Model 3400 Dampness on floor/carpet near Refridg! - Montana Owners Club

mail2us · 10-29-2008, 05:18 AM

We either have a leak or water getting in from outside in the kitchen area of our 3400. It's located at the bottom carpeted cabinet to the left of the fridge. The carpet is damp but not soaked? The fridge seems to be working just fine and no dampness or water in the compartment directly under the fridge.

The area is the 2nd slide of our 4 slided unit. Any input is always appreciated. Tks. Dennis

bncinwv · 10-29-2008, 05:37 AM

Dennis,
Has it been raining?? If so, check this thread:
http://www.montanaowners.com/forums/...ad.php?t=30260
hope it helps,
Bingo

capn chris · 10-29-2008, 05:39 AM

Clear or yellow? LOL. Kidding, Dennis. Leaky beverage can? Inside the fridge dry? Be interested in what you discover.

stiles watson · 10-29-2008, 05:43 AM

I have the 340 RLQ, basically same floor plan. I might (1)dry the spot and see if it comes back (2)try to determine if it is water of something else (3)if you have had rain lately, check the slide gaskets to see if they are laying correctly against the slide. I have one slide that the gasket doesn't lay flat when I extend it, so I have to do it by hand when I set up. The Big Sky has the Nordic double wide rather than the Dometic, so not much help there. But if it was left ajar at some point, there might have been sweat moisture dripping out the door.

snfexpress · 10-29-2008, 07:48 AM

Have you checked to make sure the refrigerator drain hose is sticking out of the vent? A friend of mine had his 2007 Monty for a year and didn't know about the hose. It was still inside the refer cabinet and was leaking water onto the floor.

Ozz · 10-29-2008, 09:49 AM

Mine leaked with a moderate rain, I caulked around the bottom inside reefer access, inside where the white fiberglass meets up with the wood. Mine hasn't leaked since. Some have embedded an aluminum angle pc. in caulk to stop the water.

Driftwoodgal · 10-29-2008, 02:03 PM

We just fixed a leak that might be associated with what you are having. Our water chose to drain under the fender and the flooring under the furnace vent. The water did follow some of the electrical conduit. Do you have any water dripping under the slide?

You can read about our problem under water dripping under furnace vent that I posted last week.

Not sure if this is your problem, but we investigated everything before we found out what our problem was.

The pipes that we had a problem with are behind the pantry wall and hidden by the furnace, even after you take off the panel that covers the water pump.

Good luck finding your problem.

Colleen

mail2us · 10-29-2008, 04:37 PM

Bingo: when we left NC for Fla, it was raining there. It did not rain on the way down. It's damp and not soaked. It is pretty much dry now as we headed it into storage for a bit. We will use it on various weekends here with grandkids and I will be checking it again in a few days.

Chris: not sure the color, but know this,,,most of my beer is in an outside cooler and no real odor from the carpet from my sniff test. Thought you had me!

snfexpress: the white hose is exposed thru the lower outside vent.Not sure how to track that back tho. It's one area to check on.

Colleen: we haven't seen any water under the slide, which is the kitchen slide on the 3400

Stiles: the gaskets do appear to lay-in properly

Ozz: that could be an issue with mine

Tks everyone. I did clean the roof just before the Goshen rally and hosed it down heavy. At that time on the way to Goshen, that carpeted area was damp but dried. We're lucky, so far to moldy smell, but it's a matter of time if I don't square it away. You've all given me some great input. Tks. Dennis

JimnJulie · 10-30-2008, 06:29 AM

We had tremendous leaks last winter under the fridge and cabinet next to it. I had to cut out the carpet as it would not dry and replaced it with stick on tiles that match the flooring from Lowes. I did the "fix" from the thread above and have had no more leaks. Good luck

c214dick · 10-30-2008, 10:19 AM

We had the same problem on "our big adventure". The campground manager sited the caulking around the frig vents as the fix he used. I did the bottom vent as I could not reach the top and everything has been OK. Do check your slide seals to insure they are not folded in as one of ours was. We bought a retractable awning rod from CW so we could reach the seal in the future.

Waynem · 10-30-2008, 12:20 PM

Dennis,
See the link Bingo posted and the pictures I provided. We had the same problem and the fix in the link took care of it. It is an easy 15-30 minute fix depending on how much you want to drink while doing it. It takes longer to get the supplies than to fix the problem - if that is the problem. I'll bet you a six pack it is.

mail2us · 10-30-2008, 01:13 PM

Tks Wayne, I have copied the fix and will make that change very soon. It seems like that might be my answer.It seems I can do that mod as long as Capn Chris doesn't show up!!! Tks. Dennis

capn chris · 10-31-2008, 05:15 AM

Dennis,
I'll be right over to check your basement compartment! I'm a good watcher! Good luck.

mail2us · 11-01-2008, 11:48 AM

You can be my neighbor anytime Chris! You're good for kidding around..Dennis

Old GI · 11-02-2008, 08:02 AM

Dennis we had the same problem and used waynem's fix, real easy. Also had to replace the fridge drain hose ours kept crumbling so we replaced it with plastic tubing. Our floor was wet in the same place as yours, also check under the fridge (take off the front panel) and under the stove (remove the drawer). We were wet in all three places so we took a portable heater and directed the air under there. It took all day to dry it but now it is dry and no moldy odor.

Waynem · 11-02-2008, 01:45 PM

I had a fan and just moving the air around dried out the wetness. I was hesitant, for safety reasons, of using a heater.

mail2us · 11-03-2008, 12:50 AM

Not to belabored this problem, OldGI, but we did check under the fridge after removing that panel below it and it was perfectly dry. It has to be the outside vents, upper and lower, as Wayne indicated. The fridge plastic hoses in Florida area kind of worthless due to the heat. They dry out quickly. When I was at the Goshen rally, Montana supplied me with 2 more for future use, but the drain hose should be changed. Also, notice at the end of the drain is a cover and when the hose breaks you can lose that plug on the end as well. Tks everyone. Dennis

Native Tex · 11-03-2008, 11:43 AM

Be sure to check your fridge drainage. I had a problem similar to this with a competitive model a few years back. It turned out to be a loose drain line.

markwick · 11-06-2008, 09:52 AM

I had a similar problem and turned out to be my own fault - while washing the rig I sprayed the sides down not thinking about the UPPER outside vent for the fridge. I sprayed water in there (very easy when spraying from below) and had water coming out at the bottom inside. The vent is pretty good with water from above but not designed to have water sprayed up from underneath!!

sreigle · 12-29-2008, 09:32 AM

Had the same problem as Wayne and had to do something about it in a pouring down rain. I used silicone caulking to build a good seal and dam where Wayne used the angle iron. That worked but I consider it a temporary patch. I'm going to get some angle iron and use Wayne's method. Thanks, Wayne and everyone else.

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