Community Forums

Mickeyshell · 10-04-2016, 02:55 PM

First time with slide outs so unfamiliar with what is ok and what is not. We had the awnings over the slideouts replaced when we bought our new to us RV (in case it doesn't show in my signature it is a 2008 Itasca Suncruiser 38T)
Today it rained and on one slide out both ends look tight. On the other slideout, one end droops, the other looks tight. Coach has the levelers down so should be level. Does this look normal? I'm hoping I put the pictures on this

Mac99 · 10-04-2016, 03:44 PM

This is not normal. I would suspect that the installer
did not set the tension correctly, or the slide topper
is defective. We assume that both ends of the slide
traveled out the same distance.

Mickeyshell · 10-04-2016, 06:13 PM

I was afraid of that. The place we bought it and had the awnings installed it 2 1/2 hours away. We closed the slide today and there was a lot of water on the top of the slide, which didn't seem right to me

Gary RVRoamer · 10-04-2016, 07:11 PM

Water may or may not get on top of the slide - the awning has little or nothing to do with that. If rain slants slightly, or its windy, you will get water on the slide, under the topper. The purpose of the topper is a debris shield, not a water or weatherproofing.

Mickeyshell · 10-04-2016, 07:42 PM

Thanks Gary for letting me know that. What should we be doing in the future if we find ourselves in a position where we have to close the slide after a rain, to avoid water inside? Or is that one of those things you can't really avoid?

adamfolger · 10-04-2016, 09:13 PM

Before bringing the slides in after a rain, tilt the coach so the water will run off.

Betr2Trvl · 10-05-2016, 08:20 AM

Even if the slide topper tension is correct, water pooling on slide toppers is a common occurrence, and is really more of an annoyance than a problem.

So, when dealing with an annoyance, don't create a problem.

In general, the worst thing that happens when water has pooled on your toppers is that when you bring the slide in the water dumps down the side of the slide out.

You will also probably find that as you bring the slide in, water starts running off one or both ends, before you get it in and the rest dumps down the side.

In both cases, you may get water on the top or side of the slide, but thst should (mostly) be squeegeed off by your seals when you bring the slide in, and should not be a big problem. If you get a lot of water inside, you may need to have a towel handy and also have your slide seals checked.

If your RV is supposed to be level before you move your slides, then dropping one end or the other to drain the toppers may create a slide problem. Probably not a good idea if that is the case.

Since our largest slide that pools is hydraulic, I'm not overly concerned about brining it in a few inches, stopping, and letting most of the water run off the ends. It still will dump some water down the side, but not a lot. If it was mechanical and / or a Swinteck, I would not stop it to do this as it is generally not recommended to stop a gear drive slide slide prior to full extension or retraction.

Just a couple thoughts to consider.

Regards

MSHappyCampers · 10-05-2016, 09:30 AM

I don't see how it could be the tension. I would suspect that the slide is not going out the same distance on both ends. Is it tight against the wall inside? Measure the distance from the outside wall to the slide wall on each end.

If that's OK, I would think that the slide topper awning was not made correctly and is actually deeper on one end. With the awning out, measure each end from where the fabric slides into the notch on the wall of the RV and where it slides into the roll-up tube.

When you get the problem solved you might want to use some kind of awning support to keep the rain from puddling. Below is what I did.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f59/slide...rt-189399.html

Mickeyshell · 10-08-2016, 01:03 PM

MShappycampers - you were correct - the slide out was not totally out, we held the button a second longer when reopening and that did the trick. I did get up there and inspect the seals and while they aren't terrible they probably should have been replaced when they replaced the awning - wish they had called us and suggested it as long as they were doing the awning! We will be paying close attention if we have to close the slide when it is wet. Thanks for all of your comments, they are valuable education to me !

MSHappyCampers · 10-08-2016, 01:49 PM

Glad you found the problem Mickey!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

Clay L · 10-08-2016, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mickeyshell

Thanks Gary for letting me know that. What should we be doing in the future if we find ourselves in a position where we have to close the slide after a rain, to avoid water inside? Or is that one of those things you can't really avoid?

The wipers on the slide out should sweep the water off as the slide is brought in. The wipers are not really seals. The seals are the bulb type that are compressed when the slide is extended or retracted.