Retract Slids and Get water Inside

[Ezgoin]

Hi all!
I'm new to this forum and just took delivery of a 2020 Highlander 350H 5th Wheel. This is my first trailer that has slides and this one has three. Took the trailer on its maiden voyage this weekend and had a pretty good rainfall one night. The slides sealed well during the rain storm, and as far as I can tell never leaked a drop. When I retracted the slides the next morning, well after the rain had stopped, a pretty good amount of water came off the slides

(all 3) ​

and all over the interior floor on both sides of the slides. Surely this can't be by design... right?

Is there a process that I don't know about, or something that isn't working right? The unit is brand new so I wouldn't think the seals would be dry or need replacing, and I can't imagine the user would be expected to climb up that flimsy ladder and try to dry the slides every time it rains... right?. It doesn't have any slide covers, but with the way it was raining I don't think covers would have made much difference had they been there.

Any information and/or advice would be appreciated!
Thanks!

 

[NP_Chief]

It is possible for water to accumulate on the top of slides and be pushed off by the wiper seal when retracted. I would recommend covers for your slides. Without covers, you should inspect the top of the slides before you retract them... all it takes is one small stick and it tear your wiper seal.

 

[danemayer]

Hi Ezgoin,

Is your Highlander build and sold by Highland Ridge RV, rather than Heartland?

Slideouts are usually tilted slightly downward to the outside so that water will run off to the outside. The trailer needs to be level side-to-side for this to work on all slides. If your slides don't tilt down at all, they may need to be adjusted.

There's typically a wiper seal contacting the top of the slide. If you have a bit of standing water on top of the slide, when you pull the slide in, the wiper seal should keep most of it outside.

You'll find that when camping under trees, you'll accumulate acorns and leaves and twigs on the top of the slide. These do need to be cleaned off.

Some people buy slide toppers to prevent all this.

 

[Ezgoin]

Thanks for the input!

In trying to chase this down, I pressed my wife for specifics about just how much water there was on the floor on both sides of the slides when she brought them in. I'm thinking cups, based on the panic and bath towels she had laid on both sides of the sofa slide. She tells me "1/16th of a cup"! LOL! I said "1/16 of a cup, then why huge bath towels?" She says cause it was running towards the cabinets... the whole 2-3 teaspoons! Ha ha! I'm not as concerned now, but will still be looking at slide covers.

Thanks for your help!

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Hi Ezgoin,

Is your Highlander build and sold by Highland Ridge RV, rather than Heartland?

Slideouts are usually tilted slightly downward to the outside so that water will run off to the outside. The trailer needs to be level side-to-side for this to work on all slides. If your slides don't tilt down at all, they may need to be adjusted.

There's typically a wiper seal contacting the top of the slide. If you have a bit of standing water on top of the slide, when you pull the slide in, the wiper seal should keep most of it outside.

You'll find that when camping under trees, you'll accumulate acorns and leaves and twigs on the top of the slide. These do need to be cleaned off.

Some people buy slide toppers to prevent all this.

That's a good question. I wanna say it's built by Highland Ridge, but it's not close by right now and I don't know for sure. The registration says manufacture is HRRV, so I'm assuming that's Highland Ridge RV. What's the difference?

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