osby's 26BH

[64osby]

Picked up a NTU 2008 Jay Feather 26BH.

Placed it in storage until the weather turns to spring.

Have made a long list of mods and wish list changes. This site is great for ideas and how to's. Thanks to all who post.

First on the list was replacing the two missing stabilizers.

Bought two from HF, 20% off under $60 for both. Hole pattern is different from OEM but not hard to mount.

Second item will be replacing the factory vent fans. Low air flow and very noisy. Did some looking around and think 2 Maxxair fans for $140 delivered seemed like a good deal. MAXXAIR MAXXFAN MODEL 00-04000KX (2) FAN PACK | eBay

The trailer has one vent cover and a CL search found a new Maxxair II cover for $30.

Pics will post when the work is done. That will be when it warms up a little.

Have camped with a pop-up for 15 years, still have it for rustic outings & fishing ventures.

Looking forward to making this Jayco ours.

[64osby]

So went to check up on the trailer and discovered something.

Motor homes, service barn destroyed in overnight fire | MLive.com

The storage location had a big issue. Glad no one was hurt.

Our trailer is outside and about 200ft from the building so no issues for us.

[64osby]

Found a nice gently used e2 1000/10,000 WDH with anti sway. Replaces the Valley WDH that came with the camper.



Pic of the Maxxair vent picked up on Craigslist.



The big brown truck delivered the Maxxair vents.



Hoping for some nice weather in March to allow for installing the vents / cover and switching the hitch.

[Iraqvet05]

Watch how you set the E2 down on the ground. I broke off the little locking pawl on mine and had to have the head replaced. Looking forward to seeing how that fan is replaced...I have wanted to do that on mine for a long time.

[64osby]

Thanks for the tip on the e2 head Iv. As heavy as they are dropping it is sure a possibility.

I've never replaced a vent or worked with Dicor. To me the issue is getting the old sealant off without doing damage. It will be learning experience.

If your 2013 26BH is a ghetto model, what does that make mine.

[bondo303]

Originally Posted by 64osby

Thanks for the tip on the e2 head Iv. As heavy as they are dropping it is sure a possibility.

I've never replaced a vent or worked with Dicor. To me the issue is getting the old sealant off without doing damage. It will be learning experience.

If your 2013 26BH is a ghetto model, what does that make mine.

When we had our 2007 Jay Flight, I had to replace a cracked skylight for the shower. I found that the easiest way that I got the old dicor off was to heat it with a hair dryer and then peeled it up. I would heat a section and peel it off while holding the dryer, slowly moving around the perimeter of the skylight. Good luck.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[64osby]

Bondo, Thanks for the tip.

I considered a heat gun but thought it may be too much heat for the roof material.

[64osby]

We had reserved a spot for Memorial Day weekend. Pulled the trailer home about 2 weeks prior to do some prep work.

Replaced the bedroom vent/fan with one of the Maxxair vents.



Took about 3 hours including a 45 minute run for more Dicor. The inside bezel needed to be trimmed down to fit.

Installed the Maxxair cover at the same time. Very easy.



Spent some time resealing the trailer with Dicor where needed.

Three days before leaving I figured it would be a good idea to de-winterize the water system. This is the first time I have had a water system so after watching a few videos I thought I was good to go.

All went well until the part where the water heater gets filled. Glad I was watching when there was a big rush of water under the full bunk. Started poking around and discovered this.



Learned you need to look a little harder when buying used in the winter time.

Did some quick seaching on the web to discover they want a whole lot of money for a replacement water heater. On line costs and dealer costs ranged from $550 to $800. Ouch!

Discussed the lack of hot water with my better half and we decided to pony up. The reason we bought the unit was to make camping easier, and hot water makes it easier.

The next day I call a few RV salvage yards. Found a place in White Pigeon that sold new units with no box for $375. One hour later one was in the back of the TV. Shout out to Johnson's Salvage - Thank You.

Watched a few more videos and ....



All the work paid off and we were able to enjoy 4 days with hot water at one of Michigan's fine State campgrounds.



There are not many places you can enjoy views like this.



More work to come for the next trip coming soon.

[64osby]

Found out the TV was not getting any reception on the first trip out. Tried many things and nothing worked.

After we came home I ran a cable direct from the back of the cable outlet / booster to the antenna. Waalaa, tv worked.

Removed the antenna crank and bezel from the inside and found the cable splice connection was corroded badly. Both the cable ends had broken off inside the connector.

Replaced the splice adapter and both cable ends then tucked everything back up in the ceiling.



The other thing I did was to pull the cable boot off up on the roof antenna mount and seal that with Dicor. Replaced the boot and sealed the top also. Hopefully no more leaks.

Have never used a tv during camping, but if it is there it should at least work. Might come in handy on one of those rainy days.

[64osby]

The stock radio was pretty bad. The CD door would not close. The sound was terrible. Decided replacement was a good option.

Being very frugal I often will visit a local auto salvage and pick parts. A few months prior I had picked a up a nice JVC system.

With a little trial and error I was able to get the wires all properly connected. Placing it back in the cabinet was an issue due to the size. Came up with a quick solution that is not real pretty but does the job. It also allows for ventilation.



A nice bonus is the decks face plate has the ability to adjust the color and intensity of the display. Makes for a great night light for the camper.

Now to find some decent interior speakers.


Also added a tension rod and a doubled up fabric shower curtain to provide the kids some privacy.

[64osby]

One of the things that was rather annoying was the noise level of the water pump.

My better half was worried that campers near by would be disturbed.

I've seen many fixes for this. Here is mine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8stm...ature=youtu.be

[64osby]

I posted this in the mods section also.

Simple solution to opening your screen door without sliding the panel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pOu...ature=youtu.be

[64osby]

Finally made the time to replace the cord hole in the side of the TT. Mice and ants are not fun. Mice were not bad this past year, but I could sit and watch the ants crawl up the cord, even after I sprayed it with ant killer.

Bought an inexpensive kit off Amazon. Made a bezel from an old cutting board. Whole project took about 2 1/2 hours in the wonderful 90 degree heat.

The kit works well, but it is not a high quality plug or socket imo. Time will tell.

[Adios Pantelones]

What kind of foam did you use under the water pump?

[Route 66 Traveler]

Originally Posted by 64osby

Thanks for the tip on the e2 head Iv. As heavy as they are dropping it is sure a possibility.

Might consider one of these. Works great and no more greasy hands.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[64osby]

Originally Posted by Adios Pantelones

What kind of foam did you use under the water pump?

It was some that was left over from redoing some couch cushions. It's a heavier durometer (more dense). Whatever you use just don't mash it all the way down, leaving it loose lets the foam act as a dampener.

[64osby]

Originally Posted by Route 66 Traveler

Might consider one of these. Works great and no more greasy hands.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks 66, I have seen that before. Maybe someday.

[Adios Pantelones]

Originally Posted by 64osby

It was some that was left over from redoing some couch cushions. It's a heavier durometer (more dense). Whatever you use just don't mash it all the way down, leaving it loose lets the foam act as a dampener.

I'll give that a try. I put down some foam mat and insulated the hot water/pump storage compartment with rock wool. Better but still to loud for my liking.

[64osby]

Others have added counter space with a fold down add on. We had a TV shelf in the bedroom that was never going to be used. Moved it to the end of the cabinets.

[64osby]

We replaced most all the interior bulbs with LED. Bought 2 types and tried them in different fixtures. I like the bright light, but looking directly at the bulb bothers me. Where needed I installed a 2" x 3" piece of aluminum tape the has a small v bent in to it. The does a great job of reflecting the light and blocking the harsness of the bulb. This works great for the lights above the queen bed for reading at night.