8 replies to this topic

[MikeMarie]

I have a 2008 Jayco Melbourne 29D motorhome and while we were driving from Ontario to Florida we had some water leakage in the bedroom slide. I had slide transit bars in the front two slides but not in the bedroom slide. I had a lot of snow on the top of the motorhome when I left and it slowly melted and fell off along the way although the last of it only came off in NC on the third day. We also drove through a lot of snow both on the road and falling from the sky and I wonder if that may have leaked in some way. The seal on the slide looks OK but there is tape across the top of the slide along the edge where it was sealed when built. That tape appears a bit worn and wavy. Can I buy some duck tape and retape the seam or should I get some other type of tape to ensure that the seam is well sealed? We have had the motorhome for over a year now and have gone through some very wet weather but this is the first time we have had any water in the bedroom around the bottom of the slide. Any suggestions??

[DickandLois]

Hi Mike!

Leaks are hard to find in most cases, water is always trying to find a way in.

When you get to the warmer part of the country, look things over and maybe clean and put some lube on the seals around the slide and the sidewall seals. They overlap in most cases to get a good seal. Some of the seals are not easy to get to. the areas around the seals needs to be clean, like the slide walls that contact the seals.

Regarding the top edge seal between the roof line and side(s) look the area over well and then post some information regarding the condition of the area in question and maybe attach some pictures.

There are a number of ways to seal areas using materials far better the duct tape. Some are better then others when it comes to where the repair needs to be made.

Rich.

[MikeMarie]

Thanks Rich, I have already looked carefully around all three slides and the rubber seals look really good. The tape across the top of the rear slide is wavy and appears to be worn so that is where I thought that the water may have come in. I checked the other slides and they seem OK. I figured that there were a couple of things that I could do. First, get some tape and reseal the seam. The second and probably a better way to deal with it is to run a bead of caulking along the seam to reseal the area where the tape is. The thought regarding the tape is that if Jayco built the slides and put tape along the screw line then why not emulate them.
Mike...

[DickandLois]

Mike,

The seam areas can be sealed using Dicor it is sticky to work with, but it works best on flat surfaces as it tend to self level and will droop down the side. Gravity is going to win.

The sealing tape. Called Eterna Bond, comes in varying widths. Camping World sells patching kits made up of the material, not sure they stock the rolls. I get it from a Commercial building supplier in the area. It is pricy, but it will seal the area and stay where you put it. NOTE ! once its in place it can be almost imposable to remove. It pays to work carefully, cleaning the surface well to start. Should your roof be made of EPDM, cleaning materials with any oil in there mixture can not be used. !!!!

Plan on the best way to work on the area--Slide in or out, part way out ??

You might want to use one of the roof cleaners sold at CW to start. Rinsing the surface well and drying. Cut the material to length, lay it along the area you want to apply it, (use a little duct tape to hold it in place)(Make any adjustments or cuts). Then start to remove the adhesive protection material (only on short areas)(it really sticks to anything it touches) then slowly expose the adhesive as you work along. Press down on the tape to make a good seal (A wall paper edge roller works real well for this) If its in the correct spot it will stop the leak, last a long time and look good.

Good luck, Rich.

[MikeMarie]

Thanks Rich, I will give it a try. I appreciate your help and will let you know how it turned out.

Mike...

[MikeMarie]

Rich, I got the eternabond tape and followed the directions on the tape. It was easy to install as long as I was careful to make sure that the length was right and that I didn't stick it down until I was ready. I am happy with the results and if that was where the water was coming in, I am sure that there is no possiblitiy for it to come in there anymore. That stuff is amazing.

Thanks again
Mike...

[wajames]

We have a external seam where the bottom "lip" or flange met the the outside slide wall, the sealant had come out and let water in. Resealing with clear RTV fixed it and I now routinely check the sealer in that area. This was the only slide where that seam was above the slide floor where water could come inside.

-- Warren

[ynott96]

I had a leak on my front passenger slide that brought water into a cabinet area.....treid to locate the leak without any success...then went on a Forest River Forum and found that some people had noticed they had leaks that were due to the topper brackets not being sealed ,,,thus water found an easy tract through the back of the topper seal and down into the inside of the slide walls.....

I bought some RTV sealant and sealed the entire bracket area sides, back, and top......problem solved....

George
2008 Forest River Georgetown 374
.

[MikeMarie]

Thanks guys I will look at all of that as well when I do my annual look for any cracks and other possible trouble spots. I appreciate the input from you all.

Mike...