Leaky Slide

[CircleGrammy]

I previously asked what to put under landing gear and jacks when leveling. I ended up using pier block under the landing gear and 24” square pavers 2” thick for the jacks. The guy who delivered the 5th wheel to its new home was clueless. It’s not level so my son will use a bottle jack to finish the job. It was delivered last Mon and then Tues we had nonstop rain and heavy winds.Fortunately I’m not living in it yet. I checked it on Wed and the mattress was completely soaked as well as the carpet all the way around the bed frame. I can’t get mobile repair to diagnose till 1/4. Has anyone had a similar problem. We think maybe the seal on the slide is bad and also not sure if being out of level had anything to do with it since it’s leaning downhill, possibly making it easier for the water to run in. However, there was no evidence of water in the living room or kitchen that might’ve come from the other slide.

 

[donn]

If your going to live in it, why did you get a fifth wheel? A park model would have been far more suited to living in.
As for leaks, water? Is this new or used? If new have your dealer fix it. If used, leaks could be coming from almost anywhere. Roof leaks are quite common. Slide seals don't generally leak. At least not to the extent your describing.

 

[CircleGrammy]

Park model wasn’t an option. It’s a 2013 and got a new roof 4 years ago. A lot of water had to come through somewhere to soak the king mattress and surrounding carpet yet there’s no evidence of anything leaking from the ceiling and it sure didn’t come up from the bottom. The slide is the likely culprit but right now it’s a mystery.

 

[donn]

Just because the roof was new 4 years ago does not mean the seams have been checked and resealed as necessary. At this point I think you have yourself a mess to cleanup someone else has made. Seal test would be my first option. But doing that on sire may not happen as it requires a big low pressure blower so they can pressurize the interior and spray soapy water outside to identify all the leaks. It's the only sure way I know of to find them. Water can travel great distances so what your thinking may not be where it's coming from.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

For now, tilt the trailer to one side so that any water runs away from the slide rather than toward or into it. It's entirely possible that a slide seal is damaged or even missing, and even intact seals can leak at the corners.

 

[Kirk]

I would also close the slide as that should help to keep water out. In order to make the entire bed get wet the water must have blown in if it didn't drip from the ceiling and there must have been a lot of it. As Gary suggests, I would look first at the seals. Am I correct to guess that the wind came from the direction of the slide that got the water in? Like the wind forced the water under the seals or even more actually blew into the RV?

 

[CircleGrammy]

I bought from the original owner. He was a decent, respectable man who took immaculate care of the rig. It was in pristine condition. I’m sure I didn’t buy his problem. While he was camping he probably never encountered rain or wind like we had that day and the slides were closed most of the time while it was parked on his property. In my opinion, if it’s a faulty seal, it wouldn’t have leaked to the extent it did while they were closed. Having defended this man’s honor, thanks to everyone for your help, and to address some of your comments, I didn’t witness the wind but a neighbor said it swirled throughout the bowl where the rig is situated so it came from different directions. I’m in Southern California. Where I live we don’t get wind like that very often. The rain was heavy at times but otherwise just steady overnight and the entire next day. Again, something we don’t see often. Poor trailer was probably as shocked as I was! I’m with Gary and Kirk and hope it’s seals. That seems to be a quick and relatively inexpensive fix. I wouldn’t know how to tip it. It’s 12-15000 lbs. Rain is expected next week. The slide is out now in hopes that it helps it dry out some but I’ll close it before the next rain and probably throw a tarp on it.