I'm resurrecting this post because of a recent issue we've had with the water ponding on our curbside slide topper. Or more specifically where the water eventually drains to and what happens when it does.
Back in mid-April we had been pretty much been wintering in areas with low humidity, and some rain or even snow, so I was firmly in the "don't worry about it" camp with respect to the ponding. This winter we are in the Pacific Northwest and while the temperatures are mild the humidity is high and it rains a lot. It rains so much that water draining from the topper and down the side of the slide and over the single hung windows is more than the drain holes in the window frames can handle. We don't know if it is is actual water seeping under the window pane or condensation (we hare running dehumidifiers), but the bottom of the window frame was wet on the interior.
I know that others have taken steps to remove the valley from the topper with bracing or support under the topper, and this was my first thought as I stood on my roof in the rain trying to come up with a game plan. Then I saw one of my extra sections of gutter that I use for sewer line support in the back of my truck and it occurred to me that the problem wasn't so much the water ponding on the topper, but how the water is draining off the topper. If I can control this drainage so that it doesn't run down the side of the slide out and over the window then the problem goes away. My solution may not be pretty or permanent, but it is cheap, relatively easy to install, and effective.
The parts list is a 10' section of gutter, cut in half (more on this later), two gutter hangers, 1/4" diameter rope, and two 1 gallon milk containers with lids loosely attached filled half way with water.
Here is a mock up of the install before sliding the parts under the tarp. Our slide is approximately 10' long. In order to have the gutter ends extend past the slide out I would either need two sections of gutter, or cut one section in two. I elected to cut the one section in two since the gutter really doesn't need to be full length under the topper, and two 5' lengths of gutter will be easier to transport than two 10' lengths.
The gutter hangers are attached to the inside end of the gutter sections to provide some slope to the sections and prevent water from flowing back under the topper instead of out of the exposed end. The rope laying in the gutter is to help stabilize the gutters and hold them in place in case of wind (or at least keep them from taking off completely)
Gutters have been slide under the topper and extend past the end of the slides 3" to 4". A second run of rope has been laid on the topper, over the gutter run. This part of the install went quickly with two people, one on the ground to tie the ropes off to the milk carton handles.
In this final shot the ropes have been snugged down so that the milk cartons are just touching the ground (don't want them swinging around in the wind). The rope on the top of the topper is not tight enough to move the ponded water in the photo back from the topper roll, but it doesn't need to be. If you look closely at where the rope comes off the topper you will see that it has pulled the lip of the material down slightly to form a spout over the gutter. This spout is what I was looking for.
Of course it hasn't rained since we completed this install, but rain is in the forecast for tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that, and the day . . . Well, you get the idea. I may have to make some adjustments but I think the general install will do what I want; move the run off our and away from the slide out sides and the windows.
Back in mid-April we had been pretty much been wintering in areas with low humidity, and some rain or even snow, so I was firmly in the "don't worry about it" camp with respect to the ponding. This winter we are in the Pacific Northwest and while the temperatures are mild the humidity is high and it rains a lot. It rains so much that water draining from the topper and down the side of the slide and over the single hung windows is more than the drain holes in the window frames can handle. We don't know if it is is actual water seeping under the window pane or condensation (we hare running dehumidifiers), but the bottom of the window frame was wet on the interior.
I know that others have taken steps to remove the valley from the topper with bracing or support under the topper, and this was my first thought as I stood on my roof in the rain trying to come up with a game plan. Then I saw one of my extra sections of gutter that I use for sewer line support in the back of my truck and it occurred to me that the problem wasn't so much the water ponding on the topper, but how the water is draining off the topper. If I can control this drainage so that it doesn't run down the side of the slide out and over the window then the problem goes away. My solution may not be pretty or permanent, but it is cheap, relatively easy to install, and effective.
The parts list is a 10' section of gutter, cut in half (more on this later), two gutter hangers, 1/4" diameter rope, and two 1 gallon milk containers with lids loosely attached filled half way with water.
Here is a mock up of the install before sliding the parts under the tarp. Our slide is approximately 10' long. In order to have the gutter ends extend past the slide out I would either need two sections of gutter, or cut one section in two. I elected to cut the one section in two since the gutter really doesn't need to be full length under the topper, and two 5' lengths of gutter will be easier to transport than two 10' lengths.
The gutter hangers are attached to the inside end of the gutter sections to provide some slope to the sections and prevent water from flowing back under the topper instead of out of the exposed end. The rope laying in the gutter is to help stabilize the gutters and hold them in place in case of wind (or at least keep them from taking off completely)
Gutters have been slide under the topper and extend past the end of the slides 3" to 4". A second run of rope has been laid on the topper, over the gutter run. This part of the install went quickly with two people, one on the ground to tie the ropes off to the milk carton handles.
In this final shot the ropes have been snugged down so that the milk cartons are just touching the ground (don't want them swinging around in the wind). The rope on the top of the topper is not tight enough to move the ponded water in the photo back from the topper roll, but it doesn't need to be. If you look closely at where the rope comes off the topper you will see that it has pulled the lip of the material down slightly to form a spout over the gutter. This spout is what I was looking for.
Of course it hasn't rained since we completed this install, but rain is in the forecast for tomorrow, and the day after that, and the day after that, and the day . . . Well, you get the idea. I may have to make some adjustments but I think the general install will do what I want; move the run off our and away from the slide out sides and the windows.
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