Anthony Galluscio Camper Maintenance

Becca and I are going on a combined work-vacation to New York. My son, Bobby, came home to help me do the required maintenance on our 2015 Jayco Jay Flight 23RB Travel Trailer. We basically followed the list that we created last year. It is my hope that we can help other camper owners finding themselves in a similar situation, and even add to this list next year based on comments and feedback received.

Here are some stats on our camper:

• Years Owned: 3 years
• Total Mileage: 8629 miles
• Total Nights Camping: 112 Nights Camping

For the record, here is a list of all of the systems on which we performed preventative maintenance:

System	Tasks	Notes
Hitch	Configured backup assist	N/A. In my opinion this is a complete waste.
	Removed Gear Rust	Used wire brush and Rustoleum rust reformer
	Lubricated ball and sway connectors	Used standard grease.
Propane	Inspect	Hoses, connectors, and tanks in good repair
	Clean	Wiped down tanks, hoses, and fittings
	Refill	Took one tank to ACE Hardware and had it “topped off” for $14. Switched the backup tank to primary.
Undercarriage	Inspect	Noticed some rust starting.
Roof	Inspect Seams	Notices small holes and cracks starting in the seals. Will need to repair with Eternabond tape in the near future and definitely by next year.
	Repair issues	N/A. Will do Eternabond at next maintenance.
Stabilizers	Inspect	Significant rust. Considering replacing when these become unserviceable.
	Lubricate	Sprayed liberally with silicone lubricant.
Steps	Paint	N/A. Did not paint steps.
	Lubricate hinges	Sprayed hinges with silicone lubricant.
Fresh Water	Sanitize	Followed recommended procedure to drain, sanitized, flush, and refill the fresh water system. I may write a separate blog detailing that process.
Septic system	Clean tank	Tank has been kept very clean over the last year so no action necessary.
	Sanitize gear	Gear was kept clean over the last year so no action was necessary.
Hot Water (Gas)	Test striker	Lit and ran hot water heater on gas
	Clean	Cleaned using vacuum and compressed air
Refrigerator (Gas)	Test striker	Lit and ran refrigerator on gas
	Clean	Cleaned using vacuum and compressed air
Stove (Gas)	Test striker	Lit and ran stove on gas
Air Conditioner	Inpect and Clean filter	Internal parts are starting to rust, but unit running well.
Awning	Clean	Sprayed with LA’s Totally Awesome to kill mildew
	Inspect	Some rust on screw heads, etc.
	Lubricate	Sprayed liberally all joints and moving parts with silicone lubricant.
Wheels	Inspect	Inspected rubber, hubs, and suspension. No issues.
	Grease hubs	Dexter EZ-Lube hubs were easy to re-grease by following instructions on YouTube.

My Grandma, Ruth Alberta Taylor Ritchie, would have been 100 years old on May 16, 2018. She died Monday, July 30, 2007 at 89 years old. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t miss her. I was her only grandson and she proved over and over again to me that she loved me unconditionally. When I was a young man and I enlisted in the USMC, I called Grandma to tell her. After a long, thoughtful, pause she said (and I remember her words vividly) “Tony, I can’t say that doesn’t scare me and I can’t say that it makes me happy, but I do believe that you need to do what you think is right. I think that you can do anything you set your mind to and I am very proud of you. I will always love you.” That kind of love and care enabled me to do all kinds of things in my life. Grandma was born with one kidney and ended up on dialysis the last few years of her life. God bless my wonderful parents for taking such great care of her but being on dialysis at 89 years old is hard. One evening when I was sitting with Grandma to give Mom and Dad a well-deserved break. Grandma put her hand on my arm and she said, “Tony, I love you but I just can’t do this anymore.” Less than a week later, Grandma died. I was with her right before she died and my final words to her were, “Grandma, thank you for always believing in me and I will always love you.” I know she heard me.