Why do I need Slide-Out covers?

[WeatherTodd]

you can replace your slide toppers with a better product than the fabric stuff from monaco. I did on mine and have no problems. Also while you have the toppers off it makes cleaning/waxing the slides a breeze. Mines going on 7yrs old so cleaning/conditioning the seals will prolong the life for the next owner of my coach.

[vito.a]

Maybe you need to increase the roller spring tension so they don't flap?

[Twomed]

Originally Posted by WeatherTodd

you can replace your slide toppers with a better product than the fabric stuff from monaco. I did on mine and have no problems. Also while you have the toppers off it makes cleaning/waxing the slides a breeze. Mines going on 7yrs old so cleaning/conditioning the seals will prolong the life for the next owner of my coach.

I did all that, and increased the tension to eliminate the flapping and get better drainage. BUT what material is better than Sunbrella???

PS... for folks who have yet to attempt this project...you will likely find enough material rolled up to trim off the exposed sun damaged edge if necessary. OR..you can sew different size pockets and just reverse the material.

[Vulture47]

I have used Sunbrella for sail covers on sailboats and it lasted as well as anything out there. Any of these products are going to have a lifetime of a few years. If they are allowed to flap it will be a very few years.

[itdave]

Just another vote for having the covers. In 2010 we had one cover torn during a nearby tornado could not find anyone to repair so left it off. We were parked in Iowa during heavy rains I had water running through the light in the front curb slide. Too much water sitting on the slide roof and the seal for the flat floor roof is not that great. We have now taken all covers off had a awing company cut out any tears resew the seams so the part that was original on the coach is now on the roller. Also had the side seam resewn. Things have been working great since.

[RustyTools]

My original question was about the thread that keeps breaking-down, but I too would be interested to hear about the material that's better than Sunbrella toppers.

Vito - I hear ya, and have tightened them to the point where I'm afraid to go any more, but when the wind catches them just right they will still flap. I've even gone so far as to tie a rope (covered with foam-noodles them for abrasion resistance) around the slide/cover which somewhat minimizes the flapping.

All in all, wouldn't even consider living without them. During the worst of the storm, I brought them in and was amazed at how small the coach was for 2 days!

[zacktown]

Originally Posted by itdave

Just another vote for having the covers. In 2010 we had one cover torn during a nearby tornado could not find anyone to repair so left it off. We were parked in Iowa during heavy rains I had water running through the light in the front curb slide. Too much water sitting on the slide roof and the seal for the flat floor roof is not that great. We have now taken all covers off had a awing company cut out any tears resew the seams so the part that was original on the coach is now on the roller. Also had the side seam resewn. Things have been working great since.

Well, I was hoping to hear that it would be fine without them, but I am still not completely sold. At the onset of my last trip, my driver front slide awning tore. I had no choice but to cut it off. I was also constrained with my schedule and wouldn't be able to get it fixed until I got back 45 days later. The good news is that I had no leaks during this time period and I was able to throughly clean the slide out top and wax it. I also treated the rubber after a thorough cleaning. We experienced some heavy rain in virginia, kentucky and tennessee with no leaks. I really liked the fact that I didn't have the constant flapping, rattling and rumbling caused by the winds. I would gladly clean the slide out every time to not have to listen to another night of flapping and rattling. The kids sleep in front, so pulling in the slides isn't an option under most circumstances.

The arguments for the toppers, that I found, are protection from sunlight, thus less heat, debris protection (meh, I can clean), and protection against potential leaks for the coaches with less than perfect seals. I didn't even consider that they also helped even when retracted, so that is another good point.

I might try the inflatable slideout topper wedges for the opposing slide and see if that helps in the wind. If it does, I will replace the topper, otherwise, I won't be in such a hurry. Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, etc has a lot of wind and I spend a lot of time there.

The downside of the toppers is that they are big and ugly bars hanging on the sides of the coach. The big toppers tend to pool water, leaves and dirt. All that stuff dries up, or not, and gets rolled up in these things. Potential mold? Wind noise and cost of replacement. It makes proper cleaning of the slide top more difficult.

So, before replacing, I am going to look into potential areas that I can upgrade or improve the seal for the long term. I will also consider fabricating a small < 1" overhang to give a similar protection to a retracted slide. If anyone has any ideas, I'd love to hear.

Maybe I'm just crazy.

[Drifter]

The year before last I channeled and remounted the topper awning brackets to have more of a angle for better water run off. Here are before and after pictures. This also cut down most of the wind flapping of the awnings.

If any here are coming to our Monaco Quartzsite gathering in Jan. I will show some of these mods to you.
We will most likely have some kind of a work team that helps everybody out.


Before,


After,


This is the amount cut out of the original bracket.

[RustyTools]

Excellent idea, Drifter. Perfect! And the Job looks like it was made like that.

By 'lowering' the topper that ~1.5", did you encounter anything hitting or rubbing on anything else either when moving in/out or when extended/retracted? How about the topper material, did it now ride low enough that touches the top of the slide-out lip?

Well, obviously not, or you would have mentioned it, right? Duh! But I wanted to get a clear confirmation, because this looks like it may be just what I need.

I'm sure it gets windy enough there in January to test your solution, unfortunately we are not able to travel right now.

Many thanks.

[RickO]

Our slide toppers are the type which are housed in an aluminum tube enclosure when retracted. Does anyone know if the spring loaded flap on these enclosures act as an anti flap device?

I'm just surprised to hear all the complaints about flapping and noise because we've only noticed flapping on rare occasions and in pretty severe weather.

Rick

[Drifter]

RustyTools, We have had no clearance problems since we lowered the awnings, we have traveled across county three times in all kinds of weather without issues.

Let me give you a time line on our awning problems.
Nov. 2007, Coach delivered

July 2008, re indexed awnings to try to get water collection off. Monaco says not there problem and Carefree says not theres either.

Jan. 2009, Stitching of seams coming apart, tried to fix with iron on seem repair system. Still have water problems.

Jan. 2010, At Quartzsite gathering the work team worked together and removed 17 toppers and resewed with polyester thread.

June 2010, Coated awning toppers with Thomson's water seal to try to slow down the water from leaking through material. Seems that awning no longer hold off water because of long term standing water on material.

September 2010, Lowered awning brackets to increase water run off.

Jan. 2011, Still have a slight problem on road side front of standing water due to awning tube bowing down in the middle creating a loose section of awning material.

Aug. 2012, Replaced awning topper material with new. Starting to smile again.

Oct. 2012, Added a third Bracket to the center of road side front awning. Perfect now, no more water issues.

Picture with channeled brackets and original material.

[deSanford]

Would like to get on the list for awning "adjustment". deSanford

[zacktown]

Originally Posted by Drifter

The year before last I channeled and remounted the topper awning brackets to have more of a angle for better water run off. Here are before and after pictures. This also cut down most of the wind flapping of the awnings.

If any here are coming to our Monaco Quartzsite gathering in Jan. I will show some of these mods to you.
We will most likely have some kind of a work team that helps everybody out.

BRILLIANT!! Yet another reason to go to Quartzite in January.

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by clyon51

Their purpose is keep water, leaves, twigs, ect from lying on the slide roof. When retracting, if the roof is perfectly flat/smooth and the seals are good, the water will be wiped off. If there is a valley, water can remain on the roof after slide is retracted. Ok, not that big of a deal.

Now lets say you have been camping in a wooded area for awhile. There could be an accumulation of sharp twigs and small branches as well as bird deposits. Retracting the slide with debris on it like that can ruin and rip the seals. Also can keep the slide from coming in all the way and ruining the main seal.

If you don't have slide toppers, you better carry a ladder, then inspect and clean the roof each time before retracting.

They are a convienience, not a necessity.

They also help keep the rig cooler when in the sun. I consider them a necessity.