Water damage under bedroom slide

[stew47]

Ugh. So I got back from Hilton Head today and I always seem to walk around the fifth wheel looking for any damage. The fiberglass under front bedroom slide was sagging and had a couple small slits in fiberglass that looks like where rollers had rubbed. Sure enough plywood is soft on bottom of slide.
I had a Winnebago that I did a large amount of water damage repairs and I swore never to do that again. So I regularly check for water damage and walk the roof a few times a year. Didn’t really give much thought to such a small slide.
I suppose after tackling a big job this doesn’t seem like a big job but I haven’t found where water is coming in. Don’t really know the extent either since just got home. Anyways anyone have any stories of their bedroom slide? Thanks!

[fj12ryder]

My apologies to the OP for my second post that was sarcastic and uncalled for. I won't delete it because that would affect a following post and make it seem out of context.

[fj12ryder]

A good recommendation. I did have to google Jim Varney, apparently I don't watch enough television.

Edited for unwarranted content.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

I sure would treat the wood with a "Dry Rot" inhibitor. A lot of dry rot starts after wood getting soaked. Look for Fj12ryder's helpful comments. A veritable Jim Varney.

[stew47]

So the progress for today was ripped out the fiberglass, wet plywood and insulation. It appeared to be getting wet from the front so I pulled the window out and sure enough it needs resealed and put back in. I’ve got everything covered up with a tarp and will let everything dry out and see where we are in couple days.

[stew47]

..... and appears to be leaking window

[fj12ryder]

They just don't seem to have your infinite wisdom.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Haven't knucklehead manufacturers ever heard of "BODY SHOOTZ"? A non asphaltic sealer that is paintable and can have other coatings applied over it? I had to make wood (plywood) instrument panels for both gantry hatch entries on the Kelley II. Plywood because of danger of high voltage electrical leakage and cross current AC and DC shunting. When holes were cut and shapes were finished, I applied several coats of Body Shootz (3M). When last I toured the Kelley (30 years after I outfitted it) those panels were like new, and the enemy here is OCEAN salt water.

At first I wanted to use polyurea bakelite (linen not canvas) but the cost was prohibitive. Special attention has to be paid to seal the edges of the plywood and then caution has to be taken to not scour the never entirely cured coating. But if OEM plasters plastic over the plywood -- what the hell?

Sometimes I utterly fail to see the mind(less) set of the RV industry.

[maillemaker]

One of the negatives with slides is they leak

That is my opinion of them. I like the added room they seem to give, but they sure seem trouble-prone.

I like our RV with no slides.

Steve

[fj12ryder]

I had to replace the bedroom slide floor due to water damage. It was caused by improper caulking of the seam on the outside of the slide. Water got behind the caulking, ran down the side and soaked into the board. No way to really tell because the board had a waterproof cover so you couldn't see any damage.

Replacing the wood wasn't too bad. Just opened the slide, got the bed frame out of the way, removed the rotten wood, measured what I needed to replace, and then put it all back together. Someone who was a good woodworker could probably done it in half the time it took me, but got it done for about the price of a sheet of plywood.

[bgum]

One of the negatives with slides is they leak

[stickdog]

Check the slide out roof where it connects to the outer wall.

[mchero]

Where can one purchase slide seals?

[doxiemom11]

Our slide seals don't always flip out the way they should as the slide comes out. We always check them and manually pull them out with the awning hook if needed. Took us awhile to figure that one out. Our slides will also leak at the bottom corners if we are not level.

[Joe417]

I don't have one about a bedroom slide, but I had to rebuild the slide out on our 5th W years ago. The leak was at the top corners of the rubber roof where it was tucked in and held down by the slide trim pieces. They had clipped the corner rather than folded it and then didn't pull it tight to the corner or caulk it, leaving a 1/4" leak at each top corner.

As it was on the slide flange, it was elevated about 4 inches above the surface of the roof so only got a little wet each time it rained.

The previous owner lived in it for about a year with the slide out. Water ran down wetting the carpet, in each corner, each time it rained, just enough to rot the floor about 10 to 12" out from each corner. Walls were undamaged.

Once the floor got a bit soft the roller sank in and cracked the FRP on the bottom of the slide.

I ended up replacing the whole slide floor rather than patching it.