Slide Leak Feedback

rbev2308 · 06-03-2015, 05:59 AM

Reviewed some of the threads on others with issues and have a plan. Want to run it by to see if it makes sense. My new Alpine has never camped in the rain. I have it set at home with slides open since I was re-taping some of the AC duct work and fixing other things. We had a torrential downpour yesterday and afterwards, I went back out to work. Water was a steady constant drip coming from the bottom of the trim work on the main slide and dripping directly on dining room table and floor. Got it all up and immediately retracted all slides.

1) I do not think this is associated with the roof!
2) I do not think it is from the window since it would probably came out of ceiling or light fixture or the wall.
3) I think the two flex seals and the wall seal inside are all good

I put a level on and noticed it was out of level by 3/4 of an inch leaning left so climbed up ladder and seen the puddling of water that was up against camper and seals. My guess is the leak itself was caused by the metal trim against the wood trim and the screws holding it down. As for the auto level, I have had issues since the beginning but have managed to diagnose and resolve. I manually set the thing and did a zero point calibration to make the lcd think this is level. I am noticing a lot of popping coming from the landing gear so will do the steps in the tech bulletin from Lippert with anti-stiction fluid. Not sure if Lowes or Advance Auto will have this. Even if it were out of level slightly, it still should have not necessarily leaked. My options are to seal both sides of metal trim and all around each screw or my thought I would like feedback on is some 4 " eternabond tape and start it on the inner side of the wood trim and lay over the screw and metal strip and flatten on top of the slide.. Of course the wife said I told you to get slide toppers!!! Hoping to resolve this auto level issue. I should not have to re-level everything once I week should I

Thanks!!!
Ross

Seabee · 06-03-2015, 06:17 AM

Well Master Chief, your COA is going to depend on how much work you want to do. My vote would be for option 1 and seal everything. That's coming from a Seabee though so take it for what its worth. As far as the slide toppers, installing those won't fix the leak. Another little tid bit to think about, when we were buying the new camper a couple of weeks ago I inquired about slide toppers being installed. A retired Marine working in the service department heard me and pulled me off to the side to tell me they are not worth the money.

Festus2 · 06-03-2015, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seabee

As far as the slide toppers, installing those won't fix the leak. Another little tid bit to think about, when we were buying the new camper a couple of weeks ago I inquired about slide toppers being installed. A retired Marine working in the service department heard me and pulled me off to the side to tell me they are not worth the money.

Slide toppers may not "fix" leaks but they do, IMO, reduce the likelihood of them happening - especially around the top and to some extent the sides of the slide out. The topper does act as a "second roof" and does stop most, not all, of the rain from landing on and accumulating on the slide roof. The topper does help keep the roof drier. If the rain is being driven in by a strong wind, then some rain will, of course, get onto the slide roof.

Slide toppers are also sloped at a greater angle which carries away water much better than the more gentle slope of the slide roof.

Yes, debris and dirt get on the topper roof just as much as they do on the slide roof so instead of cleaning off the slide roof you end up cleaning off the slide topper roof. I suppose you could say from this aspect, they really "aren't worth the money".

Some folks claim that the topper helps keep the sun off the slide roof thereby keeping the interior of the RV a bit cooler but I've read somewhere that tests have been carried out that disproves this. Since I can't give you any documented evidence that slide toppers keep the inside cooler you'll have to judge for yourself.

As a side note, if a retired Marine told you that slide toppers aren't worth the money, does that make it any more or less believable?

And "COA" ??? Is that a secret military code for "Course of Action" or "Campgrounds of America" or ???

Seabee · 06-03-2015, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Festus2

As a side note, if a retired Marine told you that slide toppers aren't worth the money, does that make it any more or less believable?

It certainly does when that Retired Marine is a employee of the dealership. It was a Brother taking care of a Brother. Why spend the money when you can accomplish the job of a slide topper by simply sweeping off the top of the slide before retracting? Of course the Master Chief is probably getting on up in years and going up and down on a ladder may not be good for his old bones.

therink · 06-03-2015, 06:12 PM

Slide toppers are simply a matter of choice. Personally, I don't like them because they make it difficult to maintain the slide roof membrane and keep it clean (hence the photo).
I recommend temporarily removing the slide awning, cleaning and inspecting the roof, tape, etc. It is possible that the Eternabond tape installed by the factory lifted and water got behind or under it causing the water to penetrate at a screw head. I would remove the existing tape and redo it.

**sourdough** · 06-04-2015, 08:50 AM

Looking at the debris down the seam/screw line in the photo I'm wondering how well the flexible seal above the top of the slide is working; or maybe it's folded or something?

I had an issue right off with my new '14 (not bad) and found that the rubber seal had somehow gotten bound up with part of the seal looking normal and pointed to the outside after the slide was extended but half of it was still folded inward leaving a gap where the fold occurred. I had a couple of those. Water was coming thru the gap in the fold during a hard rain apparently. Straightened it all out, let it sit out in the sun for a couple of weeks and it seems to have taken care of the issue. Just thinking......

rbev2308 · 06-04-2015, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sourdough

Looking at the debris down the seam/screw line in the photo I'm wondering how well the flexible seal above the top of the slide is working; or maybe it's folded or something?

I had an issue right off with my new '14 (not bad) and found that the rubber seal had somehow gotten bound up with part of the seal looking normal and pointed to the outside after the slide was extended but half of it was still folded inward leaving a gap where the fold occurred. I had a couple of those. Water was coming thru the gap in the fold during a hard rain apparently. Straightened it all out, let it sit out in the sun for a couple of weeks and it seems to have taken care of the issue. Just thinking......

The pic is misleading...I always clean the slide off prior to opening and retracting. This was the first time in five months of ownership the things were out while raining and it was at home. I was working taping up some of the hvac that was not the greatest from the factory when I went in and noticed water pouring on to the dining room table. I quickly brushed off the slide from a ladder and then retracted it. I have checked both slide seals and the inner seal that butts up and noticed no kinks or cuts. I am speculating it was due to coach being out of level and it being pushed in and the screws along the tract not being siliconed. I have since manually leveled and it has not stopped raining for nearly a day with a few moderate downpours and no leaks. Leaning towards placing silicone on all screwheads and taping the tract over to the slide top with eternabond tape...Probably nothing will work if out of level as water will find a path at some point. I appreciate the feedback!!!!!

**JRTJH** · 06-04-2015, 01:47 PM

Many people use the term "silicone" as a generic term. Some intend it to mean any type of sealant, some intend it to mean "GE Silicone" and some intend it to mean DICOR Lap Sealant. I'm not sure what type of sealant you're referring to when you use the term "silicone", but I'd urge you not to use it on your roof.

Silicone isn't recommended (actually the advice is against using it) on any RV roof membrane. The slide roof has the same type membrane as the roof, either EPDM or TPO. You might want to check the manufacturer's website for directions on how to effectively seal or repair the specific type of roofing material you have on your RV.

https://www.dicorproducts.com/resources/rudys/

rbev2308 · 06-04-2015, 02:17 PM

John,
As always, thanks for the advice..Yeah I use the term loosely....Trust me I am not going to Lowe's...I am looking at stuff used for the roof for the slides themselves even though I am looking at using it on the screw heads in the metal tracks only. The bead around it looks pretty good. I believe the outer edge of the slide has eternabond style tape so I was going to use it on the opposite end which is the end on the other side of the wood trim and tape over the track and screws and run on to the slide roof. I still believe my issue was caused due to not being level cause I was in the camper today on and off for about 90 mins including one 20 min stretch where it absolutely poured and no issues. This Lippert auto level has given me fits since day one. I have recalibrated the rear remote sensor, did the zero point calibration twice. I am going to do the anti-stiction additive soon cause I am getting significant popping which could be knocking out of level, not sure on that... The thing was out of level by 20% in the bubble but said 0.0 on the LCD display side to side..so I manually leveled and recalibrated. It was leaning inwards which is exactly where the leak occurred. I will check the mfr directions on the slide roof which I am assuming should be the same as the reg roof as far as resealing..I had seen and heard from local dealer that the Eternabond was the industry standard for all roof repair/seal jobs.

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