Part 2 of "If it ain't one thing it's another <sigh>"

[NXR]

Wow, this just keeps getting better and better...

While looking closely at that vertical piece of trim that tore, at the top rear edge of the bed slide, I noticed that the contact paper in fact is torn on the far side so I put some glue behind the loose pieces.

And then I looked closer. On both sides of that torn trim the contact paper has bubbles in it. There's also a small amount of bubbling on the top horizontal piece at the same corner. The bubbles do not press down so it looks like deformities in the wood. They are not easy to see unless you look straight on at them.

I really hope the wood is not infested with some bugs that are trying to eat themselves out. I know there is a pest that lives in luan called a Powderpost Beetle that comes out after a few years because numerous RV owners have had these infestations. Apparently the wood is not fumigated properly prior to being installed in the RV and that lets the bugs live. People find piles of wood dust and that's how they know they have the infestation. I have not seen any of that. Yet.

These poor people have them in their Entegra: https://www.rvtravel.com/jayco958/

And then I saw that on that same rear piece of vertical trim, 9" of the back side of the trim is just not there! That same piece of vertical trim on the other side of the bed does go all the way down to the carpet. I'll bet that vertical seal isn't compressing very well where the wood is missing...

Has anybody else seen these problems?

Ray

[Iggy]

You have a water leak that is seeping into that area.
That is my guess and its not just the contact paper being installed wrong.

[NXR]

Originally Posted by Iggy

You have a water leak that is seeping into that area.
That is my guess and its not just the contact paper being installed wrong.

Water was my initial thought but I discounted it because there's no way for it to get wet. It also doesn't budge when pressed firmly.

That part is 100% inside and about 2" from the outside wall when the slide is extended. The back side of that trim is a white plastic panel that actually presses against the seal. Water would have to come in through the seal and climb that panel. And the panel is pretty slick.

I took some close-up pictures with a tape measure so I can tell if the bubbles are growing.

Ray

[NXR]

Originally Posted by Iggy

You have a water leak that is seeping into that area.

That is my guess and it's not just the contact paper being installed wrong.

I really wish you were not correct so often, Iggy.

It's been raining here for four days and I've had the slides out while we prep for a trip. I walked into the motorhome today and noticed a small amount of water on the dinette cushion (a different slide than before). Yup, I now have a small amount of the same bubbling on that slide's trim and there were slow drops of water coming from a separation in the underside trim.

I looked on the top of the dinette/recliner slide, the biggest one and the only one where the topper sags from water accumulation, and there was a lot of standing water.

I ran the slide in and the standing water pretty much stayed on top of the slide instead of getting wiped off. I used two bath towels to sop it up a few hours ago and the dripping immediately stopped so hopefully I caught it quickly.

I looked closely at the top edges and I can see that FR used some tan caulk that has shrunk. I'm guessing the standing water finally pooled up to where it found a gap in the caulking.

Some people with a 2019 have reported they have a tape on the top of the slides at the edges but I do not have that; it's just a small amount of caulking at all edges.

I'm going to use a hair dryer to warm up the edges and the trim inside where the water was seeping and then apply a liberal amount of caulk on all four top edges on all three slides, as far as I can reach under the topper. Then I'll run the slides in and see if I can reach any more.

The kitchen slide on the opposite side had no standing water on the top so it's not that water was blown underneath the topper by the wind. The bed slide had just a small amount of standing water.

Since the dinette/recliner topper sags so much I'm wondering if the water is coming off the topper at the low point, doing a 180 and running along the bottom of the topper and then dripping on the slide top.

The good news is that the previous bubbling has not increased at all.

If it ain't one thing it's another. Again. <sigh>

Ray

[Mnflyboy]

My buddy and I just pulled my slide topper and found separation on the slide seam where the slide top meets the vertical wall... sounds like the same place as yours. I had water pooled on top of the slide after a quick driving rain and it was dripping out of the top of the window below. I laid in some dicor along the seam and am leaving the slide out a foot all winter so it cures really good. I am afraid the top rubber seal may peel the dicor back at some point and then I'll have to remove the dicor, clean it up and use eternabond tape instead. We'll see how it holds up.

Jaye

[NXR]

I'm using silicone caulk. Thinking about it, I do not recall any caulking at all between the top of the slide and the inside wall, where that trim piece is. I'll confirm tomorrow.

From Dicor's FAQ:

Lap Sealant Cure times.
Approximate Lap Sealant Cure Times for 50-70° F weather:

5 Minutes – Skins over
4 Hours – Waterproof
48 Hours – Cure 80%
30 Days – 100% Cure

I don't see any need for self-leveling sealant myself. Why do you think it's needed?

If we're talking about the same place, it shouldn't go under the seal at all because the wall tubing seal should keep it offset a bit.

I don't understand why the slide coming in did not sweep the water off the top of the slide, though. There is no visible light coming through the contact point at all. It was in the 50's but that should not stiffen up the seal. Did I mention there's no light coming through?

Ray

[LaLaLisa]

Originally Posted by NXR

Wow, this just keeps getting better and better...

While looking closely at that vertical piece of trim that tore, at the top rear edge of the bed slide, I noticed that the contact paper in fact is torn on the far side so I put some glue behind the loose pieces.

And then I looked closer. On both sides of that torn trim the contact paper has bubbles in it. There's also a small amount of bubbling on the top horizontal piece at the same corner. The bubbles do not press down so it looks like deformities in the wood. They are not easy to see unless you look straight on at them.

I really hope the wood is not infested with some bugs that are trying to eat themselves out. I know there is a pest that lives in luan called a Powderpost Beetle that comes out after a few years because numerous RV owners have had these infestations. Apparently the wood is not fumigated properly prior to being installed in the RV and that lets the bugs live. People find piles of wood dust and that's how they know they have the infestation. I have not seen any of that. Yet.

These poor people have them in their Entegra: https://www.rvtravel.com/jayco958/

And then I saw that on that same rear piece of vertical trim, 9" of the back side of the trim is just not there! That same piece of vertical trim on the other side of the bed does go all the way down to the carpet. I'll bet that vertical seal isn't compressing very well where the wood is missing...

Has anybody else seen these problems?

Ray

Back to the powder post beetles... we own a pest control business, one of two different businesses we own... and I advise every RV owner have a professional treat their motor home. It’s called an ounce of protection is worth a pound of cure. Wood destroying insects can be costly so it’s worth the cost of treatment of the RV.

[NXR]

Originally Posted by LaLaLisa

Back to the powder post beetles... we own a pest control business, one of two different businesses we own... and I advise every RV owner have a professional treat their motor home. It’s called an ounce of protection is worth a pound of cure. Wood destroying insects can be costly so it’s worth the cost of treatment of the RV.

Given that most of the luan wood is covered by contact paper, wallpaper, flooring, or plastic panels, how does that happen in a motorhome?

Ray

[dolfan1981]

For 3 years I had no water issues but last month I had water like you mentioned and it was under the main slide topper. There was no rain either time. It was from the air conditioner. Once the water dripped on the dinette cushion from under the window and did not stop until I got up on a ladder and dried up the water on the top. The other time the water found a way down to the middle storage compartment soaking everything in it.

I was thinking caulk was needed and so when I got home with the slide closed I found a small gap in the rain gutters in the middle of the RV that's caulk was broken and the water was dripping down the gap which is behind the topper and allows the water to accumulate on the slide roof.

For know I have replaced some caulk and will try to find a more permanent repair using something to span the gap. Not sure this what is causing you to getting water on the slide roof but something you may want to make sure you have no gap.

[NXR]

Thanks. I already looked at the gutters a month ago and all were OK. I did reseal where two sections joined just because.

So this new damage seems to be caused from a lack of caulking from the factory. While there was some caulk on the slide roof, the inside edge, it wasn't much and now there's more.

But the damage to the trim on both slides, interestingly, is at at one particular spot. If you have the slides in, look at the backside of the horizontal trim. It's covered with a white plastic-looking material but the horizontal trim is multiple pieces. Where the pieces join there is zero caulk. Zero on the vertical edge where the two pieces of horizontal trim meet up.

Based on how much water was under the topper I think it finally built up to where the water was all the way to the inside edge, under the seal, and it ran into that vertical joint.

Unfortunately, Forest River does not use a smooth piece for the top of the slides. If they did I think the wiper seal would work far better than it does.

So today I applied caulk to all of the slide's top edges I could reach and also to those vertical joints today.

Ray

[NXR]

Additionally, the 34H5 has a really odd awning design because the two awnings on the passenger side are screwed to the roof with a continuous rail. That rail is 19' on my long awning. That keeps water from ever getting to the passenger side gutter.

This is the other issue I've been crabbing about because the water cannot run off the passenger side of the roof to the gutters. Instead it pools on those two awning rails and sits there as standing water.

Today I noticed that with the slide retracted, the rolled-up topper had water running down it after the rain had ceased. I also had a small amount of water on the retracted slide roof inside and the top horizontal wiper seal had a lot of water under it.

WTH? The retracted awning is screwed to the roof and over the topper so it should keep water off the topper.

Nope. What's happening is that there is a channel that the awning edge slides into. Forest River caulked both ends of that channel so the water cannot drain out. So the water fills the channel, runs under the awning edge, and on to the topper, over the topper and on to the retracted slide's seal where it leaks through.

So I cut the caulk that's blocking one end of the channel today and a lot of water drained out. I'll do the other end tomorrow.

This. Is. Not. Rocket. Science.

Ray

[HaroldPE]

Before I had my garage, I would get water running onto the top of the main slide, with it being closed. So I think it’s that same channel piping the water in there. I will have a looksee tomorrow. Thanks for all the research.