daveandmary Posted December 16, 2016 Report Share Posted December 16, 2016 2005 Alpenlite 5er. Used only twice per year, parked closed up most all the time. Have had the rig 5 years. Last year, when we got ready to go South the carpet, in the center of the rig, under the edge of the closed up sofa side slide, was quite wet. We thought a jug of water under the kitchen counter had maybe frozen and leaked. This year, after being dry for several months, and with no water in tanks or lines, now in rainy season, it is quite wet again. No evidence of leakage from above at all. Looks like somehow water 'wicks' 4-5 feet, under the slide, to the center of the rig. Doesn't seem possible. Have any of you had a similar situation? Thoughts? Thanks, Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFchap Posted December 16, 2016 Report Share Posted December 16, 2016 Looks like somehow water 'wicks' 4-5 feet, under the slide, to the center of the rig. ...or runs along a frame member in the floor/bottom of the slide? Paul (KE5LXU), former fulltimer, now sometimer... '03 Winnebago Ultimate Advantage 40E '05 Honda Odyssey Escapees, FMCA, WIT, SMART http://www.pjrider.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpsinc Posted December 17, 2016 Report Share Posted December 17, 2016 Have the slide seals ever been changed? Sometimes too little use is worse than too much use. Those seals(there is one on the bottom too) can be the culprit. Water may wick down the side p-seal and wick into the subfloor and show up on the carpet. Work backwards from the leak. Or be sure that a vent on the roof isnt leaking and the water is running down the vent pipe and onto the subfloor, inside and showing up on the carpet. Those are buggers to find, it takes patience and usually a few tries at repairs before it is located. Marcel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oscarvan Posted December 17, 2016 Report Share Posted December 17, 2016 I had a similar problem. There are multiple seals on a slide. The ones that count when stored are on the outside, and seal between the flange of the slide (the part on the outside that sticks out beyond the "box" and the wall of the coach itself. These seals are semi circles, like the letter "D", with the flat side seated in a track that is screwed into the wall. It is very easy for the seal to pop out of the track for a foot or more, especially when it's been closed up for a long time, gets sticky, and is then extended. The water gets inside on the roof of the slide, then runs up against the inner flange, and turns left or right, depending on which way is down hill, and then runs down the side of the slide. It may then drip straight down, or run along the bottom and drip somewhere else. The reason it sometimes does it, sometimes not, sometimes here, sometimes there is because you don't always EXACTLY park the unit the same level front to back and side to side. So, gravity plays a different game every time. Bottom line, get on a ladder or on the roof and closely inspect the seal on top. If it is out of it's track it can be worked back in fairly easily, more so when warm. A last thought, people try all kinds of potions and lotions to "lubricate" the seals, or to keep them from sticking. After being in this gig for a long time I have learned that most of the manufacturers recommend to clean with warm soapy water and THAT'S IT. I have come to believe they are right. Your mileage may vary. Previously a 2017 Forest River, Berkshire 38A, "The Dragonship". https://dragonship.blog/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
57becky Posted December 17, 2016 Report Share Posted December 17, 2016 Another possibility is a leak around the frame of a window, where the frame is sealed with caulking tape and contacts the exterior wall. We have had a couple windows develop a leak, and the gap may not be any more than that of a sheet of paper. The water travels down inside the wall, seeps under the interior wall at the bottom, and gets the carpet wet for quite a distance. I have fixed both by removing all the excess caulking tape from around the edge of the frame, and applying a bead of silicone caulk around the entire perimeter of the frame to the exterior wall. This solved the leaks in both windows. The other fix would be remove the window from the wall and put new caulking tape on the frame and put it back in the opening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk W Posted December 17, 2016 Report Share Posted December 17, 2016 This year, after being dry for several months, and with no water in tanks or lines, now in rainy season, it is quite wet again. With an RV that is 12 years old there are a number of possibilities that come to mind. What sort of maintenance have you done or had done on it over the years? If it has not been replaced, any caulking and any seals could easily be the source of such leaks. Rain caused leakage is very difficult to trace to the source because it often shows up a long distance from the entry point. While it does seem probably that the leakage is related to the slide, I'd sure take a hard look at all places that have caulking as well. Good travelin !...............KirkFull-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveandmary Posted December 24, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2016 Thanks for the tips! Have made some progress and actually saw a puddle of water coming from under the refer slide. At least I now know where it's coming in. When I get down to dry and warm country in a few days I'll be able to find out how it get in/under there. Nothing obvious I could see in the melting snow today. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveandmary Posted October 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2017 Turns out that having the rig on a very slight side-to-side slope allowed water draining down the kitchen slide to travel 4-5 feet under the slide and come out on the floor in the kitchen. Levelled the rig perfectly this year and have had no further problems. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I'mdonewiththis forum Posted October 23, 2017 Report Share Posted October 23, 2017 Thanks for letting us know what the solution was! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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