There's a Leak Somewhere

**Second Chance** · 10-19-2021, 09:33 AM

Thanks for the update, @Trainman327. Are you pretty confident that the water came in due to the slide not being completely in our out?

Rob

**Trainman327** · 10-19-2021, 12:28 PM

Originally Posted by Second Chance

Thanks for the update, @Trainman327. Are you pretty confident that the water came in due to the slide not being completely in our out?

Rob

I'm 95% certain the leak had something to do with the slide. There is no decolorization or damage to the Luan plywood wall material. There was a huge amount of water in the insulation under the floor. It was no small leak that let that much water in. I think the leak was likely one or more of the following:

1) The slide was not brought in all the way
2) Debris on the top of the slide was left there, preventing a closed seal and provided water a way in
3) the slide seal were dirty and had gunk, moss and other stuff on it that may have led to the water infiltration.
4) Both the roof and slide gutters were clogged with debris. This would allow more water onto the slide seal than normal.

Another thing odd about that one side seal is that the wiper part of the seal is different than all the others on all three slides. The top and side are not clued together. In other words, it doesn't tightly go around the top corner of the slide. Instead, the wipers just end and are not in any way working together to direct water from getting behind the wiper seals. Instead, if I’m not paying attention, the top wiper may be tucked behind the side wiper. That may result in water being directed to behind the side wiper seal. I will have rubber adhesive when I go back down in two weeks and fix that.

Also, that side wiper seal always sits rolled in, all 5 other sides and all three top wipers will be facing out when the slides are extended out. All the others also don’t roll in when the slides are retracted, only that one. Seems like an odd coincidence.

What I can say is this, when I do the repair, I will be using my boat experience on how I do the work. Any leaking from that seal will not matter. I will use epoxy coated plywood flooring. I will use Foamular insulation, set about ¾” below the wood, set at an angle with a small hole in it for drainage. There will be a small hole in the vinyl lower barrier for drainage as well. Any water that does get in will be able to find its way out with out being soaked up by anything inside the camper.

**IBEW Sparky** · 10-19-2021, 06:57 PM

@Trainman327

Glad to hear that you are making progress on getting this resolved. I still wouldn't rule out a leak from around the window in that side wall. I would open up that wall in a section that will be completely behind the side couch cabinet and check it out. There is a foam board insulation in the walls that if water were infiltrating on the exterior side of the foam board it could run down the wall undetected and leak out at the very bottom soaking into the wood flooring.

**Trainman327** · 10-20-2021, 09:53 AM

Originally Posted by IBEW Sparky

@Trainman327

Glad to hear that you are making progress on getting this resolved. I still wouldn't rule out a leak from around the window in that side wall. I would open up that wall in a section that will be completely behind the side couch cabinet and check it out. There is a foam board insulation in the walls that if water were infiltrating on the exterior side of the foam board it could run down the wall undetected and leak out at the very bottom soaking into the wood flooring.

That may not be a bad idea. With that said, of all the screws that were holding the cabinet components up, the only ones with rust on them were the ones in the floor. There were 12 screws going through the side wall and 9 going through the back wall, non of those screws were rusty. Only the 6 going through the floor.

I'm hopping to find a stain that matches the cabinets. I plan to replace all the components of the two side cabinets except the top and front. As a craftsman, I just can't put the things back in the way they were built. I will build an actual cabinet, with a removable shelf for access to the wiring. The weight of what I build will likely only be about 10% heavier, but will certainly be a better piece of stand alone furniture, not the stick build façade they were.

**IBEW Sparky** · 10-20-2021, 11:40 AM

@Trainman327

Yup they certainly build those cabinets as light as possible using as little material as they can. Grand Design might be able to provide information on what stain was used.
I saw one mod someone else did where they removed the top of the cabinet and hinged it at the wall and then put a shelf or removable tray inside.

**Trainman327** · 10-20-2021, 01:07 PM

@IBEW Sparky

Scuming the forums it appears the stain is a custom blend that GD uses. Several threads note that Minwax Hickory Gel is a real close match, but I'm not a fan of gel stains. I'll give it a try for simplicity sake, but I prefer solvent based finishes. Being experienced in restoring old house trim and moldings as well as furniture restoration, I'm sure I can get very close enough mixing current existing solvent based colors.