‘25 Jay Flight SLX 170BH

[ward005]

Hello all, I am buying a 2025 Jayco Jay Flight SLX 170BH. Quick question regarding furnace and water heater (on demand): I know these are propane-based but will they run off electric power when plugged in to shore power? I’m just trying to figure out how much propane we’ll be using.

 

[Velz]

What does your owner's manual say re electric power? I don't think the heater will run on electric. As to propane usage, the heater will take a lot, the water heater not much. Be ready to refill a 5 gal tank frequently, like maybe every other day depending on temps, if you use your propane heat. (It's noisy too.)

If you're hooked up to shore power, a small *quality* electric heater (Costco sells some) will heat a 170BH. One heated my 2018 17FD just fine, in fact I had to be careful not to turn it into a sauna. I use one to now heat my 24RL. Works fine down into the mid to high 30's. I don't camp in freezing weather, so can't comment there, but with a 170BH I suspect you'd still be toasty.

Some folks are afraid of electric heaters and don't recommend them (I imagine they'll chime in), but I've used one for years. (Then again, I don't throw clothes or towels over it, use any flimsy extension cords, and I place it on the floor pointing into open space.)

Up to you. Frequent propane fills or turning on a switch and adjusting the temp.

 

[ward005]

I did not buy the RV yet. But i am pretty set on it. It has a 20 gallon LP tank on it. I do have a small electric space heater I can bring on board the RV. Thanks for your advice.

 

[Velz]

I imagine it's a nice trailer. I think you'll like it a lot. Compared to the 17FD I had, I see they've expanded it to 8' wide instead of 6', which will give you way more elbow room than I had. (Add the wife and two small dogs and my FD was far too crowding, and frankly the bath so small as to be rather useless for anything more involved than a pee.) Also the tank on mine was only 5 gals. Obviously 20 is better, just a little more tongue weight, but regardless of tank size my point was just be prepared to go through propane quickly if you run the heater with it.

FWIW--Although it did tow fine around town with my Tahoe and the regular hitch, I did tow trips with an anti sway WD hitch (a Curt) so as to eliminate any sway and just be generally safer. Glad I did, I didn't even know it was back there.

 

[ward005]

I imagine it's a nice trailer. I think you'll like it a lot. Compared to the 17FD I had, I see they've expanded it to 8' wide instead of 6', which will give you way more elbow room than I had. (Add the wife and two small dogs and my FD was far too crowding, and frankly the bath so small as to be rather useless for anything more involved than a pee.) Also the tank on mine was only 5 gals. Obviously 20 is better, just a little more tongue weight, but regardless of tank size my point was just be prepared to go through propane quickly if you run the heater with it.

FWIW--Although it did tow fine around town with my Tahoe and the regular hitch, I did tow trips with an anti sway WD hitch (a Curt) so as to eliminate any sway and just be generally safer. Glad I did, I didn't even know it was back there.

Yea, I bought a weight distribution hitch with sway bars as we have an SUV towing this. 3000lb dry weight not too shabby. I’m hoping I don’t feel like I’m towing anything.

 

[Tardevil]

I ran my heat all night last weekend, all off battery. Prolly used 1/3 of the propane tank, down 1/3 on the battery by sunup. Solar panel topped it off quickly.

 

[ward005]

I ran my heat all night last weekend, all off battery. Prolly used 1/3 of the propane tank, down 1/3 on the battery by sunup. Solar panel topped it off quickly.

Awesome. So the 170BH can be run from shore electric or solar in addition to propane?

 

[Jayhawk 29]

Awesome. So the 170BH can be run from shore electric or solar in addition to propane?

First off find out if the TT you are looking at is just prepped for solar, or RIGGED with a solar setup. This is important. ********* It is to your advantage to at least find one with solar ready, if nothing else. Inspect in person and ASK. If someone cannot give you a direct answer and even point you to a setup, then look elsewhere for one . Its not easy to completely rig one , if you are not familiar with solar needs in any form.

The heat runs on battery, 12 volt. The shore power charges the 12 volt battery thru the converter built into your power panel. If you are not plugged into shore power, than the heat runs strictly off of your battery. At night of course the battery is not being charged by your solar and being charged if you are not plugged into shore power.

During the daytime and all dependent upon the exposure to the sun, with some angle and tree restrictions of course, your battery gets recharged. You do have to be mindful of your restrictive amount of battery power if you have a lead acid flooded type battery. You do not want to drain the battery down below 50 percent. But you can increase your total ah by adding an additional battery wired in parallel.

Of course with more AH you can add an additional solar panel from a single solar panel and improve your rate of charge and continuous charge in the daytime. Your solar panel capacity and your controller will need to be matched. But the key to your setup is your reserve battery capacity , no matter how much you have in solar.


Your TT should have a 12 volt refrigerator , which also will require continuous battery power to operate properly. So all of this adds up for total consumption under a wide range of needs and variables which you will learn about the more you use it.

 

[Tardevil]

I’m hoping I don’t feel like I’m towing anything.

You will.

 

[ward005]

First off find out if the TT you are looking at is just prepped for solar, or RIGGED with a solar setup. This is important. ********* It is to your advantage to at least find one with solar ready, if nothing else. Inspect in person and ASK. If someone cannot give you a direct answer and even point you to a setup, then look elsewhere for one . Its not easy to completely rig one , if you are not familiar with solar needs in any form.

The heat runs on battery, 12 volt. The shore power charges the 12 volt battery thru the converter built into your power panel. If you are not plugged into shore power, than the heat runs strictly off of your battery. At night of course the battery is not being charged by your solar and being charged if you are not plugged into shore power.

During the daytime and all dependent upon the exposure to the sun, with some angle and tree restrictions of course, your battery gets recharged. You do have to be mindful of your restrictive amount of battery power if you have a lead acid flooded type battery. You do not want to drain the battery down below 50 percent. But you can increase your total ah by adding an additional battery wired in parallel.

Of course with more AH you can add an additional solar panel from a single solar panel and improve your rate of charge and continuous charge in the daytime. Your solar panel capacity and your controller will need to be matched. But the key to your setup is your reserve battery capacity , no matter how much you have in solar.


Your TT should have a 12 volt refrigerator , which also will require continuous battery power to operate properly. So all of this adds up for total consumption under a wide range of needs and variables which you will learn about the more you use it.

Thank you. Without constant shore power, solar or unless you’re constantly driving, there is a huge burden on the single battery on these trailers. I am new to the RV - TT life but definitely trying to soak up what I can before the coming season and going out and about. I will have to see if the 170bh is “prepped” or “rigged” with solar.

 

[Tardevil]

I am new to the RV - TT life

Me too. I'm blessed to have an excellent experienced friend to usher me through the learning curve. Save me from noob mistakes He and his wife met us for our first outing.
Buddy up with someone for the first couple trips

 

[Jayhawk 29]

Thank you. Without constant shore power, solar or unless you’re constantly driving, there is a huge burden on the single battery on these trailers. I am new to the RV - TT life but definitely trying to soak up what I can before the coming season and going out and about. I will have to see if the 170bh is “prepped” or “rigged” with solar.

Keep in mind that all dependent on how you are anticipating using your camper, off the grid, remote camping or mixed campgrounds and boondocking, you have the option of a small generator to boost your battery or batteries before sunsets or after sunset while you use your equipment and before you go to bed.

This is fairly standard for most people to carry one. This is really a standard option for your if you camp a lot in warmer weather and in remote areas where the ac is needed. Of course there are folks with tons of add on batteries and solar and with the right batteries you can run the ac for a while. But the size camper you are talking about, the investment and limited amounts of storage area prohibits the set up that is needed for the ac.

So keep this all in the back of your mind. You are also restricted with freshwater, grey water and black water tank capacity, which is just another learning curve and some what of a restrictive nature for how long you are off the grid and not plugged in either. You will need to replenish and dump. Having just a single 200 watt solar panel and the one battery, this will keep your battery topped off when its not being used and stored. Of course this can be a problem with snow on the panel.

So plan a trip south, which deals with that too in the winter time. :<<}}}

 

[ward005]

Keep in mind that all dependent on how you are anticipating using your camper

We are basically going to be weekenders at full hook up campgrounds so I am not overly worried about battery or tank capacities.

I am a little worried though because the TT we are planning on buying, ‘25 Jay Flight 170BH, seems like there are quality and manufacturing issues alongside Jayco not honoring their warranties. Even though it costs only $15,000 brand new, i certainly do not want more headaches dealing with a company that doesn’t stand behind their products and, thus, requires me to put more time and money into it. We are excited to camp but I am certainly leary, especially after hearing and reading about some of the problems other owner’s are facing

 

[Jayhawk 29]

We are basically going to be weekenders at full hook up campgrounds so I am not overly worried about battery or tank capacities.

I am a little worried though because the TT we are planning on buying, ‘25 Jay Flight 170BH, seems like there are quality and manufacturing issues alongside Jayco not honoring their warranties. Even though it costs only $15,000 brand new, i certainly do not want more headaches dealing with a company that doesn’t stand behind their products and, thus, requires me to put more time and money into it. We are excited to camp but I am certainly leary, especially after hearing and reading about some of the problems other owner’s are facing

I will try not to scare you off from buying one. But not to worry, no matter the decal on the outside these sticks and staple RVs are pretty much the same, a flip of a coin of good and bad. If you are not mechanically inclined, then accept that you will be going to a trades school in real time. If you keep it long enough, you will become an electrician, a plumber, a carpenter, a mechanical "engineer" and a middle of the night ponderer of what can do next to improve it. You can also check around your area for any independent rv service people and pay them to go with you to check things out. There are also RV inspectors, yes even for new ones before you sign on the dotted line. A lot of people go that route too before they buy.


Short of water pouring down on your head in the bed or a wall coming apart and you see daylight, you stand a better chance of fixing stuff, even after watching a you tube video without raising your blood pressure if you never go back to a dealership service department . Of course we cannot fix most of the add on equipment. So sometimes we are in a pickle and need to call upon one for service, if all else fails in that area.

And while you can email Jayco service department with a problem, you may not get a qucik answer in reply or get something that you may like if it pertains to what would appear to be a warranty problem.

I will say that if you endure the learning curve for this one, you are getting a head start on any upgraded sized one that you may purchase and know what to expect when buying new. This size if fairly simple to learn on and so you are not really going to be hurt a bit, especially if you are just considering mostly campgrounds for camping. Lots of road miles can create hurricane like conditions on them, which can break stuff. So we do a pretty complete novice inspection each time we stop with our unit.

A lot of times buying a one to two year used one can save you some headaches. Many comes with some extras too that you do not have to pay for when buying new and improving it.

But a warranty? you will need to be a lawyer to read the fine print and pick out the many outs that's in the fine print. What you can do is to ask your salesman for names of their previous local buyers and talk to them and see how any service issues were handled, if you are buying local. If he hesitates then judge accordingly, You can also just walk gracefully around to the service area on the outside and see if there are any customers hanging out. Then strike up a conversation with them,

 

[ward005]

I will try not to scare you off from buying one. But not to worry, no matter the decal on the outside these sticks and staple RVs are pretty much the same,

I am relatively handy so I am confident I can stay on top of most maintenance-related jobs. I think mentally preparing myself for the inevitable issues that come down the pike. Just be ready. Like you said, it’s a box with bedding, appliances and plumbing going down the road and sitting out in the elements; things are bound to happen. I like the concept of “new” because the stove, shower, toilet, beds, microwave and refrigerator have never been used. But again, i am going to keep mentally preparing myself that this thing will have some issues and to stay on top. And don’t expect too much from the manufacturer.

 

[Jayhawk 29]

I am relatively handy so I am confident I can stay on top of most maintenance-related jobs. I think mentally preparing myself for the inevitable issues that come down the pike. Just be ready. Like you said, it’s a box with bedding, appliances and plumbing going down the road and sitting out in the elements; things are bound to happen. I like the concept of “new” because the stove, shower, toilet, beds, microwave and refrigerator have never been used. But again, i am going to keep mentally preparing myself that this thing will have some issues and to stay on top. And don’t expect too much from the manufacturer.

Well you are 3/4s the way to frustration free ownership. The rest is like shooting craps.

 

[ward005]

Well you are 3/4s the way to frustration free ownership. The rest is like shooting craps.

Hopefully my luck of the draw is good!

 

[JFlightRisk]

Hopefully my luck of the draw is good!

A lot of warranty issues come back to how your dealer accurately handles the request and gets timely authorization from Jayco. A less than good dealer can make the process frustrating, and point blame on the manufacturer.

 

[ward005]

A less than good dealer can make the process frustrating, and point blame on the manufacturer.

The reviews of the dealership I chose seem to praise the dealership.

 

[Jayhawk 29]

A lot of warranty issues come back to how your dealer accurately handles the request and gets timely authorization from Jayco. A less than good dealer can make the process frustrating, and point blame on the manufacturer.

Its been my experience that if a person is new to the game, they will use their personal experiences of what takes place in the auto industry and try to personally compare the service or lack of service and down time generating a big frustration. The two industries cannot be compared when going back to any rv dealer, as a rule. Going in blind has its pitfalls.

This experience and what a lot of folks seems to find on the net in reviews from others probably drove a lot of my over wordy replies. I can get going sometimes, driven by my own repeated experiences even after owning the numbers of TTs over the years.