2021 Imagine XLS Slide Leaking when stowed

**JohnnyB02** · 07-22-2020, 05:05 PM

I have a '21 Imagine XLS 24 MPR that I purchased in April. I have found that when the slide is in the stowed position i.e. "Slide In" and it rains water is leaking into the unit. I'm wondering if any other Imagine owners have experienced this? I tried to ring out the trailer before I hit the road but sitting in the rain with the slide pulled in wasn't an event that I encountered until I started traveling. With the slide out I haven't had any water leaks so far. Visually the seals all look like they are in good shape and installed correctly. However, if I spray or pour water along the top seal it is making it down to the roof of the slide. Then it's just a matter of time before the water works its way along the rubber flaps that rest on the roof and eventually underneath and into the unit. Once it gets going it's a steady stream of water that runs down the forward side of the slide onto my kitchen/bedroom floor. Thankfully I can get at it with a dry towel here. I assisted a technician today with troubleshooting and it seems to have raised two questions. 1) Should the seal along the top of the slide prevent all water from leaking onto the roof of the slide when stowed and stationary? Mine currently does not. 2) Should the strip of black tape that runs along the far outside edge of the roof be perfectly smooth? Mine is not. Once the water gets passed the top seal and is sitting on this strip of black tape the ripples in at create spaces for water to leak under the rubber flap that hangs down. Determining whether situation #1 , #2 or both are abnormal should drive the necessary corrective actions. I'm currently waiting for the service team here at a repair facility or the Grand Design customer support folks to let me know. I'll provide an update after I hear from them. This photo is inside the trailer with the slide pulled all the way in.

**geotex1** · 07-22-2020, 05:23 PM

I was a little confused in your post - are you 100% certain it's the wiper seal? Reason I ask is the Schwintek slides like you have are notorious for having a leak that runs along the rails of the mechanism, but one discovers this leak generally at the lower rail where there's the metal angle (the water follows that angle and pours into the camper when closed. I had this leak recently present itself and waiting to see how my resealing did. The other common problem with Schwinteks are their adjustment and whether or not they suitably compress the bulb seal. The bulk seal is supposed to do the heavy lifting of keeping the water our when the slide is closed. It's a simple test to determine - sheets of ordinary copier paper is cut into strips and placed with the help of a little tape such that they'll be pinched in with the bulb seal when the slide is closed. Then anywhere that paper meets no resistance when attempting to remove is where the seal is making insufficient contact. The fix can sometime be nothing more than doing the re-timing exercise. Other times is involved reclocking the tooth position.

**JohnnyB02** · 07-22-2020, 05:55 PM

Water is getting passed the bulb seal, pools and then gets under the first wiper seal. Then it follows the second wiper seal until it pours down the forward side of the slide. There are no leaks near the schwintek rails. The water pooling starts well above the top schwintek rail. I performed the motor synchronization procedure, but it didn't resolve the leak. Additionally, three technicians observed the slide operating in and out today and didn't see anything abnormal. Thanks for the tip on the paper test and I will try that. My suspicion is that the the bulb seal is the root of the problem. The wiper seal resting on that uneven piece of black tape is a secondary issue once the water has gotten passed the bulb seal. I thought maybe if the tooth position could be adjusted to make the slide pull in like an 1/8" further it would properly seal? One tech told me that adjustment can't be made, but that was over the phone so it may have been a miscommunication. Hopefully I'll know more tomorrow after a phone call between Grand Design and the techs here.

**JohnnyB02** · 07-28-2020, 02:04 PM

Just providing an update. I did the paper test mentioned in the previous post. There were some variations in the resistance when I pulled the strips of paper out, but nothing glaring. I have no reference for what is normal, but none of the strips pulled out without any resistance. Additionally we spoke to the Grand Design techs, but they really didn't offer any specific help and left the repair facility to do their own diagnosis. I spent a week at the RV repair facility and I didn’t feel like they were getting any closer to correctly diagnosing the problem. The last thing they told me was that they thought the leak was starting from the roof and the water was coming through the wall. I could get water to leak in through the slide just by pouring cups of water along the top of the slide so I was pretty sure the roof wasn’t the primary issue. Once I was able to have a family member help me with a second pair of eyes we could see that the water was streaming passed the bulb seal near the front of the slide. It was streaming down right where one of the rivets sits that holds the corner trim plate. However, I also think we were getting some leakage further down the bulb seal where there are no rivets. In any case we placed a piece of weather stripping along the length of the top bulb seal and so far it appears to be stopping any water from getting in. I’m waiting for a good rain before I declare success, but so far it looks promising.

**geotex1** · 07-28-2020, 02:14 PM

Originally Posted by JohnnyB02

Just providing an update. I did the paper test mentioned in the previous post. There were some variations in the resistance when I pulled the strips of paper out, but nothing glaring. I have no reference for what is normal, but none of the strips pulled out without any resistance. Additionally we spoke to the Grand Design techs, but they really didn't offer any specific help and left the repair facility to do their own diagnosis. I spent a week at the RV repair facility and I didn’t feel like they were getting any closer to correctly diagnosing the problem. The last thing they told me was that they thought the leak was starting from the roof and the water was coming through the wall. I could get water to leak in through the slide just by pouring cups of water along the top of the slide so I was pretty sure the roof wasn’t the primary issue. Once I was able to have a family member help me with a second pair of eyes we could see that the water was streaming passed the bulb seal near the front of the slide. It was streaming down right where one of the rivets sits that holds the corner trim plate. However, I also think we were getting some leakage further down the bulb seal where there are no rivets. In any case we placed a piece of weather stripping along the length of the top bulb seal and so far it appears to be stopping any water from getting in. I’m waiting for a good rain before I declare success, but so far it looks promising.

You can find yourself a facility that does positive pressure leak testing. Most Airstream service centers have this capability. It will reveal any and all leaks.

**JohnnyB02** · 05-16-2021, 09:35 AM

Just providing another update. I had my service appointment for the slide leaking issue at Lazy Days in Tampa, FL on 9 April. Up until that point the weather stripping I installed had stopped the leak, which I had narrowed down to one spot toward the front of the slide roof where it was getting passed the bulb seal. The tech at Lazy Days left my weather stripping in place, added some additional caulk, and bent the piece of black metal trim that surrounds the slide slightly inward to add a little more pressure to the bulb seal at the leak site. This combination seems to have done the trick.

I also have to add that when I arrived home I found the slide roller that sits just under the counter top extension lying on the floor (you have to look from behind the cabinetry with the slide retracted to see it). It must have separated when they pulled the slide in or out during service. I'm not sure if it was meant to be installed this way or the "screw guy" went on break just after the "staple guy" finished their part? My roller was only attached by a few staples, which had pulled out from the cabinet trim. Rather than drive an hour and a half back to Lazy Days for the repair I just re-attached it with some wood screws.

**Mcostanza** · 10-03-2022, 08:51 AM

Your photo of the leak resembles my problem with water intrusion occurring with slide-out fully retracted. Do you have photos of the bulb seal and applied weather stripping to share to help a novice tech as myself. I have a imagine XLS 22 RBE, just removed from storage and discover the leak after washing the trailer. Thank you.

**Tigger1** · 10-03-2022, 09:57 AM

Originally Posted by Mcostanza

Your photo of the leak resembles my problem with water intrusion occurring with slide-out fully retracted. Do you have photos of the bulb seal and applied weather stripping to share to help a novice tech as myself. I have a imagine XLS 22 RBE, just removed from storage and discover the leak after washing the trailer. Thank you.

First, welcome to the forum!

This is an old thread and you may not get an answer.

I haven’t had any leak issues but @Ynot4me2 has and he also has an XLS trailer. Later when he sees this he’ll give you some feedback. I think I remember he had to go back and forth with his dealer.

You could also try doing a Search in the upper right of the page with something like 22mle slide-out leak for example.

**Mcostanza** · 10-03-2022, 03:32 PM

Thank you for your response!

QUOTE=Tigger1;450943]First, welcome to the forum!

This is an old thread and you may not get an answer.

I haven’t had any leak issues but @Ynot4me2 has and he also has an XLS trailer. Later when he sees this he’ll give you some feedback. I think I remember he had to go back and forth with his dealer.

You could also try doing a Search in the upper right of the page with something like 22mle slide-out leak for example.[/QUOTE]

**JohnnyB02** · 10-05-2022, 08:06 PM

Sorry to hear about your leak. With diesel prices so high I decided to hike the Appalachian Trail this year so my rig is in storage back in Englewood,FL and I’m unable to get you pictures. Thankfully it survived hurricane Ian! All I did was used the dust mark, created where the bulb seal makes contact with the metal trim piece on the slide, as a guide to attach a piece of foam weather stripping. I don’t remember any details about the weather stripping product…sorry. This stopped the leak and allowed me to finish my cross country travels. When I returned home, I brought it back to the dealer since it was still under warranty. They just gently bent the metal trim piece on the slide inward to create a tighter seal between the existing bulb seal and the weather stripping I added. I haven’t had any problems since. Probably several ways you can mark a line for the new weather stripping e.g. use a sharpie marker to trace along the top of the bulb seal. Then you just need a pair or two of steady hands to stick it into place. I don’t think it’s that hard to remove if you mess up so this is really a low risk project.

Good Luck
Johnny B