Severe water damage on slide out floor

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King Nothing

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Joined
Apr 17, 2018
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6
  Just discovered some very severe water damage on the slide floor of my 03 sunline. The area under the dinette is completely rotted. Although I haven?t torn it apart yet, I?m assuming that the rot will extend up into the walls as well. Would I be correct in thinking that the best way to handle this would be to pull the slide out of the camper? That way I can get it in my garage and work on it, and I can also check the camper itself for damage. How much should a 10-12 slide out weigh? Could 4 guys pull it out and get it on a trailer?
 
King Nothing said:
  Just discovered some very severe water damage on the slide floor of my 03 sunline. The area under the dinette is completely rotted. Although I haven?t torn it apart yet, I?m assuming that the rot will extend up into the walls as well. Would I be correct in thinking that the best way to handle this would be to pull the slide out of the camper? That way I can get it in my garage and work on it, and I can also check the camper itself for damage. How much should a 10-12 slide out weigh? Could 4 guys pull it out and get it on a trailer?
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I would think a slide that big, you'd need a forklift  with long forks to slide it on.
 
Yes, you probably need to pull it out to rebuild the floor, even if the sidewalls are OK.

Hard to guess what it weighs - somewhere in the 1000 lb arena?  Four young guys and a couple of 2-ton floor jacks worth?  Or  a couple of furniture mover dollys?  The wheels support should help maneuver it to where you can work on it.  You can remove windows first to lighten it some.

RV shops use a forklift, making itpretty easy.
 
Have you been able to determine how the damage occurred, i.e. where the leak is?  That will obviously be a crucial factor as well.  Bad seals along roof seams are the most common cause, but certainly not the only one.  Water will always take the path of least resistance and can travel quite a ways before finding its resting place.
 
scottydl said:
Have you been able to determine how the damage occurred, i.e. where the leak is?  That will obviously be a crucial factor as well.  Bad seals along roof seams are the most common cause, but certainly not the only one.  Water will always take the path of least resistance and can travel quite a ways before finding its resting place.
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i have not determined yet where the leak is. I need to get the slide gutted down to the studs and it should become obvious. I?ve switched gears to attempting to fix this without removing the slide, as I?ve been told that removing the slide is one of the most miserable jobs to do on a camper
 
I've had the 12' slide on my Arctic Fox trailer out far enough to let me repair the main floor and replace the slide rollers inside the trailer.  In my case I didn't have to completely remove the slide, I just removed the lip that presses against the inside of the trailer wall and ran it out until it cleared the trailer floor.  I just had to support the inner edge of the slide while it was outside the floor of the trailer.  The only attachment of the box to the trailer after you remove the slide lip are a couple of bolts at the outside end of each ram arm.

Here's a YouTube video by a guy who built a rolling cart to support the slide, then he removed and replaced it by himself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIJdIUpae3M

As long as you put the ram arms back to the same length (or don't move the ram arms while the slide is off) it should just bolt back into place when you're ready to reinstall it.
 
Lou Schneider said:
I've had the 12' slide on my Arctic Fox trailer out far enough to let me repair the main floor and replace the slide rollers inside the trailer.  In my case I didn't have to completely remove the slide, I just removed the lip that presses against the inside of the trailer wall and ran it out until it cleared the trailer floor.  I just had to support the inner edge of the slide while it was outside the floor of the trailer.  The only attachment of the box to the trailer after you remove the slide lip are a couple of bolts at the outside end of each ram arm.

Here's a YouTube video by a guy who built a rolling cart to support the slide, then he removed and replaced it by himself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIJdIUpae3M

As long as you put the ram arms back to the same length (or don't move the ram arms while the slide is off) it should just bolt back into place when you're ready to reinstall it.
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THANK YOU!!!! This is exactly what I was about to ask. I crawled under the camper today and noticed that the arms have another 10-12 inches of extension after the slide is in the fully extended position. I was wondering if I could remove the lip and ?overextend? the slide so it clears the trailer. Should make access to the floor much easier. Also would allow inspection/repair of any damage on the trailer side as well
 
I need to get the slide gutted down to the studs and it should become obvious.
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I'm not sure that's an accurate assumption.  Water always seeks the lowest point.  It can start somewhere up on the roof or around a window and then cross quite a distance to find another low point to descend to where it settles.  If you're lucky the entry point will be near the slideout, but you need to verify that earlier rather than later..

ArdraF
 
If you have a rack and pinion slide mechanism, don't worry too much if you run the slide off the end of the gear rack.  Friction will keep it from extending further and the motor gear will just freewheel.

I used a come-along between the slide and the trailer chassis to pull the slide inward against the motor gear and re-engage the rack when I was ready to retract the slide.  Just make sure both arms engage at the same time so the slide doesn't wind up cocked one way or the other.
 
Lou Schneider said:
If you have a rack and pinion slide mechanism, don't worry too much if you run the slide off the end of the gear rack.  Friction will keep it from extending further and the motor gear will just freewheel.

I used a come-along between the slide and the trailer chassis to pull the slide inward against the motor gear and re-engage the rack when I was ready to retract the slide.  Just make sure both arms engage at the same time so the slide doesn't wind up cocked one way or the other.
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thank you. It certainly looks like a rack and pinion system, as both arms have teeth all along the length of them
 
ArdraF said:
I'm not sure that's an accurate assumption.  Water always seeks the lowest point.  It can start somewhere up on the roof or around a window and then cross quite a distance to find another low point to descend to where it settles.  If you're lucky the entry point will be near the slideout, but you need to verify that earlier rather than later..

ArdraF
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im not seeing how a leak in the roof could flow down into the slide out floor. I working under the assumption that the leak is somewhere in the slide. I would think there would be evidence of where the water is flowing through that should lead me to find the entry point. We are also putting a roof over the entire camper this summer to keep the elements off of it, so water should be less of a concern going forward
 
The seal around the slide may not be tight or put another way, the slide could be misaligned but at the bottom not the top.  Water could be shooting up from the wheel well in the rain if the slide is above the wheels. 
 
OBX said:
The seal around the slide may not be tight or put another way, the slide could be misaligned but at the bottom not the top.  Water could be shooting up from the wheel well in the rain if the slide is above the wheels.
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thank you. The camper is sitting on a permanent site and has not been moved in approximately 4 years. It has to be coming from the top down. I?ve checked the slide seal and it seems to be in good shape, still soft and pliable
 
After removing the dinette to make more space by putting in a table and chairs I'm looking at a similar issue - the slide floor under the dinette is rotten!  Would be interested in knowing how your project has progressed and whether you were able to repair or replace the slide floor without removing the slide out. Details and pictures ( if you took any) would be much appreciated.

 
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