Slideout in winter?

Hello all. Just purchased a new 2017 Zinger 25RB. Will be storing it at a provincial park (on a campsite) over the winter and heading up once a month or so to spend a night. We will have 30 amp electric service to run an electric stove as well as the propane furnace. The unit is winterized, so we will use the campground washroom and shower facilities.

My question is about the slide out; I understand I should pull it in for the 3-4 weeks when the trailer will be empty (and unheated), but is there anything I should do to protect the slide when it is out? I am concerned about condensation/dripping water if I pull in the slideout when it is raining or snowing. I was thinking about cutting a piece of 1" extruded insulation panel to fit the roof and attaching it with velcro to keep it in place. My thought is I could remove it while powering in the slide. It would also add a little insulation to the roof of the slide.

I should mention we are in Ontario, on Lake Huron, and will be expecting temperatures down to -20F or so, plus significant snowfall.

Thanks in advance for your sage advice!

Hi Alex,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum.

I'm not sure we'll be able to provide more than very generic advice since most people on this forum are experienced with Heartland products although there could be a few with Crossroads experience.

Snow and ice needs to be cleared off the slideouts before retracting them. It's probably a bad idea to let snow and ice remain on the slideout for very long while you're there. If temps rise, you could have some water issues from melting ice and snow.

Rain shouldn't be a problem. Slides generally have a slight tilt to shed water, and the wiper seals should take care of the rest.

-20 (F) is pretty cold. 30 amp service won't let you do much in the way of supplemental electric heat. Make sure you have a large external propane tank to supply the furnace. You'll need a lot of propane.

Alex,

Most of us here won't know much about your Zinger.

F built correctly, the slide room system should be designed to shed water by having a slightly angled roof. Also, there should be a wiper seal at the top of the slide opening that should sweep/squeegee the water off as the slide comes in. You will want inspect the slide roof for any debris that may have landed on top of it (leaves, twigs etc) and sweep that off first.

PS: Not sure if you know, but Crossroads does have a forum specific for Zinger. You're welcome here on the HOF but do check out this forum as well.