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Old 08-18-2018, 02:04 PM   #1
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Model: Axis 24.4
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THOR #1150
Axis 24.1 weird slide leak

This is an odd one--at least to me:
Went to hug the camper yesterday just after one of the really hard downpours we've been getting lately (hot humid day, afternoon storm bubbles up and seems to just dump all the water contents in the air to the ground all at once--something like you get in FL; not used to this in Michigan!).

At the front of the floor where there is the step up to the front seats its all wet (camper is leaning towards the passenger side--hmm perhaps that is why I've only noticed this just now). Trace the water back towards the driver's side under the slide..!?

Looking under the slide there is a slight drip drip drip of water (appears to be dripping about directly under the cupholder at the front of the slide). Pull the cup holder out and look down with a flashlight: everything is dry!? (side is in) examine the side of the slide that is in--all dry. Look behind the couch all dry!? Put the slide out, works fine, everything I can see is dry (I wasn't able to examine the outside of the slide as there was a good 2" of water everywhere on the ground).

I did go visit this morning and put the slide back out..outside of slide looks good, all the gaskets look good--or at least the same as they always have.

So I'm clueless as to where the water was coming in to the slide? Perhaps some of the sealant on the slide topper sprung a leak and it was coming in through the slide walls!? Not sure..

I did find more screws and nails under the slide, however ! sigh even after all these years I'm still filling that bucket of parts Thor left me.

Don't ask for pictures as the drip was under the slide--it was difficult to even see the drip let alone try to get the camera on a good spot that I could take a pic. Even if I had a pic it would be difficult to determine what the pic was of.

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Old 08-18-2018, 02:13 PM   #2
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Check the lower slide trim. Mine had no caulking there. It would seep in and slowly drop into the coach when the slide was in. It was doing it for a year before I was tilted one time, in a rain storm with the slides in. (parked in a truck stop) I got up to see how bad the storm was in the middle of the night and stepped in water coming from under the slide. Took a lot of investigation to find where it was coming in. If you extend the slide and run a garden hose right above that trim, you'll likely find water dripping from under the slide.
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Old 08-18-2018, 02:15 PM   #3
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Irritating as heck Jamie... let us know what you discover. You may have to have someone outside do some spraying with a hose while you are in the inside.
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Old 08-18-2018, 02:52 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JamieGeek View Post
This is an odd one--at least to me:
Went to hug the camper yesterday just after one of the really hard downpours we've been getting lately (hot humid day, afternoon storm bubbles up and seems to just dump all the water contents in the air to the ground all at once--something like you get in FL; not used to this in Michigan!).

.....cut.....
Sorry to hear this. Once you find leak, you may want to do an extensive inspection for water damage, particularly around floor where water accumulates or soaks into wood. It’s very possible this wasn’t the first time.

I think leaks are much more common than owners think even when they don’t see them. We get a lot of strong thunderstorms in southeast Texas on a regular basis, and have found that most RVs with slides more than a few years old smell like they have been wet. I have a sensitive nose for mildew and mold, and can spot them even when others don’t smell anything. Granted, data can be skewed because RVs for sale could be there because of water damage. Good luck.
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Old 08-18-2018, 07:54 PM   #5
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Yeah this is a new leak; not something that has been there a long time as we've/I've been in the camper many times with the slide in in the rain or driving in the rain with no water intrusion.

I've washed the camper many times with no water intrusion.

I'll be bringing it home at some point to try to really figure it out (spent some time this morning and couldn't find anything which resulted in the post above).
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Old 08-21-2018, 11:56 AM   #6
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An update:
It rained a bit overnight so I stopped at the RV on my way in. I found that the water is dripping from where the inside "flange" meets the box of the slide--e.g. the water is somehow getting inside the walls of the slide.

I extended the slide and was looking it over as best I could: the outside gaskets are all dry, even the bottom was dry, under the slide topper was all dry. The only thing I can think of that could be leaking is the window.

Looks like we might have a nice weekend good for hosing down a slide to see if I can find the leaky spot.
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Old 08-21-2018, 12:06 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Miramar Owner View Post
Check the lower slide trim. Mine had no caulking there. It would seep in and slowly drop into the coach when the slide was in. It was doing it for a year before I was tilted one time, in a rain storm with the slides in. (parked in a truck stop) I got up to see how bad the storm was in the middle of the night and stepped in water coming from under the slide. Took a lot of investigation to find where it was coming in. If you extend the slide and run a garden hose right above that trim, you'll likely find water dripping from under the slide.
I had the same issue - no caulk around the exterior slide trim. I caulked the entire exterior slide trim (where trim met slide wall) and from that point on no water issues. And I found it by the same method, pouring water just above the trim. Very frustrating to wake up to water in front of the couch.
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Old 08-21-2018, 04:36 PM   #8
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Jamie, not to belabor the point, but it still could be the lower slide trim. For the first year or so I never noticed a leak because it was so minor and I usually parked level. The only time I had a cup or so running across the floor was when parked overnight at a truck stop. The slides were in, the driver's side was high and rain and wind was so hard it was rocking the camper. I looked outside and saw a garbage can blowing by. I got up and walked to the front of the RV and stepped in the water. I investigated that night but couldn't really tell where it was coming from. I assumed from the top, but couldn't see the top of the slide without a step stool and a much brighter light.

When I got home I spent about 2 weeks investigating and tweaking everything from the slide topper to the seals and bulbs on the slide wall (re-lubricating them).

I finally tried just letting the slide out about a foot and with a garden hose in one hand and a bright flashlight in the other, I found the culprit. The lower slide trim was not caulked. Driving rain would make its way into the slide trim where it would be trapped between the waterproof membrane under the slide and the slide floor. It would then drip down a screw that penetrated this membrane. When the slide was in, that would place that drip on the floor under the slide. Most of the time it would simply evaporate under there and I was none the wiser. Until that one night.

Odds are I would never have discovered the issue had it not been for that one night. The few drops that made it's way onto the linoleum under the slide would either evaporate or run to the outside edge of the RV. Years of that could create swollen flooring so I am thankful I solved the mystery.

As you know, these coaches are designed with weep cups at both ends of the slide to catch any water from retracting the slide and drip to the outside of the coach. I first thought one of those was split. Turned out not to be the case.

Anyway, I know this is detailed. But I just wanted to make sure you understood how easy this is to miss.

Upon further investigation, I found caulk either missing or inadequate for the outside TV, entrance door, hot water heater and passenger window. So I added caulking to virtually all of the outside trim. I used Flex Seal black caulking which blended in nicely with the paint on my coach. Looks like a shadow.
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Old 08-21-2018, 05:15 PM   #9
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Perhaps; both of you have given me places to look at (and squirt with a hose) besides my suspicion about the window. I'll try some this weekend to see if I can find it.
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Old 08-21-2018, 05:53 PM   #10
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Good hunting! Hope you find it... This stuff can drive a fellow crazy!
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Old 08-21-2018, 08:57 PM   #11
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Had the same leak that would appear after a rain when I extended the slide. The water was running across the floor where it rises to the driver seat level and wetting the carpet. After caulking the slide trim all around the four sides the leak has went away. I have had leaks in every compartment opening until caulking the flanges where the original caulk had cracked open.



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Old 08-21-2018, 09:32 PM   #12
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Ok great, even with a diagram! LOL
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Old 08-22-2018, 01:54 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by JamieGeek View Post
Ok great, even with a diagram! LOL
My 2017-Thor chateau leaks like a seive driving through a rainstorm. Came up through the mud flap in the hole where the water lines go in underneath had water all down the floor into the passenger seat and on the steps.
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Old 08-22-2018, 02:29 PM   #14
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Is that a 24.1 slide with twin rails at the top?

They must run out of caulking at the factory to have completely missed the slide and all compartments.
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Old 08-22-2018, 02:29 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mcr1010 View Post
Had the same leak that would appear after a rain when I extended the slide. The water was running across the floor where it rises to the driver seat level and wetting the carpet. After caulking the slide trim all around the four sides the leak has went away. I have had leaks in every compartment opening until caulking the flanges where the original caulk had cracked open.



Attachment 12370
Is that a 24.1 slide with twin rails at the top?

They must run out of caulking at the factory to have completely missed the slide and all compartments.
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Old 08-22-2018, 02:54 PM   #16
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Jamie,
Have you had a chance to do any more Detective work on this?

http://www.thorforums.com/forums/att...1&d=1534949797
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Old 08-22-2018, 03:06 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by Bob Denman View Post
Jamie,
Have you had a chance to do any more Detective work on this?
No--it won't be until Friday or Saturday before I get a chance to take a deep dive (and soaking) on this.

We're not supposed to get anymore rain until Saturday morning anyway..
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Old 08-22-2018, 03:15 PM   #18
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When you do: Good Luck!
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Old 08-25-2018, 01:00 AM   #19
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Update

Got the RV home and started to examine the slide a little closer than I could at the storage lot. Sure enough the trim area mcr1010 pointed out has some gaps in the sealant along the bottom and at the two trim pieces at each end.

I grabbed my trusty tube of silicone and ran a bead from the top of one side down and along the bottom up the other side from the slideout cover to the slideout cover. I'll hose it down tomorrow (if we don't get rain tonight) to test it out. I didn't really want to hose it down today and then have to wait for it to dry when we're supposed to get rain overnight so I just sealed it up as much as I could. I'm pretty sure this is the culprit as there were at least two spots about 2" - 3" long with no caulk/sealant on it at all.

Since I had the coach home I also cleaned it up a little--found a few more screws laying around under the slide (be sure to lift that little rubber squeegee and look under there--you may find untold riches!).

In addition I added the rubber gasket around the hood that I saw on here recently (although I don't remember who posted that so I can't give credit where its due). When I was adding the gasket I noticed a few areas where the hood was rubbing through the gelcoat and you could already see the fiberglass underneath; the gasket should help that some.
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Old 08-25-2018, 01:45 PM   #20
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Update 2

Hosed it down pretty good this morning--more so than any rainstorm it would get (I hope! LOL) and the inside remained dry.

Its back in storage now, and right on cue the rains came (I may go visit it a little later when the rain subsides to check on it again--I'm pretty confident that I got it).
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