2020 Camper Maintenance
Due to the pandemic our camper sat unused for 8 months so I decided to do the camper maintenance a bit early on my own this year. Bobby normally helps me with this but he is a Respiratory Therapist working in Gainesville, FL. So, I performed the required maintenance on our 2015 Jayco Jay Flight 23RB Travel Trailer to for a trip to Paynes Prairie to help our two younger, Stevie and Charlie, move into their new place to start the new academic year at University of Florida. I somewhat followed the same list as previous years.
Here are some stats on our camper as of July 18, 2020 when the maintenance was performed.:
- Years Owned: 5 years, 2 months
- Total Mileage: 17133 miles
- Total Nights Camping: 166 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 | N/A | |
Lubricated ball and sway connectors | Used standard grease. | |
Propane |
Inspect | Hoses, connectors, and tanks in good repair |
Clean | N/A | |
Refill | Refilled before previous trip was canceled | |
Undercarriage |
Inspect | Noticed even more rust. Still need to plan some time to work on this. |
Roof |
Inspect Seams | Last year we repaired with Eternabond tape and it is holding nicely. |
Repair issues | Broke one skylight while cleaning the roof. Had to replace and sealed with eternabond. | |
Stabilizers |
Inspect | Replaced with removable 7500 lb stabilizer jacks that we keep inside the house (rather than letting them rust on the camper). |
Lubricate | N/A. New stabilizers | |
Steps |
Paint | N/A. Painted earlier in year. |
Lubricate hinges | Lubricated earlier in year | |
Fresh Water |
Sanitize | Followed recommended procedure to drain, sanitized, flush, and refill the fresh water system. I should 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. Removed wasp nests |
Clean | Cleaned using vacuum and compressed air | |
Refrigerator (Gas/Electric) |
Test striker | Lit and ran refrigerator on gas. Cleaned out wasp nests. Ran until cold on both gas and electric. |
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. Unit is not running as efficiently. Added an additional window AC unit that we can use as necessary during really hot months. |
Awning |
Clean | Sprayed with bleach water to kill mildew. Actually cleaned up nicely |
Inspect | Some rust on screw heads, etc. | |
Lubricate | Sprayed liberally all joints and moving parts with silicone lubricant. | |
Wheels |
Inspect | New tires this year. Inspected rubber, hubs, and suspension. No issues. |
Grease hubs | N/A. Will do this next year. | |
TPMS | Replaced batteries in the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) |