Our coach is in for a new slide bladder at Temecula Valley RV, CA. I was just told that the new bladder is tighter than the old one and has a ridge on it which catches on the side windows as it moves in and out. The solution that the installer offered was to place a black shim length wise on each side of the window to allow the bladder to move over it. Has anyone had this issue with a new bladder?
This is what it looks like.
First time i've heard of this. Mine did not need it. Have you consulted with HWH?
Rich
My new bladder squeaks. Apparently this is normal. No other issues.
I have not heard of it either. I would call hwh
Are you sure seal is completely deflated? Mine is original, but can slide a credit card around when deflated.
It's possible that the vacuum pump isn't removing enough air from the bladder, causing the rib to not retract enough.
Not sure how much room I have when deflated but seem to be the size of the gap in fiberglass. Maybe 1/2"
I believe that there should be daylight all around the slide when the bladder is deflated. The rubber bladder should not be rubbing on the slide when it extending or retracting.
I - second calling HWH.
I had the bedroom bladder replaced last year due to age and the living room this week at FOT due to failure of the old one.. The new style bladder retracts completely. If it touches the slide when deflated something isn't right. The manifold has to be replaced on the new type seal, I don't remember the details why.
Do you have the new style manifold block required with the new slide bladders?
They will change it when they replace the bladder.. mandatory manifold change when needed.
Is it any slide bladder change, or just certain years?
anyone getting the new bladder replaced that has not had their manifold upgraded will need both.. they will not replace the bladder without the upgraded manifold..
I am even more confused.
Slide room air seal "bladder" replacement news from HWH (https://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=32216.0)
I had my bladder changed in June at the mothership and was told nothing like this. When the bladder deflates I have probably a 1/2 gap all the way around.. they told me to install the new bladder hwh required the replacement of A manifold, it was$800. From what I know there is NO vacuum pump.. I can get a pic of the gap tomorrow
The vacuum pump is an air driven venturi built into the slide manifold. You can hear it hissing when you turn the key on to deflate the bladder. It uses the air in the tank first and then the compressor comes on when the tank pressure drops.
Rich
I have been thinking about a trip to HWH to have them check my air systems. It sounded like a good service and I felt they might be better trained and equipped to do a more in depth exam. When we took delivery, I had questions about the slide and bladder that weren't answered to satisfaction at MOT. The forum has answered most of them, thankfully.
I was also thinking about having the bladder replaced due to its age. I have no problems with it but the feeling is that the change might prevent later problems. I have changed my reason for having it replaced due to what I have read here. An update makes a lot of sense. My bladder opens up if the air leaks out, letting rain, weather and insects in. I like the thought that the "new" design seals with the loss of air. I'm thinking the trip makes even more sense, now.
Not knowing, just guessing, it seems that the OP's problem might be due to the installer not installing the complete system. Not evacuating the air in the bladder would cause the problem he describes. IMHO....
Thanks for the knowledge!
Glen
As has been posted before, when buying a new bladder, wether for bedroom or living room, you have to replace the manifold also. HWH won't sell just the bladder by itself.
I don't understand how the new bladder would seal if the air was let out!?
I had to purchase a new manifold. The installers talked to FT and didn't get any useful information. They now have a call into HWH.
"We'll see what happens" (I don't like this expression).
On mine vacuum sucks the seal flat for slide in and out, perhaps seal is formed so it is expanded with no vacuum, and pressure just increases the seal pressure against slide?
I would agree with that. Must have a good vacuum to collapse the seal. BUT, when my living room bladder had a hole in it , I could still run the slide in and out without the bladder catching on those two windows. Bare in mind that was with the old style bladder. Not sure how that would work with the new style. My moneys on not enough vacuum.
Given it's a 2000... what are the chances there's a delamination issue with the leading/trailing faces of the slide that could be causing the problem?
Here is a pic of the gap of the front edge behind the drivers seat and the top corner
Keith
Are these photos with the new bladder?
I noticed some delamination at the edge of the frame (not slide) and had them correct it while the slide was out. While in the shop, they discovered some delamination at the bottom of the slide and corrected it. I think they would have checked the side as well and would have been happy to dismantle the slide to get to it if that were the case.
If there was a leak that caused the bladder to lose vacuum, I would expect the compressor to come on to compensate. I'm with Richard in thinking that the bladder isn't going as flat as it should. Hopefully the shop's attempt to reach HWH will be fruitful and that they respond quicker than they do for owners.
Yes that is the new bladder gap.
Did I read somewhere that the new bladders don't require vacuum to deflate, as that's the default? Maybe the reason for a new manifold? I know the new ones take a few more PSI than the old ones.
My new bladder does deflate when I turn the key on. Have had my wife operate the switches while I looked from outside. Can watch the bladder being retracted from the walls of the slide then re inflate when she turns the key off. Shouldn't the 2000 era coaches be the same?
Richard, MOT put in a new slide bladder prior to our purchase and when you turn on the key, the bladder defates and when off, it inflates! When getting ready to move, once I turn on the switch, I can look around the slide inside the coach and see the bladder deflate. Once the yellow light comes on, it is safe to extend or retract the slide. Since the bladder was replaced last year, I would assume that it is the latest and greatest! At least I hope so!
Just an FYI. We have the yellow light setup on ours. The bladder is NOT fully deflated when the light comes on. It is still in contact with the slide. When the yellow light comes on, I still have to wait until I count to ten to retract the slide. I usually stand outside and check before I let Peggy hit the retract switch. Everyone might want to check the bladder visually at least once to make sure it is fully retracted when the yellow light says "Go." It is easy to do if you are standing outside watching the bladder.
Rich
My new air bladder, just recently installed clears the slide by 1/2 inch, it takes about a minute or less to get there. There is lots of clearance, I did up the air pressure as the new bladder is much stiffer, I had a water leak where it didn't quite close the gap
The small increase in pressure fixed the problem
The new bladder is really quite a bit stiffer than the old one ......
Safe Travels
Dave