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SLIDE SEALS ON UNATTENDED COACHES
I had a lengthy conversation last evening with a member who will be leaving his coach at a resort for a while. He has the ability to manage his coach systems from his phone as well as get reporting of certain conditions such as temperatures inside the coach.
What got my attention however was the fact his coach will be in a distant location and it has slides with seals that must remain inflated.
Anyone that has a coach with inflatable slide seals has the risk that a seal will not inflate or remain inflated. The danger is if that happens the coach loses protection against moisture entering the coach leading to serious mold and mildew issues. Once mold and mildew becomes a problem there is a health risk and the potential cost to remediate the mold and mildew damage can exceed the coach value.
If you must leave your coach for a period of time (weeks or months) and it has inflatable seals have a plan to be aware of any problem that might prevent the seals from inflating. Know and understand your auxiliary air system that will be keeping the seals inflated. Understand that if a slide seal fails it is probable the aux compressor will eventually burn itself out trying to air up a system with a big leak. Keep in mind that regardless of if the slides are in or out, the path water will take to enter the coach is exactly the same.
If your coach has the house systems isolated from the Prevost accessory system make sure the two systems are merged because the slide seals are on the Prevost side.
If what I am saying sounds like the sky is falling keep in mind it might be. An unattended coach which needs inflated seals to protect against moisture can have a number of reasons why the seals will fail. First, slide seals can develop leaks and the leaks always get bigger over time. A compressor can fail, especially if it is overworked trying to pressurize a system with an air leak.
I would strongly suggest a plan in which the following things are considered. Have someone monitor the coach. This does not have to be extensive and may only require someone to open the bay door to look at the pressure gauge for the slide seals. If pressure is shown on the gauge that is all that is required. If there is no pressure have a plan to fix the problem. That is not easily done remotely but it does have to be fixed or the coach has to be brought under cover.
To minimize risk, tip the coach so the slides are on the low side of the coach. If the coach has 4 slides, sorry about that.
If the slides have awnings, roll them out. Just make sure they also prevent water from the roof from running down on top of the slide or slide opening.
Finally, if you do all that either remotely or with a friend checking on the coach keep in mind the aux compressor is making water. It is making a lot of water. If that aux system does not have a reliable way of purging the water make certain someone is available to purge the water as needed. I have never seen any converter’s aux system well protected against moisture and it is a guarantee if the water is not purged as often as required the moisture is going to be pumped into the coach accessory system.
Water damage, especially mold and mildew resulting from water entry is very difficult and expensive to fix. Water damage to an accessory system from an accessory system that has not been kept dry is also expensive to fix.
The sky may really be falling.
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9 Replies
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Why didn’t you just tell this member to put his slides in when he leaves?
Later
bv
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Because putting the slides in does nothing to prevent water entry on an XLII. The roof has a curve and even small amounts of water coming from the short sloped section can enter. The owner was leaving the slides in.
This alert was not something I dreamed up. I was accompanied by a couple of members of this forum quite a while ago when we saw a conversion that was being gutted to attempt to mitigate the mold and mildew damage that resulted from water entry on a coach that was stored at a resort when the owner was at his home base. All of us were overwhelmed by the stench of mold and mildew and the cost was up to hundreds of thousands to gut and rebuild the interior, something the insurance company was having a hissy fit about.
But if an owner wants to leave a coach at a RV park while he is gone for a length of time that is his choice. I am just alerting those that do that to be aware of the potential consequences.
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Maybe a can of that expanding foam would do the trick 😉
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Are you telling me that on an XLII, when you’re rolling down the road in pouring rain, there’s a potential of rain getting in your Bus?
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When the slides are in or out the pneumatic seal on a Prevost slide is inflated to prevent water from entering the coach.
Please do not misinterpret my remarks above to suggest an unattended coach will have leaky slide seals. What I am saying is if the seals fail to inflate or remain uninflated on an unattended coach the consequences can be very serious. Good seals with a relatively tight coach accessory system and a good compressor will prevent moisture from entering the coach.
But keep in mind that as our coaches and the seals age the chance of a seal leak increases. An aux compressor could fail. There are other potential reasons for the loss of pressure to keep the seal inflated. Relying on chance is OK and I am sure a lot of people store their coaches outside and do not have a problem. I just want folks to understand that there is a potential for a problem and to have a plan to identify one if it occurs. It is a companion concern that unless the aux compressor has a reliable self purging air dryer or water trap a compressor will generate a lot of water and it will enter the coach accessory system. That becomes a secondary consideration.
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I was one of the guys that saw that coach with severe water damage and mold and it was stored with the sides in. It was not a pretty site and if I recall, the repairs estimate was north of 150K.
Sheesh, I better go check my slide seals.
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last generation slides which started on 06 chassis has to have a couple things go very wrong to leak.
what was the year of this coach?
Later
bv
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The coach was prior to 06.
Prevost seals (any age) have to be inflated to prevent water from entering the coach. Nothing more needs to be said.
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Dont forget about the coaches with a Valid slide….no air pressure they leak…I am not sure what change was to the slide seal in 06….I have changed them in coaches that were 13 models and didnt see anything…I know that a change was made around 16 or 17…those seals are capable of being changed by removing the bladder only, the wipe seal portion stays in place
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