# Rear Slide Weatherstripping, Weep Holes And Bugs



## Insomniak (Jul 7, 2006)

Some of you may have seen my post regarding my maiden voyage and being invaded by bees. Basically they were getting into the trailer somehow in their search for water and cooler temps. I have a few theories and maybe some of you have had the same problems:

I looked at the weatherstripping around the rear slide today and it looks like the bottom of the "box" isn't contacting the weatherstripping on the inside. The top and sides are tight. I tried cranking the locks down more, but only succeeded in pulling a couple of the screws out that hold the locks to the wall. I started to think that the culprit may be the slide rails that aren't holding the box up high enough. I noticed that there's a nut on the threaded portion of the bottom attachment. If I loosen that, can I adjust the ends of the slide rails upward a bit? Should I put another strip of rubber on the bottom inside of the slide out?

I'm also thinking that the rather large weep holes in the windows are another place for the little pests to get in. I read something on here about stuffing little bits of paper towel into the holes to keep bugs out. I found nine dead bees between the screen and glass in one of the windows this morning!

I pulled down the inside portion of the air conditioner since I heard angry buzzing in there just as I left the desert yesterday. I didn't see the big hole people talk about that lets cold air into the ceiling, but I did find two small holes that the wiring goes through. A bee definitely could have been able to get through there and into the ceiling, explaining the dead one I found in the light fixture above the front bunk! I sealed the holes up with the silver sticky tape, and even went all the way around the inside of that area to create a more metallic "air handler" like a residential A/C system - no exposed wood to get wet from excess humidity.

All in all, I'm happy that I only got stung once, and that I didn't take my kids with me. I don't even want to think about what could have happened to a panicked 2 year-old and a 4 year-old with bees swarming around them......


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## Insomniak (Jul 7, 2006)

Anybody ??


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Not sure why they would have gone after your trailer but I have not had any problems with bugs getting in that are bigger then noseeums.

As for adjusting the rear slide, I would not adjust it to be higher in the back just to close the gap on the bottom. Raise it to be level but no more, if you need to add a seal strip that is what I would do.


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## HootBob (Apr 26, 2004)

Yes the rear slide should be level

As for the weep holes how about putting some s mall pieces of steel wool in the weep holes that way you still have plenty of drainage

I would put some window screen on the inside of the A/C shroud to keep them from coming in

Don


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## 3LEES (Feb 18, 2006)

HootBob said:


> As for the weep holes how about putting some s mall pieces of steel wool in the weep holes that way you still have plenty of drainage
> 
> Don


I would not use steel wool. When it rains, it WILL rust big time. And getting rust marks off the side of the Outback will not be fun.

However you could use "bronze" wool. It is available at most home improvement / paint stores. Guaranteed not to rust.

Dan


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

3LEES said:


> you could use "bronze" wool. It is available at most home improvement / paint stores. Guaranteed not to rust.


That sounds like a pretty good idea. Fortunately we have not had any bug problems.... yet!









Happy Trails,
Doug


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## Insomniak (Jul 7, 2006)

3LEES said:


> As for the weep holes how about putting some s mall pieces of steel wool in the weep holes that way you still have plenty of drainage
> 
> Don


I would not use steel wool. When it rains, it WILL rust big time. And getting rust marks off the side of the Outback will not be fun.

However you could use "bronze" wool. It is available at most home improvement / paint stores. Guaranteed not to rust.

Dan








[/quote]
I was thinking the same thing - steel wool would rust. A little bit of brass wool might do the trick. I also thought about using the little plastic plugs that come with a cheap put-together cabinet and fill the holes that you don't use for the shelves. They might be a little too big, but them are some big weep holes! Looks like they're punched out of the metal, so they might have a tab on the inside that can be bent back to make the hole smaller.

I'm going to level the trailer, then check the rear slide to see if it's sitting level. If not, I'll play with the adjustment on the rails. If it is, I'll look at putting a strip of something on the bottom inside edge of the slide box and see if that works.

Thanks everybody!


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## countrygirl (Apr 9, 2006)

Insomniak said:


> As for the weep holes how about putting some s mall pieces of steel wool in the weep holes that way you still have plenty of drainage
> 
> Don


I would not use steel wool. When it rains, it WILL rust big time. And getting rust marks off the side of the Outback will not be fun.

However you could use "bronze" wool. It is available at most home improvement / paint stores. Guaranteed not to rust.

Dan








[/quote]
I was thinking the same thing - steel wool would rust. A little bit of brass wool might do the trick. I also thought about using the little plastic plugs that come with a cheap put-together cabinet and fill the holes that you don't use for the shelves. They might be a little too big, but them are some big weep holes! Looks like they're punched out of the metal, so they might have a tab on the inside that can be bent back to make the hole smaller.

I'm going to level the trailer, then check the rear slide to see if it's sitting level. If not, I'll play with the adjustment on the rails. If it is, I'll look at putting a strip of something on the bottom inside edge of the slide box and see if that works.

Thanks everybody!
[/quote]

I have seen pics on here where someone lines the slide out queen with the silver colored buble wrap...I think they did it for warmth/drafts...maybe this eould work...or use a lil duct tape...sticky side against the the hole inside the bed box. then you could make the weep hole the size you want.

Hey Hootbob..I like your suggestion of the screen inside the ac...have you tried this...does it still draw enough air??


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

If you block the weep holes in the windows, the sill will fill up with water in a rain and you will have another problem.

I would like to think what happened with the bees is a fluke.

Another reason I always walk my site before backing in, obstructions, anything left by the previuos camper that will cause a flat , ant hills and now bee nests


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## Insomniak (Jul 7, 2006)

An almost finished update:

I fiddled around with the adjustments on the slide rails, and they indeed had the box sitting a little low. That explains why the flange inside wasn't making contact with the weatherstrip at the bottom. I was trying to get just the right adjustment when I had to leave for work - kept missing it by a few threads and the bottom would seal, but not the top. I'll finish it tomorrow, but it looks like the answer to that problem.

As for the weep holes, it looks like there's a tab that can be bent a little to make the hole smaller. I don't want to close them up, just keep the big critters out. I still need to install my MaxAir vent covers, and I'm going to look at some sort of screen for the A/C shroud.

While I was doing all this, my neighbor came out and couldn't believe that the bees were so intent on getting inside the trailer. He kept shaking his head and calling them "desperate", lol!

I've taken a tent to the same place in the desert in summer and the bees found my water container. It wasn't leaking but they knew water was in there and had completely covered the spigot








Had to cook and eat inside the tent!!


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

PDX_Doug said:


> you could use "bronze" wool. It is available at most home improvement / paint stores. Guaranteed not to rust.


That sounds like a pretty good idea. Fortunately we have not had any bug problems.... yet!









Happy Trails,
Doug
[/quote]

Diito on that.


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## grissle (Aug 2, 2006)

I had a bee problem two weeks ago. The little guys were stealing the caulking at the base of doors and finding their way into the trailer. Had 8 dead inside the trailer. Took me awhile to figure out what they were doing. The large white deposits on their legs gave it away. I watched closer and saw that they were taking the caulking like they would pollen from a flower.

Have no idea how or if you can stop them from that. I'm stumped.


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