Chasin Leaks

[Fully_Loaded]

OK I have a KZ Sportsman fifth wheel 2456. It has one large slide on it . I have a prsitant leak that appears under the dinette seat of the slide. I have sealed every opening I could see on the roof and the windows. It is still leaking. I am new to the rv community so my knowledge of construction is still on the learning curve end. I am just looking for some ideas of where to look. The short wall is wet about 4 inches up from the floor and the floor stays wet. I have already cut the carpet out under the dinette. Any suggestions will be much appreciated.

[Motor31]

The leak could have traveled a fair distance before settling in. Check the wiper seals on the exterior of the slide. If they were installed improperly or have degraded they will allow rain past and into the unit. Look for gaps or any place where the edge is not flat against the slide. Also look closely at any and ALL caulking seams for any crack or minute gap. Even a small one can leak a lot if it's in an area of ponding water on the roof or slide top. Pull gently on the seam where the caulk touches the roof material and see if there is a gap or spot where there is no seal that you can't see by just looking from above.

Check every seam where there is a hole in the roof as well. The fans, pipes and other things that stick through the roof can have a gap or leak. Look at the aluminum or plastic housings of those items for any seam or crack and seal them again. Do not use a silicone caulk like a household window caulk as it may not stick to the roof material.

Look at every window in the area as well. Does the rubber seal all the way around the window? Is there a gap in the dust seal where the panes of glass meet? Pull up the flat gasket on vertical sliding windows between the lower and upper panes of glass and make sure there is no build up of dirt under it. Caulk the windows rubber seals where they meet the side of the unit.

Leaks can be a pain to track down but they are serious as that will lead to mold and degradation of materials inside the walls or living areas.

[Fully_Loaded]

Thanks for the tips. The leak is coming from the slide somewhere. It is wet on both slides but this is the worst side. It is definatly very wet. I am going to have a friend of mine that has been RVing a long time come help me chase it. As you can see in the photos the wood in some areas was rotten. As soon as I get the water stoped I will repair the walls and floor. Any other ideas on any nook and cranny to look will definatly help. Thanks again for the good write up. I will examine all those areas of concern.

[Huck]

Fully_Loaded,
Is your trailer sitting level? If not this could be normal.

[Fully_Loaded]

Within a few degrees.

[Fully_Loaded]

I got up on the roof the other day to clean the leaves off and found that each outer corner of the roof on the slide has about a 1 square foot area of rotten substrate, I cannot see any penetrations or issues in the slide roof. How hard is it to replace the roof on a slide?

[Stripit]

The roof panel of the slide runs from the outer edge back into the area that is covered by the trailer side pane. I would think the correct way to replace would be to pull the complete slide out. This would give you access to the whole roof panel and insure a good fit. I think using a Hi-Lo would make that job fairly easy to remove a slide. You could rent one for a few days and do the work yourself at home if you have the room. Or, spend the big bucks and let a repair shop have at it.

[Fully_Loaded]

I am currently not working so I have the time to do it myself as of right now. I just want to get it fixed. As soon as I finish the current project at hand I am going to get on this. I have it backed up to the house and I have been keeping the slide in and only running it out when I need to get in it to get something.

[metzgesr3jjl]

Often the roof can leak thru seapage if the seal product has worn off in and around that area. I would get a good roof sealant and apply extra coats above that area. As stated before if the seals look like they are no longer soft and pliable i would replace them as well. good luck, water leaks are a major pain in the a##.