Dear Gary,
I’m a single woman and have a Fleetwood Bounder. When it rains and I bring the slideout in and I un-level the motorhome, water from on the top of the slideout comes pouring into the rig. My RV dealer says this is normal.
It’s quite a bit of water and others I know do not have this issue. Shouldn’t there be a seal to stop the water from coming in? —Linda
Dear Linda,
Indeed this is not a “normal” situation. It appears that dealer is either misinformed or disingenuous.
There should be a wiper seal around the slide room opening that should remove most of the water as the room is retracted. In some cases, it may not remove absolutely all the moisture, but it certainly should wipe most of it away as the room retracts.
Apparently, the room needs adjusting or the seals need to be replaced. Have a certified RV service technician inspect the centering and all the adjustment points on the slideout. In a worst-case scenario, an aftermarket topper awning can be installed that will protect the room’s top surface when extended. It will extend and retract with the room. It’s an advantageous add-on device since it will also keep the room cooler in the summer. But I’m not buying the “normal” claim of that dealer.
Read more from Gary Bunzer at the RVdoctor.com. See Gary’s videos about RV repair and maintenance.
##RVT908
I am having a technician (service manager) telling me that the water that is leaking from the slide and pooling on top of the slide when it’s in is normal if the wind is blowing. I think that is crap and they just don’t want to fix it for the 4th time since we bought it brand new in 2018.
Have had it happen on almost every RV we have had one time or another. With our MH we have the slide topper but rain can still get under it. There is a low spot on the top which will hold the water. Never fails, when I forget to check it after coming in, there is a puddle up there. The driver has gotten a ‘shower’ more than once. If there is water up there I put a couple towels on each end – just remember to remove before putting out.
As someone else suggested – raise either the back or front of your rig before bringing in the slide(s). I think it is more common than RVDoctor thinks, but people just don’t talk about it.
This happened once on my 2016 Bounder w/slide topper. Since then always move slide in slowly to let water drain off topper before coming in. After heavy rains, topper collects lots of water. It takes longer to bring slides in, but no more water inside MH. Seals can not keep that much water out of MH. I am lucky enough to have DW help when bringing in slides after rain storm, we have walkie-talkies & DW moves slide in slowly & stops when I see water draining from slide, no more draining, move in again a little at a time until all water off topper.
I always lower one end of my Bounder rv before I retract my slideout. This wil usually let any water run off the top.
This happened to me on my 5th Wheel.
I took the RV to LIPPERT Service Center in Elkhart, IN.
They fixed the problem in less than 2 hours and proceeded to tell me, the Slide on my 5th Wheel was NOT installed correctly. They fixed the problem and all is well now!
Thanks Lippert!