F210 UDS Blocked Bath & Refer solution

[LEWR]

We have a 2014 F210uds and we love it, perfect for 2 people. We have over 9,000 miles on it in less than a year. The only problem is the blocked bath and refer when the slide-out is in. To solve the blocked bathroom when we travel, we leave the bath door open against the refer. I installed a screw-in door stop to keep the door handle off the refer door. We have 12 inches to pass to the bathroom. But we could not open the refer.

Now I have a solution that works for us. I removed the 20 pound door and installed a folding door in it's place. We now can use the bathroom and also open the refer with the slide-out in when we travel. We have about 12" to squeeze through to the bath and plenty of space to open the freezer or refer.
I used a Spectrum VS3280K, folding door 24" to 36" by 80". I found it at Amazon.com for $33.00. They have it in Oak and White. It weights about 2 pounds so I also saved 18 pounds of weight.

[thefarside]

Good idea, I feel the same pain.

Thanks for sharing.

[runner421]

So - I'm not sure what the big deal is. I have a 2012 UDS and have done 3 cross-country (TN to CA or OR or WA) trips as well as many shorter trips. I have never had a problem with the being somewhere I can't move the slide out about 18 inches to get to the bathroom or refrigerator. Now-this is only an issue while traveling because most campsites are large enough to fully extend the slide while camping.

[LEWR]

Another reason I replaced the solid bath door with a folding door. Some time ago, I was told (rightly or wrongly) to not use the slide part way. Something about the two motors getting out of synchronization. He said all the way in or all the way out without stopping. Not sure if this is legit.

[michellep]

I just had a similar discussion with a friend of mine (who has the same trailer as I do, except 2012 vs 2015). Here is what he told me (and I trust him explicitly):

Correct. It needs to be all the way out, or all the way in to make those round bulb gaskets contact. Also, making it go to the inward stop, and the outward stop, forces the stepper motors to hit their limit switches, which tells the controller "where" they are. That keeps the motors in syncronization with where the slide is supposed to be at both ends.

That is "possibly" why some people have what they think are problems with their slide. If for whatever reason, one motor at one end or the other runs at a slightly different speed, then it would bind the slide because one end moves in or out a slight bit different. If this is done over and over, eventually it gets cocked. So that is why schwintek tells us to run it to it's limits. Each time it hits in the inner or outer limit switch, the controller knows it is in one of it's two "home" positions.

In the world of CNC machinery ( which I ran for years at work ) we call this "taking it home". That is a "known position", so that once physically there, you zero out the controller so that it knows it is starting from a known good position.

[Kevin & Kate]

Thought I'd throw in my 2 cents on this.

We also sometimes extend our slide-out part-way to get access to refrigerator or bathroom.

We had A LOT of problems with our slide-out when it was new. Several motors were replaced and a new wiring harness installed. The tech said the wiring harness was faulty, and apparently one or two motors as well. It's finally been working perfectly.

We had a long discussion with the slide-out tech at our dealer, which is a very large dealer and has a lot of specialists. This guy was their slide-out expert: Here's what he recommended for the Schwintek:

Every time you move the slide-out in or out, hold the button down all the way and don't release until after all noise stops. Then press the button in the opposite direction for a fraction of a second, just until you hear a sound. It's not necessary to let the slide-out actually start moving; release the button the split second you hear the whirring sound start. Let all the sound stop and wait a few seconds to be sure. Now press the button down in the original direction and hold it down until the whirring completely stops. He recommended doing this EVERY time you extend or retract the slide-out. It resets the controller each time to "know" where the slide-out is and helps keep both sides in sync.

I don't think there is any problem at all with extending the slide-out part-way. Obviously you don't want to leave it that way for a long period of time; it is only weathersealed when it is fully retracted or fully extended. But if you need access for a few minutes, no big deal. Just retract or extend it fully when you're done, and follow the reset procedure outlined in the previous paragraph. And according to Schwintek documentation (of which I have A LOT, having downloaded everything they had on their web site when it appeared I'd have to be a Schwintek expert for the life of this trailer!), Schwintek recommends doing the switch toggling process 3 times to completely reset the controller if your slide-out gets catawampus (love that word! had to look up the spelling). So every so often, just for insurance when I'm retracting our slide-out, I retract it, then three times I: push "Out" for a second until I hear sound, then release button and wait for sound to stop plus a few seconds more, then press "In" until it stops. (I hope I explained that clearly.)

I'm sharing all this because I think it will help the reliability of some of your slide-outs, and because I think it will eliminate any problems that might otherwise be caused by extending or retracting the slide-out partway.

Also, be sure to keep the slide-out lubricated. Check the videos on Schwintek's site. There is some confusion as to what kind of spray lube to use. Sometimes they've said "dry lube," but I think that has changed. Their most recent video recommendation is "CRC Power Lube with PTFE 16 oz. Net weight: 11 oz." which you can find on Amazon if you cut and paste everything between the quotes into Amazon's search field. I'm still fuzzy on why they used to say "dry lube" and now recommend this "wet lube," but either way, they both have PTFE and help keep the slide-out moving freely. If anyone has other information on the lube, I'd be interested. I'm not 100% sure they might recommend both: one for the slide racks and one for the "gibs." [shrug]

[webslave]

That lube, CRC Power Lube with PTFE, is considered a "dry lube". The confusion comes from telling people to use a "dry lube"; they start looking for a powdered product like graphite. CRC (like other PTFE lubricants) goes on wet, but, the carrier dries, leaving behind the protective film. Any spray PTFE lubricant will fit the bill. Personally, I use the same lubricant, but, I use the DuPont version; DuPont Teflon Non-Stick Dry-Film Lubricant Aerosol Spray. Same result; goes on wet, dries, leaving a Teflon based film behind. Much better than silicon lubricants...teflon stays where you apply it, silicon "migrates" all over the place. Good stuff, and, yes, can be used anywhere, it is accepted by the FDA for food preparation areas, too.

[michellep]

Think this would work? (I can't find the CRC version anywhere locally)...(cheaper, too)

[webslave]

Yep! As long as it is PTFE and not silicon, you're good to go. Many makers of the PTFE products and they are all basically the same (about the only differences is what they use for a carrier of the PTFE).