Slide Seal

[merle&louise]

I have the HWH slides on my Newell and they have worked very well over the last 5 years. The slides have inflatable gaskets. I can see daylight when my gaskets are deflated so I would think that having inflatable gaskets would be a necessity. I like my HWH slides.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I don't have slides, but after seeing how Roger's functions and how it is built I feel confident in saying Prevost has done it right.

They have a robust construction. The mechanism that moves the slides in and out keeps them perfectly aligned and there is a way to deal with a failure using hand tools. The seals are expensive, but what is important is that they are able to keep any moisture from entering the coach and that is critical. I suspect any coach (any type, regardless of who makes the slide) has to be protected agains unwanted water entry and the way the Prevost seal is installed and functions it does just that.

I am certain there are many ways to create slides and seals. I am certain they all work. I am equally certain once the Prevost slides are installed and their operation fine tuned they are going to work very well and with little trouble. This is coming from a guy that doesn't want slides, but now I can say it has nothing to do with concerns about their reliability or maintenance costs.

[merle&louise]

I found this website on the www.

http://www.sealmaster.com/

[Gary Carmichael]

Seems like most of the seals are for industrial apps, although they might could design a seal for slides, interesting. My slides are prevost and they are 5 years old. I have all the repair records for the bus and do not see that a replacement has been done. That said would the compressor run constantly to try to keep air in the seal that had a leak: which compressor? How would you know you had a leak? water, noise, dust I am new to this so excuse any stupid questions. thanks, Gary

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I'm not a slide expert, but I do know the slide seal has to be inflated to provide protection against the elements. The seal inflation pressure is extremely low, as in single digits and if it leaks the aux compressor will definitely have to run to maintain the pressure. If the leak is small it will cycle, but as the leak increases it will run more and more.

That introduces a problem non-slide coaches are not confronted with. Getting an aux system so tight that the compressor rarely runs is difficult. I have done it twice and both times I dedicated a serious amount of time chasing and repairing leaks. The more complex the coach, like my Elegant Lady, the more potential for leaks. The chassis of the bus also has areas of potential leaks, not including the slide seals so it becomes an ongoing effort that will test anyone's patience.

Add seals into the equation and the luxury of ignoring leaks goes away. As the aux compressor runs more frequently it is at risk of premature failure, but it also signals a leak and now the challenge becomes finding them. If they are in the seals I would isolate that circuit and add air and monitor how long it holds. That may require making a small apparatus that has a shut off valve and gauge that can be inserted in the seal supply hose and that might involve removing some interior trim to access that hose. If the seal has integrity and is leak free then to eliminate the need for relying on the aux compressor, it might suffice to add a manual shutoff in the system when the bus will be parked for extended periods. A check valve will also work, but it has to be placed so the seals can have a vacuum when the slides are retracted or extended.

When we replaced Roger's slide seal it was inflated and it held that pressure for at least a day with no loss of pressure so the seals if intact will not lose air.

As to the question about water, noise and dust, I think if you have those clues the seal has been leaking for quite a while. I suspect the best and earliest clue is an increase in the frequency of compressor running. Perhaps some slide seal experts can jump in here and share their experiences. The seals are easy to replace, but expensive so the best way to deal with them is to never do or allow anything that could cut or pinch them and once they leak to not hesitate to replace them before damage occurs.

[fixrim]

Guys I have a 2003 XLII with a slide issue, related to seal. My seal will not hold vacuum, and I had to short the switch that senses vacuum, otherwise, my slide would not work. I have now been running my coach like that for 9 months. I don't ever see daylight anywhere, and I have no drafts, and I have no leaks. In fact, if not for shorting the switch, I'd be unaware I have a slide seal issue. As such, I have been hesitant to get this repaired. First, I can't find anyone to repair (granted I havent looked that hard) that isn't Prevost. I have had some challenging experiences at Prevost in Dallas, so I don't take my bus there anymore.

Any suggestions or comments?

FWIW I have driven the coach about 25,000 miles since the failure, and we now have 228,000 miles on it.

[parksincpp]

Bob-

Please feel free to call me at the Mira Loma, CA branch 1-800-421-9958 M-F 7-3:30 and I'll help you out the best I can over the phone. There's a really good chance it may be the switch.

Scott

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Here's a simple answer. If it holds pressure, it will also hold vacuum. I would say Scott is right on target with his analysis.

If on the other hand it will not hold pressure, then it suggests the seal is bad.

[travelite]

Folks,

Over on WOG we're trying to source a pneumatic seal for our slide equipped coaches. Our buses use HWH slides but HWH is having difficulty with their air seal supplier. The story is that the supplier has been playing with the rubber composition and they released seals with an inferior mix. HWH has had to recall some seals and now there's a backlog of orders and no date on delivery. We have WOG members who need seals now. My question is, can anyone tell me the name of the vendor who provides Prevost with their slide air seals? I know it takes time to have a slide seal designed and manufactured, and by then HWH may have this all figured out; nonetheless, we'd really like to have a second source. Thanks.

[RussWhite]

Sealmaster provided the seals for the HWH slides on my '99 Newell. Maybe they can help you. Russ