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02-12-2018, 09:50 AM
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#1
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Member
Holiday Rambler Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 79
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Mystery Leak in HR!!! Ideas?
Having had 12hours of steady, hard rain here in the panhandle of FL, we awoke this morning to a wet floor on the driver's side living room floor near the sofa. Tracing it back to the source, we discovered first a damp sofa, and then above it, the middle cabinet over the sofa with water leaking out. Water actively dripping from the top of the cabinet (not from ceiling, from the cabinet wood) near the left side hinges. No visible source beyond that.
We are talking about an area that is IN the slideout, directly under the topper. We have been in this coach for about a year now, including through rain connected to one of last fall's hurricanes, and this is the first leak we have had. We checked to be sure slide was fully extended and that all seals were lying flat, etc. The coach may have been a LITTLE off level, with the drivers side being just a hair higher than the curbside. We have corrected that, but understand that there is water in the gap that must work its way out...
I'm guessing we will find some sort of sealant issue on the top of the slide, underneath the topper (where it is difficult to check sealant integrity visually). Of course we are taking steps to divert/catch the water still leaking in, and drying out the sleeper sofa mattress, etc.
I wonder if anyone here had experienced a similar leak and what they found/corrected? Any other hints or advice or things to check? Thank you so much for taking time to read this and offer your input!
2016 Holiday Ramber Endeavor 37PE
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SuzanneH.
2018 Montana 3731FL
2017 Ford F350 Super Duty 4WD SRW
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02-12-2018, 10:07 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Jan 2002
Posts: 1,896
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Sometimes rain will blow sideways underneath the topper. We have retracted the slide if this is coming. Guess you could tilt the RV a bit and water would drain...not sit. I have stuffed rolled-up towels on top of the slide. It might help.
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2003 Dolphin LX 6355 w/ W22 chassis; 8.1L gas & Allison 1000
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02-12-2018, 10:09 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2017
Posts: 305
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Suzanne H. Sorry to hear about your water issue, I had a similar problem on my MH. The water came through the body joints of my slide out. This wasn't the first water issue there in my MH. Because when I realized where it was coming in from I could see the previous owner tried to seal those joints. What I ended up doing was I brought that slide in about half way then remove the interior trim on top of the slide. This allowed me to squeeze my hand and head between the ceiling and top of the slide and re-caulk the inner most joint. I did this over the summer since we weren't traveling. Thankfully because the caulk had a terrible smell. I also replaced the lower trim piece since the water had warped it. Maybe this will help you good luck.
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02-12-2018, 10:23 AM
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#4
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Member
Holiday Rambler Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 79
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Great idea, Keger...will definitely check in that manner when the rain passes!! We are fulltimers, and sadly, that means we get to live with any odors the caulk /sealant may have!
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SuzanneH.
2018 Montana 3731FL
2017 Ford F350 Super Duty 4WD SRW
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02-12-2018, 06:27 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Monaco Owners Club Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Crestview FLA
Posts: 1,428
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Water can travel in some very unexpected ways. You may want to make sure your toppers are sealed with UV/silicon spray. They can allow water to seep thru the thread holes in the seams and drip on the top of a slideout and eventually make it past a seal and into the coach.
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08 Holiday Rambler Vacationer XL 38PLT Workhorse R-26 UFO gas pusher,
2014 Cadillac SRX AWD, SMI Smart Box braking system.
https://myrandomviews.com/
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02-12-2018, 06:58 PM
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#6
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Member
Holiday Rambler Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 79
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I didn't realize that! Def will do that, too!
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SuzanneH.
2018 Montana 3731FL
2017 Ford F350 Super Duty 4WD SRW
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02-12-2018, 07:04 PM
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#7
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Member
Holiday Rambler Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 79
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Did find the problem...the rubber strip did not go out all the way and opened a pathway for water...right to the edge where the slide meets the trim on the inside. At that point, there was NO sealant at all, as there should have been. So it was a sitting duck for a leak when the rubber strip got hung up. We need to seal that junction ASAP! Which will be a trick since it's in such a tight location. Any suggestions for a flexible application tube for the end of the dicor sealant tube?
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SuzanneH.
2018 Montana 3731FL
2017 Ford F350 Super Duty 4WD SRW
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02-12-2018, 07:13 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 245
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this exact reason I was happy it had been raining for 5 hours before we looked at our DP. I could easily see where it was currently leaking. I'm happy you figured out where it was coming from
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97' Overland Ospery 4012, 42' long, 41,000 miles, 8.3 cummins, 6 speed allison, freightliner chassis, pulling a 24' enclosed trailer.
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02-12-2018, 08:24 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Oregon
Posts: 195
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Oof...sorry to hear about your leak. I was considering the possibility when looking at purchasing a land yacht, and decided for an older model WITHOUT slide-outs specifically because of these integrity issues. Not completely without problems, though. I have a small leak around the top of the driver's side window frame. Small, but annoying. Getting some silicon sealant on that when the weather dries out a bit.
Hope you're able to staunch the invading flow. Sounds like you have a nice palace on wheels...too nice for dripping on the furniture.
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Home sweet home...wherever we roam!
1994 HR NAVIGATOR 38WB
Rechristened 'The Argo'
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02-13-2018, 07:45 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 2,984
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You mentioned that you would use Dicor. Which one? There may be better options. I would avoid using silicone, but something like Geocel ProFlexRV might be a good option, though it is not clear yet (to me) exactly what you need to seal.
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'04 Newmar Mountain Aire 4016
400ISL/Freightliner
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02-13-2018, 07:48 AM
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#11
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Member
Holiday Rambler Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 79
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I really don't have much wisdom when it comes to sealants...I was talking to a tech at REV group and that was the term he used. What are the pros and cons of dicor vs. your recommendation?
Sent from my XT1650 using iRV2 - RV Forum mobile app
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SuzanneH.
2018 Montana 3731FL
2017 Ford F350 Super Duty 4WD SRW
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02-13-2018, 09:03 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Newmar Owners Club Solo Rvers Club Freightliner Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: On the road...somewhere...
Posts: 161
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Similar Problem in driving freezing rain
I was up on the Blue Ridge Parkway a few years ago on a consulting gig. I was staying just off the parkway north of Meadows of Dan. Anyway we had 4 days of driving freezing rain that got under the slide seal. As soon as I could get the slide in a little, it was frozen for 6 days and wouldn't move... I used CRC spray silicone on all the seals, and have now a couple of time a year since and never had another problem. I went through 12 inches of rain in 3 days in Arkansas last April and didn't notice a drop of water anywhere.
Being off level is also not a good idea, but it happens...things settle right? I know things are settling on me in places.
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Idaho Flyfisher...Follow me on YouTube https://youtube.com/trbowlin
04 Dutchstar DP 4010, 2014 Subaru Crosstrek XV
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02-13-2018, 12:20 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2015
Posts: 2,984
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There are basically two kinds of Dicor, self leveling for horizontal surfaces and non-sag for vertical surfaces. Neither is very good sealing something that moves or flexes like a slide seal. Proflex would probably handle flexing like that better. I would personally not use silicone sealant. But again, I haven't seen exactly what you need to seal.
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'04 Newmar Mountain Aire 4016
400ISL/Freightliner
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