# WATER! under dinette set...UGH!



## Cats4Nat (Jan 28, 2004)

We went to BethPage Camp Resort in Urbanna, VA.....35 miles from Williamsburg....really enjoyed ourselves.

On the 2nd evening there, our daughter noticed some water coming from under the dinette area where the water heater is in the 25RSS. Our immediate thought was water heater...but that was not it. The first section under cushion that we use for storage had a soaked rug.....I think that is why we didnt see it till 2nd day. When I got up in middle of night, I stepped in puddle in front of dinette....I thought first from AC dripping but puddle not close to AC.....wife got up a few hours later, and again small puddle same spot. No obvious line of water from any location, but we think again from dinette area.

Anyway, cleaned it up...didnt see any obvious leaking....it had been showering for short while evening before.

I am thinking water came in through Queen slide. Couldnt find any opening but water will find any entry point. I did notice that the Queen slide is not rolling out as easy as it has been. Maybe it is off centered and water came in that way. We washed the TT with Queen slide out when we got home and did not have any water come in.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks!
David


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## jgerni (Nov 10, 2003)

I've had this happen but only when driving through heavy down pours.
I believe ours was coming from the sofa slide.

Maybe try to get some of that slide out rubber seal conditioner. It really makes the rubber seal much more pliable. Make sure the rubber seals have not gotten kinked or are in an awkward position.

If it wasn't raining then check the compression fitting near the Hot Water heater and around the fresh water pump under the dinette bench seats.

We went to Bethpage over the Memorial Day weekend. Nice place had a great time.


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## Cats4Nat (Jan 28, 2004)

My wife and I really were amazaed at the number of BIG SUVs there were out there pulling all types of TT.....were even amazed at small SUVs pulling TT.

Do you like your Suburban?....we have Yukon 1500, 3.73 which is big enough for 3 of us...but we are having Yukon XL and Suburban envy right now after seeing all the other TV!!!!

We checked out the hot water heater shelter and no water was in there.

Keep on with suggestions....we do not like the water leaks!!









Thanks!


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

I had water leak in the queen slide. (while in outward postion) Here is my suggestion:

~Level your trailer both directions.

~Pull out the queen slide, tighten the inside clamps like normal.

~Put a 3-4' level on the exterior queen slide roof, and check to see if the slide slopes away from the trailer slightly. If it's completely level, or sloping toward the trailer, this may be where the water is getting in. (mine leaked in under the frame on the bottom of the slide seal.

~My remedy: Turn the exterior slide support rail adjustment screws in. This lowered the outer part of the slide slightly, and channeled water away from the seal. Also, when leveling the trailer, I get it level (front to back) and then raise the front ever so slightly)

If this isn't the problem, check water fittings, seals for damage, or even a twig or something could be wedged under the seal somewhere.

Good luck, keep us posted!


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## jgerni (Nov 10, 2003)

Cats4Nat, NDJollyMon had some good suggestions for the rear slide. I fortunately have had no leaks with the queen slide. Do you all have gutters near the bottom on the exterior of the queen slide? This should channel the water running down the sides of the slide away.

We love that Big Suburban. There are still lots of room behind the 3rd row seat. It is surprisingly agile with a short turning radius of a vehicle of that size. If I had to get another it would probably be a Â¾ ton model because the 25RS-S is about all I would want to tow with as much camping and long trips we are and have been taking.


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

Sorry you've had problems with yours. Last week we had a mix of rain and sun, first few days we had heavy rain and wind and not one leak. I kept looking and looking too. I think JollyMon's level idea is a great place to start, I know mine goes back just a bit too.


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## hurricaneplumber (Apr 12, 2004)

One last check, look at the outside to make sure the walls and roof are all sealed up and caulked, sometimes it can be days before water surfaces if it is slowly leaking down through the wall. Just a quick double check, may be worth it.

As far as tow vehicles, I had a Grand Caravan before and we loved the space for cargo and people. We traded in for a Supercrew truck. We can easily seat 5 adults comfortably and still haul enough stuff that you don't really need. There is almost the same legroom in the rear as in the front. Plus it has longer wheelbase compared to most SUV's.

Just some more thoughts.

Good luck with the leak, hopefuly it is simple.

Kevin


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## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

Hi

Had the same problem. My rear slide was out. I have had out during several heavy rains and no problems...then we had a rain with blowing wind. Water







. Cleaned it up ASAP and called the dealer. The dealer was great this time around. They replaced all cushions including the queen matress (was not wet but the dealer did not wish to take any chances) and all trim pieces around the slide. The dealer found the problem after water testing the TT. A small piece of the seal was not seating properly. The replaced the seal and also caulked around the entire seal area. They allowed me to high pressure wash the rear slide until I was satisfied that the leak was fixed.

We have had several rain storms with wind and everything is dry









So far pretty happy with the fix.

Thor


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## j1mfrog (Jun 6, 2004)

Thor said:


> The dealer found the problem after water testing the TT.





> My dealer told me how they do this.
> 
> They close up the camper except for one vent. They seal a fan to that vent and blow air into the camper, effectively pressurizing the cabin to slighty higher than atmospheric. Then they put soapy water over the area of the suspected leak. When you see bubbles, you've found a leak.
> 
> Thought this may be helpful for some in finding leaks after warranty runs out.


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

You can find a propane leak, or a leak in your tire the same way.

Tim


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## Cats4Nat (Jan 28, 2004)

Okay, wife and I went into trailer to see if any leaks....since it was a downpour.....we were checking on dinette leak from earlier post.

We now believe leaking coming from original sofa slide leak in post from April 2004 that we thought dealer fixed.....we dropped off trailer for 3 1/2 weeks...they did only one out of 4 repairs we asked them to fix....and that one is now not done...the SOFA SLIDE LEAK!!! AAhhhhhh!









So back to dealer to fuss at them....wife will need to get 'loud',...seems to work best when she does the 'talking (yelling).

New leak found at front door by bunks.....water drops from ceiling..also in closet right by front door. We think loose caulking is that culprit.

I am thinking that the chances that wife will agree to purchase from this dealer and even Keystone are getting slimmer and slimmer.

Will keep you updated.


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Dave...sounds like my OUTBACK & Service dept!
Good luck. I'm still waiting to get mine back from the service dept.


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## Cats4Nat (Jan 28, 2004)

After 3 weeks at dealer without a fix, the 25RS-S is headed back to Keystone in Indiana for repair. Very frustrating, but they want their chance at fixing it 'right'. They promise it will be back before our trip in August.

Dealer spent over 12 hrs trying to fix leak....change gaskets, added gaskets, extended sofa slide gutters...no luck...they were scratching their heads.

Unbelievable!!

David


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## Cats4Nat (Jan 28, 2004)

25RS-S came back from Keystone in Indiana 1 1/2 weeks before our BIG trip to Myrtle Beach on Aug. 9th. .....New seal system placed in sofa slide....BEAUTIFUL...they also fixed the Queen slide we didnt know we had and adjusted our sofa slide topper....was not apparently at camping world.

No leaking...even during Hurricane Charley!!.....mandatory evacuation.....very exciting trip....our daughter will have a great 'What did you do during summer' paper to write for school!!

We are very happy with Lon and the crew at Keystone RV....they were polite, contacted us almost daily (big PLUS for my wife) unlike dealer who didnt contact us once during time TT in Indiana.

Initially we were not happy to send it back to Indiana, but turned out to be best decision......and they did a couple other repairs for us while it was there.
We also have new A/C model that turns off and on when it reaches set temperature.

Happy Outbackers now!! sunny


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## snsgraham (May 18, 2004)

Cool! Glad you finally got some satisfaction.

We had around two inches of rain in 12 hrs while camping last Saturday night/Sunday morning. Not quite a hurricane but enough of a test. The only "leak" we had was the bathroom vent being open







Knock on plywood!!

Scott


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## rennerbee (Jul 25, 2004)

sunny Shwewh! I am glad it all turned out for the better for you all. I was starting to question our purchase! I am like your wife in that I want to know whats going one everystep of the way and would be VERY frustrated to have the situation happen to me. Loud is a very good (and polite) way to describe a way of getting things done!


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## Shevin (Aug 31, 2004)

Hi everyone,
I have been extremely interested in the talk about leaks in the Outback slides. We are seriously considering purchasing the 25rs-s. If there are any problems with leaks, I can guarantee that our local dealer will be of no help, considering the fact we are selling our Rockwood because of leaks - most likely caused by the dealers' carelessness







. Anyway, does anyone know of a reputable dealer (we're from PA) that will back up their products or can we purchase directly from the factory? I really need recommendations. Should we consider a model without slides????

Shevin


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

Shevin,

Welcome to the forums.

Where abouts in PA are you? If you're not too far from Jersey, Garick RV in oak ridge has given us and a few others here on the forum great service.

Mike


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## Mac (Mar 26, 2004)

Where is Oak Ridge in Jersey. Can't find it on the map.


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

Mac,

Oak Ridge is in northern NJ, west of Rt. 287 on Rt. 23 a little ways north of Rt. 80

Mike


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## Cats4Nat (Jan 28, 2004)

Our understanding is that there may be a new seal system coming up in 2005 or maybe 2006 models for slide outs. We also purchased slide topper which can also help. Our sofa slide was leaking in from bottom of slide out....water would come down the slide gutter system and get in through mechanics....it is very snug there with new seal system.
Look at the sofa slide seal on the 25RS-S you are looking at....the older seal system is up to the slide mechanism on both sides...not incorporated with it. The newer one is part of mechanism.

We were also very happy with Keystone Customer service once our trailer went up there. We were not happy about it going up but they came and got it and had it back to us in < 2 1/2 weeks for our big trip.

I would definitely check out water leaks before you sign on dotted line....open slides....both queen and sofa and turn on dealers water hose and soak it...see what happens.....sometimes it is just caulking.

The key is to check it *before signing.*

David


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## Cats4Nat (Jan 28, 2004)

Pa. is having two up coming RV shows....

#1- sept. 9-12 in Camp Hill, Pa... check out www.prvca.org
#2-Oct. 1-3 in Allentown, Pa.

Keystone also has the 'Zeppelin' which is very nice and lighter than Outback...but it is new to RV and as such may have first time 'issues'.

David


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## Shevin (Aug 31, 2004)

I am located in south central PA, Gettysburg area. I searched for a dealer other than the local one in York and found Tom Shaeffer's RV near Pottsville. Does anyone know about them? We are planning to go to the RV show in Harrisburg next week to see what else is out there. I still like the layout of the 25rs-s. Still concerned about the slide, though. I will use your suggestion on how to check out the seals.
thanks.

Shevin


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## Cats4Nat (Jan 28, 2004)

We love Gettysburg....I spent many summers growing up with my grandmother is a development off rte 30 called Lake Heritage. 
We love Drummer Boy Campground too...great friendly place!!

There is RV dealer off Rte. 30 or is that rte 15......going south toward Md......on left side...does not carry Outbacks.....but they have ton of others.

Sandra


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