Living room slide potential issue.

[garyb1st]

Usually we don't do it, but this time when getting ready to travel, the DW loaded lots of can good and other heavy stuff under the dinette table.  Not sure how much weight but I'm guessing more than 150 lbs.  In any event, when she hit the retract button, the slide moved about an inch and stopped.  She repeated and nothing.  Pushed the open button and the slide returned to the fully open position.  Then hit the retract again.  Moved a half inch and stopped.  So we moved everything from beneath the dinette and it opened without a problem. 

So for those who have had this experience, is there a built in safety mechanism?  Hopefully it's as simple as that.  We didn't open the slide the one night we stopped on the way to our current destination, and we won't need to close it up for a month, so we won't know if there's a potential problem till we get ready to leave.  Prefer to solve any potential problems before we need to move.  If it matters, this is an electric slide.     

 

[SargeW]

It very well may be just a case of over loading Gary. Especially the electric slide motors can overheat easily, and will usually shut themselves off to avoid damage.  It can happen easily with the bedroom slides in many rigs. Since the bed slide often has storage under it, people really fill it up.  It will stop or really slow a slide in a heartbeat. 

It's like a person sitting at the table and running it in or out. 

 

[garyb1st]

Good point Sarge.  I didn't think of the bedroom slide and we do carry a lot of stuff under the bed.  So far no problem on that slide.  However, I'm wondering if we're stressing the motor which could cause premature failure.  I recall that Mike and Wendy recently had a slide issue and I know they replaced their sofa with two recliners.  Don't know if weight was a consideration when their slide failed. 

The issue does makes me think of some changes we're contemplating.  We've been thinking of removing the dinette and replacing with a desk and additional storage.  Guess I should keep tabs on the weight considerations.  Same thing with the sofa.  Been thinking of replacing with two recliners.  My guess is the jackknife sofa is pretty heavy so that might actually reduce the slide weight. 

 

[SargeW]

Yeah, the hydraulic slides tend to be a lot stronger and not as weight sensitive. I know, I have 2 of each.

 

[AStravelers]

I believe that most electric slideouts don't have limit switches to shut off the motors when the slides are all the way in or out.  There is a sensing circuit that watches the current pulled by the motor.  When the slideout gets all the way out or in the current load on the motor jumps up triggering the sensor to shut off the voltage to the motor. 

So with a lot of weight in the slideout, when the motor current goes too high the sensor thinks the slide is all the way in or out and shuts off the voltage to the motor.  Running into a wall or post with the slide does the same thing.  Only the motor doesn't shut down in time to keep from getting a dent in the wall of the slideout.

 

[garyb1st]

I believe that most electric slideouts don't have limit switches to shut off the motors when the slides are all the way in or out.  There is a sensing circuit that watches the current pulled by the motor.  When the slideout gets all the way out or in the current load on the motor jumps up triggering the sensor to shut off the voltage to the motor. 

So with a lot of weight in the slideout, when the motor current goes too high the sensor thinks the slide is all the way in or out and shuts off the voltage to the motor.  Running into a wall or post with the slide does the same thing.  Only the motor doesn't shut down in time to keep from getting a dent in the wall of the slideout.

Good to know.  Thanks for the post.