Solution to rain water under slideouts

[kwoodrg]

So, a big disappointment that we realized AFTER purchasing our Dynamax Trilogy was that the undersides of the slideouts are basically just plain wood that has been painted.

I won't dwell on that stupidity but instead on a solution for the problem which--not surprisingly--immediately resulted from actually USING the slideouts: rain running down the side and then under the slideouts and starting to rot the edges of the wood slideout floor panels.

After trying various things, the solution turned out to be about $12 worth of stick on door sill strips from Home Depot.

Stick them on and let them overhang the bottom of the slideout by about 1/2" and tada, rain runs down the little strips and right off onto the ground without wrapping under the slide and soaking the underside.

I've included a couple simple photos for reference. I would advise this on any camper really as it gives your slideout a drop edge of sorts. If it falls off during slide out useage, just stick on a new one! They're 3 bucks! You can't go wrong!

[mcnabbwr]

Neat idea, I'm going to look at mine and possibly steal your idea. Thanks for sharing..

[John Hagen]

I like quick and easy solutions!

John

[gauchoverde]

Thanks for the tip.

[phil falls]

On our large slide, drivers side in the lower rear cabinet floor. We find the floor carpeting wet. Is this what is happening? I thought the joint was leaking at the bottom vertical wall outside where the screws are.
I hope you're right . Going to Home Depot tomorrow.
Thanks for the tip. [emoji41]

[kwoodrg]

Phil, I started to experience what you are talking about immediately after purchasing our Trilogy and actually forgot about it until you just mentioned it. While it is possible that the situation I have explained may be what you are encountering it is more likely a different problem--one that I discovered within days of purchase and solved very quickly to prevent the floor from dropping out.

We live in South Louisiana and it rains constantly. In fact if you look at the forecast at any given time, you'll generally see that rain is predicted every single day. It gets very old. So, leaving leaks is not an option or everything will be destroyed within days to weeks.

When we first got our camper home, of course it rained the same day as always. Immediately, I was going around looking for leaks. I noticed that in the corners of two slideouts (living room and bedroom), there was slight a trickle at one corner of both that was almost unnoticeable unless you were looking for it. It is obvious that this was taking place in the dealer lot too, because when you looked at the corner strip molding, it had some slight wrinkles in it--an indicator that water has broken the adhesive between the vinyl wallpaper covering the molding and the actual wood molding underneath.

So, as soon as it stopped pouring, I got out the ladder and went up and saw the horrible frame design that holds these slides together and as such, holds water on top of the slide AND is prone to leaks. The frame design essential creates a pool on the top of the slide where water just sits until it finds a way in or evaporates.

Since the water was coming down the wall at the corner, it was reasonable to assume that there was a leak somewhere near the corner and as the framing is shoddy and not very precise, I could see several places on top and around the top side edge where water could potentitally be coming in. So, what I did was I got out my duct tape (real aluminum metal duct tape, not the cheap crap "duck" tape that leaves fabric and adhesive everywhere) and very precisely and tighly pressed the duct tape in the corners and essentially "wrapped" the framing and bonded it with the roof. I'd have to get a photo up there to make it clear if this doesn't make sense.

The end result is that for probably a few cents, I solved the water leak problem that would suredly have destroyed the cabinets, walls, carpet and floors given enough time and especially with the amount of rain we have here.

Next time I am up there I will get a photo of the "fix" and share it.

One last thing and something I learned a long time ago. There is almost nothing that can't be fixed with true aluminum metal duct tape. Water leaks, air leaks, pest holes and a lot more AND the fixes are usually permanent. You generally never have to touch them again unless something is tearing at the tape. Always have some on hand!

[lgray]

Can't tell you how much I appreciate your sharing. Just got back to our Trilogy last night, checked this morning and drivers rear slide has same issue with the corner of the board starting to rot. Covered it with sheathing tape and headed to Lowes or HD for the strips.

[lgray]

Before picture.

[ATTACH][/ATTACH]

[phil falls]

I have same problem. I took clear silicone and tried to fill seam underneath. Plus took self adhesive door weather strip and let
It hang down below the bottom of the slide floor about 3/8". We just had a hard rain the other day and the wife said it was near as wer inside as it was before. So, I guess I need more silicone.

[kwoodrg]

Phil you might be dealing with the problem I mentioned earlier in this thread. You may have water coming down from a crack or hole in the seams along the top edge of the slide and down through the walls of the slide to the floor. This is also something I discovered (fortunately before it got bad) on a couple of our slides and fixed already.

[retamaman]

We are near Colorado Springs and for the past four weeks we've been getting rain. Some showers have been real toad stranglers. Since I put these drip edges on the slides, everything is staying dry. Thanks for this simple fix.