Water intrusion

Camping family · 09-23-2021, 07:31 AM

Okay this is my problem and I can’t find the issue. Further can’t get into dealer to check it till oct and can’t repair till 4-6 weeks after that. I have a 2020 29 rks 5th wheel. It has a slide out kitchen. In the kitchen is just a small frig and grill. There is no water or sink. I noticed the bottom right corner underneath of the slide out showed the black stuff was coming loose/tore some from sliding in n out. Checked and found the underneath floor was wet. Checked all seals found nothing. Left slide open to dry underneath floor and removed black backing cleaned and re glued.
Problem is as long as the slide is open there isn’t an issues with water it stays dry. I know this cause we had a storm and was dry afterwards. I closed the slide and after it rains I open it and it’s wet. Need some suggestions on what the problem could be. Thank you everyone

**sourdough** · 09-23-2021, 09:01 AM

Looking at the 29rks floorplan looks like that entire little slide is dedicated to an outdoor kitchen?

I am assuming the material torn is the darco fabric underneath the slide? It looks sort of like a woven plastic tarp. Regluing it won't do you much good until you find what is tearing it up. It probably has a wear bar under it, if not a roller. I've had both tear up darco. Find out which one it is. It could be the slide out of adjustment, a roller out of adjustment, a warped slide floor etc. etc.

As far as the water intrusion it sounds like the edge of the slide and slide seal are directing water down the inside edge of the slide and then "directing" it to drain/drip off the outside bottom corner of the slide. Have you looked at that to see what may or may not be changing when that slide comes in? There is probably a transition strip at the bottom where the darco comes up and is fastened to the slide, is it intact and sealed?

Look it over and post pics if you can. There are remedies for it but you need to know what it is you're trying to fix.

Camping family · 09-24-2021, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sourdough

Looking at the 29rks floorplan looks like that entire little slide is dedicated to an outdoor kitchen?

I am assuming the material torn is the darco fabric underneath the slide? It looks sort of like a woven plastic tarp. Regluing it won't do you much good until you find what is tearing it up. It probably has a wear bar under it, if not a roller. I've had both tear up darco. Find out which one it is. It could be the slide out of adjustment, a roller out of adjustment, a warped slide floor etc. etc.

As far as the water intrusion it sounds like the edge of the slide and slide seal are directing water down the inside edge of the slide and then "directing" it to drain/drip off the outside bottom corner of the slide. Have you looked at that to see what may or may not be changing when that slide comes in? There is probably a transition strip at the bottom where the darco comes up and is fastened to the slide, is it intact and sealed?

Look it over and post pics if you can. There are remedies for it but you need to know what it is you're trying to fix.

Think this is the problem now how do I fix it. Would it possible be covered under warranty?

Camping family · 09-24-2021, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sourdough

Looking at the 29rks floorplan looks like that entire little slide is dedicated to an outdoor kitchen?

I am assuming the material torn is the darco fabric underneath the slide? It looks sort of like a woven plastic tarp. Regluing it won't do you much good until you find what is tearing it up. It probably has a wear bar under it, if not a roller. I've had both tear up darco. Find out which one it is. It could be the slide out of adjustment, a roller out of adjustment, a warped slide floor etc. etc.

As far as the water intrusion it sounds like the edge of the slide and slide seal are directing water down the inside edge of the slide and then "directing" it to drain/drip off the outside bottom corner of the slide. Have you looked at that to see what may or may not be changing when that slide comes in? There is probably a transition strip at the bottom where the darco comes up and is fastened to the slide, is it intact and sealed?

Look it over and post pics if you can. There are remedies for it but you need to know what it is you're trying to fix.

It doesn’t have any rollers. Has a rubber strip across the bottom and another rubber piece over it in the corner both are ripped. Guessing that is letting water run down slid when closed. Waiting on call from dealer to see if covered under warranty.

**sourdough** · 09-24-2021, 08:29 AM

I can't really tell what I'm looking at but it looks like you have a wear bar under the slide vs rollers. It is a hard plastic strip 1/2 - 3/4" tall right under the slide that it glides on. Those torn pieces look like the weather seal under the slide. They can get torn any number of ways and need to be cleaned periodically because a buildup of dirt, grime and debris on them makes the "stick" to the darco as it slides in and out, bind, then tear. They can be replaced.

It also appears, I think, that it is wearing on the outside edge. Is the other end wearing and fraying like that? Pull down the bottom flap and look at the bottom of the slide all the way across. Look closely and see if there might be a bit of a bow in the bottom. Not much you can do about it but at least you know for sure the wear points are going to be on the ends. A pic or 2 showing exactly what we're looking at and where on the slide would help. I'm thinking the things called "slide skis" might be the answer for the ends.

Camping family · 09-24-2021, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sourdough

I can't really tell what I'm looking at but it looks like you have a wear bar under the slide vs rollers. It is a hard plastic strip 1/2 - 3/4" tall right under the slide that it glides on. Those torn pieces look like the weather seal under the slide. They can get torn any number of ways and need to be cleaned periodically because a buildup of dirt, grime and debris on them makes the "stick" to the darco as it slides in and out, bind, then tear. They can be replaced.

It also appears, I think, that it is wearing on the outside edge. Is the other end wearing and fraying like that? Pull down the bottom flap and look at the bottom of the slide all the way across. Look closely and see if there might be a bit of a bow in the bottom. Not much you can do about it but at least you know for sure the wear points are going to be on the ends. A pic or 2 showing exactly what we're looking at and where on the slide would help. I'm thinking the things called "slide skis" might be the answer for the ends.

The other end has no issues at all

Javi · 09-24-2021, 09:08 AM

https://youtu.be/2SrQ2xIMxds

**sourdough** · 09-24-2021, 09:37 AM

Bob, Javi has posted a link to the slide skis I referenced. They will probably fix your situation as I understand it. As far as warranty, if it were me, I would buy the skis and put them on. The proposed warranty repairs for my slides when they started getting torn up was to glue "patches" of new darco over the old or, in one case, put a strip of aluminum down the ends on the bottom with no thought of what that was going to do to the wear bar, seals etc. over time. Neither was an acceptable resolution even if free under warranty. And btw, is yours still in warranty (12 mos.)?

The key is that the water dripping down the edge and then into the darco was not something keystone wanted to address in their solutions. They did on this one but only after a very involved debate and many escalations.

Camping family · 09-24-2021, 09:52 AM

Thank you all for the help. After adding the skies should I also replace that torn seal or will the skies fix the issue?

**sourdough** · 09-24-2021, 11:43 AM

The skis will fix the worn areas on the darco. Something the video did not show was sealing along the edge of the ski on the end at the outside. You should put a bead of proflex or something similar along that outside edge since that is where your darco was torn.

I would replace the torn seals. They perform a function and can't when torn up. All kinds of things can get into a hole in the sealing and an RV is very susceptible to problems if any water manages to get somewhere in there. If you haven't previously, clean all the seals and flaps on your slide(s) then put something on them to condition them and protect them from the sun and weather. I use Aerospace 303.

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