Slide retraction in the rain question?

[efiguero]

This may be a dumb question, but wasn't sure. So I currently have my slide open and will be packing up soon to leave. It has been non stop raining. My question is, will water run off from the top of the slide get into the unit if I retract it while wet or while raining?

[Islander]

'efiguero'....

I think you may have answered your own question.

If you have no slide topper then there is a good chance you are going to be bringing in some rain water that has puddled on the top (roof) and droplets clinging onto the sidewalls.

Some slides tilt upwards at the beginning of the retraction, if yours does this you can start retraction then stop and wait for any puddles to run off.

Personally I have no slide toppers , by choice, because we have two sky-lights that brings in the daylight which makes it nice and bright inside.

I have a long broom stick with a squeegee attached to the end... if there is a lot of puddles on the roof from rain I will remove them with the squeegee....via ladder or from the main roof.
Then after the slide is retracted we will towel it off as best we can.

We don't want to introduce or save any large amounts of moisture inside the unit, especially if it is going to be laid up for a period.

Hope this helps

Islander

[merrykalia]

If it's pouring rain, there is little you can do other than to pull the slides in and then wipe up the excess with towels. If you don't get out and clean off the top of the slides, it will bring anything that is on it outside into the inside.

We spent the extra $$$ when we purchased our new fifth wheel to get slide toppers so we wouldn't have that problem....they are well worth the cost.

[NMWildcat]

Before you bring the slides in simply raise or lower the nose to allow any ponding water to run off. Return to level and button it up. I have not found the remaining droplets to be of any concern. And actually the seals/wipers remove most of those.

We had slide toppers on a previous RV and found they didn't make that much difference. We still had water and leaves blown in during storms. Plus they are noisy when windy (flapping). And in our area, they sun rot the same as the regular awning. Will never have them on another RV. So they are not the cure-all they are advertised as. They come with their own set of problems

[Kaadk]

The seal on the slides will act like a squeegee and wipe most of it away. Very little chance you'll get much on the inside unless you have a bad seal. Or, unless the top of the slide is already under water, in which case, you've got bigger issues.

[JayArras]

Originally Posted by Kaadk

The seal on the slides will act like a squeegee and wipe most of it away. Very little chance you'll get much on the inside unless you have a bad seal.

This has been my experience also.

[efiguero]

Thanks everyone for the responses. I think I have a bigger issue as the trailer is in an open grass field in a park, several hundred yards from a paved road, and the grass field is now pretty saturated and am worried of getting the tow vehicle stuck in mud if I attempt to pull the trailer out. Sucks as it is supposed to rain all week. Our tow vehicle is a RWD diesel Excursion that weighs a ton, so I just know it would sink in if I tried in the current wet grass. Wishing I had a 4WD one now..

[bikendan]

Get a slide topper and you won't have to worry about pulling the slideout in.

[CedarCreekWoody]

Originally Posted by efiguero

Thanks everyone for the responses. I think I have a bigger issue as the trailer is in an open grass field in a park, several hundred yards from a paved road, and the grass field is now pretty saturated and am worried of getting the tow vehicle stuck in mud if I attempt to pull the trailer out. Sucks as it is supposed to rain all week. Our tow vehicle is a RWD diesel Excursion that weighs a ton, so I just know it would sink in if I tried in the current wet grass. Wishing I had a 4WD one now..

If your mud is like what we have here in East Texas that is a much bigger issue. And tow trucks with long winch cables are not cheap!

[MCTroy]

We just packed up in pouring rain. The inside of the camper stayed dried. We're do have slide toppers. I on the other hand found out my new coat is not water proof and I got soaked!

[Big Bill]

Nose up or down my help run some of the water off

[RangeMaggotBob]

Originally Posted by Kaadk

The seal on the slides will act like a squeegee and wipe most of it away. Very little chance you'll get much on the inside unless you have a bad seal. Or, unless the top of the slide is already under water, in which case, you've got bigger issues.

Same with us. Camped in lots of rain; never had a problem.

[McCormickJim]

I have a slide topper. I got wet.

The topper is so long that water puddles in the middle.

When I brought in the topper, the puddle ended up in the driver's seat.

Now when I'm breaking camp during/after a rain I tip the coach (Georgetown 31L5) a little to the front/back/topper-side (depends on the surroundings and how I'm set up) to drain the puddle before bringing in the long slide.

I've never had a problem with the short slide. The fabric stays tight enough that it coutinuously drains.

[Jfkmk]

Originally Posted by Kaadk

The seal on the slides will act like a squeegee and wipe most of it away. Very little chance you'll get much on the inside unless you have a bad seal. Or, unless the top of the slide is already under water, in which case, you've got bigger issues.

This is what I would think.

[magi]

I have slide toppers and even with them you can get some water on the inside if rain has blown under the toppers or has pooled up on the topper and dumps some down the side of the slide while bring them in. This is not a lot, but can be more then you want.

I always raise or lower the front end of my rig before bringing the slides in. This insures all water that has collected on the toppers of slides gets dump off before it has a chance to come inside.

[efiguero]

So the slide was retracted while raining, and there was just a little water inside, I think it may have come from the sides of the slide that ran down once it was closed. I just turned the heater on (First time, which set off the smoke detector for a little bit, but stopped after a little bit). Dried up everything and all is good. Oh and we were able to get it out of the mud, a friendly person with a 4x4 with mud tires pulled it out without issue. Got lucky.

[Villagerjjm]

That is always a possibility and can happen even if you have a slide topper. I will retract the stabilizers on the slide out side of the TT before retracting. The increased downward angle allows more water to drain off the top of the slide out.

[HappyCamper1962]

Originally Posted by Islander

'efiguero'....
Personally I have no slide toppers , by choice, because we have two sky-lights that brings in the daylight which makes it nice and bright inside.

Islander

?? Are you saying that you have skylights on the top of your slides?

I always - always - put toppers on my slides, whether I order them that way from the factory or add them after the fact when I am buying off the lot. They do in fact make a big difference and will absolutely prolong the life of your slide top and the seals. And, as someone else said, have no fear pulling in your slide in a downpour. You will not get water inside your rig unless it has literally been raining sideways, like in a tornado or hurricane. And if that's the case, have a bit of water on your slide top that can be wiped one retracted is by far the least of your problems.

[merrykalia]

Funny story about slide-out toppers.

We camped with friends this weekend. It started raining about 10 pm on Friday night, just as the campfire was breaking up. It rained all night, off and on and cleared up about 10 am on Saturday morning. It was pretty all day, though cool. We got some wind on Saturday night, enough to bring the awning in and lower the gathering tent.

While packing up, I was inside the fifth wheel and DH was standing outside the front door. I began bringing in the slides and when the dining room slide began to close, DH got drenched with water running off the slide. I thought it was awfully funny since I was the one that was dry. By the way, the temps were in the 40s, although the sun was shining and it was clear.

[rebellee]

Interesting thread. We don't have a topper on our slide and the only time we've had a problem with water coming in was last month when we were camping in Banff. We got a bit of freezing rain followed by about a quarter inch of snow. We thought nothing of it when we brought in the slide but found puddles of water a few hours later from the melting snow and ice.