Bubbling paint

[Hancoman]

Good Day to all 

     The paint around the frame of my bedroom slide out is bubbling up. Does anyone know what causes this ? Can I just sand it ?  I can’t paint it but I am capable of sanding to help keep the cost down.  Thanks for your replys

[nvrtoofast]

Bubbling paint is a sign of oxidation (rust on a steel object). To stop it you would have to sand down to the oxidation layer. After cleaning out the area you will need to primer the area, a rattle can can do this. Won't look fresh and new but will stop the oxidation. Left un checked it will continue and get worse. eventually it will crack through the paint. could take a month. Could take a year. It is all a factor of variable you can't know by looking at it.

Sanding will help but is only the first step in the repair. It must be fully cleaned out.

[hex_nut]

I have been chasing the same issues on my '06 Beaver.  My issues have come about because I spend Winters on the Texas gulf coast.  Moist salt air seeps in and attacks the aluminum.  If you scrape off the paint, you will find the powdery white oxidation of salt corrosion of the aluminum.  The only solution is to remove the oxidation down to bare metal and prime and paint.  I keep small cans of touch up paint that match the colors on my coach.  I notice on your first picture, streaks down the side below the corner of your slide.  That is an indication of water intrusion from above.  I would suggest a careful inspection of the top of the slide and any openings in that slide.  The tops of my slides have been sealed with Eternabond tape to minimize such intrusion.  Please stay on top of this, water intrusion is a huge factor in RV deterioration.

Richard

p.s.  Recaulking all seams regularly and keeping the coach well waxed goes a long way toward minimizing these issues.

[Gary 05 AMB DST]

Will a magnet stick to the slide flange?

Gary 05 AMB DST

[dl_racing427]

I think that's aluminum underneath, but if it's steel I'd recommend POR-15 as a permanent solution. Not sure if it works on aluminum.
por15.com

 

[nvrtoofast]

Aluminum Oxidizes too. Just differently. It will cause the issue that Hex_nut has seen. Paint is really there to seal the substrate.  Caulking and paint will help to seal the area to keep from this happening.
 

I hate these issues. They look terrible and once you see it, you can slowly retard but the only way to fix is strip and clean thoroughly. A terrible cycle.

[Hancoman]

Thank you all for the great advice. After reading all the reply’s and looking at my pictures I see where the moisture has gotten under the paint  applying new caulk is a priority to the rest of the coach and that area after repair.

Thanks

[JohnC3]

In addition to your slide, check the molding between the side and roof radius. According to the YouTuber and rv tech azexpert, that is a common failure point on Monaco and hr, beaver etc.

 

 

I had a leak that was staining the storage compartment door. Turns out that flashing had a small separation just behind the rear slide where the side meets the roof. Had the cover removed, the joint reattached with larger screws and recalled and the leak was fixed. Took me 9 months to find it as the leak was a good 12ft aft of where the damage was. Water runs inspect any above the damage. Be sure to check the eternabond tape on the slide roof, mine needed to be replaced on 2 slides so far. If you need to replace it and have a metal slide top,  a vibratory saw with a scraper blade will make it Much easier, also the easiest thing to take off the residue is gasoline works better than anything else I tried. Good luck!

[tmw188]

When we are out in the mh I will blow off water on and around the slides and anywhere water will sit with a cordless blower. I will wipe down those areas with a dry towel too. Call me anal yes. Look for places that water can get into as others have said while drying the coach. I will do this while in storage also on occasions.

Edited June 2, 2023 by tmw188