Leaking Schwintek slide rail

[DRM796]

Have a schwintek slide that leaks at the lower rail and gets the bottom side of the slide wet. I have caulked all along the rail and the mounting screws but some how water still gets thru to the bottom. Done some web searching but haven't been able to find any definitive fixes. Any ideas?

Thanks

[Bradenh14]

I had the same issue found the leak behind the corner piece that has the three screws in it on the outside, pulled it off and found a bunch of water and mildew from where it had been leaking for so long. So I cleaned it up really good and siliconed the crap out of it! Also did all the bottom and the other corner.

[Kkurt001]

I have the same problem and it doesn’t matter if the slide out is on or out.

[Kkurt001]

Mine leaks and my neighbors has same set up, his has a drip cap on his, mine doesn’t and leaks on the floor.

[bid_time]

I’d bet dollars to donuts the water is coming from the windows.

[DRM796]

CA Traveler wrote:

schlep1967 wrote:
Never dealt with it but.... my suggestion if it is possible.
Remove screws from the rail. How far can you pull the rail out from the slide? Is it enough to get Butyl tape behind it? Place 1 inch pieces of butyl tape behind the rail were the screws will go back in through them. If that is where your leak is it should fix the problem.

I would not do this since it may cause the rails to extend further out and cause problems with the fixed gears. Plus you may be limited as the screws get closer to the slide interior position. Maybe OK but I'd get professional advice or help before proceeding.

Have you considered that the water may be moving around the lower slide edges on the bottom due to rig tilt or wind?

Don't think it's coming from the outside. We took a hose and let water run down the side from about 6 inches above the rail for about 5 minutes or so. Didn't appear to be leaking. Then checked again a few minutes later and you could see a damp spot.

[CA_Traveler]

schlep1967 wrote:
Never dealt with it but.... my suggestion if it is possible.
Remove screws from the rail. How far can you pull the rail out from the slide? Is it enough to get Butyl tape behind it? Place 1 inch pieces of butyl tape behind the rail were the screws will go back in through them. If that is where your leak is it should fix the problem.

I would not do this since it may cause the rails to extend further out and cause problems with the fixed gears. Plus you may be limited as the screws get closer to the slide interior position. Maybe OK but I'd get professional advice or help before proceeding.

Have you considered that the water may be moving around the lower slide edges on the bottom due to rig tilt or wind?

[DRM796]

schlep1967 wrote:
Never dealt with it but.... my suggestion if it is possible.
Remove screws from the rail. How far can you pull the rail out from the slide? Is it enough to get Butyl tape behind it? Place 1 inch pieces of butyl tape behind the rail were the screws will go back in through them. If that is where your leak is it should fix the problem.

Thanks for the tip

[schlep1967]

Never dealt with it but.... my suggestion if it is possible.
Remove screws from the rail. How far can you pull the rail out from the slide? Is it enough to get Butyl tape behind it? Place 1 inch pieces of butyl tape behind the rail were the screws will go back in through them. If that is where your leak is it should fix the problem.

[CA_Traveler]

DRM796 wrote:
Pretty sure it's the rail. We have sprayed water on the side of the slide just around the rail and have seen the water start to show up.

If in fact the slide water on the bottom is coming from the rails then you have a serious leak.

I would expect to see water on all 4 sides on the slide with rain.

[Pbutler97]

nickthehunter wrote:
The Schwintek rails are mounted to the side of the slide room with screws. So if the screws are sealed, then it isn't the slide rail that is leaking. You should take the screws out, put sealant in the hole, and put the screws back in. (Rust on a screw when you take it out is a sign that either that screw was leaking or something above it was.) If that doesn't fix the leaking, your problem is somewhere else. Look at the sealant around the windows; that's a common problem.

The rails and the slide itself are supposed to be running out of level when the slide is deployed towards the outside. This keeps water from running back the rail itself, past the closed cell foam seal that the rail runs through. The RV manufacturers are notorious for putting the entire slide together wrong or screwing up yhe opening and alignment so the rails are level or slope towards the sidewall.

[DRM796]

Pretty sure it's the rail. We have sprayed water on the side of the slide just around the rail and have seen the water start to show up.

[nickthehunter]

The Schwintek rails are mounted to the side of the slide room with screws. So if the screws are sealed, then it isn't the slide rail that is leaking. You should take the screws out, put sealant in the hole, and put the screws back in. (Rust on a screw when you take it out is a sign that either that screw was leaking or something above it was.) If that doesn't fix the leaking, your problem is somewhere else. Look at the sealant around the windows; that's a common problem.

[PButler96]

DRM796 wrote:
Have a schwintek slide that leaks at the lower rail and gets the bottom side of the slide wet. I have caulked all along the rail and the mounting screws but some how water still gets thru to the bottom. Done some web searching but haven't been able to find any definitive fixes. Any ideas?

Thanks

With the slide open and unit level put a level on the rail. Does it have a slight slope to the outside end of the slide? It should so that any water flows to the outside, not through the gasket at the sidewall opening. The way the gasket is designed a hard wind driven rain blowing towards the camper is coming in regardless, but that should be a minimal amount of water.