Forum Discussion

fallonator22's avatar
fallonator22
Explorer
Oct 22, 2017

Slide out wet after rain

Hi all,

We have a '16 Sandpiper, so the bottom underneath the slides (outside) are more cardboard looking and are not coated. It rained pretty hard last night and this morning and I went outside and noticed that underneath near parts of the edges and corners it was a darker color, hence it had gotten wet. It is pretty much in different edges of all the slides. Is this common after a hard/windy rain?
Our neighbors have a Mobile Suites and the undersides of their slides are coated like the outside of their RV is, but their RV is obviously more expensive than ours. Would that be something to look into getting done for the longevity of the RV or the slide out?

I know it's not like a leak, it is just some dampness, so it might not be a big deal? Also wondering if we went to somewhere with snow this winter if that could harm the bottoms of the slide outs as well?

TIA!
  • What you really have to worry about is water getting into particle board at the edges - it goes in and never comes out. A tiny split in weatherstripping channeled water to the edge of the floor of our bedroom slide the wood swelled and went punky where the slide rollers are. After sealing the leak, I installed steel plates where the rollers roll.
  • I have a 2013 Prime Time Crusader, this past spring I noticed the plastic like coating under the bedroom slide was cracking allowing water to rot the wood under it. The rot happened over the winter (it does not take long to happen) so I replaced the wood structure with pressure treated wood and marine grade epoxy then covered the entire bottom of the slide with very thin sheet Stainless Steel. I purchased the SS surplus at a local steel supply dealer.
  • garyp4951 wrote:
    If water is soaking in to some exterior part rather than standing on it, it will need sealing with some type of water proofing.


    See now I’m curious as to what type of water proofing method or spray I could put without it soaking in, does that make sense? We thought about brushing some clear coat, but it would just soak it in..
  • Halmfamily wrote:
    Put slide toppers on, this will help keep the rain from running down the end and sides.


    Thank you, just looked them up!
  • If water is soaking in to some exterior part rather than standing on it, it will need sealing with some type of water proofing.
  • Put slide toppers on, this will help keep the rain from running down the end and sides.
  • You get what you pay for. 40'6" for $50K vs 40'6" for $75K+. 40'6" is a big long 5th wheel. Hard to put a lot of quality in 40'6" for only $50K.
  • maddog348 wrote:
    16 foot OR 2016 Sandpiper ??? Heading a little ??


    '16 as in 2016 not 16' as in 16 feet. It is 40'6".