Mostly a great first outing

[CSick86]

I bought a 2010 26BH in March. Upgraded from a popup. Looked almost new. Great first trip to City of Rocks in Southern New Mexico. On the good side, highly recommend City of Rocks for people with grade school/middle school kids. Lots of fun hiking and close to some other things to see like Pancho Villa State Park, Mexico, Gila Cliff Dwellings, etc.

Now the not so good. One was my mistake. We hooked the dogs chain to the bumper of my truck. It was loop around the door handle when I drove off. Anyone know where I order a new handle for the door?

Next one bothered me more. Family was inside taking showers so I went out to enjoy the stars. Sitting in the chair I heard dripping. My guess is that the line going from the shower to the grey tank either came disconnected or has sprung a leak. The black fabric underneath covering the plumbing was wet and dripping. It was leaking out around the low point drain tubs.

So the question is, what is the best way to get to the plumbing under the tub. Rip out that? Try to save it? I assume it is a four season type of insulation for the plumbing. There is a panel by the tub but thinking problem could be underneath even if I did take that out somehow.

I would appreciate suggestions on how to attack this and get it fixed. Is that fabric just for extending the camping season? Does it need to be replaced anyway since it got soaked? Wonder how to replace it and where I'd get it.

Thanks!

[LiftedAWDAstro]

In the 26BH, you can access the underside of the shower by going through under the bunks. At least our 2012 is like that. In there is an access panel that looks right at the drain. You may be able to make the repair from there. As for the water on the fabric underneath, you will want to open it up so it can air out and dry otherwise you will get mold and rot on the wood. I am not sure on the proper way to put the fabric back up though other than using tape.

[CSick86]

Thanks for the response. Called the local dealer today. Service guy said his bet is the shower valves were not properly winterized and froze. Said that is pretty common. I do remember seeing an access panel. Going to check that out when I get a chance.

Didn't see a way to easily peel back the fabric. The service guy did mention taping it and it would take at least 2 hours of service charges. I've only looked at it on my at the campground in the dark. Hopefully being in New Mexico with low humidity will help in drying it out.

My current plan:
Open access panel and see if I can see the leak or wetness that gives me a clue.
If not, pour some water in the tub and see if there is a leak (wetness shows up on the fabric). Hopefully determine if it is the drain or the shower valves. Has the downside of adding more water if the leak is the drain on the indicator. The service guy said the shower is a common winterizing problem and easy to fix.

Not trying to bore people with details, just hope the details may help others.

Have other things I can do tonight but this is more interesting. We'll see. Maybe tomorrow night or next weekend. Next camping trip is in July and can use the outside shower if necessary.

Happy camping to everyone.

[CSick86]

Having fun won out. Got under the bunks and opened the access panel. The P-trap had busted loose from the drain of the tub. Have the panel opened up with a fan blowing in to dry out the insulation. In New Mexico, hopefully will dry well. Can snap the P-trap back together, but plan on going to the hardware store to find another. Might just snap it together then duct tape it so it doesn't come apart again, probably would work since no pressure on that line. The part that screws onto the tub drain had snapped off of the P trap and it was laying loose. So the guess that the tub drain wasn't attached to the grey tank was correct. There is a large hole cut in the floor to make room for the P-trap. The water would have gone out there to the insulation underneath.

So makes the first trip much better. Should be an easy fix and I understand the camper better. Next want to get something to add to the shower so you can push a button and turn the water off and on so the temperature adjustment doesn't change. Look around for those to make it easy to save water.

[Crabman]

Welcome to the user friendly Jayco Owners forum! Our members just love to answer questions or help out other members when possible and have fun sharing their experiences . They also love pictures of your RV, tow vehicles, and campsites!! So do not hesitate to post pics of your Jayco in the "Pics of your Jayco forum" and pics of your tow vehicle in the "Tow Vehicle forum".

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[CSick86]

Just to complete the thread. I put a fan outside the access panel and opened a storage door to pull in outside air. Let it run all day. Crawled in today to remove anything that was still wet. The insulation had "fluffed" back up and everything seemed dry. You can tell the insulation directly under the pipe had been wet, but I was surprised at how it had come back because it was down and soaked earlier. Was going to replace the insulation but will probably leave it. I don't do much winter camping. When I hunt, my plan is to camp with no water in the tanks so I don't have to worry about freezing.

Going to go through and duct tape all the P traps together so they don't come apart on the road. That is my advice to others from this experience.

[clubhouse]

Originally Posted by CSick86

Next want to get something to add to the shower so you can push a button and turn the water off and on so the temperature adjustment doesn't change. Look around for those to make it easy to save water.

On my 26BH the stock shower head has a ring on the outside the changes the shower stream and will stop the water without messing with the adjusted temp. Took a couple of trips before I realized this, I had been turning the water off at the valve before I figured it out.

[maromeo]

I am glad you were able to find the leak and fix it yourself. Our dealer just used tape on the under belly insulation of our rig.

I have to agree with clubhouse regarding the shower head. Our 2011 has the same type. It does save water and keeps temps from changing.

Another southern NM state park which is neat for kiddos is Rockhound State Park near Deming. They have electric and water at some of their reservations sites. Otherwise it is dry camping. People dig for geodes or thundereggs. We went up the trails and did find some. There is also info regarding the geodes at the ranger station near the entrance.

Also about 2 miles down the road is a great winery. http://www.stclairwinery.com/ We always stock up while we are there. We had our daughter with us at the time she was 12, they were really nice with her also, they had her sample some of the different grapes in which they use and showed her how they made their wines and grape juices. Enjoy your adventures.

Mary Anne