Just bought our first camper, looking for a few tips, pointers, help. (2008 Jayco 23B

[Rhizzlebop]

So we bought locally from an individual. We're the third owner of this JayFeather EXP 23B. Seems in really good shape. No signs of ever leaking, Vinyl in good shape etc. We saw everything work except the water heater which we didn't test. I'm sure it works fine.

A few things. I want to buy supplies to be ready to take it out when we can soon for a weekend or otherwise.

We'll use it in the summer at the beach but want to do a little fall and spring. We have two small kids 3(almost) and 1.

We went used hybrid because I plan to keep it for max 3 years when we will upgrade TV and upgrade camper. Didn't want to lose too much money in a future trade. We're towing with a 2004 trailblazer. Did a quick few mile tow empty when we brought it home this weekend and it felt good, but not loaded yet and having climbed any hills.

A few items I have questions on.

1. I'm not playing around, and gonna order gizmos for the two bunks. Might they help moisture in the winter? Deff help cooling in the summer. Agree?

2. We're storing this guy beside my rental house 4 miles from our house. Wont go up our driveway, nowhere to go once its up there, and we have an HOA. Should we consider a full over the top cover or are they too much hassle that we wont use it? Recommend one in particular?

3. We saw the inside stuff run on battery including lights, vent fans, the diag panel for battery and tanks. Brought it home, and none of that works. Plugged into the TV still none of that works. Should it work when plugged to tow vehicle? Havn't hooked back to shore power to confirm everything works there, but it did before we took it home, saw with my own eyes. Don't know if the battery is dead and they juiced it a little with the shore power before demo, or a battery connection is loose from the drive home. I'm gonna get it sat morning and dig into this.

4. Need a lug wrench, anyone know the wrench size? I can measure sat, but if its common knowledge I can order me a wrench.

5. The bunk beds, I'm gonna get some reflectix for the bunk windows and try to leave it between the inner/outer layers. Good idea?

6. I hear condensation under the mattress happens? I've read maybe reflectix on the bunk door face stops this? Worth it? Would rather keep it all dry by whatever is necessary.

7. I hear the end bunks is a likely leak area. How can we tell if those seals are in/remain in good shape? It's not leaked yet, want to keep it that way?

8. Regarding the battery, I don't know how long we'll store it at the rental, could be several months through the winter. I hear I can't leave it plugged it, it'll cook the battery, I can't not plug it in, it'll drain and kill the battery. Whats the easiest least maintenance way to handle it? if it costs a little more so be it. Right now I'm thinking I may need a battery. Called costco and he indicated they didn't have an group 24 batteries, only a group 14 deep cycle battery from interstate for $75. Sounded like a too small, or wrong size battery. That was over the phone so I'm gonna prob have to go there and see myself.

9. Anything else you all recommend?

We're def going to the beach next summer. Would like to take a weekend before cold winter sets in to test things out soon. And again in the spring time. Hoping for some great family camping memories to start with this guy before we upgrade to bigger.

Super excited, and thanks for any help and suggestions. I'm sure your responses will prompt more questions and discussion.

[suzieshome]

Regarding the gizmos, it depends on where you live. We have had two hybrids(the last being the x23b) for 9 years and did not find a need for the gizmos. We live in southern Ontario and camp from June to October. If your hybrid didn’t come with the bunk fans you should invest in them. We left ours on 24/7 when camping and left an opening in the bunks ends. Never had moisture, heat or cooling issues except under the bunk during cooler weather. We solved that with self inflating sleeping pads.
We always remove our battery in the winter and store it on a shelf in the basement with a battery tender attached.

[KCSA75]

Two things I'll offer:
1. Don't go crazy buying a bunch of stuff you think you'll need or would be a good-to-have. We did that when we first bought our Pop-Up and now much of it is taking up space in the garage or basement. Instead, go with the bare minimum to get by and take something to keep a list. As you encounter things you really need, you can buy it nearby while you're camping or add it to your list and buy later.

2. We never bought Gizmo's but everybody I spoke with who has them swears by them.

Finally, if you get half as much enjoyment from this hybrid as DW and I got from our Pup and now TT, you're in for a great time.

[bankr63]

Hi and welcome to JOF. Congratulations on the new (to you) HTT!

I'm with @KCSA75, don't go overboard too quickly on a lot of stuff you might not need.

We've never felt the need for PUGs or Reflectix, but we have never had problems with condensation. We always have good ventilation in ours though - we enjoy the fresh air, even (especially) when it's cold out. Always fun snuggling up under the down comforter.

Battery - does your's have an electric tongue jack? One first timer problem that we often see is that if you pull the jack all the way in (or extend full out) until it strains, it will blow the main fuse. This fuse is located in a waterproof cover on the positive lead from the battery and will interrupt power to the whole HTT.

Your vehicle may have a relay that prevents power to the trailer if the engine is off; or they may have tapped into the power after the ignition if your wiring is after market. This is so that the trailer doesn't drain your battery. Is the engine running when you try to turn on the lights?

If you do replace the battery, go with the biggest one (in amp hours) that will fit in your battery box. The group 24 deep cycle is usually the cheapest option to the RV dealer; but larger batteries will fit most battery boxes. You just want to make sure that you also have the right kind of terminals.

For the seals, visual inspection is the best way to tell. If the rubber is cracked, hard, or deteriorated time for new ones. Also, check the cargo door latches (there are 3 different kinds that I am aware of). I have the bar and latch type, and the rivet can loosen up over time causing them to be sloppy (there should be a little slop at the pivot, but it should provide pressure). I actually had one rivet give way completely - reinserted it and peened the end back over, it is as tight as new now. If you have the screw down type, someone else might point out the gotchas for those.

Cover or no? I'm in the No camp, but there are many believers here. I store my unit in a storage yard here in Eastern Ontario (severe winters), and I would say 25-30% use covers, the rest don't.

Final comment, since you are toying with using it well into the cold season, don't wait too long for winterizing the plumbing. If there is a risk of a hard frost, it needs to be done.

[Rhizzlebop]

Originally Posted by bankr63

Hi and welcome to JOF. Congratulations on the new (to you) HTT!

I'm with @KCSA75, don't go overboard too quickly on a lot of stuff you might not need.

We've never felt the need for PUGs or Reflectix, but we have never had problems with condensation. We always have good ventilation in ours though - we enjoy the fresh air, even (especially) when it's cold out. Always fun snuggling up under the down comforter.

Battery - does your's have an electric tongue jack? One first timer problem that we often see is that if you pull the jack all the way in (or extend full out) until it strains, it will blow the main fuse. This fuse is located in a waterproof cover on the positive lead from the battery and will interrupt power to the whole HTT.

Your vehicle may have a relay that prevents power to the trailer if the engine is off; or they may have tapped into the power after the ignition if your wiring is after market. This is so that the trailer doesn't drain your battery. Is the engine running when you try to turn on the lights?

If you do replace the battery, go with the biggest one (in amp hours) that will fit in your battery box. The group 24 deep cycle is usually the cheapest option to the RV dealer; but larger batteries will fit most battery boxes. You just want to make sure that you also have the right kind of terminals.

For the seals, visual inspection is the best way to tell. If the rubber is cracked, hard, or deteriorated time for new ones. Also, check the cargo door latches (there are 3 different kinds that I am aware of). I have the bar and latch type, and the rivet can loosen up over time causing them to be sloppy (there should be a little slop at the pivot, but it should provide pressure). I actually had one rivet give way completely - reinserted it and peened the end back over, it is as tight as new now. If you have the screw down type, someone else might point out the gotchas for those.

Cover or no? I'm in the No camp, but there are many believers here. I store my unit in a storage yard here in Eastern Ontario (severe winters), and I would say 25-30% use covers, the rest don't.

Final comment, since you are toying with using it well into the cold season, don't wait too long for winterizing the plumbing. If there is a risk of a hard frost, it needs to be done.

This one does not have an electric jack, but I'm strongly considering getting one.

We towed it home from the purchase with my dads 98 suburban which had been setup for towing by someone. We did a few mile test tow around with my 04 trailblazer which came with a factory tow package on it.

We know the 12v power worked before we left the sellers yard, and not a blip of power when we got home. I had to store it about 4 miles away at our rental house, so havn't gotten to check it out this week. I'm bringing it back sat morning to work on a few little things and hopefully figure out this power issue.

As for the cover, my thought was since it could be stored there at the rental house for 3-5 months straight, partly beneath a tree, it would keep it cleaner, and less stained from the tree, plus keep sun off those door seals, and if one started leaking without us seeing it weekly it wouldn't happen with the cover on it.

I'm in South Carolina, so if we get a freeze its not likely till January. We might hit 25 a time in dec, but usually not till jan and even then just a few nights all winter. I'm not sure yet when we will use it. Could be in spring, maybe fall, def summer.

[Jagiven]

Originally Posted by Rhizzlebop

So we bought locally from an individual. We're the third owner of this JayFeather EXP 23B. Seems in really good shape. No signs of ever leaking, Vinyl in good shape etc. We saw everything work except the water heater which we didn't test. I'm sure it works fine.

A few things. I want to buy supplies to be ready to take it out when we can soon for a weekend or otherwise.

We'll use it in the summer at the beach but want to do a little fall and spring. We have two small kids 3(almost) and 1.

We went used hybrid because I plan to keep it for max 3 years when we will upgrade TV and upgrade camper. Didn't want to lose too much money in a future trade. We're towing with a 2004 trailblazer. Did a quick few mile tow empty when we brought it home this weekend and it felt good, but not loaded yet and having climbed any hills.

A few items I have questions on.

1. I'm not playing around, and gonna order gizmos for the two bunks. Might they help moisture in the winter? Deff help cooling in the summer. Agree? we do not have any, never found it an issue. You can go out a few times and see what you think. Our AC does a good job for us.
We have learned to keep the bunk side windows open a few inches, in hte upper corners and leave the bathroom roof vent open an inch or so.
With this we have never had any condensation issues inside the HTT.

2. We're storing this guy beside my rental house 4 miles from our house. Wont go up our driveway, nowhere to go once its up there, and we have an HOA. Should we consider a full over the top cover or are they too much hassle that we wont use it? Recommend one in particular? I would skip the cover. They tend to be a hassle to put on/off regularly.
Plus the wind tends to cause damage

3. We saw the inside stuff run on battery including lights, vent fans, the diag panel for battery and tanks. Brought it home, and none of that works. Plugged into the TV still none of that works. Should it work when plugged to tow vehicle? Havn't hooked back to shore power to confirm everything works there, but it did before we took it home, saw with my own eyes. Don't know if the battery is dead and they juiced it a little with the shore power before demo, or a battery connection is loose from the drive home. I'm gonna get it sat morning and dig into this. your regular wall outlets, AC,microwave all require to be connected to shore power. Pretty much everything else works off the 12V power system. If you are connected to shore power, it pulls power from the power converter, otherwise from the battery. You may want to check the battery and fuses. Usually there is a fuse at the battery. maybe you have an aftermarket power disconnect.
As for fuses, there is a reverse polarity fuse in the fuse box. If you connect the battery backwards, even for a moment, it will blow the fuse. Another thing to check is the health of the battery, it may just be dead. Also, when parked at your rental place, if it is not connected to shore power, disconnect the battery, as there is many parasite power drains that will kill a battery within a few weeks.

4. Need a lug wrench, anyone know the wrench size? I can measure sat, but if its common knowledge I can order me a wrench. Don't recall, I just found a socket in my garage that fit, then I went out and bought an 18" breaker bar, and the appropriate sockets (truck, car and trailers) This works really nice and does not take much room.

5. The bunk beds, I'm gonna get some reflectix for the bunk windows and try to leave it between the inner/outer layers. Good idea? there is at least one person that says they were going to do this. Never have, never felt the need. We do have queen sized electric mattress pads that we use in cool weather. You do need shore power to make them work.

6. I hear condensation under the mattress happens? I've read maybe reflectix on the bunk door face stops this? Worth it? Would rather keep it all dry by whatever is necessary. A lot of people complain of this issue. I have seen it in my 23B, before we left the windows and roof vent cracked open. If you only use the TT for a few days at a time, when you close up the bunks they will dry up, with the mattresses off of the panels.

7. I hear the end bunks is a likely leak area. How can we tell if those seals are in/remain in good shape? It's not leaked yet, want to keep it that way? Only time mine has leaked, was due to human error!
Twice the skirting got caught in the seal, when we closed it up. I would watch how you close it up.

8. Regarding the battery, I don't know how long we'll store it at the rental, could be several months through the winter. I hear I can't leave it plugged it, it'll cook the battery, I can't not plug it in, it'll drain and kill the battery. Whats the easiest least maintenance way to handle it? if it costs a little more so be it. Right now I'm thinking I may need a battery. Called costco and he indicated they didn't have an group 24 batteries, only a group 14 deep cycle battery from interstate for $75. Sounded like a too small, or wrong size battery. That was over the phone so I'm gonna prob have to go there and see myself. I leave my 23B plugged in 24/7 while it is at home, it has never been an issue. Your older charge controller may have that problem, just verify that it is at least a 3 stage controller. As for maintenance, just check the fluid levels periodically, ONLY add DISTILLED water if needed. As for a new battery, a lot depends on how you are going to use the TT. If you will be off grid you want a much better battery than if you always have an electric campsite. I would say you want at least a group 24 battery. Ideally a true deep cycle not a dual purpose marine starter battery. I would strongly consider adding a battery disconnect for long term storage, or remove a fuse located at the positive battery terminal (that's what I do)

9. Anything else you all recommend? Bring a pen and paper, you will learn what you need quickly. We leave pots, pans, dishes, towels, bedding in the 23B year round

We're def going to the beach next summer. Would like to take a weekend before cold winter sets in to test things out soon. And again in the spring time. Hoping for some great family camping memories to start with this guy before we upgrade to bigger. excellent plan, try somewhere close to home the first trip, to get the feel of it. Also nice to be near a Walmart like store to make a store run for those critical items you forgot

Super excited, and thanks for any help and suggestions. I'm sure your responses will prompt more questions and discussion.

Last thing I would recommend is go on the roof, check every inch of caulk, including the wall seams, etc. patch/touch-up as needed. Water is your arch enemy. I got tire of checking the roof all the time and covered all the caulking with 6" Eternabond (~50' roll). I still check for possible damage, I just do it less frequently.

Another thought, I believe your 08' has the flat roof version, the roof tends to sag a bit around the AC and have a tendency to leak there. Check your AC seal. You do not want it pulled down to tight, but tight enough. May also be something you might want to replace. At the same time, you may want to store your HTT, with the nose, high or low, just to encourage no water to accumulate around the AC

[Rhizzlebop]

Originally Posted by Jagiven

Last thing I would recommend is go on the roof, check every inch of caulk, including the wall seams, etc. patch/touch-up as needed. Water is your arch enemy. I got tire of checking the roof all the time and covered all the caulking with 6" Eternabond (~50' roll). I still check for possible damage, I just do it less frequently.

Another thought, I believe your 08' has the flat roof version, the roof tends to sag a bit around the AC and have a tendency to leak there. Check your AC seal. You do not want it pulled down to tight, but tight enough. May also be something you might want to replace. At the same time, you may want to store your HTT, with the nose, high or low, just to encourage no water to accumulate around the AC

Thanks for all the tips!
Looks like the electrical issue was not an issue. Apparently the battery was dead. Plugged in at my house all day and over night and the next day I unplugged and ran my fridge on gas a few hours to test, ran some lights, and when done pulled my slide and awning in with the battery. By then it showed 50% on the little 4 light indicator. My volt meter was broken, so I couldn't check the battery voltage while unplugged from power yet.

This eternabond stuff, is that really supposed to seal as well as caulk? You covered over the top of your caulk? I see on amazon a 50ft roll of 6" is $85 so not cheap, but if it does great I'll get some.

I kinda felt like my roof has a slight arc to it, but that was 3 weeks ago when we first saw it, so I might be misremembering it. Where its parked for primary storage, its about level front to back and about a 5-8 degree angle towards to the driverside due to a little hill in the yard. I figured sloped that way would be better so the slide is in a drain position, and not where water can run back under the slide.

I'm gonna look for some heated mattress pads. Havn't gotten reflectix yet, nor any board insulation for under the mattresses.

I did pull the 30 amp fuse that comes right off the battery terminal when we parked it for the week. I also confirmed I have the emergency brake cable and actuator. The folks before had been using it wrong because they had it tied to the safety chain.

I remember when I checked the roof, I could not see any low spots, all seemed nice and tight, and solid.

The roof caulk, seems I recall there are two types of rubber roofing and you have to use the right kind on the right material but I don't know how to tell. Does using the tape replacing having to caulk the perimeter entirely indefinably?

I may forgo the cover as I have the same concern you mentioned. My main reason of interest is where its stored, theres a HUGE tree just off the back curb side corner, and I know that tree crap will come down and streak the side of the camper over time and its terribly hard if not impossible to clean it all off.

For anyone who has the 23B and knows about the front end U dinette, there appears to be a cavity of space behind the booth seat backs that is volume but not accessible. I saw a new 2019 a few weeks ago and they had holes cut in there to reach behind the cushion for more storage. This one isn't open. I'm wondering if I could safely cut holes in there to access that space? Doesn't seems accessible from the plywood seat bottoms, or the outside doors.

My AC supply louvers are all broken on one end, and missing on the other. Found a similar looking replacement louver on amazon for $9 so gonna see if it fits. Not the exact model, but looks darn close.

[Rhizzlebop]

In other news, I was looking for date codes on tires. I have 2 carlisle load C, 1 Kenda loadstar C, and 1 goodyear marathon load C.

I could ONLY find a code on the goodyear and it says 1007. Yea, Oct 2007. The camper is an 08 so that beast must be original!

Couldn't find the others, but now its making me want to put a whole new set on,and go ahead and upgrade to the 14" for more ground clearance.

I was looking at an 8 spoke silver wheel from DTD and a set of Maxxis M8008 tires.


One more thing, the electric awning comes down really really low. I was looking to see if it can be adjusted to extend higher.
I'm gonna try to attacha couple photos here of where the gas shock pins (rivets) to the rail. the only extra set of holes I see in the main side rail ae about 6 inches below where the gas shock connects. Not sure if that could be moved and cause it go higher, or have no effect at all.

The last photo is the tire code I found on the GY marathon.

I fear I have 4 "china bombs" on this thing.

[curls]

My awning looks the same but has about 5 settings on each main arm with a spring-loaded button. Push in the button, slide the arm up or down, and the adjustment is made. Each button setting is about 2" in height at the outer edge/roller, if I recall correctly.

[Rhizzlebop]

Originally Posted by curls

My awning looks the same but has about 5 settings on each main arm with a spring-loaded button. Push in the button, slide the arm up or down, and the adjustment is made. Each button setting is about 2" in height at the outer edge/roller, if I recall correctly.

Is it the lower arm that adjusts, or the compression shock? Obviously there are no holes in mine except that one set that has little stubby bolt and nut filling them about 6" below the shock.

[Rhizzlebop]

I'm also thinking about moving my spare tire to a side tongue mount if it will clear my propane tanks. If I upgrade to 14" I'm pretty sure I read that the spare wont fit underneath anymore, anyway. Recommend a particular tire mount? Found several on Amazon just don't know exactly how far out it needs to hold the tire to clear the propane tanks.

[DocBrown]

Answers are considering that we've had two hybrid trailers, one from '03 - '13, and the current one since '13

1. I'm not playing around, and gonna order gizmos for the two bunks. Might they help moisture in the winter? Deff help cooling in the summer. Agree?

We never bothered with the gizmos. HVAC system does a good job. My wife uses a heating blanket for the colder weather.

2. We're storing this guy beside my rental house 4 miles from our house. Wont go up our driveway, nowhere to go once its up there, and we have an HOA. Should we consider a full over the top cover or are they too much hassle that we wont use it? Recommend one in particular?

I've never covered the entire trailer. Aside from some color fading we've had no ill effects. That said I do cover the wheels and the AC unit.

5. The bunk beds, I'm gonna get some reflectix for the bunk windows and try to leave it between the inner/outer layers. Good idea?

Never did this either.

6. I hear condensation under the mattress happens? I've read maybe reflectix on the bunk door face stops this? Worth it? Would rather keep it all dry by whatever is necessary.

On our first hybrid the trick was to leave a bed flap open about an inch. On our current one we leave the small crank out window above the sink open. Opening a flap didn't work.

7. I hear the end bunks is a likely leak area. How can we tell if those seals are in/remain in good shape? It's not leaked yet, want to keep it that way?

Twice a year I use a vinyl/rubber conditioner on the seals. After 10 years of our first hybrid the seals were still like new. Yours is 10 years old so YMMV.

[Jagiven]

Originally Posted by Rhizzlebop

In other news, I was looking for date codes on tires. I have 2 carlisle load C, 1 Kenda loadstar C, and 1 goodyear marathon load C.

I could ONLY find a code on the goodyear and it says 1007. Yea, Oct 2007. The camper is an 08 so that beast must be original!

Couldn't find the others, but now its making me want to put a whole new set on,and go ahead and upgrade to the 14" for more ground clearance.

I was looking at an 8 spoke silver wheel from DTD and a set of Maxxis M8008 tires.


One more thing, the electric awning comes down really really low. I was looking to see if it can be adjusted to extend higher.
I'm gonna try to attacha couple photos here of where the gas shock pins (rivets) to the rail. the only extra set of holes I see in the main side rail ae about 6 inches below where the gas shock connects. Not sure if that could be moved and cause it go higher, or have no effect at all.

The last photo is the tire code I found on the GY marathon.

I fear I have 4 "china bombs" on this thing.

You're a bit off on reading your date code. The first two digits represent the week of fabrication. Week 10 which was March 5th to 11th. so even older than you thought.

I installed new Carlisle HD??? on my 23B They are a load D rated 13" tire. lot cheaper than purchasing new rims.

Eternabond is expensive. A lot of people remove most of the old caulking first and use a 4" wide strip. I went over the old caulking with 6" wide strips. In some areas I cut the strip down to a narrower width, such as around part of the refrigerator vent cover.

On your awning, when closed you may have a series of holes, with one set of holes having a Detain Pin. You can adjust the awning as needed. Most of the awnings say not to have more than three hole difference between the front and the back.

[curls]

IIRC (trailer is in storage for its winter hibernation), its on the main (widest) metal piece. Definitely not the shock. It can be adjusted while in any position or even while stowed up against the trailer.

[Rhizzlebop]

Originally Posted by curls

IIRC (trailer is in storage for its winter hibernation), its on the main (widest) metal piece. Definitely not the shock. It can be adjusted while in any position or even while stowed up against the trailer.

You're saying there are a series of holes in the piece attached to the side of the camper? I don't see any of those. Seems mine might be one thats not adjustable, which kinda stinks.

[curls]

Originally Posted by Rhizzlebop

You're saying there are a series of holes in the piece attached to the side of the camper? I don't see any of those. Seems mine might be one thats not adjustable, which kinda stinks.

No, it's on the biggest moving piece. I'm guessing by the pics that yours is not adjustable. Check out the manufacturer website - maybe they have models shown on there and the technical specs sheets.
Mine is a CareFree awning, if I recall correctly.

[curls]

See here: https://www.carefreeofcolorado.com/d...ers-Manual.pdf
Page 4.
Mine is the Adjustable Pitch model. I figure yours is the fixed steep pitch model.
I wonder if parts are available to convert yours to an adjustable...?

[WeRJuliian]

When you adjust your awning, set one side a "notch" lower than the other.
This will slope the awning enough that rain will run off, rather than pooling in the middle, ready to surprise you when you retract it...

Enjoy your new TT

[RogerR]

You might want to check the nuts on your spare. In the past I found out the hard way that mine were different.

[Tinkman]

Regarding keeping it plugged in, I have a 2005 23B (Kiwi). It came with an IOTA DLS 45 amp converter. Stock, it didn't have the battery conditioner module. I bought the IQ4 plug-in 4 stage controller and love it. I would recommend opening the back panel and checking which converter you have. Look it up and see if it's a 4 stage. If it, is you can leave it plugged into shore power all the time with no worries.