Newbie Info/Help

[Philly_Swift79601]

Hello all, I just had a few questions in regards to RVing that I wanted help with. It is my first RV and have only used it once so please bear with me in regards to some of the basic questions.

1) What are some essential maintenance/spare part items to keep on hand in an RV? (Fuzes, spare outlet, etc..)

2) Whats the best way to winterize? I spoke with different people and received different answers. All I know is to remove heater plug, drain tanks, blow out faucets, and pour antifreeze in each drain and toilet bowl to protect seal. My RV has two locations outside that say "low point drains" and one location is just two open ended tubes and the other has a plastic half turn handle which when I turned, nothing came out...

3) Are power protectors actually needed and if so what features should I look for when selecting one?

4) I see various posts in regards to fans and refrigerators, both inside and on the exhaust end and wanted to know what that was for?

I am sure there will be more odd ball questions I'll have along the way and if there is anything else essential I should know/have, I'd greatly appreciate the help! Thanks in advance and travel safe!

[usmc616]

You will need to open the low point drains, bypass your water heater and use your onboard water pump to push RV antifreeze into your water lines also.

[hboy]

1- my parts compartment includes a mini tool box with wrenches/screw drivers/etc. Zip ties, bungees. I have some back up spare parts for WDH. Oh, and a back up supply of TP.

2- I think there are a couple ways to winterize. I fill the lines with antifreeze. If i had a pressure tank, i'd probably blow the lines. I have a black tank flush, so i push some antifreeze in there too.

3- I use a surge protection system from Surge Guard. Most owners i talk to do not use one. And they'll tell you they've never had a problem. I figured it would be cheap insurance in case of a surge or shortage of power. Or for some reason we ended up camping somewhere that did have a faulty electrical for some reason (thudner storm....). Frying the electrical would be a major inconvenience for us. If you decide on purchasing one, i'd make sure it includes shut off a power surge as well as low power; reverse polarity.

4- i'm not familiar with the fans for fridges.

Good luck!

[oldmanAZ]

Philly_Swift79601: hboy has given you a good start...

Originally Posted by hboy

1- my parts compartment includes a mini tool box with wrenches/screw drivers/etc. Zip ties, bungees. I have some back up spare parts for WDH. Oh, and a back up supply of TP.

2- I think there are a couple ways to winterize. I fill the lines with antifreeze. If i had a pressure tank, i'd probably blow the lines. I have a black tank flush, so i push some antifreeze in there too.

3- I use a surge protection system from Surge Guard. Most owners i talk to do not use one. And they'll tell you they've never had a problem. I figured it would be cheap insurance in case of a surge or shortage of power. Or for some reason we ended up camping somewhere that did have a faulty electrical for some reason (thudner storm....). Frying the electrical would be a major inconvenience for us. If you decide on purchasing one, i'd make sure it includes shut off a power surge as well as low power; reverse polarity.

4- i'm not familiar with the fans for fridges.

Good luck!

Search the Jayco Owners Forum (JOF) and you'll find lots of answers to your questions.

#2- RV antifreeze does freeze. BUT it does not expand when it freezes. Mixing water with RV antifreeze allows the antifreeze mixture to expand when frozen. So draining all the water you can is the first step. Low air pressure in the fresh water system pushes water out of the lines (don't forget the outside shower) where gravity isn't enough. Draining the water heater is done so you don't have to fill it with 6 gallons of RV antifreeze. Your dealer or someone on this site may be able to answer questions about your specific trailer.

#4- The fans for refrigerators are to help the efficiency of the refrigerator: Inside it circulates air past the cooling fins; outside it helps move the hot air away. If you aren't having a problem, forget the fans.

[Brownie]

Congratulations on your new TT, and welcome to The Forum. The accessories you'll need will depend on just where you camp, but a few basics I've come up with over the years include the following:
1) A small tool kit that includes a hammer, screw driver w/changeable tips, pliers, a socket wrench set, a battery-operated drill/screw driver, a torque wrench, channel lock wrench, a good tire gauge, electrical tape & wire nuts, a handful of fuses, yellow (propane) & white (water) Teflon tape, and a variety of twist ties.
2) Two good tire chocks, two 10-packs of leveling blocks, a bottle jack that can lift 1/2 your trailer's weight. (Your TV's jack may not do the trick, and/or may be inconvenient to access when your TV is filled will family and gear).
3) An extra 25-50' shore power cord, a couple of 50' heavy-duty extension cords, an extra 10-20' waste water hose w/a coupler to your existing hose, a 45 or 90 degree clear ww elbow, two 25' fresh water hoses, a 25' garden hose for your black tank flush (or to hose off your TT/TV).
4) A broom & dust pan.
You'll find you'll be adding to/subtracting from that list to meet your needs as you gain experience.

As for an electrical management system (surge/low voltage protector): I strongly recommend them. Many parks have old electrical systems that are at or over their capacities. Brown-outs can be as common as power surges, on a hot summer day when everyone has their AC's going. At that point, a brief power outage can destroy your AC. IMHO, a good EMS is cheap insurance to protect you AC, refrigerator, microwave, and any other electrical devises you may have.

Again, welcome to The Forum, and feel free to continue to ask questions. You'll find the folks on this forum are the friendliest, most helpful people you'll find anywhere. Soon, you'll be able to give advise (gained by your experiences) to other newbies.

Happy Camping!

[fielro]

Hello and welcome to the forum. As you can tell, you get lots of great advice from others.

[Broken Wing]

Hi, and welcome.
We always have duct tape and electrical tape also awning repair tape. Last year we had a bad hail storm and it shattered our vent cover, now we carry a spare. We often go where its a long way to an RV shop. Fuses, extra safety lock pins and we also use a hitch lock. We don't have a surge protector or a fan in the fridge.
Have fun and enjoy your rv!

[Nighthawk 96]

Welcome to the forum

I don't have a surge protector for the whole trailer, but do have individual ones for the microwave and the television.

[xtruckerbob]

Most of what we carry have been mention already but we also carry Our American Flag, Extra chairs, Fire wood, Phone charger, Flash light, extra plug adapter, Water pressure regulator. 50 amp to 30 amp adapter. and Jumper cables.

[fmichaels]

I installed a frig fan last year and for the most part it worked well. Depending on your electrical set up, there may be some challenges to getting power to the fan. I modified mine to add a switch so it wasn't running all the time (some frig set ups allow you to connect to the inside light for power). This option works best if your frig is full most of the time. It keeps the air circulating and provides more efficient cooling allowing your frig to cycle less.

[Swift2014]

WD40, shovel,
and fire starters

[cothern]

I have also just purchased a first camper and have a few questions.
We purchased a 2015 from an individual and have the manual but lots of answers aren't addressed.

why does a fan come on when you cut the interior lights on? is there a way to disconnect propane from oven? we have little ones we don't want to risk cutting on propane

[Crabman]

Top ten must haves:

http://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/sh...ighlight=haves

[Crabman]

Originally Posted by cothern

I have also just purchased a first camper and have a few questions.
We purchased a 2015 from an individual and have the manual but lots of answers aren't addressed.

why does a fan come on when you cut the interior lights on? is there a way to disconnect propane from oven? we have little ones we don't want to risk cutting on propane

Welcome to the forum. You would likely get a better response to your questions if you post a new thread on the subject.

As far as the oven goes, you have to push in the knob and hold a match to the pilot in order for the propane to come out. There is a heat sensor there that will not allow the propane to come out unless the pilot light is lit. The stove on the other hand, if a knob is turned propane WILL come out, so that would be of more concern then the oven.

[mclovin-318]

Might be easier to just remove the knobs.