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Old 10-15-2010, 02:23 PM   #1
fallcolors
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Outback 210 Slide Leak

Hi,

We just bought a 2011 Outback 210RS and picked it up at the dealer. It was raining cats and dogs today and when the dealer demonstrated moving the rear slide in, water dripped on the dinette and couch cushions. It was quite a bit of water and the service tech. ran for some towels to mop it up. He tried to say that the reason it got wet was because the unit was not sitting level and water accumulated on the top of the slide out.

After we got home we noticed that the underside of the slide was dripping on both sides, again onto the cushions and carpet. It was the white part on the outer edge of the slide that was dripping, not underneath the bed. Luckily the service tech. had put plastic down on the cushions so it caught most of the water.

My question is this, is this supposed to leak like that every time it rains? Has anyone else had this type of experience? We are going to take it back to the dealer tomorrow to have them look at it again. It seems like a problem to me.

Thanks in advance for your help,

Chris
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Old 10-15-2010, 02:43 PM   #2
hankpage
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Bringing in the slide while it's raining ( Without a slide topper) you will get some water from the sides but nothing should get on your couch or dinette. All water should be on the outside of the slide. ..... Welcome to the forum, Hank
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Old 10-15-2010, 03:24 PM   #3
Festus2
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Welcome to the forum, Chris.
If you do not have a slide topper, the top of the slideout when it retracts into the unit will be wet if it is raining or heavy with dew. As you bring your slide in, the rubber/flexible plastic seals on the top and side of the RV should take away most of the water. If it was sitting slightly off level, the top seal should have prevented water from running back into your unit.

As Hank has pointed out in his post, you shouldn't be getting any water dripping onto your couch or dinette - even if it was off level.

It is not supposed to behave like that every time it rains.

When you take it back to the dealer, have your unit sitting on a flat and level surface, level the RV, and get a hose and spray water on the top of the slide - trying to make like a heavy rain. Give it a good spraying down and see what it does then. If it behaves the same way, you do have a problem.
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Old 10-15-2010, 06:32 PM   #4
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Thanks

Thanks Hank and Festus for your replies. We plan to take it back to the dealer tomorrow because my wife and I also don't think there should be water inside the trailer. There was so much water that it soaked the cushions! It doesn't seem right to us but we never had a trailer with a slide before so we weren't sure.

What do you mean by "slide topper"? There are rubber pieces on 3 sides of the slide (none on the bottom), but no shade type mechanism on the top.

Thanks again for your replies. I was happy to find this forum!

Chris
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Old 10-15-2010, 10:03 PM   #5
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A "slide topper" can be likened to a cover that, when the slide is being extended, rolls out like an awning and covers the slide-out. It is made of vinyl - similar to the fabric found on awnings and is housed in a spring-loaded cylinder - just like an awning is. It rolls in and out with the slide and keeps the slide roof free of debris and acts like a second "roof" or topper for the slide-out.
There isn't a similar seal on the bottom of the slide - just on the top and the two sides.
Good luck with your dealer and hope that they address and solve this problem for you.
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Old 10-21-2010, 05:45 PM   #6
ftwildernessguy
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I always have my 210 tipped slightly to the rear, not perfectly level. The water then sheds away from the coach when it rains, and there is no pooling of water to worry about when I close things up.
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Old 10-22-2010, 01:40 PM   #7
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Leaking slides

It is possible ther is some truth to what the dealer was saying if the TT was not level. Meaning the TT would have had to have been low on the right side. Two things happen with you slide. When you close the slide, watch it's motion. It will initially move up (top tips forward or inboard). The other thing that happens is the large black rubber seals roll in as the slide move in. Sometimes the slide has to travel a few inches before the entire rubber seal reverses in. If the TT is leaning and water is on top, during the slide movement, it might be possible for water to get under the seal until it rolls entirely.

However, if the TT is sitting level, the manufactured shape of the slide has a gradual slope to induce runoff. If you were leaning the the right, the water may not have rolled of and whn the slide was activated, it lifted up, tilted inward, and water ran in while the seal is reversing.

Once the slide is in, you should not get leakage. there is a white seal which runs the perimeter of the slide and slide and should not let water in around the slide. same rule should apply with the slide out. There is another seal on the inner frame of the slide so when the slide is out, it should seal against the inner wall.

I share all this with you because it happened to me on my 260FL with two slides while on the street in front of the house. I made the mistake of not leveling the TT when washing it and got soapy water inside while bringing them in. How I determined this was when trying to chase the leak. I got up on top with a hose with the slides out, as recommended earlier, and nothing leaked. What I did notice was the water puddled towards the big black wiper seal on the top. Nothing leaked inside until I started to close it. I reopened it, got on top with a towel and wiped them off before closing them the second time.

What I did find is they only leaked during operation. The slide awnings talked about earlier in the thread would probably take care of this issue, or certainly help.

I thought about putting slide awnings on mine. One benefit of the awnings is they keep the leaves, pine needles and cone, etc. off the slide. You want to try and keep the slides debris free to keep the seals from getting crap under them (leak potentials). Some Keystones come with the slide awning tracks already installed which makes installing the awning yourself relatively easy. Without the slide awning tracks, you have to get the hardware kit along with the awning and they can get costly. Plus you have to drill, screw, and seal the side.

With all that said, it can't hurt to have the dealer check it out. The last thing you want it wood rot, mold, mildew, etc.

Hope this helps some.

Dutch
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Old 10-22-2010, 03:12 PM   #8
hankpage
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Dutch, Everything you said is correct but, you should never get water in the trailer from the middle of the slide and leak on the couch or dinette. Water pooled on top of the slide roof should run off the sides of the slide room.
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