Replace slide seals myself?

George is right. It is NOT a job I would tackle. Too much to go wrong. That slide out probably weighs about 1,000 pounds.

I would suggest that you get it repaired near your home. Then you can hose it down to test the repair. If it is bad go back to the same place that you paid to fix it and have them do it right.

dshinnick wrote:

What really confuses me is that it leaks even with the slide in. And when it is in, the seals all the way around look pretty darned good. At least to my novice eyes.

Based on this I wonder if your leak is in the roof or the behind the rollout cover above. Look around your roof and if something is not right that may be your cause. There are also RV shops that use fans and pressurize your RV, they can then find the source of your leak.

dougrainer wrote:
1. NONE of the previous 4 shops determined it was a defective slide seal causing your problem?
2. You have NO experience, but have determined you need the slide seal replaced?
3. I would hesitate to trust a Mobile Tech to fix your problem if 4 other shops have not determined the problem.
4. Is the Slide cover in good repair and the slide cover "mount" track secured and sealed to the sidewall/roll wrap? If the slide cover leaks on Monaco produsts that contributes to a slide leak. Monaco's require the slide cover to be in good repair to prevent excess water from flowing thru onto the slide room roof.
5. If you have a slide cover, then it must be removed to do the seal replacement. IF the slide fabric is in bad condition, then have the slide fabric replaced at the same time to minimize the labor costs.
6. DO NOT remove anything, Let the Tech do that so he has an idea of what the problem might be. If you came to me and stated you wanted the slide seal replaced and it was there or you removed, I would replace it and THEN, if you still had a leak, YOU would still be on the hook labor and part for what the real problem is.
7. You should be able to look on top the top under the slide cover or inside to see if the seal has come loose from the long top mount. Have someone operate the room while watching and you will see if the seal rolls loose somewhere along that mount. Doug

I took Doug's advice a long time ago when I had a leaky slide out seal and had a shop do it!

Doug, thanks so much for an in-depth reply.


1. NONE of the previous 4 shops determined it was a defective slide seal causing your problem?

No.


2. You have NO experience, but have determined you need the slide seal replaced?

It's called desperation. I don't know what else to do! The techs who have worked on it seemed very very knowledgable. The first shop was Alliance Coach in Florida, an ex-Monaco repair facility. Who better to solve it than them? And I know they removed the slide topper when they worked on it, but I don't know what else they did.

After the third guy worked on it, about a month ago, we had a heavy rain, and it was dry inside. Thought the problem was solved! Next rain....wet. The fourth guy said the reason it didn't hold was that the third guy had used silicone to adhere two pieces of rubber together, and that the silicone had come loose. He used some type of epoxy which melted the two pieces back together. He felt certain that that was the source of the leak. I held a hose on it for 20 minutes, and it was dry inside. First rain: wet.

I took the slide topper off, which seems in decent condition to me, and the seals at the top of the slide look in good condition too. But then, they look good to me all the way around!

Yes, I'm a slide novice. It just seems to me that the next logical step is to replace the seals. And if they're done correctly, one of two things will happen. Either the leak will stop, or, if it doesn't, at least I can begin to research other causes knowing that the seals AREN'T the cause. Process of elimination.

What really confuses me is that it leaks even with the slide in. And when it is in, the seals all the way around look pretty darned good. At least to my novice eyes.

So, yeah, I don't know if this will solve it, or it's a waste of money. I just don't know what else to do. And I *have* to get this fixed.


3. I would hesitate to trust a Mobile Tech to fix your problem if 4 other shops have not determined the problem.

I'm not expecting him to "fix the problem". I'm only expecting him to install the new seals which are on the way from the factory.



4. Is the Slide cover in good repair and the slide cover "mount" track secured and sealed to the sidewall/roll wrap? If the slide cover leaks on Monaco products that contributes to a slide leak. Monaco's require the slide cover to be in good repair to prevent excess water from flowing thru onto the slide room roof.

You know, what's odd is that when the slide is out, and we get a good rain, it gets just squishy wet inside. Two days ago, when the weather was forecast to be clear, I removed the slide topper and put it over on the coach roof to check things out. Later, I moved the topper stuff onto the top of the slide itself, with the topper cover, the long tube which covers the fabric when it's rolled up, lying right against the joint where the slide top meets the coach wall. And you know what? When it started raining (good weather report, eh?) it just got damp inside, not the typical squishy wet. So, did that cover deflect some of the water, or cover up where it's leaking?


7. You should be able to look on top under the slide cover or inside to see if the seal has come loose from the long top mount. Have someone operate the room while watching and you will see if the seal rolls loose somewhere along that mount.

I'll check that out today. I'll watch from the roof while my wife brings the slide in. Again, everything that I can see up there looks ok.

dave

It is getting to be about time to replace my slide seals. Not leaking as of yet, but I want to beat it before any trouble starts. They are showing some minor cracking and the bedroom slide seal is starting to get a little soft and a little gummy.

Being a DIY'er, I've contemplated doing it myself. HOWEVER, after surveying the situation several times over, I'm arriving at the conclusion that this might be one job better left to someone who has more experience with it. (In my case, the local Newmar dealer.)

The part of it that I don't like is dealing with that spring loaded slide topper which I believe would have to be disconnected in order to work on the slide seal toward the top center of the slide. I don't have enough personal experience with slide topper mechanisms so I'm not sure that I'd feel comfortable fooling around with them.

I'll probably go against my grain and end up biting-the-bullet and take it to the dealer to get the slide seals done. At this point, I have no idea as to what they'll charge me?

gatorcq wrote:
Yes you can do it your self, especially if you are only doing the outside.
Normally there are 2 seals, 1 on the slide itself and the other on the outside rail.
Use NAPA brake fluid to clean off the adhesive residual. I also used a Harbor Freight vibrating tool to remove the old seal.
I first locked my awning in place, then remove it and placed it on the roof of the RV. Once you are ready, all you have to do is remove the paper backing and press the seal in place.

In the corners you can use screws to hold in place. Please do not let people scare you from doing a easy job. It is all about the prep work and cleaning.
The bedroom slide took me 3 hours. The large living room slide I got it down to 2 hours.

What makes you think HIS seal is identical to yours:@ His does NOT glue on. Doug

Yes you can do it your self, especially if you are only doing the outside.
Normally there are 2 seals, 1 on the slide itself and the other on the outside rail.
Use NAPA brake fluid to clean off the adhesive residual. I also used a Harbor Freight vibrating tool to remove the old seal.
I first locked my awning in place, then remove it and placed it on the roof of the RV. Once you are ready, all you have to do is remove the paper backing and press the seal in place.

In the corners you can use screws to hold in place. Please do not let people scare you from doing a easy job. It is all about the prep work and cleaning.
The bedroom slide took me 3 hours. The large living room slide I got it down to 2 hours.

CleoBevacqua wrote:
The activity of the animal beings,,,

Looks like someone couldn't sleep.

I have replaced one of mine. Would be easier to remove slide to get to them, but if you have the right seal and take your time should do just fine. Big thing is to make sure your slide is adjusted correctly so that you do not tear the new seal. Seals should last a long time so make sure you fix the source of the problem not just the result.

CTC