PDA

View Full Version : Waterproofing the Slide, Part 3


trueweb
09-08-2014, 02:48 PM
Heading to the top! This time I worked on the top seam on the sides of the slide where the rubber roof wraps around and is held down by the trim.

As I said, I'm trying to post as many pictures as I can to help people out and also to get feedback from those with more experience. Got to unite on keeping water out of our campers! If this interests you, the previous posts are; Step 1 (http://www.keystonerv.org/forums/showthread.php?t=19236) and Step 2 (http://www.keystonerv.org/forums/showthread.php?t=19257)

Step 3: Remove the old silicon from the roof/trim joint. Remove old caulk from the outside frame/roof joint. Clean thoroughly. Apply new caulk to all seams and openings. Cover with EternaBond tape.

waterproofing-the-toy-hauler-part-3 (http://www.nelsonet.net/wordpress/blog/2014/09/06/waterproofing-the-toy-hauler-part-3/)

Thanks again for your comments and suggestions! Next up, the roof!

Wes Tausend
09-17-2014, 12:52 PM
...

Trueweb,

Just wanted to mostly let you know that I appreciate your info (and photos) regarding slide leaks. And I wanted to also relate our experiences.

We do have a floor leak in our Cougar 294RLS TT from rain, similar to what you have described, and I will certainly look for an intrusion near the bottom now. Earlier, it seemed impossible to determine where it came from, we thought perhaps from the top flange and down the wall as do many. But we were unable to reproduce a leak with a garden hose by spraying on top and against a nearby window. It still bewilders us, unless you have solved the mystery.

Ours seemed to occur while the slide was in and the camper leveled (for the fridge) in our driveway. It does not occur when the camper is not level. After further investigation, I discovered that it does not occur while parked on the street, even when level. The difference is, that on the street, I do not drop the stabilizer jacks, but in the driveway, I did.

Back in the driveway, I sighted down the rain gutters with the jacks down and when they were not down. It turns out that the gutters (and roof) are quite level when the camper rests only on its wheels, but both are quite dipped when the end jacks take up the least amount of slack. I hadn't thought of this before, but even the most stout of steel frames have a considerable amount of give to them. It makes sense.

Since the gutters are only 3/8 inch deep, and the dip is closer to 3/4 inch, rain pours off the dipped roof right onto the center of the dipped gutter and cannot properly run off the drain ends. This results in rain pouring down the side of the camper directly above the slide. The outer slide flange no doubt directs a significant amount of water against the imperfect bulb seal and allows water to filter onto the closed slide roof. From there I had no idea how it got onto my floor... but I do now. Thanks.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now I have another leak problem to solve with the rubber wiper seal above the slide. It is made identical to the side wipers, both measuring about 2.5 inches wide when not bent. The old side wipers are in perfect condition, but the top wiper has become severely mashed and distorted and has come loose from the topside mount flange running along the slide wall opening. I think the process of the slide rising to clear the aisle floor while retracting, squeezes the rubber too much and the strain is beyond the design tolerance flex that these wipers have. The rubber is still soft, but must bend to only 1 inch clearance during retraction.

I'm not sure whether I should replace it with an identical 2.5 inch wiper or try to find a 2 inch replacement for added clearance. The old one somewhat stays in place, flipping back and forth as the slide moves, but recently a pine-cone knocked it completely loose and then a driving rain scooted up under the opening enough to cause a steady leak all along the front interior edge in front of the loveseat. I stopped the leak momentarily by slightly retracting the slide about 4 inches, but the wiper will have to be permanently repaired with something.

Wes
...

trueweb
09-17-2014, 04:17 PM
Hey Wes,

Glad I was able to help. You make some really good points about testing in multiple conditions. I didn't experience the leak after I bought it and I don't think the seller experienced it in the same way either. It mostly sat, close to level with the slide in. It was while camping with the slide out during a pretty good rain that the floor got wet as you can see in the image under the bench seat. I also have not had the rear stabilizers down until that trip. I believe my trailer was slightly high on the side opposite the slide which is the opposite of my normal position in the driveway. It's much easier to level front to back than side to side.

I just finished the tape on the top of the slide and will post about it soon. My next plan is to do a little more caulking on the slide then move to the roof. I noticed the roof is sealed against the gutters with silicon. The silicone is so easy to remove from the dicor roof material, it's silly. I'm going to use dicor non sagging caulk for that work.

My rubber seal on the top is also a mess, but not for the same reason. I think someone, at some time, identified there was a leak in the slide or thought the factory didn't do a good enough job and used some sort of crappy self leveling type caulk to go over the factory caulk. It was very soft compared to the dicor and felt like chewing gum on the bottom of your shoe. Well, it was all over the roof and when they closed the slide it got all over the seal. The seal is completely gummed up and doesn't bend or mold to the roof correctly anymore as well as all the gunk breaks any seal that would exist. I'm also stuck figuring out exactly what seal it is and how to replace it. I might just let the dealer take care of that one. I don't think I'm getting any water from that spot because a leak there would end up on the main floor, not the slide floor, from what I can see.

Water is such a scary thing to have in the RV since it's a pretty large investment of money. I lost a lot of sleep over this.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a cover at some point just to keep things like those pine cones off. I'm definitely going to climb the ladder and look down on the slide before I close it and wipe it down from the inside after it's closed from now on.

Wes Tausend
09-18-2014, 05:48 PM
Hey Wes,

....My rubber seal on the top is also a mess, but not for the same reason. I think someone, at some time, identified there was a leak in the slide or thought the factory didn't do a good enough job and used some sort of crappy self leveling type caulk to go over the factory caulk. It was very soft compared to the dicor and felt like chewing gum on the bottom of your shoe. Well, it was all over the roof and when they closed the slide it got all over the seal. The seal is completely gummed up and doesn't bend or mold to the roof correctly anymore as well as all the gunk breaks any seal that would exist. I'm also stuck figuring out exactly what seal it is and how to replace it. I might just let the dealer take care of that one. I don't think I'm getting any water from that spot because a leak there would end up on the main floor, not the slide floor, from what I can see.

Water is such a scary thing to have in the RV since it's a pretty large investment of money. I lost a lot of sleep over this.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a cover at some point just to keep things like those pine cones off. I'm definitely going to climb the ladder and look down on the slide before I close it and wipe it down from the inside after it's closed from now on.
Trueweb,

Yes, the top horizontal slide wiper does seem to cause a leak on the inside when it does not divert strong, blown rain from swooping in. On the other hand, by partially closing the slide by 4 inches, the slide rises to clear the floor and maybe tilts away from level to encourage rain to drain off near the outer flange.

Today I found some 2-3/4 inch RV rubber wiper material that is a uniform 1/4 inch thickness except for the last 3/4 inch where it tapers to about a 1/8 inch lip. I think I can very securely screw it to the outer surface of the TT wall flange with a suitable aluminum strip (1/2 inch wide maybe). The original, now shrunken grooved wiper seal mounted with this flange inserted within imbedded, now rusty spring steel (i.e. to clip it over this flange). The fancy, original replacement rubber wiper costs about $4/ft and this plain wiper rubber only costs about $1.40/ft. Since I expect the original would only last a year... maybe... (because of engineering application design), I think I'll revamp it to use the cheaper stuff. The wiper won't be able to fall off, or even come loose again.

I also just found a light, handy ladder (http://www.menards.com/main/paint/ladders-scaffolding/extension-ladders/flyweight-2-in-1-ladder/p-2011275-c-7977.htm) that allows me to see above the roof as a 6 foot step ladder or extend it to 12 feet to climb on top. It is short enough to fit in my 6-1/2 foot truck box.

My TT uses the entire rear wall for windows, so a rear mounted RV ladder won't work well. This ladder supercedes my last 5 foot plastic-top step ladder since I can now stand on the top of sturdy rungs. I weigh 260 pounds but it has a 300 pound rating. It's really rigid compared to ordinary step ladders, yet I can throw it in the truck box with one hand. Best of all it is on sale this month at Menards for only $55 (normal $77)
http://cds.a9t2h4q7.hwcdn.net/main/store/20090519001/items/media/Wallcoverings/wall_misc_dc/ProductLarge/560-1161.jpg

I, too, fear water intrusion. I think it is the main weak link in RV service life. If not for leaks, a lot more older RV's would still be on the road and in campgrounds.

Wes
...

glenalt
09-19-2014, 02:31 AM
Thanks for the tips.