351REQ Rotten Bath Slide Out Floor

[Harold41]

I have a 2015 Crusader 351REQ. When getting ready for a trip today I noticed a corner of the bathroom slide out floor soft. When I peeled away the covering it is obvious water damage. No evidence of water from the inside. The damage is in the outside corner where the roller rests when the slide out is in. Can a section of flooring be replaced? It's under the sink cabinet, do I have to remove the cabinet to do it? Looks like the cabinet would have to be removed piece by piece starting at the top.


Harold Wilson

[rracer5]

Originally Posted by Harold41

I have a 2015 Crusader 351REQ. When getting ready for a trip today I noticed a corner of the bathroom slide out floor soft. When I peeled away the covering it is obvious water damage. No evidence of water from the inside. The damage is in the outside corner where the roller rests when the slide out is in. Can a section of flooring be replaced? It's under the sink cabinet, do I have to remove the cabinet to do it? Looks like the cabinet would have to be removed piece by piece starting at the top.


Harold Wilson

Yes it can! I did it on our bedroom slide where the water intrusion was from a missed & missed again by me caulk job where the Schwintek rail was attached to the slide. Over 6 years water damaged over one third of the slide floor.
You will have to remove the sink cabinet to properly reinforce the new section you put in from the top otherwise, the rollers will flex the floor where it was cut out & possibly cause it to bind going in & out.

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ml#post2158606

Sorry my pics don't show the "fishplating" strips I screwed in place to bind the seams after I filled the seams with liquid nails.

Good luck & keep informed on your progress. And don't hesitate to ask advice.

[Harold41]

Thanks, I'm contemplating a similar repair. I'm locked into leaving Sunday and have several commitments in between so removing the cabinet is not feasible. It's built in place and looks like taking it out will require damaging the walls. I've removed the cabinet door and shelf and think I can get sufficient access. I have some liquid epoxy I can use for bonding. I'll try to remember to take a few photos.

[rsdata]

I have used this product to re-harden soft floor area. Drill very small 1/16" holes to help the water-like 2-part epoxy chemical penetrate the floor. Overnight the floor will harden and stiffen right up. You can put more on the next day if you need to. You can sand high spots and put tile or something on top. This is enough to cover at least a 2-3 foot square area or more. Use in combination with their WoodEpox 2 part wood replacement product. FInd it on amazon

[Harold41]

I think what I have is the same. It's an industrial low viscosity laminating epoxy resin.

[rsdata]

I think what I have is the same. It's an industrial low viscosity laminating epoxy resin.

Hopefully you can do something with the floor and the resin without having to tear apart the cabinet.

[Harold41]

I cut out the damaged area this afternoon. The damage goes farther than I originally thought. I'll have to make a temporary repair for now since we have to be in Jacksonville Mayo Clinic for my wife's surgery next week. To go any further the cabinet will have to come out. The whole floor really needs to be replaced. It's windy, raining, snowing now for the next couple days, may be difficult to get sealant, glue, epoxy to work well.

Hard to pinpoint the leak, looks like mostly the corner where silicone was used and and too little of it. I'm not sure also if some isn't getting through from the bottom trim piece screws. The long screws through the floor into the wall were only rusty for the first inch so I'm thinking there is minimal wall damage.


The first 2 pictures show the opening. The 3rd shows the piece I cut out.


Harold Wilson

[rracer5]

Originally Posted by Harold41

I cut out the damaged area this afternoon. The damage goes farther than I originally thought. I'll have to make a temporary repair for now since we have to be in Jacksonville Mayo Clinic for my wife's surgery next week. To go any further the cabinet will have to come out. The whole floor really needs to be replaced. It's windy, raining, snowing now for the next couple days, may be difficult to get sealant, glue, epoxy to work well.

Hard to pinpoint the leak, looks like mostly the corner where silicone was used and and too little of it. I'm not sure also if some isn't getting through from the bottom trim piece screws. The long screws through the floor into the wall were only rusty for the first inch so I'm thinking there is minimal wall damage.


The first 2 pictures show the opening. The 3rd shows the piece I cut out.


Harold Wilson


Attachment 224048
Attachment 224049
Attachment 224050

So far.....

[Harold41]

I patched the floor, had to do it in 2 pieces to get it to fit in the slot in the corner and side. Wrapped the edge in Darco wrap. Used Liquid Nails Fuze construction adhesive to bond the edges ( I already had it). Screwed a larger piece of 3/4 plywood to the top of the floor to secure the patch. Had to go back and remove the adhesive that squeezed out because the roller would not go over it.



I believe the lack of sufficient sealant in the corners was the source of the water. The factory also used silicone which was not fully bonded to the surface. The other side was leaking, just not as much as this one. I may try to get some epoxy into the other side when warmer weather gets here.



First picture is the patch from underneath, second is patch after Darco wrap, third is the top piece of plywood inside the cabinet.









Harold Wilson

[keepaeyeonit]

Nice job on the repair, If your slide has the aluminum frame with the vinyl insert grooves extruded into it do your self a favor and remove the plastic arrow looking trim pieces at the corners and reseal them. I started to have swollen wood on my wardrobe slide back in 2013 ( i did catch it very early so the damage was minimal and didn't need repaired ) that design sucks to seal as the water runs down the grooves that the insert sits in and will leak in from behind the corner trim. I removed the trim and sealed it with 3M 5200 ( just remember 5200 is not removable after it cures) and have not had a problem since.https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...ing-96182.html check out this and see if this could be the problem you are having.

[fella10]

Originally Posted by Harold41

... When I peeled away the covering it is obvious water damage. No evidence of water from the inside. .....

soft floor showed up two months after 2 yr. warranty had expired, with no evidence of inside leak, ... peeled back the under wrap to find what the pics show, ... FR hesitated at accepting the responsibility of repairing it, until a local FR dealer verified the damage and also that it had come out of the factory that way, ... with that open seam/crack, for those two yrs, every time we were traveling in wet weather or just on wet roads, the tires were throwing water into that crack without any knowledge of the problem, ... because it was hidden, they didn't catch it, the dealer didn't catch it and neither did I, ... they did bring it back to the factory, replaced the whole floor and returned it to me quicker that I thought was possible, ... I could not be more appreciative of what they did and how well they did it, ... but it sure spooked me about that area, when I got it back, I went under there, sprayed all the seams, joints and corners with expanding foam sealant and then sprayed several coasts of Flex Seal over the foam to help protect it as well, ...

[Harold41]

Keepaeyeonit,


I found the same problem under those arrow trim pieces on the lower corners, poor design and inadequate sealant. I sealed with Dicor. Had to use a new larger screw since the original one had corroded beyond use. I didn't photo when I had them off. I may also add sealant to the edges of the vertical trim piece. There's also a small hole in the end of the Schwintek channel, I added a dab of sealant to that also. The sealant on the corners of the channels the floor fits in was also inadequate. I think factory's use of silicone here was the wrong sealant choice.



I plan to re-seal the same trim pieces on the bedroom slide-out later this week or next. It's the same design, no visible damage yet.