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10-15-2017, 06:05 AM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Jackson
Posts: 13
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Slide-Out Awnings Ponding?
I just purchased a new 2018, 3721RL Fifth Wheel. This is my second Montana fifth wheel. Why do all three slide-out awnings pool water, even in a small rain? I can't get an answer from the factory or my dealer? Thanks!
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10-15-2017, 07:01 AM
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#2
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Site Team
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Modesto
Posts: 20,337
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Slide toppers can puddle for a variety of reasons. One reason is the length of them and another is the tension.
I wouldn't mess too much with the tension unless your familiar with doing that kind of thing. It's a delicate balance of enough tension to allow the topper to unroll without pulling the fabric out of the rail and enough to keep it tight.
I have seen lots of toppers puddle and we generally leave them alone.
BTW: Welcome to the forum!!
__________________
2012 Copper Canyon 273FWRET being towed by a 1994 Ford F350 CC,LB,Dually diesel.
Airlift 5000 bags, Prodigy brake control, 5 gauges on the pillar.Used to tow a '97 Jayco 323RKS.
Now an RVIA registered tech. Retired from Law enforcement in 2008 after 25+ yrs.
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10-15-2017, 07:44 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Northville NY in the Adirondacks
Posts: 2,128
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cjturnbow
I just purchased a new 2018, 3721RL Fifth Wheel. This is my second Montana fifth wheel. Why do all three slide-out awnings pool water, even in a small rain? I can't get an answer from the factory or my dealer? Thanks!
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I have 3 toppers on the Cougar. Two of them are fine, but the third one always ponds at one end. I figured that if I raised the angle of the topper, it would drain without ponding. I locked the spring, removed the entire strip that holds the awning to the trailer shell, and remounted it. It did not solve the problem although the part of the 16' topper that does not pond up drains better.
So I did some hunting online and found several possible fixes. First, you can actually purchase an inflatable pillow that is marketed for this specific purpose. Tuck it up between the roof and the awning and you are all set. How much you inflate it determines how much it raises the low spot.
For the DIY crowd, making up a little support frame out of PVC pipe and fittings is popular. I made one using 1" thin wall (schedule 20) pipe and some matching fittings. It slides in place under the topper and is just tall enough to prevent the awing material from sagging. I did not want to raise it too much as that would just create new ponding in a different spot. I found several different ideas on all this on RV.NET's huge forum. Lots of folks owning many different brands of trailers and awings encounter this issue.
__________________
'11 Cougar 326MKS loaded with mods
'12 Ford F250 SuperCab 6.7 PowerStroke Diesel
Amateur Radio: KD2IAT (146.520) GMRS: WQPG808 (462.675 TPL 141.3)
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10-15-2017, 07:47 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Waco, Tx
Posts: 5,457
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blow up pool mattress... cheap and fixes flapping too...
__________________
2015 Ford F350 DRW 6.7 Diesel XL
2020 Avalanche 313 RS
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10-15-2017, 09:06 AM
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#5
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Site Team
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,995
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A 99 cent inflatable multicolor beach ball pushed into place with a broom works well, too. WalMart has all their "summer beach toys" on sale right now, Buying 3 or 4 will last for a couple of years at the price of one next spring.
__________________
John
2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
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10-15-2017, 03:19 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Fruitland
Posts: 3,357
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I thought that's why stores sell so many plastic blow up beach balls. (It's been a fix on RV sites for more than a few years) But, the mattress might work better.
__________________
2013 24RKSWE (27ft TT) Cougar 1/2 ton series SOLD 10-2021
2013 Ford F350 4x4 CC 6.7 engine, 8 ft bed, 3.55 rear end, lariat package
Retired from Oregon State Police in 2011 than worked another 9.5 years as a small town traffic cop:
As of 05-2020, I am all done with 39 years total police work. No more uniforms for me.
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10-16-2017, 05:41 AM
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#7
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Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Jackson
Posts: 13
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Fixes
I have tried all sorts of ways to keep the water from ponding on my old 2008 Montana. Some work and some not so good. My only concern is in 2018 why can't Keystone address the issue and come up with someway to alleviate this issue? It can't be rocket science. I can't be the only new Montana owner with this issue? Thanks for all your comments!
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10-16-2017, 05:56 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Northville NY in the Adirondacks
Posts: 2,128
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cjturnbow
I have tried all sorts of ways to keep the water from ponding on my old 2008 Montana. Some work and some not so good. My only concern is in 2018 why can't Keystone address the issue and come up with someway to alleviate this issue? It can't be rocket science. I can't be the only new Montana owner with this issue? Thanks for all your comments!
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This is industry wide. It has little to do with any RV manufacturer
If anything, the topper manufacturers could probably improve QC on the fabric and how it is assembled.
To blame Keystone or Montana is disingenuous and inappropriate.
__________________
'11 Cougar 326MKS loaded with mods
'12 Ford F250 SuperCab 6.7 PowerStroke Diesel
Amateur Radio: KD2IAT (146.520) GMRS: WQPG808 (462.675 TPL 141.3)
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10-16-2017, 06:16 AM
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#9
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Site Team
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Joppa, MD
Posts: 11,747
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cjturnbow
I have tried all sorts of ways to keep the water from ponding on my old 2008 Montana. Some work and some not so good. My only concern is in 2018 why can't Keystone address the issue and come up with someway to alleviate this issue? It can't be rocket science. I can't be the only new Montana owner with this issue? Thanks for all your comments!
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It's not Keystone's fault as they don't manufacture the slide toppers and all the bards are essentially the same. Can an improvement be made? Absolutely, a set of support arms in a scissors arrangement could be made as one example. Would people be willing to pay an extra $1,000 for the improvement? Obviously not or it would be available. It's the age old axiom, something for nothing. Take an individual complaining about the quality of their under $50 K unit to an Airstream dealer and show them a 22' no slide camper that cost $100K and see if they will pay the upcharge for the increased quality.
Spiel over, I'll get down now
__________________
Marshall
2012 Laredo 303 TG
2010 F250 LT Super Cab, long bed, 4X4, 6.4 Turbo Diesel
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10-19-2017, 04:55 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 4,222
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Well ponding and flopping can also be the result of poor instillation. I installed
My Dometic slide toppers one 6’ over the bedroom slide, the second a 12’ over the living room dining room super slide. The instructions listed a minimum wall attachment distance above the roller and a maximum height above the roller. I installed both at the maximum height. I did notice the supper slide the tube bowed in at the middle, I placed a 1” block of wood at the center, tube is now straight no ponding, and best of all no flapping in the wind! We are on the Oregon Coast and just had gale force winds last night and no flapping. I am currently getting the correct Dometic center support.
__________________
Russ & Paula and Belle the Beagle.
2016 Ram Laramie 3500 DRW 14,000# GVWR (New TV)
2005 Copper Canyon 293 FWSLS 32’ GVWR 12,360
Visit and enjoy Oregon State Parks
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10-30-2017, 02:36 PM
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#11
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Hueytown, Alabama
Posts: 4
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Not a problem for me I leave it alone, when I retract them water runs off.
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10-30-2017, 05:08 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Howell
Posts: 581
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mikewheel
Not a problem for me I leave it alone, when I retract them water runs off.
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+1
Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
__________________
2016 Passport 3350BH
2017 F350 SRW Gasser
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10-30-2017, 05:34 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Oregon Coast
Posts: 259
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I made pvc supports for my 3 topper......no ponding and no wind noise.
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10-31-2017, 01:41 AM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Pennsville
Posts: 231
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Just this past weekend I saw a fellow had three Pool noodles bound together like a pyramid laid across he slide out supporting his cover. They were light, and covered most of the length all in one shot.
__________________
2018 Passport 2810bh Granite
TV 2014 Ram 1500 Bighorn 4x4 crew cab
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10-31-2017, 02:27 AM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: Lafayette
Posts: 1,068
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I had thought I'd put slide toppers on so as to not having to clean off the slides before pulling them in. After reading all of this, if I have to push some stupid ball or something inflatable in under the topper and then remove it, I might as well do without the toppers and figure on cleaning slides before retracting them, ether way I have to have access to the top of them! Just saying!
__________________
2015 Ram,3500,Dually,B&W,4.10s,Aisin,Limited,Silver
2018 Raptor,428SP w/full body paint
2012 Harley, Ultra Limited
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10-31-2017, 02:45 AM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Pennsville
Posts: 231
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My leaf blower turned out to be an invaluable deal for me. With the wet weather even the stuck leaves were gone.
Takes no space and weights less than 10lbs.
Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk
__________________
2018 Passport 2810bh Granite
TV 2014 Ram 1500 Bighorn 4x4 crew cab
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10-31-2017, 03:30 AM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: NC
Posts: 183
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I don't worry about it. The water runs off when I retract the slide.
The same thing has happened with several inches of snow, ice, pine cones, etc.
I will always have toppers on my slides.
Bobby
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10-31-2017, 05:40 AM
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#18
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 4,222
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tinner12002
I had thought I'd put slide toppers on so as to not having to clean off the slides before pulling them in. After reading all of this, if I have to push some stupid ball or something inflatable in under the topper and then remove it, I might as well do without the toppers and figure on cleaning slides before retracting them, ether way I have to have access to the top of them! Just saying!
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If
Installed correctly I don’t see a problem. We have a 6’ and a 13’ on our Copper Canyon this was a DYI install I placed the wall track at the maximum height above the roller so to assist draining. I am also going to install a support roller in the center of the 13’ unit, currently have a 1” block of wood in place of the roller currently, no ponding.
__________________
Russ & Paula and Belle the Beagle.
2016 Ram Laramie 3500 DRW 14,000# GVWR (New TV)
2005 Copper Canyon 293 FWSLS 32’ GVWR 12,360
Visit and enjoy Oregon State Parks
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