Puzzling living room leak source

[yoloinsc]

We've been having an intermittent leak in our 2015 Montana 3711FL, I think depending on the direction of the rainfall.

It's the front left slide, straight out of the bottom of the left column. The slide seal on the top and sides were just resealed earlier this week to try to stop the intrusion, but water came in again last night.

Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions? This has been ongoing and has become a real puzzle on where it's entering.

(Furniture is out of place because I just put in new floors).

 

[DutchmenSport]

Check the rubber seals on the outside to make sure they stay flip backwards, that when the slide was pulled out, the rubber swipe is facing outward and not tucked under. If any portion of the rubber swipe is tucked in, that is an area water can enter under it, flow backwards and drip off the slide walls on the inside of your camper. Start with that. You should also have rubber seals on both the inside and the outside of the slide where it touches the walls, in either the "in" position or the "out" position, depending.

 

[yoloinsc]

Yes, all seals on the top and sides are facing outward. I've checked those dozens of times and then also sealed them earlier this week with silicone sealant (the camper is permanently parked), and still had rain come in last night.

 

[DutchmenSport]

Starting simple and the least evasive and costly thing is to check the weep holes in your windows. Sometimes those holes can get clogged up. Take a small wire and stick it up those holes and move it around freeing up anything that might restrict water. If those holes are not opened, water can fill up in the track of the windows and then spill over on the inside of the window, down the wall and onto the floor. If there is any gap in the window track, water could come down the inside of the wall and spill out where you see it on the floor. Anyway, it's another "thing" to check without costing anything or dismantling anything.

 

[DutchmenSport]

I'm assuming your Montana has hydraulic slides. Mine are cable driven. There is a hole on the outside of the wall where the cables come through to the inside of the camper. There is a little rubber sealer that looks like an inner tube patch that fills the gap in that hole. This is also a place where water can intrude. However, if you have hydraulic slides, you probably don't have cables, or those holes. But, if you do have cables, that is another possible place for water intrusion when it rains.

 

[Mikendebbie]

Based on watching a couple of sales videos for 2015 3711FL, I assume this is the front passenger side slide with a leak showing up on the front lower (left hand as you face the couch) corner.

The slide is a cable slide as described by Dutchman above, and the rubber seal could be compromised by the hole for the cable pass thru. Also, there should be a small aluminum L-angle along the bottom edge of the slide box. It is set in a butyl strip and screwed to the slide box, then caulked along the top. Check the caulk to make sure water can’t follow the caulk bead past the rubber seal to enter the living room. To quote James the AZ Expert, NO SLIDE is waterproof/leakproof unless it has an air bladder seal on all four sides like Prevost, Foretravel, or Newell.

If the mystery leak continues, my next step would be to pry off the vertical wood trim in your pic, and watch it during a rain storm. Is the water coming in “high” at the cable penetration? Or “low” along the bottom corner angle. I would put the trim back in place using trim screws, not Brad nails (because I am not good with a Brad nailer )

 

[yoloinsc]

if you do have cables, that is another possible place for water intrusion when it rains.

Yes, i'm 99% positive they are cable driven (first RV and still learning the ins and outs). I'll check this out.

Also, there should be a small aluminum L-angle along the bottom edge of the slide box. It is set in a butyl strip and screwed to the slide box, then caulked along the top. Check the caulk to make sure water can’t follow the caulk bead past the rubber seal to enter the living room.

This is an interesting possibility. Where exactly (or what exactly) should I be looking for this on top of the slide?

The leak is coming from here at the bottom of the slide column. Literally dripping down from behind the wood trim where I could feel the L-shaped metal.

 

[Mikendebbie]

Here is a crude sketch of what you might be looking at…
Make sure the top of that window is caulked…across the top and down past the corner radiuses by 2 to 3”. I’m not saying the leak could be coming from the window…but stranger things have happened. A leaking window would show damage to the interior wall panel and possible delamination of the exterior fiberglass.

 

[yoloinsc]

Thanks! Just to make sure I am interpreting it correctly, is this where you are referring to that I should be focusing?

 

[Mikendebbie]

Yes!

 

[yoloinsc]

Following up on the above, I went down to the camper today and noticed that a lot of the previously caulked areas on the bottom side of the slide had shrunk and reopened and is possibly where the water was entering. Those are now resealed (sealant first then gorilla tape).

I also found an area on the top corner of the slide that was not previously caulked, but now is completely sealed. Not sure if water could enter from this particular point or not, but it's now completely sealed to be safe.

The window weeps on this slide were clear and mostly clean, but I did find a window in another side that had plugs in both weeps on the bottom of the window where we had previously found some small water drips on the interior. I removed those plugs and water poured out of both sides. I then thoroughly cleaned both weeps with pipe cleaners, as well as the window channels on the inside.

Fingers crossed this solves the water intrusions! If not, I'm not sure where to look next.

Thanks everyone for your help!

 

[Mikendebbie]

James the AZ Expert posted this video today, and it might be a good one for your situation. Our Montana extrusion/angle at the bottom of the slide is different, but it’s interesting to see how he hopes to prevent a leak like yours. I think someone gave him this 2009 Cardinal as payment for other services (not sure though) and he is fixing it up to sell. He works on the slide in this video.

 

[Daryles]

We had "Duo Form Slide Out Skies" installed at Affinity in Goshen Indiana.

Here's a YouTube video showing them and how to install them.

This guy had a drip edge leak.

I had darco wear issues on the bottom. The skies covered that wearing problem.

The skies also make it slide in and out smoother/quieter.

 

[yoloinsc]

Just following up on the above with a big THANK YOU to everyone. We had back-to-back-to-back massive storms pass through the other night and we didn't have any water inside. Thanks again!

 

[twindman]

Which kind of butyl tape do you use - single side sticky or double side? thanks

 

[yoloinsc]

Which kind of butyl tape do you use - single side sticky or double side? thanks

In post 11 above, the picture shown is gorilla tape one-sided. On the top of the slide along the seal I overlayed Eternabond, which is definitely the better of the two products.

 

[Mikendebbie]

Butyl tape is sticky on both sides.