Water Leak on Slides/Sticking Seals

[tower190]

The 2 slide outs on my SG297FKSSR10 Keystone Springdale have a rubber moulding across the top that screws the trailer side,and is covered when the slide is closed. It is about 2 1/2" wide and looks to be the rain deflector. This moulding gets folded under and doesn't come back out when the slide goes out. Is this moulding sticking or should it come out and lay flat.

[Festus2]

Normally, this rubber "flap" should come out when the slide is extended. It is there to prevent water from backing up into the interior when the slide is out. When you first put the slide out, it should slowly "unfold" as the slide extends outward.
Sometimes, this rubber seal becomes stiff over time and should be softened up by applying a rubber/vinyl cleaner-protectorant. I use Aerospace303 on my slide seals which seems to work very well but others use Armorall or something similar.
You might try applying this to the seals and see if that makes any difference. If that doesn't help, sometimes they might have to be repositioned or a small adjustment made in the slide itself.

[SteveC7010]

Our Cougar is the first RV we've had with slides so I took extra time with the tech during the walk-through to understand the weather seals on the slides.

Up until now I have carried a 10' ladder which allowed me to get up on the roof of our '99 Sunline, but it is a bit short for the Cougar. It is the lower half of a 20' extension ladder so I expect I'll be bringing the whole thing along from now on.

Even the 10' ladder has been tall enough to get up and check the slides after they are extended and to clean the top of the slides before retracting.

When extending, if the seals (top and sides) don't flap outward properly, I try retracting and extending. Sometimes this will bring the seal out fully. If not, I climb up and work the seal out with a finger.

While I fully understand the need to keep the seals soft and pliable, it seems to me to that if the two surfaces (seal and slide) are dry (absence of moisture), there should be enough friction to cause the slide to pull the seal out as it extends. If the slide was previously retracted damp, the water may act as a lubricant preventing proper seal movement the next time it is extended.

What I have done when the slide is wet when we pack up is to use a old towel and dry off the top of the slide as much as possible before retracting. Then from the inside I try to towel the slide top even more. It seems to help so far.