Leaving slide out in winter?

will try to retract as soon as possible :)
thank you

Had ice on our slide outs. Just used a heat gun to loosen up the ice and it all slid off without a problem.

In theory the slide seal should keep the snow and moisture out. The dealer has little concerns because he is not heating the TT, so the inside is cold also.

However, theory often hits the cold light of reality and there is little reason to keep the slide out and test the seal or chance a water leak.

Since our TT is still usable with the slide retracted we often bring it in during high winds and heavy rains.

My slide topper would not retract with 4" of snow. I had to remove the snow from the topper before moving the slide in. JH

My slide topper would not retract with 4" of snow. I had to remove the snow from the topper before moving the slide in. JH

I had a 39 foot fifth wheel with five slides. I lived in Monroe Michigan one winter and Lima Ohio three more winters and had the slides out four straight years. Towed the RV home and continued using it all the time camping for another two years and never had one problem. Even lost power and froze every water line more than once and the water lines never broke although one of the shower faucets cracked, that was it.

I'll add that all five slides had slide toppers.

RV daytrader wrote:
well, the RV dealer here in durango, CO has all the slides out and all are covered with lots of snow.

The dealers are not concerned about long term problems. After the sale it's your problem.
And, dealers don't cover the units on their lot. But, many use a cover when they buy a RV.
Just because a dealer does something, doesn't mean it's right or the wise thing to do. :(

tshirtman wrote:
Will it hurt anything to leave the main slide out during the winter snow? I tried to retract today but to much ice. Not much snow but may get some tonight.
Best way to get rid of the ice if I want to retract??
thank you,

PS unit is Jayco 29rlds (big main slide)

I have that problem when the weather guy says no snow and I wake up to 6" on the trailer.All you have to do is turn up the heat in your trailer and get on a ladder and tap the ice build up with a broom handle type thing..It breaks up with ease..I then shove the ice off with a squeegee I have with a long handle..I have used a push broom also.

The heat from inside is important to loosen the grip the ice has on the slide top.A push broom is your friend for anything on your slide.

Page one describes a time I had to deal with snow on my slide:

Slideouts: Benefits and drawbacks

well, the RV dealer here in durango, CO has all the slides out and all are covered with lots of snow.