Sealant/waterproofing

[bjrogers]

Hi,
I’ve regularly applied silicone to my slides on all seams but have noticed the material underneath each slide (not sure composition but appears to be some kind of stiffened particle/hardie-type material) still gets wet during rains. Is this a concern and if it is should I seal? What next product if sealing is required? Thank you!

[TucsonJim]

-That's a great question, and has me stumped. I don't know if anyone's ever asked that before. If you don't get a response here in a reasonable time frame, I'd suggest you call customer service at 5745-825-9679. Make sure you have your VIN when you call. And if they can give you an answer, I hope you'll share it with us.

Jim

[JBill9694]

I believe, bjrogers, that you're asking about the wood subdecking on the bottom of the slides. Mine also get intermittently wet from water running around the lower corner of the slides, but I believe that the paint on wood (don't know what GD used) prevents the water from getting absorbed by the wood.

I have a similar situation at the wheel wells with painted wood over the tires. These areas get saturated when driving in wet conditions but so far I have not found any sign of moisture damage.

You can seal along the perimeter of the wood subdecking if you want to with silicone, it certainly isn't going to hurt. But as long as the paint is intact it probably isn't necessary.

[Country Campers]

I would start with the face trim on the outside of slide out. Check from top to bottom and reseal as needed. Mine showed a water mark on the bottom and I found that the bottom outside trim was not sealed properly. The trim part wraps around the edges of the slide providing a great place to hold water. The bottom of the slides are OSB treated with a paint, not sure if the edges are though. Water is the enemy so checking the sealed edges which is usually silicone and resealing is a necessary maintenance task.

Brian