Community Forums

barnmother · 10-17-2011, 08:56 AM

We purchased our first motorhome in May of this year and hated to part with our 30 Springdale travel trailer but our handicapped son had trouble sitting in a truck for more than a couple hours.. We bought a 34B 2008 Hurricane with 8,000 miles and 30 hours on the generator.. We love this rig and it has taken care of all of our traveling problems..This year we have put 4000 miles on it and have had 40 nights out on the road..Our last trip of the year we actually had a significant rain storm for the first time all year and we had a water fall in our living room slide out..

I cannot believe this happened especially since it has the roll out awning on top of it too. Any ideas as to where it could be coming in at.. We doubt it is covered under warrantee so I will start looking as I winterize it today..No leaks when the motor home is all closed up

Thanks
Mike and Teresa

xctraveler · 10-17-2011, 10:57 AM

The first place I would look would be the slideout seals. The topper awning will not prevent water from getting on top of the slide if there is any wind. You don't say where in the slideout room the water was entering. I have had water enter from the side where it has run down the edge from the top. And twice I have had it enter from the bottom corner when the water was driven by high winds.

Without knowing the layout of your roof I cannot suggest other possibilities that might occur to me. But any opening such as refrigerator, fan, antenna near the leak would enter my suspicions.

barnmother · 10-17-2011, 11:48 AM

It is leaking right in the middle of the slide out where the trim wood is that moves up tight to the side wall when fully extended..I will also add there was not a breath of wind so that is why we are really baffled.

I guess we will have to play with a hose tonight if nothing else..

xctraveler · 10-17-2011, 01:15 PM

If it were my coach, I would be on the roof on hands and knees looking for any small opening that might admit water. I would have my Dicor sealant with me too along with a cleanser to prepare the area for sealing. I would start near the roof edge (body well back on the roof) especially along the track where the slideout topper is inserted. Any other roof penetration on that side of the coach would also draw my attention for inspection. Water has a nasty way of traveling inside roofs once it has penetrated.

I chased a leak all over the back curbside corner of our coach where the slideout seals are. Not sure I ever located the actual source, but every crack, penetration, marker light is thoroughly caulked and we have not seen any water since March. It was a miserable month while it lasted, but I could never get on the roof because it never dried out enough for me to put the sealant down correctly.

bob109 · 10-17-2011, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barnmother

We purchased our first motorhome in May of this year and hated to part with our 30 Springdale travel trailer but our handicapped son had trouble sitting in a truck for more than a couple hours.. We bought a 34B 2008 Hurricane with 8,000 miles and 30 hours on the generator.. We love this rig and it has taken care of all of our traveling problems..This year we have put 4000 miles on it and have had 40 nights out on the road..Our last trip of the year we actually had a significant rain storm for the first time all year and we had a water fall in our living room slide out..

I cannot believe this happened especially since it has the roll out awning on top of it too. Any ideas as to where it could be coming in at.. We doubt it is covered under warrantee so I will start looking as I winterize it today..No leaks when the motor home is all closed up

Thanks
Mike and Teresa

Had the same problem with my Discovery. The cure was rather easy once I realized the fix was nothing more than adding a bead of silicone to the joint between the slide roof panel and the aluminum slide frame. This procedure is performed with the slide closed. Take some rubbing alcohol and thoroughly clean the aluminum frame/roof joint. You have to reach behind the wood trim on your slideout. The joint forms a 90 degree angle along the entire backside of you slideout. Once that joint is clean apply a bead of silicone along the lenght of the joint and tool it with your finger. Let the joint dry and your leak problem is over.

Here's a pic of front face of my slideout frame for clarity!

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6167/...04d99b06_z.jpg

Here's some pics of the rear side of the slideout frame where you apply the silicone bead!

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6039/...48337839_z.jpg

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6239/...e30c418c_z.jpg

gauto5150 · 10-17-2011, 08:47 PM

What bob109 has said was exactly what leaked on my Pace Arrow and probably on yours too. On my coach, if the rain was coming down slightly sideways it would puddle under the canopy and drip down. It makes for a pleasant wake up if you happen to be on the couch.

mgscott4 · 10-17-2011, 10:01 PM

I agree with bob105 and guato5150, my 2006 Hurricane slide leaked too. I used Buytl tape along the seam. From end to end. PM me with your email address and I will send you some pictures.

barnmother · 10-17-2011, 11:16 PM

Thanks everyone.That area is exactly where I was going to put silicone but the wife called the dealer since we bought the 4 year extented warrantee and they are going to fix it..

Before they offered to fix it I was looking around and found that the big rubber seal is not touching the vinyl roof right in the middle where the top of the slide out bows down just a little.. Thats where the water is getting thru but this also means that it must be leaking thru the roll out awning..

I think after the dealer is finished I will still put the bead of silicone or tape along the inside edge of the slide out per the pictures if they dont do it for us..

Thanks again..This is a great web site

Mike and Teresa

offshore · 10-18-2011, 06:37 AM

My Pace Arrow had the same exact problem on both of my slides. There was spots on the slide frame which had NO sealant. I removed my entire wood facing inside and re- sealed the aluminum frame.

barnmother · 10-18-2011, 09:06 AM

You would think that with so many folks having these same leak issues that maybe the industry would have taken care of this common problem during manufacturing by now.

xctraveler · 10-19-2011, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barnmother

You would think that with so many folks having these same leak issues that maybe the industry would have taken care of this common problem during manufacturing by now.

Nah, that's what secondary QA by the customer is for. Why fix the 90% that aren't broke just to prevent the 10% from having problems?

barnmother · 10-21-2011, 09:54 PM

It was hard today to drop off our baby to see if the service department can get our leak under control.. We were told if it just needs adjustment it will not be covered since that is routine mantainace but that is ok with us as long as we leave the water falls to mother nature and the great outdoors.

ninos · 11-06-2011, 10:00 AM

The place to put the silicone is it on the inside part of the Rv or the outside under the roll out cover above the slide? Not that I have the leak yet but it probably will happen. Thanks Joe

barnmother · 11-07-2011, 08:08 AM

one last question..we did get our motor home back and will have to wait for the next rain storm in the spring to test it out..I will seal the inside edge once the temp gets back to the 60's.. My question is shouldn't the awning over the slide out be water proof or are they strictly there to keep leaves and pineneedles from accumulating on the top of the slide out.