Roadside slide and floor

[DonMac]

Dave...you are such a nice guy

[BradPAjax]

DonMac,

We had a list of 20 things that needed fixing on our 38BR after 6000 miles of travel this summer. All items were fixed by our dealer Camping in Style over the course of a week in October and they showed me how to winterize my unit when I came in to inspect the fixes. My issues were fit and finish of woodwork that swelled, cracked, or shifted during our travels. One issue I am going to watch is the back wall of my office that flexed and split the paper finish during the first 2 weeks I had our unit. The dealer repaired that and removed and replaced all the swelled trim. They replaced the bedroom door where the AC thermostat had worn a "hole" in the door when the slide was closed and they repaired the frame and door stile that cracked on the entertainment unit.

So far I am a happy guy... we love our unit... we'll see what this summer's "shakedown" gives us.

[DonMac]

Some people like to go to the movies.....some people loke to go to the repair shop. Its what they do.

[5th_Time]

[BradPAjax]

Not a matter of liking to go to a repair shop.. rather not... getting things fixed that shouldn't have to be fixed while I still have a warranty. If I wait until there isn't one, I can't afford to go to the movies!

[DonMac]

Fixing things this weekend like putting three trim strips back up to the ceiling in the living room. When we have traveled we have always had problems with dust in the rv when we stop. Not just a little but extreme and as we have been in one place for a while I have forgotten to check this out. I have noticed on the forum some folks have had water come in on their rugs while traveling. I thought this might be from the door as it had air gaps but I have fixed this. So as we were re leveling to see if we could stop the popping of the jacks I decided to check the door side slide for bad air leaks. What we discovered is the cause of the dust. When the slide is in the rubber under the slide is not enough to close the gap. When the slide is in and you look under the raised slide portion inside the rig by the door you can see light all the way down the slide. If you go under the rig you can put your fingers right into the rig under the raised portion of the slide because the slide is in. So if you have water on the floor while driving or excess dust in your rig you might check this. Will have to come up with a fix as slide cannot come in any further. The rubber has been notched by the slide in arm and that also causes an air leak. If any one has had this problem and came up with a fix let me know.

[BradPAjax]

I have a similar issue with our 38BR bedroom slide on the bed side of the unit. When closed, the gap at the bottom is wider than the gap at the top... dealer told me that was fine last Fall. When I opened the slides this weekend to perform the monthly run of the genny, I noticed the wood trim on the slide right at the top of the stairs was discolored from water seepage and 'brown' water was on the floor into the bathroom. Trim is already warping.

Guess that means another trip up to the storage site when its not cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey to look for leaks.

Guess I'm not going to the movies...

[Dave&Ginny]

Originally Posted by DonMac

Fixing things this weekend like putting three trim strips back up to the ceiling in the living room. When we have traveled we have always had problems with dust in the rv when we stop. Not just a little but extreme and as we have been in one place for a while I have forgotten to check this out. I have noticed on the forum some folks have had water come in on their rugs while traveling. I thought this might be from the door as it had air gaps but I have fixed this. So as we were re leveling to see if we could stop the popping of the jacks I decided to check the door side slide for bad air leaks. What we discovered is the cause of the dust. When the slide is in the rubber under the slide is not enough to close the gap. When the slide is in and you look under the raised slide portion inside the rig by the door you can see light all the way down the slide. If you go under the rig you can put your fingers right into the rig under the raised portion of the slide because the slide is in. So if you have water on the floor while driving or excess dust in your rig you might check this. Will have to come up with a fix as slide cannot come in any further. The rubber has been notched by the slide in arm and that also causes an air leak. If any one has had this problem and came up with a fix let me know.

Don, I'm not happy with that seal either. The factory said that after you retract the slide look up at that seal and make sure that it's flat against the floor. Apparently if the slide has been out for a long period of time it doesn't want to flip back up. I believe this rubber flap is intended to keep water out while motoring down the road.

[Dave&Ginny]

Originally Posted by BradPAjax

I have a similar issue with our 38BR bedroom slide on the bed side of the unit. When closed, the gap at the bottom is wider than the gap at the top... dealer told me that was fine last Fall. When I opened the slides this weekend to perform the monthly run of the genny, I noticed the wood trim on the slide right at the top of the stairs was discolored from water seepage and 'brown' water was on the floor into the bathroom. Trim is already warping.

Guess that means another trip up to the storage site when its not cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey to look for leaks.

Guess I'm not going to the movies...

Brad, they may need to realign the slide (they did mine). Have you tried spraying the aluminum gear tracks with silicon? The factory gave me a can of silicon the last time I was there and they said for me to spray the tracks every now and then to keep them working right. This REALLY does help and the slide moves a lot easier and closes tighter. Apparently every time I washed my trailer I was washing off the silicone. I also use the same spray on all of the rubber seals. DON'T USE WD40 because oil based lubricants attract dust and dirt.

[DonMac]

Here is an idea I use to stop air leaks under the bedroom slide and on the inside around the top and sides where ther is that gap. Outside I use the round hose covering stuff used to stop your hose and pipes from freezing. I stuff it in under the slide in the gap and some between the outside seals. I use round gray insulation inside. It stops the air leaks when hard wind is blowing as predominant wind here is from that direction. The slides are not done well. When traveling and the slides are in the top front slide has an air leak. You can see light. So as not to scoop up dust or rain we put some of the insulation there. A dumb fix we should not have to do but simple. I use a lot of that type of insulation around the rigs air leaks.

[DonMac]

Dave,
Rubber not wide enough to do a good job and look where the rubber has been cut for the slide arms. If I can find rubber like this I will glue and extend the rubber cover and use glued on gap insulation.

[Dave&Ginny]

The next time I get a chance I'll look under my rig and see if I can come up with a fix. The only time I have ever had a problem is when I was driving through a monsoon. When I retract that slide I reach up and make sure the rubber flap is up against the floor. This seems to help.

[BradPAjax]

Dave,

We had that monsoon 2 weeks ago when it rained for 2 days with the 30 mph wind... I think that is where the water came in this time. But... based on warped trim, water has been coming in there before. I will get the silicone spray and check slides as soon as it warms up around here... the slide motors were not too happy last Saturday.

[Dave&Ginny]

Originally Posted by BradPAjax

Dave,

We had that monsoon 2 weeks ago when it rained for 2 days with the 30 mph wind... I think that is where the water came in this time. But... based on warped trim, water has been coming in there before. I will get the silicone spray and check slides as soon as it warms up around here... the slide motors were not too happy last Saturday.

Even with that rain, my bedroom slide kept the water out (I was driving down the road). The only place I get any water at all is around the slide arms of the dining room slide. But if I remember to make sure that the rubber is pressed against the floor, it seems to fix the problem.

This winter I would start my genny, turn on the furnace and the fireplace and leave the unit like that for about an hour or two. This way the coach heated up real good and the batteries got charged. It also allowed the ice and snow to melt off the top. I did this about every 3 or 4 weeks. I did leave the slides out all winter so if the power grid went down I could use it during an ice storm without having to worry if I could get the slides out.

[BradPAjax]

Ice Storm... Yikes... I thought only Canadians got those! Had to re-level the trailer Saturday since the last thaw pushed several 2x6s under my tires into the ooze. We kept the slides closed which was probably a good thing since the RW was off level by 4.5 deg.... we kind of worry about getting the slides back in!

[lillyputz]

Originally Posted by DonMac

Dave,

Rubber not wide enough to do a good job and look where the rubber has been cut for the slide arms. If I can find rubber like this I will glue and extend the rubber cover and use glued on gap insulation.

Must be, that great QC.



Lillyputz

[Dave&Ginny]

Originally Posted by BradPAjax

Ice Storm... Yikes... I thought only Canadians got those! Had to re-level the trailer Saturday since the last thaw pushed several 2x6s under my tires into the ooze. We kept the slides closed which was probably a good thing since the RW was off level by 4.5 deg.... we kind of worry about getting the slides back in!

Yep...good point! We get the ice storm every few years and I'm always prepared for those and any other kind of adversity(man or nature made).

In my opinion....the more level you keep your trailer (side to side) the least likely you'll have leaks.

[Mike Stanly]

The danger of floor mats do not come back from something mechanical, however a lot of in their ability to remain in situ. If a mat were to slip forward once a driver is actively engaged in victimisation the accelerator and brake pedals, it may cause an unwanted increase or decrease in speed.

[BradPAjax]

Huh??? SPAM!!!

[Beechguyjim]

If its not span he must be the biggest sunny alive he joined right befor he posted! There needs to be a wait time before you can post!