Water leak in slide

[ddlindy]

We have a 2011 Big Horn Model 3585 RL. We have water leak in the bedroom slide. Whenever it rains we get a wet carpet on the bottom shelf in the back on the lower left hand storage area. I have inspected all of the slide flaps on the top and sides of the slide can not determine where the leak is originating. There no signs of water on any of the upper shelves. We run a fan to try and keep it as dry as possible, but I am concerned about what water damage is occurring where we can not see it.

Anyone have suggestions on how to located the leak and how to fix it?

 

[ParkIt]

Double check the dicor at the top where it meets the front cap and sides. It may look flat and sealed but if it hasn't been replaced you could have a leak up there running down to the slide or front of the cap and its showing up in that lower left corner. Also check under the bulkhead, does it have any give when you push up on it? That could indicate the top cap leak as well.

Another thing to check on the slide itself is the tape that runs across the top, in another thread a few of us have noticed its peeling up/off/bubbles and have replaced that as well, hopefully one of the two places is where you'll find the leak and can fix it asap.

The dicor on the top and slides should be inspected monthly, it can fail without any noticeable gaps or bubbling.

 

[aatauses]

I have a couple of places you can check. The first is near the bottom on the side of your slide. You have a L shaped molding and sometimes water will run down the outside of the slide side, hit the molding and run into your unit. If this is the case it can be corrected by putting a drop of caulk on the molding before it comes into the unit, forcing the water to the ground rather than running into your unit.
The second place is on the top, again on the side of the slide--you have a small piece of molding that can get water trapped inside and it will run into your unit. If this is the case you can caulk the top of this molding and it should take care of it.
You can check both of these by running water with a hose and having someone check inside, start with the one on the bottom first.
al
currently in Kenai, AK

 

[dbylinski]

Check out the thread here for some additional ideas. Post # 1 and the link in post #3 may help you.

 

[Vamara1]

I currently have my 2013 Sundance at Gulf Breeze Florida because of rubber seal problems. If your seals don't roll outward when you put your slide out, or if your seals stay curle up with your slide out, you will have water problems. Hopefully my seals are being fixed properly and with the advice of Heartland, a waterdamn is being installed. Something to consider and look into. Tom Mara FL #2406

 

[wyealbert]

I have a 2010 Sundance 3100ES which has water leak in the right-hand slide. The leak only occurs when the slide is out. It appears to be a rather large leak since the carpeting in the area of the fireplace (which is the end of the slide right next to the entry door) gets very wet if there is much rain. We have tried hitting the slide with a hose in several places, but that hasn't produced the leak so far. I have checked the top of the slide and the caulking around the windows and haven't found any problems. I will check the end caps next since that was suggested on one of the threads. The bottom end cap is below floor level, so I'm guessing that the problem could be the top end cap nearest the door. Stay tuned....

 

[wesley1963]

Do any of you with leaks have slide toppers installed?

 

[wyealbert]

Do any of you with leaks have slide toppers installed?

I do not have slide toppers on my unit.

 

[cashb]

We had a leak in the same place in our Sundance. And have slide toppers. After much inspection, found that the topper was the same width of the slide out, instead of extending a couple of inches on either side. This caused rain to pour off of topper directly down side wall of slide, and divert into bedroom via the seal. We just replaced the awning with a wider version and this took care of the problem. So the seals were allowing the water to come in, but the topper was funneling water directly to the seal. I do believe the slide could still leak if water could get to the area, so probably need to do some caulking too.

 

[Hockster]

I have the Big Country 3450TS which is the same floor plan as your 3585RL.
I have been looking for your same leak for over a year now.
Nothing ever from above, always below.
I cut the carpet out of mine to dry it out good and always carry a small fan now.
Debbie Bylinski in post #4 of this thread may have the answer for you.
I heard about this at the Goshen Rally and when I returned home, I pulled everyone of those corners off all the slides and low and behold no caulk in the joints.
I have caulked everything and hope this corrects the problem.
I had been all over the roof and down the sides and caulked everything that didn't move and I still had a leak.
I also did everything mentioned in post #3 to no avail.
I never thought about the corners.
Note: There are 2 different length screws in those corners, remember where they come from when you remove them.
Good Luck to both of us.

Hockster

 

[ddlindy]

We have a 2011 Big Horn Model 3585 RL. We have water leak in the bedroom slide. Whenever it rains we get a wet carpet on the bottom shelf in the back on the lower left hand storage area. I have inspected all of the slide flaps on the top and sides of the slide can not determine where the leak is originating. There no signs of water on any of the upper shelves. We run a fan to try and keep it as dry as possible, but I am concerned about what water damage is occurring where we can not see it.

Anyone have suggestions on how to located the leak and how to fix it?

I had a repair service come and look at it. He could not see anything where it might leak, but caulked entire length of the slide on the top of the slide where the outside wall meets the top of the slide. The next day it rained very hard and there was no sign of water coming in. We have checked several time and the leak has not reappeared.

DDLINDY

 

[wyealbert]

I have a 2010 Sundance 3100ES which has water leak in the right-hand slide. The leak only occurs when the slide is out. It appears to be a rather large leak since the carpeting in the area of the fireplace (which is the end of the slide right next to the entry door) gets very wet if there is much rain. We have tried hitting the slide with a hose in several places, but that hasn't produced the leak so far. I have checked the top of the slide and the caulking around the windows and haven't found any problems. I will check the end caps next since that was suggested on one of the threads. The bottom end cap is below floor level, so I'm guessing that the problem could be the top end cap nearest the door. Stay tuned....

After some helpful suggestions from Heartland, I adjusted the rear ram on the slide so that the rear of the slide seals tightly when it is extended. So far, no more leaks! Thanks Heartland customer service!

 

[wyealbert]

UPDATE: After some heavy rain last week the leak has returned! The adjustment I made to the rear ram hasn't changed, so I am in a quandary as to what to do next. As best as I can tell the seals around the edges of the slide are intact, but somewhere the water is finding a way in. Any ideas?

After some helpful suggestions from Heartland, I adjusted the rear ram on the slide so that the rear of the slide seals tightly when it is extended. So far, no more leaks! Thanks Heartland customer service!