Warning : Slide outs...watch for open joints

[Cabinetmkr]

Damn manufacturer ... of my 2016 Thor Hurricane 32N

So I notice a slight open joint on the trim at bottom of slide .. where silicone once was , had opened up... I thought , the movement has just caused it to open, no worries it’s just trim ...
Upon further inspection, the screws have rusted off on the bottom side, and I could push this trim down... WTH?

To top it off.., the bottom of the slide is nothing more than cheap ass OSB board, with a vinyl covering.

Where the rusted off screws were , is nothing more than disintegrated sawdust, Back about an inch in one small place
keep in mind, this RV has been stored inside , only been on about 8 camping trips and most of water has been from washing and not rain.
Having been in the home construction business my entire life, I have to question the design... the design and material, incompetent as hell...
They could have used advantech sheathing , it could stay rained on without any damage , total cost less than $100... but dammit.. you never expose OSB to the remote possibility of water, this was designed to get wet if a simple bead of silicone failed in a flex joint.

Thank goodness I caught this, no structural problems, but with this poor design, any crack in trim creates a puddling of water on the edge of the OSB where the screws are. Had this unit been stored outside , I could see a full slide floor replacement. The manufacturer is relying on this trim joint to be the watertight seal which is a huge design flaw.

I’ll be removing this entire trim , cleaning and applying the zip system flashing tape. After that, the trim is cosmetic, as it should be.

I’ll now be doing a full inspection of every joint where water meets 2 components... gotta be proactive ... if they didn’t have a clue what they were doing here... might be other places as well!

KC

[MRichaud]

Just replaced all the screws on our '17 29.3 - all 26 of 'em! Used longer stainless steel screws and ran clear silicone all along the joint. Thanks for the tip on the flashing tape. Will most likely redo the job before long and add that.



Mickey

[nosticks]

Originally Posted by MRichaud

and ran clear silicone all along the joint. Thanks for the tip on the flashing tape. Will most likely redo the job before long and add that.
Mickey

Good luck getting the silicone off and the proper sealant to stick when you redo the job. Never use silicone on an RV.

[MRichaud]

Originally Posted by nosticks

Good luck getting the silicone off and the proper sealant to stick when you redo the job. Never use silicone on an RV.

Gee, thanks - one more redo...

[Mousemate]

See posting #715
fixed it years ago and no issues so far.
Ace 29.3 - Page 52 - iRV2 Forums

[Bob Denman]

Glad to hear that you both caught this before it got any worse

[Cabinetmkr]

Originally Posted by nosticks

Good luck getting the silicone off and the proper sealant to stick when you redo the job. Never use silicone on an RV.

Why do you say never use silicone??

[jtyphoid]

Originally Posted by Cabinetmkr

Why do you say never use silicone??

Nothing will stick to cured silicone and I'm not aware of any solvent to remove it. It has to be mechanically removed (scraped off) very thoroughly when doing any repair work or you won't be able to get a good seal.

[Cabinetmkr]

You are correct ... as a corian fabricator, I’ve used it daily... and get amused at how silicone is applied by homeowners, and what a mess is made. I’ll post a short video when I repair mine , along with how to apply silicone correctly
Denatured Alcohol preps the area

[Chuck and Mary Ann]

Well, if not silicon, what do you reccomend for issues like these?

[southladon]

I have the same issue on 2015 Windsport. Also replaced screws and resealed. Very interested in flashing tape mentioned above. I’d also add silicone is what the manufacturer put to seal in the first place.

[Chance]

Good thing Thor is going to teach Hymer how to build motorhomes with slides.

[MRichaud]

Originally Posted by jtyphoid

Nothing will stick to cured silicone and I'm not aware of any solvent to remove it. It has to be mechanically removed (scraped off) very thoroughly when doing any repair work or you won't be able to get a good seal.

Well, at least I CAN say that I did take a razor blade and scraped all 20 or so feet of it off before resealing! Lost a bit of the decal, but it had torn anyway from the trim separating from the slide.

[javelin]

Originally Posted by Chuck and Mary Ann

Well, if not silicon, what do you reccomend for issues like these?

Geocel Proflex RV is one caulking that many RVers use. It is not used for roofing caulk though (see link attached for other non use applications). If you have never used it I highly suggest practicing before using on your RV as I find it very sticky and tricky to apply compared to water based or silicone based caulks I have used in non RV applications (that could be just me though). I also suggest wearing single use neoprene/rubber gloves and taping (painters tape) off both sides of the area you are caulking first. I think I used soapy water to smooth the caulking line immediately after application and isopropyl alcohol (or similar) for any cleanup. Since this caulk starts to cure quickly, if you caulk a long line at one time, when you go to pull the painters tape off I find it can pull the edges of the applied caulk somewhat. Don't let it cure before removing the tape or you will have a mess. Like I said.....practice the process first on something else before doing your RV.



https://www.geocelusa.com/product/pr...xible-sealant/

[jtyphoid]

Originally Posted by MRichaud

Well, at least I CAN say that I did take a razor blade and scraped all 20 or so feet of it off before resealing! Lost a bit of the decal, but it had torn anyway from the trim separating from the slide.

Hopefully you got it cleaned off well enough to get a good seal.

Cabinetmkr is absolutely right, though, that a design that relies on a bead of caulk to prevent water damage is a crappy design. Unfortunately, this design seems to be standard for all of the RV slideouts that I have looked at. There may be better designs out there, but my wallet isn't fat enough to even look at the high-end units.

[cavie]

Originally Posted by jtyphoid

Nothing will stick to cured silicone and I'm not aware of any solvent to remove it. It has to be mechanically removed (scraped off) very thoroughly when doing any repair work or you won't be able to get a good seal.

Also will turn black with age.