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Cleaning the gap around the linoleum floor
jd1923 replied to Ken Root's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
Yep, me too on slippers. So much dirt, we know why! His bed is at the end of the aisle! Picture of Charley when we first got our Oliver, first cleaning too. Now with some age and TALL mattresses, he can't get up on the beds anymore! I hadn't noticed the edges being bad, but I guess the older floors were different. We use carpet runners which collect most of the dust. Chris uses our Dewalt vacuum around the edges and under the dinette, takes her 2-3 minutes. I remove the short runner at the entrance every 2-3 days and give it a whip on both ends which removes most of the dirt. Roll up the long one between trips to wash. We put them in the washing machine at home which has worked well. Recently one edge started fraying on the long one and Chris hemmed that edge. We have 151 overnights on these runners according to my Oliver Travels spreadsheet. Not bad. They're 26" wide which is a perfect fit, and you can order by the foot in length. One 10' and 4' fills everything perfectly except under the dinette. He has learned to sleep on his mat by the nightstand. š Amazon.com: ORFA HOME Custom Size Hallway Runner Rug, Slip/Skid Resistant, 26 Inch Wide X Your Choice of Lenght, Solid Blue, 26 Inch Width X 10 Feet Length, Sold and Priced Per Foot : Home & Kitchen - Yesterday
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Cleaning the gap around the linoleum floor
topgun2 replied to Ken Root's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
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RVLock company stands behind its product
Mike and Carol replied to Snackchaser's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
Weāve got the manual door lock, too. Itās one of those things (like the suburban hot water tank) that is simple and reliable. One less thing to worry about when you are way out āthereā. Mike -
Cleaning the gap around the linoleum floor
Patriot replied to Ken Root's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
Here- no sweeping, just open the screen door dust goes back where it came from. Helps keeping the exterior screens clean too. Neither of us wear our shoes while in the Oliver. We have found this little blower is super handy. Also works for blow drying a washed TV and inside and out. āNo brooms club hereā š Harbor Freight - BAUER 20V Cordless, 200 MPH/120 CFM Compact Workshop Blower - Tool Only $40 -
Seeking New Air Conditioner for Hull # 145
jd1923 replied to ScottyGS's topic in Ollie Modifications
You're welcome! And you will not be sorry. If you're waiting to later in the year, we won't get real feedback from you until the following summer. Looking forward to seeing results from somebody who lives east where humidity is certainly a climate factor in A/C performance, I've tried running a couple studies and each time I failed to capture full data every 24 hours, but I have some preliminary findings. With highs in the low 90s for a full week, lows high 60s, I set temp on the Chill Cube at 80F (cabin temp on Ruuvi showed 79F consistently) which is a good set temp for parking the Oliver outdoors in the summer. I got good data for three 24-hr periods which averaged at 108 Ah used per 24 hours, A/C running 24x7. I know I I took snapshots every day for a week but don't get me started on iCloud because sometimes pics just disappear off my phone! Beyond the 3 days of verified data, I know for a fact that I ran the Chill Cube for ONE (1) FULL WEEK on our 900 Ahs! After a week SOC was down to a low 18%. This translates to 105 Ah per day. Keep in mind, when low 90s outside, and if there was no A/C running, the Oliver Cabin would get up to 99F min or low 100s! Then I tried another test, A/C set temp at 74F which is a comfortable temp for camping. I was able to run our A/C for four (4) full days, 4x 24x7, again highs low 90s. Daily Ah used was 135, 209, 270, 136. I have no idea why yhe numbers varied in this way as the weather was rather consistent. Average over 4 days is 188 Ah per day. I cannot believe how efficient this runs. One additional factor: these numbers are net of the fact we have 320W rooftop solar which produces 10-20A per hour half the day. Next test I should account for this or just turn off the SC so everything is pulling from the 900 Ah Epoch batteries. Did you know the Dometic P2 once it gets past the Soft Start procedures draws 150A or higher? In this short test, the Furrion Chill Cube on average took as much power cooling for 24 hours as the Dometic P2 would use in one hour and fifteen minutes. Scotty, I'm seeing much better savings than "about half the power!" But camping in hot humid times in the east, you should half the power, or perhaps 40%. Can't wait to see! I'll run a better test in a few weeks when we get daily highs in the high 90s. It just cooled off here and thankfully for the next week or two we're back to spring-like temps in the low 80s. š -
Cleaning the gap around the linoleum floor
Boudicca908 replied to Ken Root's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
I first sweep with my hand-sized whisk broom and then crawl on my hands and knees and clean with a mild dampened towel to pick up the remaining grit and dirt. I do this often. On my Oliver, like Ronbrink's, the only really ugly section is below the shower door and I have been wondering about how to tackle that yellowed section. Glad for this thread. And I always remove my shoes at the door and wear 'house slippers' inside. It's a real wonder how so much dirt gets in and all the way down the aisle to the beds! -
A picture worth a thousand words. Thank you for that!
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Obviously, I missed it! Thank you.
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True Induction Stove Top will not turn on
jd1923 replied to Lamar's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
Lamar, keep fighting the good fight! Certainly, Bill has good advice in contacting OTT management directly. You're not asking for too much, so I hope you stick to your position. OTT can reuse the 2KW inverter in another installation. Wholesale costs between a 2KW vs. 3KW Xantrex is likely about +$200 or not much more. Labor to replace the inverter and rewire all 120VAC circuits through the new 3KW inverter should be 2 shop hours. I know I could do this work in one afternoon and I'm older/slower than the younger contract electrician billing flat-rate shop hours! š -
RVLock company stands behind its product
jd1923 replied to Snackchaser's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
We're in agreement on this one! Ours might have been a Wi-Fi Ranger. I do remember testing it and it actually made the signal weaker! We went with a Pepwave router to stream on cell and a Starlink Mini for when there is no cell coverage. I removed the Wi-Fi antenna, both cameras, gave away the (yes clunky) screen and the Sat Dish from our roof and patched all the fiberglass. We have the manual door lock, now for 10+ years. After reading that the rubber contact pads were fading on these auto-locks, most of you with this feature were carrying keys just in case, and the deadbolt issue as Tom fully explained above, like @routlaw noted, I/we decided to pass on this upgrade. Good Customer Service is great, but if the product continues to fail it becomes nuisance, or worse if you truly get locked out! I purchased a backup manual lock to have on the road if needed. I found a cool white powder coat model on sale vs. the original chrome latch. If you get tired of dealing with your auto-latch, you could go manual: Amazon.com: Lippert Global Entry Door Latch Kit with Deadbolt, Keyed Lock, Two FIC Keys, Edge Cover Plate, Strike Plate, Mounting Screws for Travel Trailers - 239632, White : Automotive Honestly, this clean white door latch looks better too! The only thing that has failed on our entrance door is the screen door latch, so I replaced it with one of these: Amazon.com: WanDwel Aluminum RV Screen Door Latch Handle Replacement Kit (Right Hand) Metal Camper Travel Trailer Motorhome Entry Parts for Passenger Side : Automotive -
The Wonder Egg has had Vortex over the lower front, just like taylor.coyote's picture for about 8 years now. Yes, it added 40 lbs to the weight, but is impervious to rocks. I hesitated to take a trip to Alaska until it was applied. Now, I'll go anywhere, (within reason).
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So far, warm water, auto soap and a sponge have done the trick to clean the vortex
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Seeking New Air Conditioner for Hull # 145
ScottyGS replied to ScottyGS's topic in Ollie Modifications
I have to say ..... I think jd1923 may have converted me to the Church of the Furrion Chill Cube. I was very fixated on condensate running down the outside of the trailer and NOT on the amount of power needed to run the damn thing. I've been doing some research on power draw on this A/C vs. the dometic and other compressor types and am pretty much amazed. All in all about half the power needed to run the Chill Cube. And quiet. We are scheduled for a lithium upgrade toward the end of the year and will have the A/C replaced at the same time. Right now... I am going with the Chill Cube. Thanks JD for the help on this. Appreciate it. Scotty -
RVLock company stands behind its product
Galileo replied to Snackchaser's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
Probably a logical conclusion. The lock was part of the āElectronics Pro Packageā that OTT offered as part of the initial trailer ordering. Pretty sure it was bundled with the rear camera, Auto drain, and the cell booster as well. I never use the rear camera (remote view screen too clunky) and Iām not convinced that the cell booster does much - if anything - to increase your cell signal. The keyless lock is the only part of that package that I found any value in. (OK - the auto drain - I forgot that was part of the package. Thought you be fair, āautoā is a bit of a misnomer as you have to actuate it manually.) We use our trailer - and the door lock - A LOT. So Iām not sure that failing after two years is really terrible MTBF for something that may have been designed for being used for a couple of weeks a year. Then again, Iāve seen a lot of residential and commercial keyless locks that seem to last forever. Whether any of them is suited for use on an RV door is up for grabs. RVLock is sending me the parts āfreeā - no shipping charges this time. I did have to take a video, edit it down to be a small enough file to attach to an email, and took four tries to get it to send. (Yahoo never did work, had to use GMail). -
RVLock company stands behind its product
routlaw replied to Snackchaser's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
I had thought about buying one of these as well, now I'm not so sure. Seems like another unreliable RV headache in its current iteration. -
True Induction Stove Top will not turn on
Lamar replied to Lamar's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
Thanks Bill, I will make. I hope you donāt hear in my tone Iām upset, just disappointed at this point but that can change. Everyone I have talked with has been understanding and very nice. Everyone has also been surprised this problem exists. Thanks for the contact info. -
I assume that to clean the Vortex - all you have to do is powerwash it? Bill
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True Induction Stove Top will not turn on
topgun2 replied to Lamar's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
Lamar - The two people that you seek are: Jason Essary and Scott Oliver. A polite phone call to Jason to get the ball rolling is how I'd suggest proceeding - 888-526-3978. Jason would be good because he was the central contact for sales by by both the internal and external sales unit that Oliver utilized. Also, the Service department reports to him. If he is not in his office then ask for his email and go that route. Good luck! Bill -
True Induction Stove Top will not turn on
Lamar replied to Lamar's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
We are now over 4,000 miles traveling this spring/summer in our Elite 1. We love this camper and are having a great time. So, we now know why our induction stove top is inoperable when we are boondocking w/o using a generatorā¦it is not wired through the inverter. We have been in contact with Tech support and the Service dept. Service spoke with the Design and also Production. 1. Design said the stove top was run through the inverter because it would drain the batteries after 90 min of use. (We donāt cook that way when boondocking, or even when we are hooked to shore power) 2. Production said they would not support Oliver paying for or sharing the cost of rewiring because it is functioning as designed. I would have to pay out of pocket. They were unsure what that would do to the warranty. (To us, we believe this is a design issue that needs correcting) 3. The cost to have Oliver rewire to the existing 2000w inverter is $600+. 4. The cost to have Oliver rewire and add a 3000w inverter is just under $2500. I have been in the manufacturing world before I retired and I understand the response, they are not the decision makers. I know that I need to get to the decision maker level. I have contacted the sales person at B&B RV in Denver who is advocating on our behalf to his Rep at Oliver. Iām waiting on a call from that person. I have been told, but havenāt verified, that the 2027 Elite I units are wired to the inverter and this issue was a topic of discussion. However, the rep had not heard yet about our unit. I hope to verify that info soon. They are advertising a 2 burner induction stovetop in the 2027 Elite I. I would be surprised if that is actually what is in the 2027 units, but I could be wrong. So the story continues. Iām disappointed so far that 1) we were told the induction stovetop would work on battery and it doesnāt. 2) the response is very slow and I have to initiate a lot of contact to keep the ball rolling. 3) The design didnāt keep the boondocking campers in mind yet the marketing very obviously did (Check out the Oliver website). 4) Oliver, so far, expects us to pay for an āupgradeā in order to address this issue. I am asking for a 3000w inverter and wiring. I will provide my time and cost to travel to the factory and wait while they fix this (and a couple of other minor issues). We will see what Happens and Iāll keep you all informed. Thanks again for all your insights and information. Lamar -
I have posted this image before but thought it may be useful here because of questions about the cosmetics of Vortex coating.
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We applied Vortex 8 months ago and have been very pleased. Forest Service / Blm roads rocked with 3/4 to 1.5" fractured rock is the worst. Even with full mud flaps this stuff finds your trailer. Vortex is primarily used as a truck bed liner and is very tough. The guy that sprayed our trailer estimated the weight of the coatings about 40lbs . The material has thickness and some flex to absorb "rock impacts". We tool a 7week trip through the SW and southern UT with a lot of off road in places like Bears Ear / valley of the Gods with no sign of damage. The worst road we know for throwing rock is over Hart Mt in SW oregon, 60 miles of well maintained BLM with large fractured rock. We are still mindful of modest speeds but will travel up to 35mph with no concerns. Before vortex, we became gun-shy and would just crawl along , still taking on some damage. Over time, we had lots of micro chips (like sand blasting) with a few significant chips here and there.
- Last week
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RVLock company stands behind its product
Tom and Doreen replied to Snackchaser's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
I've had this problem (twice) and I believe that it comes down to a mechanical tolerance and materials problem with the deadbolt mechanism. In their design they purposely overdrive the deadbolt motor ( since they don't have a sensor to determine the position of the deadbolt). When the deadbolt reaches the end of it's travel, motor torque increases and overcomes the friction material in the clutch mechanism allowing the clutch to rotate despite the fact that the deadbolt has reached the end of it's travel. This allows the motor to continue to spin, preventing it from drawing excessive current and shortening its life. I've forgotten their name for the clutch but it's a little barrel that contains a friction material that allows the motor to drive the deadbolt until excessive force (when the deadbolt reaches the end of it's travel) overcomes the friction material causing the clutch to spin freely thereby decoupling the motor from the deadbolt. The problem occurs when the materials in the deadbolt mechanism bind or stick, overcoming the friction material in the clutch, resulting in the deadbolt not completing it's travel within the time that the motor is commanded to operate as determined by the electronics. The symptom is that the motor sounds normal, a confirmation beep is heard signaling end of travel of the deadbolt, but the door either doesn't lock or in my case did not unlock. In short, by design the motor is commanded to run longer than the time that it normally takes for the deadbolt to complete a full travel and relies on the clutch to decouple it's mechanical connection to the deadbolt when the deadbolt reaches the end of it's travel. By doing so they eliminate deadbolt position sensors and save cost. It's clever providing it works reliably. Anything within the transport that adds friction or causes binding can cause a problem. Another issue can be a weak clutch. The company is very good about supplying parts but leaves the repairs up to the customer which usually involves sending videos, sometimes removing the lock and operating the lock by itself while making another video, then waiting for parts which in some cases does not fix the problem and the cycle repeats. I like the lock, it's very convenient, but I aways have my key in my pocket which somewhat defeats the purpose. -
Film/Coatings to Front Oliver to Limit Dents
taylor.coyote replied to Bobfirst's topic in General Discussion
I have received a few direct emails and though the below direct email might be helpful for other interested in Vortex Coatings. Hello Doug, Interstate Coatings Applied the Vortex to my Oliver. Interstate is a small operation. The owner is Calvin, He is a construction contractor and owns the coating shop. I worked with Calvin and his shop operator setting the color match and planning. I have two phone numbers Calvin's cell phone: 541 815 1506 shop number: 541 280 5618 Interstate coatings 1532 S hwy 97 Redmond, Oregon 97756 Vortex application dealers seem to have a wide range of skills and experience shooting fiberglass and color matching. The guys at interstate are good guys and did a great job. I dropped the trailer, they dis-assembled the trailer, pulled the propane compartment (access to bolts through the bathroom vanity), shot the trailer nose and propane cover w vortex, then the matching automotive paint (requires several hours of drying time between the two operations) and re-assembled in one day. the process could require overnight drying for the vortex before paint based on environmental factors.You can contact Vortex to get a list of dealers in your area if Interstate coatings is too far from your home. I recommend finding a shop the has experience applying vortex to fiber. vortexcoastings.com vortex phone: 785 833 6720 Best of luck -
@bugeyedriver has a similar coating on the front of his trailer. It is white and provides great protection. Mike
