Community Forums

timeforus · 12-03-2015, 12:14 PM

I have an 05 Diplomat PRQ and just found the carpet wet in the bedroom around the night stand on the road side. Thought maybe the rain may have come in from the slide, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I removed the elec. outlet above the night stand and stuck my fingers inside to find the insulation wet. Got up on the roof and the eternabond tape looks good so does all other joints with caulk. Wondering if anyone else has had the same issue. Should I remove the existing eternabond and replace?

96 Wideglide · 12-03-2015, 01:01 PM

Is the slide in or out when the floor is getting wet?

slowmachine · 12-03-2015, 01:02 PM

I wouldn't ignore the possibility that the leak is slide-related. Water can wick horizontally through the insulation and horizontal wall members.

Mike
2000 Holiday Rambler Endeavor 40PBD
Freghtliner XC, CAT 3126B

450Donn · 12-03-2015, 01:17 PM

Pay for a professional seal test. That will point each and every problem area

Captjake1 · 12-03-2015, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 450Donn

Pay for a professional seal test. That will point each and every problem area

Though I agree with this approach, I opted to pay just a little more and have the entire coach resealed. That way we knew we had all of the obvious points fixed. From there the plan was to leak test if needed, but the re-seal solved all of my issues. And it looks outstanding!

Captjake1 · 12-03-2015, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 450Donn

Pay for a professional seal test. That will point each and every problem area

Though I agree with this approach, I opted to pay just a little more and have the entire coach resealed. That way we knew we had all of the obvious points fixed. From there the plan was to leak test if needed, but the re-seal solved all of my issues. And it looks outstanding!

timeforus · 12-03-2015, 02:24 PM

I think it may be when the slide is open.

RustyTools · 12-03-2015, 04:01 PM

Three possibilities come to mind.
One is the 'cups' (for lack of a better word) at the corners of the wall in the coach at the slide that 'catch' the water coming down the seals and are supposed to channel the water overboard. I had the same thing, and one cup wasn't fully open, allowing some water to come in the coach and down the inside wall onto the carpet. You can feel/see it from the outside, it's the little black rubber-like thing in the corner.
Two is the slide seals themselves aren't 'flipping' completely outward when the slide opens, allowing the water to sneak in/along the sidewall.
Three (and a long-shot, but my biggest issue) was the outer seals on the coach at the sidewalls, where they come together at the angles in the corner (think of a mitered-joint on a picture frame). Mine had maybe a 1/4" gap, but that was enough to drive me nuts for a long time.

I'm sure there's more ways for the coaches to leak

, but good luck!

znt1186 · 12-03-2015, 04:08 PM

Water may be leaking into the top of the slide if the outlet with the wet insulation is in the slide wall.

timeforus · 12-03-2015, 07:36 PM

Thanks for all the advise and input. I'll check all the seals. The elec. outlet is not in the slide, that's what really has me questioning whether the slide is the culprit.

Captjake1 · 12-03-2015, 08:15 PM

Check the tar tape around the perimeter. Also check the condition of the roof surface itself. Mine has aluminum which developed corrosion and pitting, casing leaks

rmcb · 12-03-2015, 08:34 PM

When you inspect the tar tape along the top of the slide out, pay particular attention to the areas where it covers screw heads. My coach has flat head screws that are not countersinked and not driven in straight. This leaves sharp edges that can cut through the tar tape and cause leaks. I could almost not see mine because they were too narrow. I ground them down with an angle grinder and patched the area with new Eternabond tape. This fixed the leak.

Land Barge · 12-13-2015, 07:54 PM

I found the seal around the fridge vent on the roof compromised (not bad) and it was going down wall under bath vanity under shower to same place in bedroom. So it may not be a straight shot where it manifests.
I put some self leveling caulk on it and it seems to be holding this last round of rain.

Sweetbriar · 12-13-2015, 08:02 PM

A roof leak could be at the other end of the coach and a bear to find. Best to get a RV version of a blower door test (aka seal test) which will find every leak.

SealTech Manufacturing USA | Industry Standard for RV Leak Detection