Slides in wet weather - How do you deal with it?

[JohnB]

Fellow Sunline campers with slides.

We have been looking…. And a slide was on the look for list. While the look will be a long one…. Without our favorite camper builder in business still,. But the quest goes on.

Question to you slide owners out there:

How do you deal with the slide being retracted in wet weather? In my search I have found that the entire slide sides that are outside, come inside and the outer surface is exposed to the interior.

How do you deal with the wet and dirt?

Do you wipe the slides down before retracting?

I know the rubber seals are there, but I’m not convinced they squeegee off 100% of the moisture. However I have never done this either.

I have seen the slide toppers and can see how that helps, but still if is damp on a foggy morning and you pull in the slide, The top of the slide has to be dew soaked. Isn't it?

Help fill me in on this. What do you do?

We use to have a PU and one of the reasons moving to a TT was not dealing with wet canvas. I’m trying to be more educated on the next TT when ever it comes.

I’m Mr. fuzzy on the inside clean part of the camper. DW loves it. No cook and no clean weekends or weeks….

John

[purplesuebug]

John,
I carry a small 2 rung stepladder under the couch so I can reach the top of the slide. I first use a brush (I have an expandable RV cleaning brush from Walmart) to get the heavy stuff (leaves, twigs, gypsy moths) from the top of the slide. I camp in the woods a lot.
If it is wet, I then take some rags (actually old towels used for this and drying smelly wet dogs) I carry with us and wipe the outside as well I can. Hint..........do the sides first, they usually are drier and your rags will go farther.
Once you get the slide in, you can then dry the top even better. We have NEVER had trouble with water coming in with the slide. Some people call me a little anal about it but I cannot stand the smell of mildew and I don't need the damage.
Hope this helps....................Marshall

[JohnB]

Marshall

Thanks. I thought that was what one had to do.

The only problem I see now is I will have to get a dog to create the smelly wet rags... I could not resit. I got a really good laugh from your post. Thanks.

It's also good to know I'm not the only fuss pot out there on keeping the camper in top shape.

John

[Sunline Fan]

John,

I can't speak from experience on my 270 because I've not had the slide out in the rain. When I am working on it, if I hear it's supposed to rain, I'll pull it in.

However, I can speak from a Fleetwood perspective. We have two slides on that, and they have the awning toppers. I swear by them. When we pull the slides in, I occasionally will take a California Water Blade and/or towel and wipe down the sides, but the roof stays very clean and quite dry with the topper. Not to mention, all the water will roll off as you pull the slide in because the awning automatically retracts when the slide is put in. The only thing to watch out for is to have the slide windows closed because the water really gushes down! I'm speaking from experience!!!

We only had one time where there was a problem with water inside. It was raining heavy when we pulled the slide in and some water happened to get under the awning. We didn't know that until we started moving and my Dad got a shower! Really, it wasn't that much water, so it dried quickly. It is clean water though since dirt doesn't really get under the topper, but we've cleaned the carpet a few times since anyway.

Marshall, I don't know how much room you have on the top of your slide when it's in, but I have a lot on my 270. It has to be since I have to put a slide out lock up there. Our MH however has 3" or less, so you really can't get your hand up there.

Originally Posted by purplesuebug

Some people call me a little anal

Don't worry, I've been called more than a little, many times .

Jon

[purplesuebug]

Jon,
I've looked at those toppers and have been told that they are wonderful while camping in a "Field" environment but not so good in the woods. They tell me leaves and things can get up under there making it difficult to clean before bringing the slide in. Have you any experience with woodland camping with the topper, especially in the fall??? I would love to hear because I really, really like the topper (plus it just plain looks better) Thanks in advance..............Marshall

[mbart5fan]

My last TT had a small slide with no topper. I was like Marshall, brushing it off and wiping it down before retracting it. Our 289SR came with a topper over the slide ( I would have had one installed anyway) and I love it. As Jon said, water will accumulate on it after a rain. I put a 10"-12" inflated ball under one end which forces most of the water to run off. So far I haven't noticed any debris or water collecting under it and we spend most of our time camping in the Adirondack state parks. I agree with you folks, I don't want any water, mildew, leaves, etc coming in with the slide and the topper reduces the amount of time and labor when tearing down.



Mike

[Sunline Fan]

Originally Posted by mbart5fan

I put a 10"-12" inflated ball under one end which forces most of the water to run off.

Mike, I've also seen people take a big pool noodle, put a rope through the hole in the center (so some hangs down on each end), and put the noodle right under the center of the awning. This way, no water will collect on the awning.

Marshall, you have a point. We've never had this in the woods for a long period of time. Where it's at now (and me too!), we back up to woods, but we don't have any trees over it.

Here's a pic of where it sits. This was taken last fall, so the color isn't as full yet. I'd estimate it's at 40% right now:


Jon

[JohnB]

Thanks folks, keep the responses coming. I keep learning and have more questions from the replies.

On the slide topper, I have seen advertised these type of expanding metal frame that goes under the topper to hold it up. Don’t remember the brand right now. I can see this being better to hold up the awning, especially in heavy rain,

BUT

Ok how do you deal with the mold, mildew and stink of the water in the awning?

Or do you do like we all do on the main awning. If the awning can handle bleach, do the light bleach, scrub, roll up, wait 10 minutes, extend awning again and then hose off?


The ball and noodles to hold up the awning sounds a lot cheaper then that expanding under frame I saw, just not automatic.

Thanks

John

[Sunline Fan]

Hi John,

Originally Posted by JohnB

On the slide topper, I have seen advertised these type of expanding metal frame that goes under the topper to hold it up.

I haven't heard of any such thing. Where have you seen it advertised?

Originally Posted by JohnB

Ok how do you deal with the mold, mildew and stink of the water in the awning?

We really don't have a problem with that, because our awning fabric is made of Sunbrella, along with all the awnings on the coach, so it's never get moldy.

Here's a pic of ours:


Jon

[PTHutch]

John,

The short answer is: We don't (or we don't have to)

When we looked to go to a slide unit getting an awning topper was a must for us.

We’ve broken down in the rain before and have done nothing wrt wiping down the slide or top when bringing it in and have had no problems with water getting inside the trailer from the slide. Actually, we do very little (i.e., nothing) when breaking down wrt wiping the slide sides or top down. Mary just pulls it in when I watch the awning topper to make sure no twigs, branches, etc. gets rolled up in the awning. And we’ve never had a problem with water, wetness, or debris getting inside the trailer from the slide. I guessing the slide room squeegees are doing their jobs, plus Sunline built them right.

We carry a blow-up beach ball with us, like Mike, but have never used them (more from laziness). After a hard rain, we’ll bring in the slide room a little to allow the water to drain off the awning topper.

Carefree has an optional automatic center support for their awning toppers, I think this might be what you were referring to.


This product really interests me and if I knew of this when we bought our trailer I would have looked into it. Our slide topper was installed by the dealer, it didn’t come from the factory with it installed. We have an A&E slide awning, so I don't think the Carefree product will work with our slide awning.

Other things we considered when looking a slide room models were:
1. Can the dinette, refrigerator, etc. be easily access with the slide closed?
2. Can the bathroom be accessed with the slide closed?

Some non-Sunline slide models inhibited use or access to these things when the slide was closed.
These things were important to us, so when we do extended trips, we don’t have to open the slide when we stop on the road for lunch, rests stops, etc.

FYI - There was a great Sunline T-264SR for Sale at the Buttonwood campground during this years Eastern M&G that would be perfect for you . It was loaded too. Jon took & posted some pictures of it. So you don't have to look at those other manufacterers.

Hope this helps some.
Hutch

[Sunline Fan]

Originally Posted by PTHutch

FYI - There was a great Sunline T-264SR for Sale at the Buttonwood campground during this years Eastern M&G that would be perfect for you . It was loaded too. Jon took & posted some pictures of it. So you don't have to look at those other manufacterers.

My Dad called that guy for more details. He was really willing to deal too. He did mention he was putting it on consignment at a dealer, which I later found was Stoltzfus. Last time I was on their site (which was a week or so ago), it was gone. I don't know if it sold or if he just pulled it off. I do have a sheet he faxed with all the options and details of it. I don't think I posted it, so if you're interested, I'll send it to you.

On a side note, I just remembered a problem we had with our slide. One time after a hard rain, our topper rolled up funny and there was a crease in it. The solution was simple, slide it out again and pull it back in. Now, if there's been a heavy rain, I just automatically put it back out again to ensure there's no problems.

Jon

[medbill]

What brand slide toppers do you folks recommend and where is the best place to get them? How tough is the install?

Thanks much,

Billy

[JohnB]

Hutch

Yup, that's the folding top frame I was seeing.

The T264SR, any Sunline is a nice unit and I have seen a lot of them for sale in my quest.

Just we are rear window people.

Which was the reason looking for a T310SR. They had them in 2004 and stopped in 05 on that layout. I have only found one of these for sale. In Florida. And it was the wrong inside color.

If we have to convert, the front kitchen like you, pass thru bath might be the next option.

Thanks to all for the responses.

John

[Tweety]

I seem to be at Stoltzfus on a regular basis lately and never saw that trailer on their lot, or their website. I keep trying to convince myself that I DO like other brands that they carry - but so far I haven't been successful with that. Maybe the Buttonwood trailer was at Stoltzfus in West Chester? Jon...what campground is that? It looks beautiful!

[Sunline Fan]

Message content deleted by author.

[Tweety]

Yes that's the one. I watched their slide show, and it is beautiful. I would guess alot of the owners are summering in MI and wintering somewhere else. Owning your lot is an interesting concept.