Never again. Heartland slide out problem

Atlas

Member
So you had a repair guy work on the propane side of the fridge and then a gas leak was repaired and then there was a fire. No one has connected those dots? Might be a straight line.
Danemayer you didn't understand the post. The gas leak was on a faulty hose at the space heater had nothing to do with the refrigerator. As far as the new ignitor installation, there is a gas safety shut off mechanism on the refrigerator. That could of failed???? Although since no one from Dometic or Heartland was willing to investigate the cause, who knows?
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Danemayer you didn't understand the post. The gas leak was on a faulty hose at the space heater had nothing to do with the refrigerator. As far as the new ignitor installation, there is a gas safety shut off mechanism on the refrigerator. That could of failed???? Although since no one from Dometic or Heartland was willing to investigate the cause, who knows?
Just saying, if someone works on the propane side of the refrigerator, and subsequently there's a fire at the refrigerator, those 2 events might be connected. For example, if the tech disconnected the propane line, perhaps to check pressure, he could have left behind a slow leak after he was done.

Something else to consider. I've read most every post on this forum for about 11 years. I don't remember other propane side failures where the igniter was the problem. Not saying it can't happen. But it's not common. More typical problems are with propane supply, thermistor, and control board. So I have to wonder what the tech might have done before concluding the igniter had failed. The corrective action makes me wonder about the tech.

Also, when running the fridge on propane, there's an open flame. If there was a propane leak, the flame could extend back from the igniter area to the source of the leak and then quickly spread to surrounding materials. But once the surrounding materials caught fire, I'd have expected the whole trailer to be totally engulfed in 3-4 minutes. So maybe that's not the cause.

On the other hand, if an insect/wasp nest/leaves was the source of the fire, perhaps the heat from the cooling unit, or perhaps contact with the open flame, caused charring and some smoke but there wasn't enough combustible material to set surrounding materials fully on fire. From the pictures, it's hard to tell what burned or how much. But obviously the trailer didn't burn to the ground.

Regardless of cause, this is the type of problem that the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) may be interested in investigating. If you think a Dometic defect, or a Heartland installation defect led to this fire, you should file a report on their website.
 

Danncas

Member
Well I am picking up my 5th whell tomarrow from the dealer. All the slidout have been repaired after removing them completely.
 

Danncas

Member
After a year your on your own. manufacture or not. After server conversations the manufacturer still said no still tried to blame it on me. Even after the dealer found a defect.
It wasn’t too I make some threats no promises that I would do everything to let people know how they do business they decided to pay for parts and 1/2 labor. I have not seen the bill yet but it’s in the thousands
 

MTPockets

Well-known member
I think all brands have some slide problems. I have friends who own a Grand Design Momentum that has had ongoing slide problems since new. He is full time and has been back to Elkhart three years in a row. He's there now in their shop under warranty for last two weeks hopeing they fix it this time around. They travelled from Montana for this visit.
 

Routemaster

Well-known member
i have a 2020 bighorn rv 42 ft 5th wheel list for over 100k
I have rotting floor on two slide outs. The roof has never leaked ever. The slides only open up three time and closed three times. Cover all winter. I called heartland and talk to a woman in the bighorn devision and I got told how everything was my fault. My seals are in good condition. But she goes on and on how it my fault. Never had on problem with my other 14 year old cardinal. So so Disgusted
Sir. Just by chance did you see how the floor was attached, can you see screws going up is it aluminum or wood studding?
My floor has rot and has dropped and when it dries out perhaps put in longer screws.
 

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Danncas

Member
Update. I took it back to the dealer. After a telling the manufacturer I would do what ever I had to do to slam there brand on social meadow and buy a billboard at the East cost rv show I would. I made sure the emails we t to every upper management I could find. Final they agreed to play for all the parts and 1/2 the labor. Since the had the floor built at the factory and my dealer did not have to build the it saved some on labor So longshort I have all new floor board and all the slides are fixed. They only rotted do to the toilet installed improper this cutting and tearing the protective under belly. Water find any hole it can. Also I will have every thing that has ever been called on the out side recalked yearly. It still cost me thousands. Back to your questions it’s best to replace it. If it’s a small area you might be able to fix it and put a thing stainless plate under it.
 

chaplady

Well-known member
Oddly enough when my rotten slide floor was repair tech said he found a wire pinched in the window gasket that added to the leaking.
 
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