Slide seal

Jeepman13126 · 07-17-2013, 01:05 AM

I just bought a 283bhsl and this is my first trailer with a slide. When the slide is out there is outside light coming in at both lower corners. The seal is just a flap of rubber the folds in and out as the slide moves. I don't see how water could possibly get in thru the openings due to them being pretty small. I am more concerned with bugs and reptiles getting in more then anything. My question is is the small gap normal or is this something I need to get looked at.

Jeepman13126 · 07-17-2013, 02:53 AM

For some reason this is not showing up on the ultralight forum. Just seeing if this bump will help

Jeepman13126 · 07-30-2013, 12:11 AM

I figured out why I could not see my previous post. Sorry for posting the same question twice. So has nobody had the same or similar problem? I am bringing it back tommorrow to have them look at it and am hoping they will not tell me all is normal just to avoid warranty work . Any views or experiences would be of great help.

kevinmiles · 07-30-2013, 12:48 PM

Yes. I have seen that problem and have dealt with it myself by adjusting weather stripping and adding some 'Great Stuff' (expanding foam) to fill some gaps. If you are under warranty, I would take it in and have the 'experts' look at it. Good luck.

Jeepman13126 · 07-30-2013, 04:43 PM

Well I was up early today and decided to wash the trailer before brining it in for service. The problem i thought I had was at the bottom corners were water should not be able to find its way in. After I got done washing it I went inside to double check that I did not leave anything laying around that could fall or get damaged. There was a solid stream coming from the top of the slide running towards the front door and into the bathroom. There was about a quart inch of water on the bathroom floor and the dinette cushion was soaked. Apparently by washing the slide with a regular hose it allowed water in. Now this trailer has been through numerous summer rain storms here in Florida with both the slide open and closed without a problem yet, but a squirt with the hose and it leaks like crazy. I really hope this does not turn into a serious problem. I really like the unit, the floor plan is perfect for my family and it tows great with my tundra. Hopefully they can straighten things out so I do not regret my purchase.

kevinmiles · 07-30-2013, 08:12 PM

Good luck and report back after the service has been done.

Jeepman13126 · 08-09-2013, 05:19 PM

Well so far so good. They are gonna fix the slide, reseal the sky light, and adjust the brakes. Hopefully all will be done quickly and properly because I have a lot of camping planned coming up here very soon.

Jlew127 · 08-10-2013, 04:05 PM

Jeepman excuse me if this question is obvious, but did you have the unit level with the slide out. My wife won't let me put the slides out unless I get it leveled as close to 0 as possible. I also can see where the rubber flaps don't quite meet at the bottom but I don't think it is a problem.

Jeepman13126 · 08-10-2013, 04:46 PM

When I have had the slide out yes it was leveled. That is what made me notice the original problem of the big gaps in the lower corners. If it was just a little light and not a large enough gap for small animals to get thru I would not have cared. When it leaked enough to get the bathroom wet the trailer may not have been perfectly level due to it being on my truck, but the slide was closed. After noticing the water I checked the seal and it was not lying right against the body. I moved the slide out a couple of inches and could see where it was deformed and would let water in. To little to late unfortunately.

Jeepman13126 · 08-15-2013, 06:34 AM

Well I picked up my trailer today and so far so good. They replaced the seals around the slide and re-sealed the tv attennae and skylight. It rained pretty good today and there were no leaks. They got the job done pretty quickly which was great because I have two weekend trips planned coming up. By and large camping world here in Tampa has been doing right by me.

Jeepman13126 · 09-10-2013, 05:32 AM

So I brought the camper in the get the slide seals fixed properly an foolishly believed that it was. While packing up the camper to head home from the third trip I have been able to take it on I noticed that the sealant they put on the slide was sticking to both the trailer wall and to the slide itself. Every time it opened and closed the sealant stretched out across the roof and was pulling apart the large black rubber seal. It was a big mess. Where they should have used a silicone that would harden they used the same self leveling sealant that they used around the sunroof and antenna. So as soon as I got back I had to drop it off once again to get it done right this time. I have already gotten it back and so far so good. They did not give me any problems and got it right in and back out again. Hopefully this will be the last time it has to go in for awhile. I am over dropping it off already.

gonervn · 09-10-2013, 11:17 AM

That is great that everything is fixed. Who is the dealer? It is always nice to see some nice comments about them. I think we sometimes take it for granted when the work is done right. I know it is their job, but some of these issues are not easy to find and/or fix.

Jeepman13126 · 09-10-2013, 08:55 PM

I have been bringing it to the camping world here in Tampa. I did not buy it from them, I actually drove to North Carolina to try and save some money. They have been pretty good so far about doing the work, but this second trip was all their fault for using the wrong sealant. So customer service is good, techanical support not so much. I guess you can't have everything.

gonervn · 09-11-2013, 01:39 AM

Sounds like they have it fixed.

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