Community Forums

judgebobk · 01-09-2018, 09:58 PM

Just got caught in a freak snow storm in Northern Arizona. The slide toppers have a lot of snow on them. What should I do, get the snow off before pulling the slides in?

saddlesore · 01-09-2018, 10:09 PM

If You can, sweep them off before retracting the slides me thinks

willipaul · 01-10-2018, 03:40 AM

yes, don't bring the slides in with snow on them.....

you may not have a problem if you do, but if you do, it could be an expensive one, so i would clear it off, first.....

LennyC · 01-10-2018, 04:14 AM

You must remove as much snow as possible from the tops of the slide outs with and without topper awnings.

Trust me, last April we had a few inches of snow overnight in Buffalo and our big slide out would not close completely as the wet snow was causing the topper to sag. Had to open the slide fully, get up on a ladder and brush off as much as I could before it would finally close all the way.

Also, the kitchen slide on our coach has no topper and the snow has no place to go when the slide is retracted so it clumps up at the seal and prevents the slide from going in completely. I removed the snow and all was well.

One precaution is to keep the slides in all or part way when snow is forecast.

CoachC · 01-10-2018, 05:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LennyC

You must remove as much snow as possible from the tops of the slide outs with and without topper awnings.

Trust me, last April we had a few inches of snow overnight in Buffalo and our big slide out would not close completely as the wet snow was causing the topper to sag. Had to open the slide fully, get up on a ladder and brush off as much as I could before it would finally close all the way.

Also, the kitchen slide on our coach has no topper and the snow has no place to go when the slide is retracted so it clumps up at the seal and prevents the slide from going in completely. I removed the snow and all was well.

One precaution is to keep the slides in all or part way when snow is forecast.

Hi LennyC,

Did you mean all the way in or all the way out?
If your slides is anywhere in between the slides will not be on the seals allowing cold air and possibly water or snow intrusion.

That could cause more problems.

I have seen some protect the kitchen slide with no topper by partially extending the awning enough to cover the slide's roof. I have done that in rainy conditions but not with snow. I don't know if that is recommended procedure.

Best of luck and safe travels.

Cheers

"007" · 01-10-2018, 08:39 AM

If you do not remove the snow the awning will collapse on to roof of slide and possible jam the slide or your cog wheels to skip holes in rails which will cause slide from closing flush in the recessed wall opening.
If temps warm up snow may than slide off the awning.

X-OEM · 01-10-2018, 09:17 AM

You MUST remove the snow if more than a dusting. It will get trapped between the coach wall and the slide wall when retracted. That will cause either the slide to lean out at the top due to the pile-up of snow, or melting of said snow after retraction which could be a mess.

The first (and only) time this happened to me I did not have a ladder and had to get up on the roof covered with ice and snow to do the job. NOT smart.

I now have a collapsible ladder which pretty much guarantees that it will never snow on the coach again

FatChance · 01-10-2018, 12:18 PM

Exactly. Last year I had that happen in Flagstaff. I brushed the snow off the top of the slide (no topper) but there was still less than a quarter inch of crusty snow left frozen to the slide roof. It immediately caught on the upper slide seal and stopped the top of the slide but not the bottom. I re-extended the slide and thoroughly cleaned off ALL of the snow. No problems since but my heart almost stopped when it happened. Take a couple minutes and get all of the snow off.

Edit: I gained a lot of respect for the quality of Newmar's slide mechanism technology when this episode did not cause any damage.

Click image for larger version

Name: CameraZOOM-20161129125643099.jpg
Views: 157
Size: 56.3 KB
ID: 188256

Click image for larger version

Name: CameraZOOM-20161129125656434.jpg
Views: 114
Size: 53.9 KB
ID: 188257

judgebobk · 01-10-2018, 12:56 PM

Wow you were lucky. We shoveled for about a 1/2 hour and got them closed. We were 1/2 hour from Flagstaff in Williams when it happened.
Then the traveller dish would not go down so I had to climb up and clear it. Lucky I have a 12 foot holding ladder.

GaryKD · 01-10-2018, 01:07 PM

Hi judgebobk,
Be very careful on the roof. When wet the roof is very slippery. Your going to need a ladder since you coach does not have one. CW or any big box store sells them. Wrap towels around the ladder where it will touch the top of the coach.

X-OEM · 01-10-2018, 01:11 PM

Must be something about Flagstaff. My one and only snow encounter took place in Flagstaff as well.

judgebobk · 01-10-2018, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GaryKD

Hi judgebobk,
Be very careful on the roof. When wet the roof is very slippery. Your going to need a ladder since you coach does not have one. CW or any big box store sells them. Wrap towels around the ladder where it will touch the top of the coach.

Amazon had a great one, very light and over 12 feet high gold down to 30 inches. No header off the roof, the Girard awnings make great hand holds.