Condensation & Mold in 337 RLS Slide-Out – Need Advice!

[rudy558]

We had similar issues on the mattress and put this underneath. It’s been good so far.

Thanks for the tip! We already have a DenDry under our mattress, and it’s been super helpful. Glad to hear you've found an option that's working well for you too!

 

[Conner58]

Open your roof vent 1/2 inch makes a huge difference on condensation.

 

[retired_engineer]

We had similar issues on the mattress and put this underneath. It’s been good so far.

Amazon.com

We put those under the mattress as well and like you they have appeared to work well.

We also make sure to pull the mattress and pillows away from the head board by a few inches when camping in cold weather to try to prevent humidity from building up. We might get a little condensation as we sleep from the pillows being pushed back but it dries up quickly after we wake up and reopen the full gap.

 

[Steven@147]

Thanks for the reassurance that we're on the right track!

I hadn't thought about using bleach spray—do we need to worry about it damaging or discoloring anything?

Good call on checking the carpet under the bed frame—we’ll pull that up too. The closet seems to be mold and damp-free, but just to be safe, we’ve added a fan to the clothes rack to keep air circulating.

I really like your trick for loosening the carpet to make staple removal easier—we’ll definitely give that a try!

For the issue with your slide-out, do you think standing water on the track contributed? And what kind of tape did you use? Do you think it made a noticeable difference?

You've gotten a lot of good advice to try. The bleach water would probably discolor the carpet but wiping down the linoleum non carpet stuff and the bed frame if it is affected shouldbe ok.
I'd pull a little of the carpet a little bit at a time and check for wetness. if its dry underneath and no signs of mold, it should be ok.

The tape we use to cover the lower schwintech gear track is gorilla brand green. Its pretty stout but doesn't leave behind a lot of sticky residue, some but not a lot and it cleans off pretty easy. It's also bright green and pretty noticabled, keeps me from banging my head on the slide when out.
It keeps rain water from running down the lower gear track and into the RV.

 

[Dick Noble]

Re Ozone generator. They are a long term solution. I have used them at home and in the 5er. You do not need to remove anything but you will have to let it run a long time. Ozone is bad for the health of living things.

 

[tom christiansen]

That’s a great suggestion! We get a lot of wind warnings and rain here, so we haven’t been doing that, but maybe I should prioritize getting one of those vent covers so we can keep them open even in bad weather. Do you think cracking a window would have the same effect, or is the ceiling vent more effective for reducing condensation?

You only have to crack them a tiny bit to be effective. Even windy conditions should not be a problem.
Since heat rises I believe the ceiling vents are preferred to windows but that might work too.

 

[rudy558]

Update: we are in the process of pulling up the carpet and found mold along here.

is there a seam or something we should worry about leaking in that area?

Also, should we remove the wall paper to see if there is mold beneath?

Edited to add a question

 

[WhittleBurner]

Update: we are in the process of pulling up the carpet and found mold along here.

is there a seam or something we should worry about leaking in that area?

Also, should we remove the wall paper to see if there is mold beneath?

Edited to add a question

Carefully check all the seals along the slide out for good measure , maybe run water for a while and have someone is inside looking for water or dampness. Have you lifted the foil insulation to look under it.
If there is any sign of water underneath I'd reseal the entire slide, roof and all. If no signs underneath then my thoughts are it's likely caused by condensation. You could add some vents along the box for air circulation.

 

[rudy558]

Thanks!

Here are some images of the boards under/around the bed.

The moisture was there when we removed the reflective covering.

We removed, cleaned, and reapplied the seals on the slide out today as recommended here. We still need to do the seal along the track and on the roof of the slide out but ran out of time.

Any advice on whether we need to remove and replace the floor plywood or do you think we could dry it out, spray it with fungicide, dry it again (we’d rent a commercial grade dehumidifier), paint it with mold resistant paint (https://www.homedepot.com/p/KILZ-Mol...4/308880646), and then maybe put linoleum over it or something?

 

[rudy558]

You've gotten a lot of good advice to try. The bleach water would probably discolor the carpet but wiping down the linoleum non carpet stuff and the bed frame if it is affected shouldbe ok.
I'd pull a little of the carpet a little bit at a time and check for wetness. if its dry underneath and no signs of mold, it should be ok.

The tape we use to cover the lower schwintech gear track is gorilla brand green. Its pretty stout but doesn't leave behind a lot of sticky residue, some but not a lot and it cleans off pretty easy. It's also bright green and pretty noticabled, keeps me from banging my head on the slide when out.
It keeps rain water from running down the lower gear track and into the RV.

Thanks for that info! I’m having trouble finding gorilla tape green and don’t want to get the wrong stuff. Do you have a link to where you buy it or a store you generally go to?

 

[huntindog]

Ignore the orange-y color on the picture of the space between the bed and the slide out wall, it is from me dropping a flavored melatonin pill. The pill got wet and left some orange smudges. The dark patches concern me though.

The picture of the space between the bed and slide out wall with the dehumidifier is after we discovered condensation again and is showing the supports of the night stand.

The picture of the raised dog bed is showing the new solution for airflow that we've implemented.

How powerful are your dehumidifiers?
I have had sucess with 50 pint ones. No need to crack the vents, so it saves on propane, but cost gas for the gen to run it.
Pretty much a wash.
Smaller ones are useless.
Damp rid is for storage. It just isn't fast enough to keep up with all the vapor produced by people inside

 

[Steven@147]

Thanks for that info! I’m having trouble finding gorilla tape green and don’t want to get the wrong stuff. Do you have a link to where you buy it or a store you generally go to?

I have gotten it at Walmart. I suppose other home stores would have it as well.