Nervous new owner

[Raven614]

Just bought a 2018 Flight 154bh. I’m all excited to use it long time tent camper new to tt. After seeing all the posts about water leaks and mold I’m a little nervous about it. Are there things I can look for to make sure there are no problems? Do I need to go on the roof? Dealership said to look for bubbles I’m assuming on the rubber seals.
I guess I’m really asking is it very common to have leaks? And how reliable are these tt?
Thanks for any replies.

[Midnightmoon]

First of all, welcome to the forum and congratulations on your new Jayco.

There is no reason to worry. Just get on your roof 2-3 times a year and inspect the roof membrane and the sealant around your vents, antennas, etc. Look for cracks in the Dicor, holes on the membrane, etc. and reseal as necessary.

[wiscampsin]

Welcome from Wisconsin. Just keep up with inspections and maintainance and you'll be fine. Lots of friendly, knowledgeable and helpful people here to assist you. If you worry too much you'll take all the fun and enjoyment out of owning a camper.

[Raven614]

Thanks for the reply. So ok the roof is a rubber membrane. Did not know that. And as for sealant something like this?https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G6KGPFM...v_ov_lig_dp_it

[norty1]

Originally Posted by Raven614

Thanks for the reply. So ok the roof is a rubber membrane. Did not know that. And as for sealant something like this?https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00G6KGPFM...v_ov_lig_dp_it

The self leveling is for flat surfaces. They make another for vertical seams.

Also google Eternabond. It may be a more maintenance free option.

Keeping the roof water tight will extend the life of the rig.

[DocBrown]

Your first 4-5 years should be pretty maintenance free. That doesn't dismiss the need to inspect though. A couple of seasons ago I found a hole in one corner of the roof that a squirrel evidently tore up. So stuff happens. You'll most likely start to see some shrinking Dicor and dried seals around years 5-6.

[RogerR]

I have a 195rb which is very similar and had a leak at the corner of a window. This type of leak is very common as they don't always get the seal made right. Also there can be leaks at the running lights and anywhere else.

This is just something that you need to be aware of. It is a good idea to go over everything yourself with a very close look. Watch for anything that does not fit right, has obvious crack or openings. Your test will be running in a big rainstorm or rain with wind. If you find water inside then go on a hunt to find it's source.

Mold and damage take time. It is always better to prevent it by being reasonably vigilant. I would inspect the roof at least twice a year. Get up there carefully and use your fingernail to peck at the sealant. It should not lift up. Look for voids where they simply missed a spot. Look at each light. They should be firmly in contact with the trailer metal so water can't get in. Look at the windows, there should be no gap at edges or corners of the frame. If you suspect a problem we can help.

Add your tow info and always put in pictures. The search function above works and youtubes are your place to find help.

See you down the road!

[Screwby]

Don’t be terrified. You have to remember that the negative problems get posted, the happy people just keep quiet. Posts about “well another day of no issues” wouldn’t make much sense, so you’ll see mostly problems, and modification threads. It can make it seem like everyone is having issues, not the case, most people have little to no problems with their campers. That being said, just stay vigilant and take good care of your trailer. Wash it, wax it, keep an eye on the roof and seams, watch YouTube videos and read articles. The more you learn the more you get comfortable. Try not to get frustrated and DIY as much as possible so you can learn how your rig functions.

[eagle55]

You are aware of how an iceburg remains 90 percent submerged in water. It's the same for problematic rv's. The 90 percent that are basically without problems doesn't get reported as much . By all means inspect everything on an annual basis at least and with your eyes out for trouble whenever you are using it, but don't be so nervous as to make trailer ownership a not so fun thing.

[Raven614]

Thanks for all the responses puts my mind at ease

[Jagiven]

Welcome Aboard! Just remember these things are all handmade. It seams like people think the quality should be like a robotic built car, but they are not.

You should get up on the roof at least twice a year. Use a good extension ladder, have the stabilizers down, and wrap the ladder where it will touch the roof, I tend to use an old towel. First time I did not, and put a cut into the very thin rubber membrane.

What you are looking for is bubbles, and cracks. Bubbles are still water tight, but will burst in the near future. A crack will let moisture in. You should do an initial inspection soon, just to ensure it was done right. It is a self leveling style sealant, it looks gobby, and they put a lot down, this is normal.

Long term it is very wise to purchase a roll of Eternabond and redo all the standing seams. Done once right and done forever. I also keep a piece in the TT, for an emergency patch repair.

You should also check your AC seal. From the inside, remove the ceiling access panel. Inside there are 4 bolts, one in each corner, they should be snug, but not over tightened. There is a foam rubber seal between the roof and the AC. These bolts some time work loose, especially new from the factory, as the weight of the AC compresses the seal. You should check these periodically. I check them every time I remove the panel to clean the air filter. DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN these bolts, our you will shorten the seals life, just snug.

I also once a year, go over the outside wall areas, and check the caulking. In the last few years as my TT ages, I find every spring I need to touch the caulking as I find some small gap.

Another spot to keep an eye on is the marker lights, if you see moisture behind the lens, you should remove the fixture and re-caulk.

I spend an hour maybe twice a year inspecting it. First few years I did absolutely no maintenance, just standard washing and waxing. Now that my current TT is going on 7 years old. I have had to touch up the wall caulk each spring for the past 2 years. To eliminate roof issues, I install Eternabond over all the roof caulking the first time I saw bubbles. This took a couple hours including washing the roof, and prep work. I wish I had done it year one.

Overall, I probably have less than 20 hours of maintenance into this 7 year old TT, and not a leak due to caulking.

If you are handy at all, maintenance will be no big deal.

[Ohiofinlander]

Welcome and Enjoy!

[eagle55]

Originally Posted by Jagiven

Welcome Aboard! Just remember these things are all handmade. It seams like people think the quality should be like a robotic built car, but they are not.

You should get up on the roof at least twice a year. Use a good extension ladder, have the stabilizers down, and wrap the ladder where it will touch the roof, I tend to use an old towel. First time I did not, and put a cut into the very thin rubber membrane.

What you are looking for is bubbles, and cracks. Bubbles are still water tight, but will burst in the near future. A crack will let moisture in. You should do an initial inspection soon, just to ensure it was done right. It is a self leveling style sealant, it looks gobby, and they put a lot down, this is normal.

Long term it is very wise to purchase a roll of Eternabond and redo all the standing seams. Done once right and done forever. I also keep a piece in the TT, for an emergency patch repair.

You should also check your AC seal. From the inside, remove the ceiling access panel. Inside there are 4 bolts, one in each corner, they should be snug, but not over tightened. There is a foam rubber seal between the roof and the AC. These bolts some time work loose, especially new from the factory, as the weight of the AC compresses the seal. You should check these periodically. I check them every time I remove the panel to clean the air filter. DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN these bolts, our you will shorten the seals life, just snug.

I also once a year, go over the outside wall areas, and check the caulking. In the last few years as my TT ages, I find every spring I need to touch the caulking as I find some small gap.

Another spot to keep an eye on is the marker lights, if you see moisture behind the lens, you should remove the fixture and re-caulk.

I spend an hour maybe twice a year inspecting it. First few years I did absolutely no maintenance, just standard washing and waxing. Now that my current TT is going on 7 years old. I have had to touch up the wall caulk each spring for the past 2 years. To eliminate roof issues, I install Eternabond over all the roof caulking the first time I saw bubbles. This took a couple hours including washing the roof, and prep work. I wish I had done it year one.

Overall, I probably have less than 20 hours of maintenance into this 7 year old TT, and not a leak due to caulking.

If you are handy at all, maintenance will be no big deal.

This is outstanding information Jagiven, I'm saving this in my RV notes!

[fochman]

Welcome from York County, South Carolina!

[JFlightRisk]

Welcome to the Forum from Western New York State! Congrats on the 154bh!

[2edgesword]

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. As others have mention do an inspection of the sealant used around all the seams twice a year and apply new sealant where you find a gap or crack has developed. If a good job was done at the factory the original sealant should last for years unless contraction/expansion creates a gap.

Enjoy your new TT.

[Raven614]

Thanks for all the help and encouragement. The dealer praised Jayco and couldn’t stop talking about the craftsmanship of the workers so I felt buying was a good thing.
Now I know what to look for and will definitely go over everything and I feel confident with my new Jayco buddies I can enjoy this TT.

[PoulsboJohnny]

Hello, all. I'm also a somewhat nervous new trailer owner. Just picked up a 2020 JayFlight SLX Baja 175RD. We love the layout and feel that it will suit our adventurous lifestyle. We plan on mostly boondocking, so my approach is how do I get the trailer set up for that activity.

I'm going to put up a full disclosure here and it might come off as snobby, but in general, I find all of these trailers to be of pretty poor quality (which is ironic considering they are all hand built, but costs…). It doesn't seem to matter what you spend, they are all low grade cabinetry, interior, etc. But, I knew this going into it, so I'm not mad or anything. I just have high standards for construction and see a lot of room for improvement. But, I also didn’t spend a ton on the TT, so I guess it is what it is.

I'm a pretty handy guy and restored a 1959 Bell Boy cruiser from the hull up. I'm used to dealing with harsh marine environments and building/sealing to suit. You can read all about it if it interests you here:Bell Boy 404 Express Restoration - Northwest Classic Boat Club Skip to the end for more finished product pics.

We took delivery on Saturday after an aborted attempt earlier in the week due to - you guessed it! Poor assembly. There was a short in the left turn signal that blew the fuse in my truck. But, my dealer, Clear Creek RV in Silverdale, WA, fixed it and were very helpful. Props to them!

I've already gone through the interior and fixed a few manufacturing defects:
Idiotic short (and cheap) screws holding cabinet fixtures in place that had stripped the 'wood' in the rails.
Replaced unusable thumb screws on cook top with stainless screws with finish washers.
And, sigh, removed the toilet paper holder which for some reason was installed on the door so that it hits your leg when the door is closed and you are seated. Seriously…
I'm sure I will find more as it is used, those were just the obvious ones.

I do have some questions that I hope the knowledgeable folks here can help with:

Wiring for camera.
In the manual, it is stated that the trailer is pre-wired for a camera. Not sure if this is a blanket statement or if it is true. I haven't tried looking beyond storage areas yet. Any insight? I don't like not being able to see behind me whilst traveling, so one way or another it will get wired.

Wiring general.
I want to put 12v USB charge plugs in a few places. It seems to me that all of the wiring is pretty inaccessible. Ideally, I'd run off of the 12v bus and behind the walls to my desired location. Any tips on removing and resetting the walls on these things? The trim strips seem to be stapled on (cheap and fast) but I'm not sure if there are fasteners behind them or how it all goes together. Having built the boat and knowing what/where/how every screw and panel was in place for puts me behind in maintenance/repair work.

Sealant.
Seems like they are using some sort of putty like sealant around the windows and doors, etc. I'm a former boat owner as mentioned above and have used 3M 5200 with great success for keeping water out below the waterline in salt conditions. It is expensive, but well worth it. It is my intention this summer to remove most of the excess sealant on the TT and re-seal with 5200. It dries flexible and is inpenetratable by water (I've left my old boat in salt water for months on end and gotten zero penetration).
I guess the question is, has anyone used marine sealants on their RVs or do folks use the cheaper stuff and re-apply every few years?

Pooling Water
Looks like I have a low spot at the top cap/front joint. It is well sealed at the moment but, standing water always finds a way in… Has anyone done any work in this area to build up the joint so that water runs off? Normally I'd go with fiberglass and then seal that up, but I'm not confident that it will adhere to the surface.

Black Water Flush…
I've purchased a tornado flush kit to install on my black tank. I'll have to remove underbody panels to get to the tank. Anyone else done this? I'm assuming that I'll be fighting with insulation to a degree. Any other cautions? Yes, I know I can just use a hose in the toilet, but I don't like the idea of bringing a dirty hose into the cabin every time I flush.

Vent Covers
They all seem to suffer the same review result: Not UV tolerant, good for a few years and then the crumble if you look at them sideways. Is there a good choice for this? I'm thinking that the best way to go would be to get the cheap ones and just cover it in reflective HVAC tape to keep the nasty UV out.

Window flashing.
Wondering if anyone has done this to divert water from hitting the top of window frames. It would trivial to get some aluminum flashing and cut to length to go over each window. Water can't get in if it can't get there!

Thanks again for any assistance!

John

[Tiguan Tow r]

PoulsboJohnny Re your last question,
Window flashing.
Wondering if anyone has done this to divert water from hitting the top of window frames. It would trivial to get some aluminum flashing and cut to length to go over each window. Water can't get in if it can't get there!

I posted this last year:
Got tired of seeing water run down the exterior window and window frame when the wall A/C on our 145RB is running. Couldn't find anything locally so I ordered j-molding from Amazon and affixed it on the aluminum siding below the A/C and above the window frame. I trimmed a bit off the molding so it would fit at the bottom of a seam on the aluminum. The 3M product stuck really well.

Now most of the A/C water is rerouted around the window frame with a very small amount falling onto the glass window. I'm happy with the results. The downside was I had to order 25 feet, but I did do the window under the A/C unit as well as the window under the edge of the awning. I'm going to do the remaining windows as it does help to reroute water. I have enough left I could redo them a few times over.

[PoulsboJohnny]

Thanks for the tip, Tiguan. I'll see what I can find to tackle that particular project.