where I bought a tube of Proflex. He said absolutely it will leak there just as you describe. One question, when you added the vinyl behind the bottom strip, will it slide in without binding? I am not sure there there will be room for that bottom vinyl piece to slide in, so I will have to see if that will work.
Your write up with photos is so easy to identify with when asking these questions. I plan on getting this done tomorrow....hopefully the weather will hold out.
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Old 08-15-2015, 03:45 AM   #13
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I used some sort of rubber/vinyl flashing that was quite soft and flexible. It was something left over from the brickwork on my house that I kept around. I initially bought some white vinyl flashing but decided against using it because it was too stiff and I thought it would damage the lower wipe seal. This materials was soft enough that it folded over easily when the slide closed, stiff enough that it hangs straight when opened and durable enough to handle opening and closing. I cannot seem to find the leftover roll so I have no way to tell you exactly what material it was.

I removed the entire bottom strip so all the screws were out, then I slightly pried the lower wall away from the floor so I could slip the rubber in there. Once I was happy with the location and that the rubber would be behind the screws I put the trim strip back on.
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Old 08-16-2015, 10:10 AM   #14
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Sorry to hear about the leak , I have the 2015 Impact with the jack and Jill entrance up stares. I had a leak the first night it rained hard , the water was coming from the metal seam at the top of the slider side window. I took a picture reported it and repaired with clear silicone we have had no other Issues with water coming in. I used a garden hose to find the leak.
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Old 08-19-2015, 01:08 PM   #15
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Well, I reattached the slide bottom trim strips with #8 flat head screws, and used pro flex on the seam top and bottom. it is sealed up properly now. Ran water as if it were raining and guess what LEAKS! this time the water leaked onto the top of the slide, with it closed and leaked down the side walls onto the floor and out under the slide into the kitchen. Guess what? It does it with the slide open as well. All seals are tight and the slide is adjusted equally. i don't see an adjustment issue at all. The only thing I can see is that if the trailer is not level, the soft seals just cant hold back all of the water if there is a heavy rain. When the trailer is level, there is no leak. The only thing I can guess is water is dripping down the top trim piece on the slide side and running along the top of the trim piece like a trough into the top of the slide and when it collects enough, starts to run down the side of the slide and into the coach. I might take some foam adhesive rubber gasket material and form a dam on the slide side to prevent the water from running across the trim strip. The bedroom slide doesn't leak because the trim piece is flush with the side of the slide and the side gasket seals tight. Funny thing our old Jayco did not leak a bit level or not and the slides were out of adjustment for sure on that one because I was too lazy to adjust them AND it did not leak. I guess different seals make the difference. So it looks like it is key to level your rig to prevent leaks. ON EDIT: We did go through two heavy rains before this and no leaks, so I just have to make sure we are level form now on.

One thing for sure, all the replies I received are valid and were spot on in helping me understand where and what materials to use to seal things up...Thanks all.
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Old 08-20-2015, 08:22 PM   #16
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Well, I reattached the slide bottom trim strips with #8 flat head screws, and used pro flex on the seam top and bottom. it is sealed up properly now. Ran water as if it were raining and guess what LEAKS! this time the water leaked onto the top of the slide, with it closed and leaked down the side walls onto the floor and out under the slide into the kitchen. Guess what? It does it with the slide open as well. All seals are tight and the slide is adjusted equally. i don't see an adjustment issue at all. The only thing I can see is that if the trailer is not level, the soft seals just cant hold back all of the water if there is a heavy rain. When the trailer is level, there is no leak. The only thing I can guess is water is dripping down the top trim piece on the slide side and running along the top of the trim piece like a trough into the top of the slide and when it collects enough, starts to run down the side of the slide and into the coach. I might take some foam adhesive rubber gasket material and form a dam on the slide side to prevent the water from running across the trim strip. The bedroom slide doesn't leak because the trim piece is flush with the side of the slide and the side gasket seals tight. Funny thing our old Jayco did not leak a bit level or not and the slides were out of adjustment for sure on that one because I was too lazy to adjust them AND it did not leak. I guess different seals make the difference. So it looks like it is key to level your rig to prevent leaks. ON EDIT: We did go through two heavy rains before this and no leaks, so I just have to make sure we are level form now on.

One thing for sure, all the replies I received are valid and were spot on in helping me understand where and what materials to use to seal things up...Thanks all.
I would take it back to the dealer and make them fix or find the leak there may be something missing . I was inside my 311 tonight with a flash light looking for any water signs wile it was raining hard.
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