Leaking slide

[angtuck]

Hello and thank you , up front, for reading! My husband and I own a 2019 Keystone Alpine 3701. We love it. Several months ago we were caught in a heavy rain and windstorm. We noticed the passenger side front slide was leaking. Water was literally running off the “step” right by the couch. We stuffed it with a cloth to stop the water from dripping onto the carpet. There was no moisture under the couch and nothing from the windows. We can’t figure where it is leaking. We are sitting in another storm now and it is wet but not dripping like before. I can smell mildew so I’m concerned. Has anyone else experienced this?

[Mikendebbie]

This window is probably the culprit. I have read a couple of solutions tried by folks here in the forum. Try caulking the perimeter of the window frame. If that does not fix it - remove the window completely and install new butyl tape and reset the window.

[rhagfo]

Something you may want to look into is slide toppers. Keep the heat down, and helps shed rain.

[travelin texans]

Originally Posted by Mikendebbie

This window is probably the culprit. I have read a couple of solutions tried by folks here in the forum. Try caulking the perimeter of the window frame. If that does not fix it - remove the window completely and install new butyl tape and reset the window.

I'd recommend removal w/ new butyl tape BEFORE smearing caulk around the outside.
If you still need to caulk find the best stuff recommended by the rv or window manufacturers, not silicone unless that's what's recommended. If the rubber around the window is siliconized rubber silicone won't stick to it therefore won't help your situation other than making a mess.

[angtuck]

Thank you so much MikenDebbie. We will take a look at the window! Happy New Year and safe travels.

[angtuck]

Thank you rhagfo. We considered slide toppers. Several of our friends have them and like them until they get in the wind. They said they can be pretty noisy. I hope you have a wonderful New Year and safe traveling!

[angtuck]

Thank you travelin Texans. We have butyl tape and will try that. Have a wonderful new year and enjoy your travels!

[whitroc]

we had a similar leak, the first was where the seal on the unit did not cover the cutout for the slide and the seal was not stuck to or sealed with sealant at the top. Wet carpet/floor right in front of recliner. Service man fixed that one. Then the storage on both sides below the front slides would be wet. I caulked the ends inside and outside of the swintek slide rails and it has been dry since. That was in March.

[angtuck]

Thank you Whitroc. We will check both! I appreciate your help! Safe travels!

[bgrhrdt]

Originally Posted by angtuck

Thank you rhagfo. We considered slide toppers. Several of our friends have them and like them until they get in the wind. They said they can be pretty noisy. I hope you have a wonderful New Year and safe traveling!

Agree! Slide toppers are great when everything is perfect. We had them on a Class A MH we owned. I-10 at the NM/AZ border was closed due to extremely high winds--worst we've ever driven in. We found a place to park for the night and chose not to use our slides because of the high winds. I'm sure those things would have been ripped to shreds. Luckily we could fully function in the MH without slides. In our current fifth wheel, we couldn't spend more than a day without opening at least one of our slides.

[tacacia]

Hope this helps. Whenever I set up and put my slides out, I always walk around the rig and make sure that the rubber seal is sitting correctly on both sides of all the slides. I see many instances when the rubber seal didn't fully seal around the slide box without me having to put a finger under it to pull out an edge.

[locomech]

Originally Posted by tacacia

Hope this helps. Whenever I set up and put my slides out, I always walk around the rig and make sure that the rubber seal is sitting correctly on both sides of all the slides. I see many instances when the rubber seal didn't fully seal around the slide box without me having to put a finger under it to pull out an edge.

I agree with checking the slide box seals when put out. I go one step further when packing up to leave. I carry a 5 ft. ladder in my truck so I can climb up and clean off the top of the slide box before retracting. If camping under trees there can be a lot of leaves, acorns or twigs than can wedge under the box seal that will cause leaking the next time it rains. I use a small whisk broom or rag if wet before pulling the slide in.

[spicercars]

Originally Posted by tacacia

Hope this helps. Whenever I set up and put my slides out, I always walk around the rig and make sure that the rubber seal is sitting correctly on both sides of all the slides. I see many instances when the rubber seal didn't fully seal around the slide box without me having to put a finger under it to pull out an edge.

This is what I was going to suggest. Good thought. We had a brand new rig several years ago that the slide leaked every time we had a good rain and it turned out the top seal was not rolled out like it's supposed to be.

[yocsr]

We had this on our 38' bhds. Over time the seal shrinks. I sealed both sides of seal on outside and drilled weep holes in the frame. For some reason these are the only frames with no weep holes. The frame was filling with water and running down the inside of the wall. This fixed our problem.