Bedroom slide out floor rotted / water damage!

[Juniorz]

amazing how long RV's been around and we deal with leaks on these many years later. I had issues on my last RV and sealed it 2 times a year. Before I sold it I used eternabond 4" tape and taped the roof edges and all the vents and fridge vent. I made sure it was the best I can offer. My new to me 2016 wildcat I picked up last month and already saw where I needed to seal the roof in a couple spots. Will make sure I keep up on this as well.
Always wondered if the tape is a better way to go rather than the dicor.

Mike

[dalford]

Originally Posted by Juniorz

amazing how long RV's been around and we deal with leaks on these many years later. I had issues on my last RV and sealed it 2 times a year. Before I sold it I used eternabond 4" tape and taped the roof edges and all the vents and fridge vent. I made sure it was the best I can offer. My new to me 2016 wildcat I picked up last month and already saw where I needed to seal the roof in a couple spots. Will make sure I keep up on this as well.
Always wondered if the tape is a better way to go rather than the dicor.

Mike

Mike, Me too... I ripped the roof on our 2016 Silverback right after we purchased on a tree limb. I put on eternabond tape and it still looks like new. I don’t think you can go wrong with eternabond if you clean and prep the area where it is applied. Not coming off easy...

[Juniorz]

Originally Posted by dalford

Mike, Me too... I ripped the roof on our 2016 Silverback right after we purchased on a tree limb. I put on eternabond tape and it still looks like new. I don’t think you can go wrong with eternabond if you clean and prep the area where it is applied. Not coming off easy...

Thanks for the info...

This is what I did, would love to follow it a year or 2 later and see the results. I used dicor on the edges to keep it from peeling up or any leaks.I scrubbed it with mineral spirits and the eternabond cleaner.

[dalford]

Originally Posted by Juniorz

Thanks for the info...

This is what I did, would love to follow it a year or 2 later and see the results. I used dicor on the edges to keep it from peeling up or any leaks.I scrubbed it with mineral spirits and the eternabond cleaner.

Nice job, that roof is solid!

[Hatchee]

Originally Posted by dalford

He said a lot of folks don’t keep up with the sealant that is along the decorative trim along the bottom on the outside of the slide.

We had floor rot in the bedroom in our old Montana. Took a while to figure out that water was migrating from the bottom trim up to the floor via the wall. Removed the bottom trim and resealing everything stopped it.

[dalford]

Originally Posted by Hatchee

We had floor rot in the bedroom in our old Montana. Took a while to figure out that water was migrating from the bottom trim up to the floor via the wall. Removed the bottom trim and resealing everything stopped it.

Hatcher... welcome to the forum... yea, that seam is out of sight out of mind. I know now to monitor it along with all the low slides seams.

[Jlb207]

I stumbled across a video on YouTube. It was a suggested video in my feed. After watching it my husband and I checked our slide. Sure enough, our slide ski was ripped & water was making its way into the wood floor. We immediately contacted our dealer. They sent out the replacement ski. We put eternabond on before installing the slide ski. I don't know if that is a possible solution for you but I figured I would share our experience.
Here is the video link https://youtu.be/Lx8ouqlM5jo

[Joe O]

I have the same issue with my 2016 Silverback. I brought to a dealer while vacationing in Newfoundland and he figured it was leaking at the small black angle iron on the bottom side when the slides on the outside. Those are just decorative trim that screw into the floor. Lack of caulking. I have another leak on my dining room slide that I finally figured out that it's again lack of caulking on the very top of the trim that is stationary on the outside of the decorative trim. Don't notice it until you open the slides and then there's a puddle of water on the floor. Hopefully it didn't rot the floor.

[GreyWolf1]

[QUOTE=shorthorn;2175251]Hey guys...

Noticed as we were prepping for our labor day trip that the floor of our bedroom slide was wet underneath and the wood almost completely rotted away!

This is on a 2016 Coachman Chapparal 360IBL. This 5th wheel is stored indoors except that it is out in the summer between trips. I have been meticulous on caulking and sealing the roof...

Anyone have ideas what I could have missed. Nothing in the roof, sidewalls inside or out, or even the floor above the plywood is even damp.. or shows signs of ever being damp.

I do have extended warranty... has anyone had luck getting them to warranty water damage?


I'm thinking the best way to prevent these slide leaks is to install slide awnings.

[chaps2018]

checked my 360IBL. Bedroom slide OK, seals in tact.

As mentioned, I am having soft wood under the fridge tho. I Noticed seals along the trim rail were in bad shape in a few places.

I also noticed one of my slides has the ski rail on the leading edge but not the following edge. The other side has no ski rails. I checked the units at the dealer and mine is the same as the ones on the lot. (Two model years later)

The wood on the underside is soft and I can’t find any places behind the fridge (in the vent compartment) where the floor is soft from the inside. I am thinking it is from the water wicking backup under the slide (as mentioned in the earlier SKI video and this video by Ray at LoveyourRV.com.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj44jMnITvs

Since I am getting ready for a road trip, I put a drip rail made of self adhesive vapor barrier. Hopefully this will prevent it from worsening on my trip.

Now for the next question—how to fix? Do I need to pull the fridge out? Ray shows how his slide is constructed which indicates one layer of plywood. I don’t have the luxury of putting an extra piece of plywood like he did since my fridge is in that spot.

I heartily encourage you guys to check for rot on all your slide edges so you can catch it early.
Looking for ideas or folks who have experienced this issue.