Waterproofing the Slide, Part 1

[trueweb]

So, a while back I posted about the leak in my slide. Had a few people look at it and the consensus is that the leak is coming from the top corner running inside the wall and then getting on the floor. Easy fix, I guess.

I've also been searching the interwebs for anything related to slide leaks. Crazy enough, there are tons of threads on water getting in from the bottom edges. The trim is not on correctly or the water even wicks around the lower trim and under the floor where it finds screw holes and gets under the waterproof black woven (?) fabric covering the floor. Well, upon looking closer my slide looks to be assembled the same as many of those that had problems and I even had the exact same screw holes through the black woven material shown to be the culprit on some of them.

I decided to start from the bottom up with my waterproofing of the slide. Seems slides are big time culprits for water damage so I figure it's a good place to start.

Step 1: Remove all the trim from the bottom of the slide. Inspect. Re-assemble with drip edge under the trim. Replace the butyl seal. Cover it all in EternaBond leak repair tape.

waterproofing-the-toy-hauler-part-1

I sure hope this works!

[therink]

Nice work.
I sense an Eternabond order coming my way soon.

[glenalt]

Looks like something I need to check. Thanks.

[jtyphoid]

The old tape that you removed might have been putty tape instead of butyl tape. That would explain why it wasn't sticky.

I replaced all the putty tape with butyl tape when I replaced the floor of my bedroom slide out. The butyl tape is a much better product.

[jimmyv13]

Thanks for the link to your site with the pics and how to. I will be doing this exact job in the next week or so. Looks like fun.

Is the eternabond cleaner and/or spray primer necessary for this repair? I am in a rather remote location, nearest town of any significance is a good hour away, so I would need to order everything from Amazon.

[Railrode1]

You may try looking at the upper outside corner cap. This is where I had leaks in two different RVs. Behind this cap is where the outer slide framing come together at a 45 degree angle. Most are not sealed properly.

[shov]

Nice work! And thanks for sharing your pictures and write up

[jimmyv13]

I am sealing every edge of the slide with the eternabond tape, covering every seam, screw, etc. I'm also having to reinforce the header of the slide with an aluminum flat stock piece as the roof sags considerably because of the leaking. This trailer sat unused or maintained for 2 1/2 years and I am paying the price for it now. It will be better than new when I'm done with it.

[trueweb]

Jimmy, the brand specific spray is not necessary, but it does a nice job cleaning and doesn't leave a residue. It's also safer on the roof material than acetone or mineral spirits. On the fiberglass/plastic sidewalls you can be a little less particular about the cleaning products, but be sure to wipe it clean and dry so the tape sticks.

[jimmyv13]

I was wondering if it worked any better than denatured alcohol. I spent 30-45 min today on the bottom 3' strip of the slide cleaning it up. It's still not completely clean, but it's close. Would acetone or mineral spirits work better than denatured alcohol?

[trueweb]

Mineral Spirits or acetone are much stronger than the alcohol. The Alcohol would be good for wiping off any excess from the other cleaners. You may test them in a small spot before going to town. I would use them sparingly in any case. The benefit of the spray cleaner is that it worked better than alcohol without the risk.

[svanarts]

Seems like applying eternabond tape to the slides on a brand new trailer would be a good preventative measure. Unless there is a reason not to.