Water leak Rear Streetside Slide

[Sean Donohue]

We are parked and in the midst of a rainy season vastly difference from anything we have been traveling through for the past year. One result of these rains is the discovery of a leak coming from the rear street side slide. It appears to be the result of water gathering forward of the slide roller and seeping in to the carpet. I have the dehumitifier running to drying the inside of the rig and a shammy placed on the inside where the dripping has come in along with a shammy outside in the area the water is pooling that is acting like a siphon drawing the water away and down the side under the slide. Any idea where this water migrating from?  Besides the sky...  

[Gerald Farris]

Sean,
Water leaks can be the hardest thing to repair on a coach, because it can be very difficult to locate the origin. The leak can be several feet or more away from where you see the water entering the coach. If you can not readily locate the origin of the leak, you may need to have a technician who is familiar with repairing water leaks on Beaver coaches look at the problem.

Gerald

[Dick Simonis]

I've seen some ads where a service compnay presurrizes the inside of the coach, tosses in a smoke granade (or something) and then looks for smoke coming from the leaks.  Might be an option to pursue.  I can see looking for leaks, as a very labor intensive operation at ~$110/hr.  Sometimes leaks don't appear for some time after the rain starts, so the old water hose method doesn't allows work very well(ask anyone that has had a boat).

Good luck.

[Bill Sprague]

I've seen some ads where a service compnay presurrizes the inside of the coach, tosses in a smoke granade (or something) and than looks for smoke coming from the leaks.  Might be an option to pursue.  I can see looking for leaks as a very labot intensive operation at ~110/hr.  Sometimes leaks don't appear for some time after the rain starts so the old water hose method doesn't allows work very well(ask anyone that has had a boat).

Good luck.

They pressurize the motorhome with a fan put into the standard rv vent fan hole.  Then they spray the outside with soap and look for bubbles.  

[Bill Sprague]

We are parked and in the midst of a rainy season vastly difference from anything we have been traveling through for the past year. One result of these rains is the discovery of a leak coming from the rear street side slide. It appears to be the result of water gathering forward of the slide roller and seeping in to the carpet. I have the dehumitifier running to drying the inside of the rig and a shammy placed on the inside where the dripping has come in along with a shammy outside in the area the water is pooling that is acting like a siphon drawing the water away and down the side under the slide. Any idea where this water migrating from?  Besides the sky...  

I fought the rear slide leaks for a long time.  There are so many variables from wind direction to the levelness of the coach.  For a while I had the advantage of warranty and the best Monaco and Beaver could do still did not solve it.

Finally I decided the seals were getting more water than they can handle.  Rather than expecting the seals to keep all the rain out, I decided to divert as much water as I could away from the seals.  I borrowed some ideas from others and did two things.  I made a "dam" out of 1/8 inch aluminium that stops water from being drug by surface tension into the seals.   At least one other owner has used cove molding.  I also installed some plastic rv rain gutter from Camping World above the slide to stop the sometimes large flow that comes off the flat roof.  

It is still not perfect, but it is a lot drier the last two years than it was earlier.  

[Sean Donohue]

Hhhmmm, Smoke granade... Sound like fun... Mayebe I should head to Washington state or Colorado and have a smoke fest in the rv... A Cheech and Chong marathon!  LOL

And the pressurizes bubble maker would make for a great kid's party side business, as long as the EPA doesn't fine me for air pollution... LOL

But I agree, at $110 an hour to run a garden hose and wait doesn't seem like a great alternative either.

I had a new leak last night at the Forward top of the same side. I pulled the slide in and went back to sleep. This morning I looked ul there and the seal on the slide itself nearest the  inside molding, has come loose at the bottom in the same corner as the leaks. I hope this is the problem. No rain today so it is a good time to seal the seal...LOL any suggestions on what to use to reseal the seal to the slide?

I have some of the rubber spray as seen on TV but am hesitant to use it on the slide, but am considering taking the topper off and spraying just the top as an extra measure... Anyone ever use this stuff?

[Bill Sprague]

......I have some of the rubber spray as seen on TV but am hesitant to use it on the slide, but am considering taking the topper off and spraying just the top as an extra measure... Anyone ever use this stuff?

If it is the black stuff called Flex Seal, I have used it at the condo on gutters.  I've also used it on the roof of my granddaughters' tree house.  It worked.

[Sean Donohue]

Thanks Bill, I will probably use it when the weather is slated to be clear for a few days. I will tape off the top of the rig and go for all the seams on the slides once I take the toppers out of the way. It will be an all day job.

With the slide in, I glued the seal back in place there and also in a couple of other spots that had come undone. Then I applied a thin bead of silicon sealant to the outside edge of the seal and smoothed it wit my finger. After a few hours is will be setup enough to put the slide out again. The most difficult part was using a mirror to see what I was doing. Will check the seal next rain storm that comes through. Got my fingers crossed.

[Bill Sprague]

....... once I take the toppers out of the way. It will be an all day job.  

There are two ways to deal with the toppers that I know off.  

One is to fully deploy the awning and use wood blocks with c-clamps to prevent roll up.  Make sure you clamp both ends and very securely.  Then unscrew it where it attaches to the slide out.  Now you can lay it on the roof and hold it there with some rope while you work.

The other is one I watch a pro do on a service call.  Instead of the c-clamps and block he put a pin in the roller to keep it from rolling up.  I'm not sure if mine has a hole for the pin.  The interesting part was that with a very loose awning he built a little tent on the slide out.  He worked on is tummy, sliding under the topper.

If you get the topper out of the way you can seal the inner seam inch by inch if you lift up the wipe seal for access.

Good luck!

[Keith Oliver]

Sean:

It isn't too late to take the silicone off.  That stuff is the source of more aggravation than any other product.    Never, Never, Never use a silicone based sealer on or in your Motorhome.  It will stick nicely for a day or a week, but before long it will let water under it and not show you where it got in, giving you a false sens of security and continuing to draw water in.  

Buy some 3M 4200, or Sikaflex 291, in white or black, depending on where you plan to use it.  Every marine store will have it, if you can't find it anywhere else.

[Sean Donohue]

Just came back and the only thing I can get is the 3M 5200, not the 4200. The label reads that it is a permanent seal. Before I apply it is this a good sub for 4200 in your opinion?

Read the 3M site info on Marine Sealants and I am going to wait to use this, I will be on the coast tomorrow and hopefully will find the 4200 which reads to be the proper product for this application.

In the meantime, I am going with the Caulking that I intitially used today which is actually a vinyl adhesive caulk...

This 5200 reads to be a very strong permenant product that I can think of other uses for down the road in a pinch.

[Richard And Babs Ames]

I saw one at Charlotte RV in Pt Charlotte, Fl. They pressurize the RV with a fan deal that seals to a roof vent and check seams with a leak detection liquid. Not any thing as fun as a smoke grenade.  Service manager seemed not real impressed by it.

[Robert Mathis]

Sean, I had a leak in my rear slide last summer that we discovered in a hard three day rain in the Keys. When i got home, I discovered that the tape that was installed on the top seam of the inner portion of the slide did not extend all the way across. I cleaned the area with acetone, then applied a couple of layers of eternabond to the seam, over lapping them. This also built up the area to give a better sealing action under the seal and wiper. I did this by pulling the slide in and working between the slide and the ceiling. Not easy, but worked. Them i sealed the topper with 303 sealant. I plan to replace all 4 slide toppers with new from Tough Tops before we leave for Alaska.

[Keith Oliver]

Re 4200 and 5200:

4200 is  great sealer, and if you need to remove it, you can do so relatively easily.  
5200 is very permanent.  It can be removed, but takes a whole lot of effort to get it off.  If your seals are supposed to be permanent, you could use it and they will in fact be permanent.  If your seals, like mine, look like their ageing out and will need eventual replacement, use 4200.

[Sean Donohue]

@ Ames... If smoke were my preferenece and pressurization was required, I know a few poker players that love cigars... They are so full of bull and like to talk so much I am positive their hot air will produce the enviorment to identify the leak.

In reality the theory works but I would be weary about just letting anyone do it considering the damage they can do to the rig.