"Hydro-locked" RTT Ladder? (After Heavy Rains)

[SnoViking]

Hey Folks, Curious if anyone has experienced the similar: So last night we braved the elements and camped out during a fairly heavy rain storm in our Tepui RTT. We stayed warm and dry up in the roof top tent and enjoyed a decent lightning show. We awoke this morning and while I was breaking camp and packing up the roof top tent I pushed the tent up with the ladder and folded it over. I went to collapse the ladder and it wouldn't budge. At first I thought it was the "latches" for each rung but even after I tried the bottom set a few times it wouldn't budge. It was at this point I also noticed the extra weight in the ladder. I have quick disconnect hardware for the ladder so I popped it off to further inspect. Once off, I could hear water within the ladder. I tried to collapse the ladder again and could feel the resistance of the water "compressing" (or lack thereof). I flipped the ladder up-side-down and was amazed at how much water poured out of the top. I let it drain for a few minutes while I continued to pack up and then it folded up with no issues.

It's a Tepui ladder which is the telescoping style. I have the Tepui Autana which has the extended canopy area but I have tent body flipped around (with the extended canopy over my pelican boxes and the non-extended side over the ladder) so its more the Kukeman style with the ladder somewhat exposed.

Anyone else ever experience this?

I'm going to pull the bottom "feet" off the ladder tomorrow and see if I can drill drain holes in them for future prevention.

 

[SnoViking]

So I pulled off the ladder and had a closer look;

When I pulled off the bottom rubber "feet" I was again surprised that there was still a lot of water inside. With the feet off I opened and closed the ladder a bunch of times to work the water down and out. I didn't want to take the ladder too far apart for fear of not getting it back together. I drilled some 3/8" holes in the bottom of the feet to help with drainage. Each section of ladder has a locking/cam mechanism and I'm not sure how much water can pass by or be trapped. I took my time and tried to clean and wipe everything dry as much as I could. I have opened up and airing out in my basement. Once it's fully dry I want to "lubricate" the slides and I've been thinking about how to go about this. I don't want anything oil or solvent based so I'm thinking I may use a synthetic car wax on the legs and segments. I figure this will help reduce the sliding friction, plus it will help with any corrosion on the inside because of moisture.

If anyone has taken apart one of these types of ladders please let me know. I'm hunting for any incites.

 

[screwball48]

You may try aerosol Rem Oil to help protect the ladder components. I have used it for years on hundreds of firearms and am a firm believer that it works for rust protection.

REM OIL 4OZ. AEROSAL https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000C50TM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_3qsezbMW0B768


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[Box Rocket]

Interesting. This is the first I've heard of this happening. Looking at your photo, you have the old style telescoping ladder (not sure how much that is a factor). Personally I have used silicone spray to lubricate my own ladders. If you're interested in upgrading to the new style ladder, let me know and I can help with that.