2018 Annual Camper Maintenance

Bobby Camper Maintenance

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.

Remembering My Wonderful Grandmother, Ruth Ritchie

Grandma-and-Tony

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.