Major Rockwood/Flagstaff Construction Flaw

[crocus]

Thanks for the clarification, interesting how they keep changing the design.
I am not too worried about rain getting in behind the seals, as the way they are put on sheds water very well, even with a strong wind.
My main concern was while travelling, and the force of 60+mph winds and the suction effect pulling/pushing water past the seals, not between the seal and the slide, but between the seal and the camper wall. As mine are not caulked where they attach to the camper, and I would guess yours are not either, that was my area of concern.
Regardless, this thread has provided lots of great feedback. Thanks everyone.

[grhodes50]

No mine aren't caulked either, but they are attached to a sort of a lip. When I feel the hollow tube part of the seal it's not against the flat outside wall, but rather a lip extending out from the wall. Maybe this will prevent any water entering while traveling.

[crocus]

That 'hollow tube' is attached top and bottom with two screws. Take them out, and that tube slides off the "lip" you mention. That 'lip' is part of the flap that seals against the slide. The flap is soft, but the 'lip' is a hard strip that is stapled to the wall. There is no caulking under that 'lip', and that is where the water could enter when going down the road.
But running a bead of high-quality caulking down the edge of that tube/lip should solve 99% of the issue.
I had just hoped I could have taken that lip/seal off the camper and done a really good job of it, but those staples, driven into the aluminum frame, are just too difficult to remove, at least for now.

[grhodes50]

Alright. I believe I understand it all now. I will probably be doing some caulking there myself. First I'll peak under that seal to see if my tube lip is stapled or screwed.

Thanks, crocus. This is some very good info that may help some of us from having a big problem later on.

[crocus]

I also just took off the outside vent covers for the fridge, and I noticed that they missed siliconing all of the exposed cut wall scetions. The bottom and one side were done well, but the top and one side were missed. And this is an open cut into the syrofoam heart of the wall.
Over time, I could imagine moisture penetrating into the styrofoam, especially if the camper sat ourside all year. And we all know what that leads to!
After lunch, I am going out TODAY to finish caulking up those areas. I am also going to remove a lot of the screws that attach things like storage door holders and silicone them in as well.
I figure there is no such thing as being too careful, especially when the alternative is delaminating walls on a camper that we really, really like. I noticed that FR changed this model, so we can't even get a new one if we wanted to.

[capucine]

koffkm: wer have these 2 basins catchers hooked with a hose on our rockwood mini lite 2011. First I was wondering why they installed the catchers? I am happy that we ordered our slide with a awning topper. This awning should be standard on all slides and not an option.