Slide Floor Delaminating
- Thread starter Hogladyrider
- Start date
Erika
Member
Yeah, since this is a fairly new issue, I don't think the wood had a chance to rot, or if it did, it was only a few inches at most. That adhesive gunk should keep the layers together and the adhesive added to the edge, as well as the plastic covering over the edge, should keep water from getting in there again. Why the edge was left exposed (other than a very thin spray of an obviously insufficient sealant) is beyond me.
I think what happened was a perfect storm of: 1) the trim piece was screwed on just a little higher than maybe it should have been to protect that edge 2) my slide has been out continuously for several months 3) we are in the south east, which is quite wet 4) the plywood seal got a hairline crack which allowed water to intrude.
This issue probably wouldn't happen to all that many people in different circumstances. Still, the plastic edge guard thing couldn't cost more than a few pennies and would have prevented it.
I think what happened was a perfect storm of: 1) the trim piece was screwed on just a little higher than maybe it should have been to protect that edge 2) my slide has been out continuously for several months 3) we are in the south east, which is quite wet 4) the plywood seal got a hairline crack which allowed water to intrude.
This issue probably wouldn't happen to all that many people in different circumstances. Still, the plastic edge guard thing couldn't cost more than a few pennies and would have prevented it.
Erika
Member
UPDATE: Apparently, the repair kit was not the answer. Upon arriving at our new location in Texas, we discovered that the slide floor damage must have been deeper than we thought. The section of the floor that goes over the roller just basically shattered. Several layers of the plywood were affected. Even if we had used the roller strip that came with the repair kit, I'm afraid that the wood was just too fragile/rotted to hold up. A repair person is coming out next week to take a look. Heartland has been in contact with the repair person.
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justafordguy
Well-known member
That doesn't look good, I hope Heartland will help you out.
MagnoliaTom
Well-known member
That stinks. I hope they get you fixed up soon.
Erika
Member
Yeah, as you can see from this "before" picture, I thought there might be a problem, but I guess I was just hoping that it wouldn't get worse than that. Heartland, Scott McDaniels in particular, is being helpful. They just need to wait to hear from the repair tech when he comes out next week. I'm just really hoping that this is something that can be repaired on site because I really don't want to have to tear down camp and sit at a shop somewhere with it.
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I don't know how the repair job is going to go, bit I do have a suggestion.
Fill in the damaged area with something like body filler and then install a strip of galvanized sheet metal using caulk and small screws.
The roller will ride on the sheet metal and not tear up the bottom of the slide.
I have done this and it works.
Peace
Dave
Fill in the damaged area with something like body filler and then install a strip of galvanized sheet metal using caulk and small screws.
The roller will ride on the sheet metal and not tear up the bottom of the slide.
I have done this and it works.
Peace
Dave
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What part of Texas are you at? I live near Azle northwest of Fort Worth.
JohnDar
Prolifically Gabby Member
Basically a Bondo job with a metal cover. Possible. Works for cars, so why not here? Use a thicker piece of metal, like 1/4" maybe, and extend it beyond the width of the roller path. I'd grind the ends to a smooth bevel so as not to damage the plastic rollers.
Depends on how much wood is still structurally sound and what Heartland is going to offer to make it right. If they offer to completely rebuild the floor(s) and she has to take it to a shop, the inconvenience may be worth it.
Erika
Member
UPDATE:
The idea of covering this problem up just evaporated when I realized that the wood is basically rotted all the way through. I was measuring for a possible metal plate to provide coverage, per Dave's suggestion, and I started pulling the plywood shreds off, and I think I could keep going until my hand went all the way through. Warped, damp, spongy wood. Now, I'm thinking that the water must be leaking in from somewhere other than the edge, because it is currently damp - at least 6 weeks after the edge repair kit was installed. Must be coming in from a leaky window frame or corner on the top of the slide or something and dripping down through the slide wall. So, whole new floor, plus inspection to find where the leak is coming from is in order. Great.
The idea of covering this problem up just evaporated when I realized that the wood is basically rotted all the way through. I was measuring for a possible metal plate to provide coverage, per Dave's suggestion, and I started pulling the plywood shreds off, and I think I could keep going until my hand went all the way through. Warped, damp, spongy wood. Now, I'm thinking that the water must be leaking in from somewhere other than the edge, because it is currently damp - at least 6 weeks after the edge repair kit was installed. Must be coming in from a leaky window frame or corner on the top of the slide or something and dripping down through the slide wall. So, whole new floor, plus inspection to find where the leak is coming from is in order. Great.
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Erika
Member
Another UPDATE:
Floor was finally completely replaced a few days ago. It was quite the process, but they were able to do it on site, which was much appreciated. They said that it looked like there had been water leaking in on both sides, and probably from the top of the slide, not just from that exposed edge of plywood on the side. I had the repair guy look at the seals on top and add silicone caulking where he thought it might need it, but now I am wondering how long I have before this happens all over again. The first slide floor lasted less than one year from production to disintegration.
I'm going to start investigating the pros and cons of adding an awning to cover the slide, so that I can at least try to keep some of the rain out in the future.
Floor was finally completely replaced a few days ago. It was quite the process, but they were able to do it on site, which was much appreciated. They said that it looked like there had been water leaking in on both sides, and probably from the top of the slide, not just from that exposed edge of plywood on the side. I had the repair guy look at the seals on top and add silicone caulking where he thought it might need it, but now I am wondering how long I have before this happens all over again. The first slide floor lasted less than one year from production to disintegration.
I'm going to start investigating the pros and cons of adding an awning to cover the slide, so that I can at least try to keep some of the rain out in the future.
Cyclone4000
Member
While I'm sorry this has happened to you Erika, I'm also happy to see that our 2015 Cyclone isn't the ONLY one out there with this issue. I've read all past comments, which has been a great help to us so far. We took our Cyclone to the shop last week to get an inspection of the concerned areas, of course they were shocked to see that on one slide in particular there was only 1 screw holding up the bottom layer. The edges like yours, are starting to split and and getting wet. How long did it take to have the floors replaced? We too are currently staying in our Cyclone and I worry about the amount of time.
For those of us that have an older heartland; mine being a 2008 Big Country Bunkhouse; I found a solution that may help the floor problem on the slide outs. I found some thin PVC wall panels at Homedepot that can be folded and laminated to the outside floor in the same way that the repair kit from heartland installed. There are two differences in doing the repair this way. 1st is that a 4x8 panel is about 20 dollars, the 2cnd is that you can cut the material to the size required to cover the damaged part of the slide floor. with the material being foldable it can slide up under the filberglass siding to stop the water from gettiing to the floor. In my case I use Gorrilla construction adhesive to laminat the PVC to the floor. I bought my trailer used and did not see the problem until much later. I will say that heartland has been somewhat helpful in figuring out how to fix this problem. My wife and I live in the 5th wheel full time, so taking it to a shop for repairs is not really an option
wdk450
Well-known member
For any poster's info, click on their upper left corner username, click on "View Profile", then click on "About Me".
Erika, is from Ashville, N.C,
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Big Red:
Once you fix this problem, it shouldn't come back if you keep your rig in a dry area like Arizona. It's all about water intrusion, and us guys in the dry West have very little problems with this.
The original supplier of the slide floors (Parkland Plastics) originally guaranteed them to be 100% waterproof. That guarantee didn't last long.