Slide seals or gaskets

[Keith Moffett Co-Admin]

Jim
All that is great info. and sure to be helpful to more than just me in the future.
As there are many types of seals used in different models, could you describe the seals or the model these numbers refer to?
Keith

[JimCasazze]

The Uni-grip site shows pictures of each seal type they sell.  The two (black and white seals) I referred to are called "tape seals".  I only know that these work on late 90's Patriot (and Thunders) such as my '99.  Gerald or others will probably know better than me what other years can use these same "P" type seals.

The other "skirtboard" seal is more of a draft control seal attached to the bottom of the slide cutout.  The bottom of the slide drags across this flapper type seal, which keeps cold (or warm) air out, as well as protects the rollers from dirt and dust.   I know because mine was pretty much missing and one roller rusted tight, recently ripping out of the floor.  I have not lubricated all rollers and replaced that skirtboard seal.

Hope this helps.
Jim

[JimDyer]

I have a 98 Marquis on the Magnum chassis with one kitchen/salon slide. We have owned it for a year, and last winter it developed a case of sunlight being visible under the kitchen cabinets and the couch. On checking, I discovered there is a 4" wide strip of neoprene rubber that seals off the joint between the bottom of the slide and the coach body. Some is Ok but most is tattered and torn. I have since discovered on here, that is it called skirtboard and is readily available on the Left Coast.  I bought a 24' long roll of it from Rubber Sheet Roll for about $20. and am partway through drilling out the pop rivets to remove the old.  It will require a contortionist to complete the install, but...... it'll be OK.

Day before yesterday we had a short sharp rain from the driver's side, and the cabinets over the couch ran with water. I had to close the slide to stop it. On checking today, there is a similar skirtboard on top of the slide. But in this case it is installed with two rubber seals (matching the slide side seals) one outside the wall for the slide flange to seal against when it's closed, and one on the inside for when it's open.  On the outside there is another skirtboard and all three are pop riveted to the body at the top edge of the slide opening  The seals seem fine, but the skirtboard is in tatters.

Since all three seals are on a single set of pop rivets, this could be a tricky repair. Particularly since the inside seal is in a horizontal cavity behind the cabinets about 18" square? Do I drill and pop rivet in new ones to hold the inside seal in place, then drill out the existing rivets and use the holes to secure a new outer seal and skirtboard?   Anybody have good ideas on this?

[JimDyer]

A little more research has show that the d-seals are actually glued in place, while the skirtboard is rivetted to the inside of the body opening. The skirtboard is rivetted to an aluminium strip that reinforces the body opening. It is actually two piece of Aluminium bar that are laminated vertically and which I am calling the aluminium seal backer strip  My best guess at this point is that the problem is the deterioration of the skirtboard. It no longer keeps a driving rain out of the d-seal area when the slide is open and it bunches up and lifts the d-seal to open a path for the water to get in. The water is then coming over the inner edge of the slide roof and running down the back of the cabinet face.

There are two possible lines of defence. One is the skirtboard and d-seals, and one is the joint between the slide fibreglass roof and the back of the cabinet face.

Looking at access, it is unlikely that the roof-cabinet joint could be caulked without removing the slide from the coach, It is also unlikely that the inside d-seal could be replaced with the cabinets in place. Possibly with the skirtboard removed I could glue a new d-seal on the inside of the body wall.

My current plan is to
1. cut the skirt off cleanly from the outside, leaving as little as possible of the skirtboard left. (Done with slide 'half-open')
2. Reach under the opening edge from the outside and re-glue the existing interior d-seal anywher I feel it necessary.
3. Peel the existing exterior d-seal off (currently glued on) to expose the aluminium seal backer strip.
4. Drill holes in the aluminium at about 3" centers along the entire length of the seal.
5. Using a combination of contact cement and screws (#6 x 1/2" stainless countersunk head robertsons) mount a new skirtboard.
6. Repair and reglue the corners of the inner top and side d-seals
7. Glue a new exterior d-seal on the skirtboard, the same place as the interior d-seal mounts on the existing original skirtboard.
8. Caulk the top edge of the skirtboard to prevent any water from going over the skirtboard and down the inner side to get inside.

I realize that mounting the skirtboard on the inside of the body would be better, but I don't want to drop the cabinets. I think that would involve a complete cabinet refinish and I just don't want to go there.

Comments?

[JimDyer]

Bump - I hope that is permissible?  Thanks

[Joel Buchan]

I added a slide topper. Ordered the topper 6 inches wider than needed to give the vertical sides some protection. This addition has made a big difference in water related problems. Topper was installed by Beaver Coach Sales in Bend.

[Richard And Babs Ames]

Joel, we also have a 1997 Patriot,  did you notice any change in heat gain.

[barbhalsell]

Joel, we would like to know a little more about your slide topper. I can already tell it is going to be a pain to keep debris off the top and coming in with the slide.
Barb

[Gerald Farris]

Barb,
There are several negatives to a slide topper awning. First most toppers are very noisy in high wind conditions, and can make it difficulty to sleep. Next most toppers will pool water that can freeze in cold weather, so you can not put the slide in until the ice is removed.

My coach does not have toppers and there is no way that I would install one, but that is my personal opinion, and I know everyone does not agree. I carry an extension pole with a screw-on holder for a bath towel that I just run over the top of the slide while standing on the ground on remove any leaves or snow that collects on the slide when it is moving day. To me that is a much better solution than a topper on SMC era coaches that do not have flat top slides.

Gerald    

[Joel Buchan]

Heat gain??? No, probably the opposite. You are adding protection.

I have owned this coach for 9+ years, and added the topper in 2007. The problems suggested have been the much lesser issues. I have had to bring my slide in on only two occasions due to high winds.  Have had puddling in heavy down pours but not with normal rains. Water drains off when the slide is retracted. I used to clean and dry my slide prior to closing as Gerald expressed. Snow n ice I avoid, as I follow the seasons, and am a full time RVer.

The topper is a CareFree / Sideout Kover II / 185-4641, with a 191.25” Rollbar. As stated, I ordered the awning 6” wider than needed to protect the vertical joint at the side wall.

I would strongly recommend the addition of a topper to your slide. The topper gives the opening protection when closed as well. Works the same as your window awning by diverting the water away.

[Dick Simonis]

I've always had slide toppers and enjoyed them very much and am considering them for the Beaver.  Never did have to bring in the slide due to high wind and if water puddled it's kind of like so what.  Either it drys out or goes away when the slide comes in.  Big advantage was lowered heat load and very little to no debris to contend with.

Dick and Pat

[Joel Ashley]

I'm on the fence.  There does seem to be some affect on heat gain, and I've rarely found debris between slide roof and topper.  We've yet to have a leaky slideout either, so the topper probably assists in that regard.  Several members have installed innovative drain modifications to help keep water from puddling on their toppers, though I've personally never found it to be a big issue.

The downside consists of the noise created when they flap al night in a big wind, esp on the Oregon coast in winter, and I often get up and pull windward slides in.  There are various remedies for the flapping, but if the fabric stayed tight, we wouldn't need them;  adjusting tension is difficult, or not manufacturer advised.  One December in Eden, ID, after waiting out a snowy thanksgiving, I had to get on an icy roof to break loose packed snow and ice on all four toppers before we could pull the slides in to leave - the toppers were jammed.  Lastly, the living room topper's fabric once wouldn't roll entirely up and hung out of its roller with the slide closed;  a major bolt had fallen out and the part was ridiculously hard to get.  That's when I first discovered regrets about owning Carefree awnings and toppers.  I'm not alone in that dept.

Joel

[JimDyer]

Finished my seal replacement project today on the slide:  
First step was to remove the outside d-Seal. It was glued on with a neoprene glue and was quite hard to remove. But a little research on neoprene glue showed that it is affected by alcohol, so I filled a spray bottle with isopropyl alcohol and sprayed at the root of the joint. It would them easily unpeel about 6-8" they respray and pull again.  
The biggest part of the job was cleaning the aluminium strip that the d-seal was glued to, I couldn't find an effective cleaner or solvent, so it ended up being a brute force and ignorance type job.
Once the aluminum strip was clean I took a box knife and cut off the neoprene strip flush with the bottom of the aluminium strip.
Removal of the neoprene gave me great acces to the inner d-seal and I was able to easily reglue the places where it was hanging down loose. I used 3M Super Weatherstrip  Adhesive  80010 and it worked very well. The initial bond was enough to hold the strip in position as it dried. I opened the slide, putting pressure on the seal to hold it while the glue set after I finished for the day.
The access also gave me a clear run to the joint between the fibreglass slide roof and the interior cabinets and slide trim, so I caulked that joint while it was exposed. That way if water ever gets back in, it may well get out again.
The next step was to glue the new skirtboard to the aluminium strip. Same 3M adhesive. Did it in one pass with glue on both the aluminium and the neoprene skirtboard. Left it long enough to go get a coffe and then placed it.

I then took #8 x 1/2" self-drilling SS screws and placed them every 6 inches along the aluminium strip. This was the most difficult part of the job because the rubber mat meant that you needed to apply a fair force to the drill to get the screw to bite. Used a Black & Decker battery drill and set the override to #4 to limit the torgue applied to the threads.

Then took a cloth and wiped up the cuttings from both on top of the rubber and underneath it.

Final step was to put on a new D-seal from uni-grip. I ordered the one referenced in this thread, but it came with a flap running down from the d-seal, much like the vertical slide seals. It came with an attached glue strip, so I used that to glue it on. Cut the ends at an angle and used Loctite superglue to glue the corners to the existing seals. Now there's a product I wouldn't recommend. The Loctite bottle has two side triggers which both have to be squeezed to deliver the glue....in a drop roughly the size of a flea turd. Well!

Haven't had it in a rainstorm yet but there's supposed to be some Friday. If it leaks I'll post. Overall this one was tedious because of needing to keep moving my ladder. If I'd had 2 sections of staging and a helper to bring me stuff, this would have qualified as easy.