water leaking slide

[Michael Marcocchio]

Hello my new to me used 2005 Beaver Patroit Thunder has a slider water leak in the bedroom area after camping for a few days it rained one night and the wall beside the slide rug got wet from water dripping in beside the wall. In the morning I got up to check things out and under the toppers was a big pool of water laying there close to the inner rubber seal the water moved up towards the Mh slipped under the seal and made its way along the top part of the slide down the side and into the mh. My question the MH wasn't 100 level but is there a way you can tilt the slide slighty away at the top allowing the water to not pool near the top but to run down towards the outside of the slide and down the side away from the MH.I was wondering am I on the right track or am I missing something.The slide looks when out level it closes tight . Any help would be great Thankyou Michael.

[Keith Moffett]

Our slide has bad inner seals so will leak if the slide is open and the MH is tilted a bit to the passanger side.  I had thought this was the leak in the bedroom but it turned out to be the skylight which had a crack up under a layer of sealant that didnt hold but hid the problem from me.  Replaced the skylight and solved most of the problems.

Good luck
Keith

[Gerald Farris]

Michael,
Your idea of tilting the slide down on the outer end is possible to a slight extent, however you probably will not be able to tilt it enough to solve the problem that you experienced, especially with the coach not being totally level. Water leaks are very difficult to locate, and sometimes they are difficult to repair, but finding the exact source of the leak is usually the hardest part of the repair.

With seven year old seals on the slide, they will probably have to be replaced if the slide is adjusted to change the way that it fits in the opening. My bet would be that the outer slide seals need to be replaced now, however that is a call that needs to be made by someone that is experienced in repairing water leaks on this design slide, if the slide is really the source of the leak.

Gerald  

[Tim Bentley Co-Admin]

I had a similar problem on my '03 Marquis.  My solution was to prevent the water from ever reaching the seal by adding a strip of base board to the top back edge of the slide.  This board channeled the water to the edge and over the side never reaching the seal.

The photo shows the board on the big slide, but it is the same on all three of my slides.  Looks a bit dirty, its been in place several years.  I used a composite base board so it would not rot when it got wet.

[Bill Sprague]

I had a driver side bedroom slide that nobody seemed able to fix with seals or adjusting the alignment.  So, I did something similar to Tim except I used 1/8" x 3/4" common aluminium bar from the local hardware store.  I attached it with 3M double sided foam tape.

I also made sure that the various seams and rivet holes on the top of the slide were sealed.  I had to remove the topper for access.

I also try to "level" with a very slight lean to the left.  

The slide looks a little funny to those that know what is should look like.  But, to others, it is not noticeable.

If anyone wants pictures, I can do it this weekend.

[Robert Mathis]

My curb side bedroom slide also started leaking on our last trip to the Keys.  I discovered that the tape sealing the inner edge of the top of the slide did not extend to the very edges of the slide, and that was letting water enter and run around the slide.  I added another layer of Dibond tape to the seam and lapped it over the sides of the slide. This is the area that actually extends under the seals. I haven't had it out in a rainstorm since the repair, but will check it soon.  I also cleaned and resealed the slide toppers with 303 water seal since the slide awnings were letting water pour thru about 4 inches from the inner edge, right where the awning enters the cover. I know the toppers are not designed to keep the slide dry, but I feel the excess amount of water that was not diverted by the topper had to contribute to the problem.  I also did the same sealing job on the road side rear slide, just in case. BTW, the only way to do this is to bring the slide in and work between the bedroom ceiling and the top of the slide.  Not easy when you have fat hands like I do.

[Michael Marcocchio]

Hello,
Thank you all for the great feed back.  What I am looking into is making a sub-roof with a sheet of 1/16 Alumimum with 1/2 inch lips on both ends tilted up at the mh end slightly so the water will run down and run off the the ends away from the mh. Slide one end under the rubber lip closest to the motor home.  Put some spacies under it to tilt it up slightly.  Water then won't run up hill.  As I still work and my unit is parked 3 hrs away from my home, this seems to be the fastest fix I can think of without taking awning off and spending time I don't have right now.

[Bill Sprague]

I had a driver side bedroom slide that nobody seemed able to fix with seals or adjusting the alignment.  So, I did something similar to Tim except I used 1/8" x 3/4" common aluminium bar from the local hardware store.  I attached it with 3M double sided foam tape.

I also made sure that the various seams and rivet holes on the top of the slide were sealed.  I had to remove the topper for access.

I also try to "level" with a very slight lean to the left.  

The slide looks a little funny to those that know what is should look like.  But, to others, it is not noticeable.

If anyone wants pictures, I can do it this weekend.

I had a request by private message to post photos of what I did.

[LEAH DRAPER]

Looks very professional to me.  Nice DO.

[Larry Fisk]

We had Coach Masters in Bend, OR replace ours. No more leaks!

[Bill Sprague]

Looks very professional to me.  Nice DO.

Thank you.  I'm sure there is a better solution, buy I couldn't find it.

[Bill Sprague]

We had Coach Masters in Bend, OR replace ours. No more leaks!

Larry,
I had a few different places, including the factory shop in Harrisburg and the factory shop in Bend try to fix my slide leaks in the first years of ownership.  All three slides leaked in various places.  Granted, I spend a lot of time in rainy weather, but I will never believe slides are leak proof.  Don't think they are fixed for good.