Big Ol' Bug Smacker

When I first arrive at a park that doesn’t have water hookups, I will fill the fresh water tank. Then I will also look into the black tank through the toilet to see how full it is. This is because the gauge for this tank can be deceiving. Last time I did this I noticed a bolt in the bottom of the tank. This discovery began a very interesting lesson.

First I called my local dealer and informed him of my discovery. He stated that all kinds of things have been known to show up in these tanks while they are being built. The most typical to be found is the cut out for the toilet that is dropped into the tank while it is drilled. He said that I should look for this cutout as well as the bolt I told him about. I said that made sense since I have had problems draining the black tank ever since I bought the RV.

I went home and spent quite some time looking over my black tank and the way it was put together. I used a mirror on a stick to try and look inside the tank. I did discover that the drain in my tank was not on the side of the RV like I had thought but in the center. In fact ,it is located in the front and center of the black tank in my 2006 Jayco JayFlight.
 
I confirmed this by calling Jayco the next day. I told them that they neglected to realize that this so called “1/2 ton series” Fifth Wheel that is too heavy for a ½ ton pickup, when mounted on a ¾ ton truck, will not sit level. The Fifth Wheel will tilt towards the back. It will not allow the black tank to sit level and drain out the front of the tank. This answers why my tank never seems to drain completely. The only time I will be able to completely drain the black tank is when the RV is not hooked to my truck. I sure will get funny looks when I unhook at the dump station. People will think I am going to camp there.

I then took my RV into the dealership to have them look for the bolt and any other restrictions in the tank. They told me that they flushed the tank several times and could not get the bolt out. They said it was a #8 pan head bolt which is quite common on these units. The dealer informed me that they didn’t find anything else in the tank that may restrict the flow. They did, however, adjust the vent pipe to lessen any vacuum problems.  

Only time will tell what will happen next. I sure have had my fair share of troubles with this RV.

Today we took our RV into the dealer for some last minute repairs. The warranty is almost up and we wanted to address a few items. The TV antenna jack was loose, the electrical cord was coming apart, the slide out was making noise, a blind was binding and we had noticed water stains on the valance due to the window problems we had in the past.  Hope to get it back soon; we have a trip planned in a couple of weeks.

I can’t believe this! The window I had replaced is leaking just like the last one did. You can see it is crooked. Today I took the RV back to the dealership. They said they are going to replace the entire window, frame and all. I sure hope this puts an end to the situation.

Had a new escape hatch window and blinds installed today. I found some small elastic straps to put on the windows latches to help secure them. I don’t need flying windows again.

I was coming in from the trailer today when I happened to look up and notice that the RV had no bedroom escape hatch window. Apparently that storm we had on the trip back home from the dealership last time took it right off the hinges. That sure would be something to see coming at you from a trailer ahead of you. At least this time I can go back to the closer dealership.

Had to got back to the original dealership to have them install a new awning tube. The last dealer would not get involved with an ongoing job. While they were showing me the nice job they had done I noticed that the new bedroom escape hatch window was open. Thats odd! I latched it back down and went home.

On the way home I ran into one of those storms where the rain comes at you sideways. I had to come to a complete stop. Within a 1/2 mile or so the rain completely stopped and the sun comes out.  WEIRD STUFF!!!

We found that our escape hatch window in the bedroom leaks. It looks to be mounted crooked. I found a new dealership to take it to that is much closer. We took it there. Thank goodness for the warranty.