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Old 11-06-2015, 01:02 PM   #1
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Location: Chester County, PA
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Help with sealant issue on Upper slide seal

So we had a great trip down south... But on night while parked on a slight slant in the rain we had a small dribble of water run pasted the upper D seal and swipper seals. No biggie...

SHORT STORY: What sealant will bond to the trailer AND rubber seal? The stock stuff apparently did not nor did the stuff I got from the trailer shop (Boss 310 I believe it was called).


BACK STORY:
So fearing the damage water can do I got up on the roof and checked the gaskets, all were in good shape but the rubber like sealant used to seal the seam between the upper D seal to the trailer was not so hot.

It was sealed nice on the trailer but on the gasket it was not stuck to it, more so just resting on the gasket. I also found the gutter was blocked after they filled it with the same sealant which is where the water was coming in.. So I am not sure if it was the seal on the slide or the just combo of my angle, and the water running over the gutter in just the right spot to miss the catch pan at the base of the slide ( I am leaning towards the second reason being the culprit).

So I easily pulled out the old seal in one long snake and picked up some sealant given to me from the trailer shop down the road (they make trailer of various kinds). They say this is what they use to seal seams. It is a heavy duty, and smelly, silicone sealant. It is dry now and soft and flexible. But as soon as I moved the slide it "released" from the gasket just as the old stuff had.

I am leak testing things to see if it leaks but should I be concerned? The D seal is slipped onto a T flange of sorts to keep in place so I am not sure if the sealant even helps anythings. Thanks as always.. Back outside to winterize!!
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Old 11-06-2015, 09:37 PM   #2
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Bump bump~ Any thoughts? Thanks!
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Old 11-09-2015, 09:27 PM   #3
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Well I leak tested and found two pin holes letting water dribble in a few spots. So I ripped it all out until I find another solution. Good part, it made a very pretty looking seal and came out in one piece like the old stuff... Well plan b I guess...
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Old 11-09-2015, 10:01 PM   #4
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I would get some clear Lexel Caulk. Google it. Clean the area with automotive wax and grease remover,Ditzler DX 440 is as good as it gets.Molded rubber gaskets have residual release agenton them from when they were made. It must be removed because nothing will stick to it. Lexel is some nasty, stickey stuff, squirt it in the gap correctly because it skins in about 2 minutes and you cannot tool it or get it off anything it gets on.Use masking tape to define the edge of the joint and get it off within 5 minutes or so, before the lexel starts to firm up.Lexel is a caulk/sealant/adhesive. Ive used it on steel roof joints and as bedding for windows. The big problem with it is you cant get it apart after it cures. It has an elastic limit of about 4x I believe. Get it at Amazon.
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Old 11-10-2015, 01:28 PM   #5
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For troublesome or hard to find leaks we use a marine product that has been a life saver "Capt. Tully's Creeping Crack Cure" . Have used this 0n a conversion van , boat, leaky sun roof on our Wrangler, and it has never failed us.
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Old 11-10-2015, 03:36 PM   #6
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Sealant

80010 3M weatherstrip. Been using it for years. Our primary "D" seal on the top of our slide came loose two years ago. Used the 80010 , gave it a day to cure and it's golden Yes its smelly and really sticky crap to use but you don't smell it in the unit. Once it dries, no smell. I always carry it in the RV.
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Old 11-11-2015, 04:29 PM   #7
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Hopefully the end to this epic journey!

So I picked up some Sikaflex from the local RV shop. They had both Proflex (Geocel), Sikaflex and numerous other Silicone based sealers. After speaking to one of the service folks they recommended either the Profelx or the Sikaflex but said they use the Sikaflex when they make their repairs... SO there you have it.

Since I had already done this once before I DO NOT want to have to do this a third time! The new old Boss 310 stuff had pealed right out in a nice long piece. It was very flexible and formed a beautiful "gasket" along the ridges of the seals and into the channel where the seal sat but obviously that was not enough..

I decided I would really get the area clean this time. I removed the outer rubber "D" seal off the "T" shaped flanges it was keyed into. I was surprised to find the T flange was actually only rubber as well and was actually part of the molded upper wiper seal. The wiper seal had some kind of adhesive (gray colored) gluing it onto the sidewall of the trailer and had also been held in place by staples. My guess is they were there to hold the seal in place while the glue dried?? But in typical fashion.. None of the staples were actually seated fully, most stuck out 1/8" or so... Thank FR! LOL.

So what did all this mean? Well the D seal being sealed is not realy that important. I looked at the other D seals around the slide and they were not even sealed at all. The part that was important, and actually where the leak was, was the upper wiper seal. So I scraped out what I could from behind the wiper seal without actually pealing it away from the wall. I want to avoid this if possible..

I then sealed the wiper seam and let that set a bit. Once it was ready for the final coat, I put the "D" seal back on and sealed that onto the wiper seal. I sure hope this solved the leak! If not I might need to surrender!!!!
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