Looking for a leak?

[acritzer]

I have spotted a leak by way of some slightly damp carpet. I'm having a hard time figuring out where to search for the source (which I know is tough).

The specific area is against the middle of the slide out wall. There is no visible water running down the wall, and no water damage seen in the cabinets above the floor.

I'm assuming that the water is traveling down inside the wall and out to the carpet once it hits the floor? The strange thing is that I think this happened once when the slide out was in and also when the slide out was extended.

Does this mean that the leak is likely a top seal on the slide out, and not necessarily the main roof? My plan is to get on a ladder outside the slide and see if there's any damage caulk or obvious breaks.
Can anyone else suggest a route to investigate? Seems to be pretty isolated.

Any help would be much appreciated.

[acritzer]

Still working on this...hard with work in between attempts.

Knowing that the slide out was in the first time...would it be more likely to be a problem with caulking on the side?

I can't come up with a scenario that puts the problem with the main roof. How could the water travel from the main roof area to the separate roof of the slide out?

[Dave_H_M]

gwh1bass wrote:
Start with the simple and use the ladder first to look for the obvious.

Proceed from there.

This is what I did and found the sucker on top of the slide where the roof mates with the outside trim. KISS to start with. :W

[Veebyes]

I'd look for loose caulking uphill of the damage. Even if it looks suspicious I'd scrape it out, clean, tape up along the seam, redo the whole length of the possible joints with a good quality marine caulk.

[acritzer]

If I were to try and test seals and caulking spots, how long do you think a steady stream from the hose would suffice?

[gwh1bass]

Start with the simple and use the ladder first to look for the obvious.

Proceed from there.

[Gdetrailer]

Tyler0215 wrote:
Start where you see the water damage and start tearing carpet, furniture, paneling, and insulation out till you find the source of the leak.

WOW, that is over the top crazy advice..

Not necessary to go to that extreme unless you are already planning to remodel.

OP simply needs to check every trim piece OUTSIDE on the slide.. Chances are the corner trim, the trim at the top or the trim on the bottom of the slide has old hard caulking that has cracked and is allowing the water to seep in..

Water simply wicks its way through the wood and insulation which is why it can travel.

Best thing to do is remove and replace the caulking, that is done by removing the trim, cleaning off the old then putting new rope caulking in place then reattaching the trim.

The caulking is a "wear" item, it will need checked for hardening and cracking and replaced when it has no life left in it.

[Tyler0215]

Start where you see the water damage and start tearing carpet, furniture, paneling, and insulation out till you find the source of the leak.

[RVguy77]

This could lead to delamination. I would check out Composet Products( delamrepair.com ). This guys really seems to know his stuff about sealing and fixing leaks. I would check his stuff out

[IBcarguy]

acritzer wrote:

IBcarguy wrote:
Quite often, water leaks originate from the roof. Either front cap seams or seams along the edges of the roof, then travels downward through the walls. They can be hard to find and sometimes you'll need the RV pressure/leak tested to determine where it's coming from. Unfortunately, leaks don't show up until after a lot of damage has been done (water soaked, rotten wood in the roof and walls). That's what happened to me.

Understood, but what about the fact that this is located on the outer wall of the slide out? The main roof and walls are not connect to this piece (as far as I can tell).

True, if it's only in the area of the slide out, it's logical to assume it's coming from the slide out. The problem as I see it is that in order to trace the source of the leak, you may have to tear things apart to follow it's path. Either that, or simply start re-sealing everything that you can see on the outside of the slider, hoping to eliminate entrance of water. The problem with that is how do you know if you found it? Just by looking and waiting for more water seepage? What about mold and possible dry rotting of the wood in the meantime? Tough problem...maybe a pressure/leak test is the best method of finding it.

[wrgrs50s]

I had a Bedroom Closet slide leak similar to what you're describing and it drove me nuts till I found it.

Where the bottom corner of the slide contacted the wall it would get very damp when the slide was extended out during a rain. What was puzzling was when the slide out would be all the way in, and it rained, that same corner would get wet on the outer edge, but the floor and the area inside the closet and around the bottom of the slide would be completely dry. All the rubber seals were good so I could'nt imagine how that could happen. Of course I had caulked everywhere around the wall opening of the slide with no luck.

I finally concluded that water was getting inside the frame of the slide itself and making it's way somehow to that inside front corner.

I started looking closely at the trim that goes around the outside of the slide and found that the caulking where the trim meets the outer slide wall had dried up and shrunk. Apparently it was just enough to allow water to seep into the edge of that trim and into the aluminum framing that the slide floor was connected to. I assumed that somehow it was working it's way thru the framing and coming out at it's lowest point of the front edge of the slide out. I recaulked that trim and it stopped the water intrusion and has been leak free since.

Water leaks are really hard to find but trial and error will eventually get you a solution. Take time to look at all the caulking very close. My caulking looked great at first glance but it had came loose on the inside edge and once I pryed on it slightly It opened up to expose where it had lost it's seal against the slide wall.

[JW_of_Opechee_S]

With a hose and good pressure start at the bottom and work your way up, with someone inside checking for the leak. Never start at the top.

[acritzer]

Anyone offer suggestions other than a seal test? Admittedly it's probably the best way to be sure, but thinking critically, I have to believe that the specifics of my problem aren't impossible to remedy.

[bikendan]

go to this website:

Sealtech

[acritzer]

IBcarguy wrote:
Quite often, water leaks originate from the roof. Either front cap seams or seams along the edges of the roof, then travels downward through the walls. They can be hard to find and sometimes you'll need the RV pressure/leak tested to determine where it's coming from. Unfortunately, leaks don't show up until after a lot of damage has been done (water soaked, rotten wood in the roof and walls). That's what happened to me.

Understood, but what about the fact that this is located on the outer wall of the slide out? The main roof and walls are not connect to this piece (as far as I can tell).