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As a friendly reminder I’m bumping this topic up for those winterizing their Oliver for the cold season. This thread is a good reminder for folks winterizing their Truma Aquago water heater, that once you have switched the supply valve to bypass and drained the water heater, you must not reinstall the filter plug for the duration of the winter season in storage. It seems reasonable that once drained of water it would be safe to reinstall the plug, but you must follow the manufacturer instructions and store the plug somewhere other than the drain port, otherwise residual water that could be in the internal coils could cause damage. I know new owners can be a little intimidated by the process, and us “seasoned” owners can forget some of the simple steps because the process is so easy. Hope this helps all of us avoid a simple but potentially costly mistake. 👍
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I hear that! Here in the West Coast redwood rain forest, we found a KNKA Energy Star 80 pint unit thats small enough to sit on the kitchen counter and drain into the sink. We don’t take it with us on road trips though, a couple of paper towels is enough to remove the moisture from the Oliver's factory window condenser units! 😂 Cheers!
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Xantrex 3000w inverter issue
Snackchaser replied to carpenter's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
As @jd1923 said, the Lithionics should reset itself if the batteries are kept fully charged while not in use. The new firmware also helps with this by making corrections at various charge states. It’s worth updating them. The Xantrex Code 1 is a voltage issue, it means the inverter isn’t getting enough voltage from the batteries while the microwave runs. This isn’t necessarily because of low SOC, it’s more likely a poor connection somewhere in the heavy battery cables. Think of it like a like old car with corroded battery posts, everything works fine until you try to turn the engine over and the connections can’t handle the heavier starting current. There are some easy checks you can try. Make sure the inverter’s low-battery cutoff is not set higher than 12.1 volts per Oliver’s recommendation for Lithionics batteries, and that the battery type is set to lithium. Some owners have found that software updates changed these settings. The Victron is a different design, but not necessarily better. In this case, when the Xantrex trips, it’s warning us there could be a problem. A Victron with default settings would keep running while a bad connection heats up, until the battery’s BMS protection shuts everything down, including the lights! Although Victron uses load compensated cutoff, owners should also check their low-battery settings. The factory defaults are very low, and they should be set per their battery maker’s recommendations. I've done some fair research into the Victron, and unless you also opt for an expensive Cerbo based system, I believe it's not a better upgrade over the Xantrex. Another easy test is to watch the voltages from the SeeLevel panel and Xantrex display, then start the microwave. Note each display’s voltage before starting and just before the inverter trips. If the SeaLevel (battery voltage) stays about 13 V, but the Xantrex drops to about 12 V, then there is a voltage drop (poor connection) in the wiring between the batteries and the inverter. If they both drop together, then the batteries may be weak or not sharing the load evenly. The 300 amp breakers internal resistance is a an easy first test. Put a DC voltmeter across the terminals with a full load (while running the micro). Anything over 0.1V across the two posts is too much internal resistance. You can also use an infrared thermometer to look for warm (poor) connections after the inverter trips, or run a smaller load, such as a heater on low. It might not be enough load to trip the inverter, but enough to warm a poor connection. Don’t forget to look at the grounds! Of course it might be something else altogether, and there are other voltage tests that can isolate the problem. This is a good start to help narrow it down. Let us know what you find. Cheers, Geoff -
You're welcome. Lot's of experience here and an endless array of camping/traveling styles in our community! "Reservations I would have" is how long can you run the 48V Houghton A/C? How many 48V Amps it pulls will determine how many hours you can run the A/C unplugged. But there's only a few of us with the goal of running A/C unplugged and so far (others are close!) I'm the only one on the Forum who has run A/C a full 5 days 24x7 unplugged! The daytime highs were low 90s using only 40A on average (60A max) and we have cool nights when the Chill Cube barely sips amps (amps based on 12VDC). But overall, it takes quite a robust system to run A/C on batteries! We have 900 Ah Epoch batteries. The Apex has one 48V 100 Ah battery which translates to 400 Ah in 12VDC. I would need two of these batteries. Can you fit another in the rear basement area? 🤣 Who will be the first Apex owner to do that?
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Is this safe, Dudley? I’ve never let ours run much below 20% SOC or in the teens. I always thought bringing SOC to 100% and adding Float charge for another 24 hours should calibrate SOC% at 100%.
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There must be 10+ threads in the last two years on the 3KW Xantrex shutting down and I’m not saying search vs. posting. Please everybody always feel free to ask any question! 😎 It’s usually something re low voltage cutout. Likely you need to run through setup configuration to lower this number. Experienced Xantrex owners may chime in otherwise, search for ‘Xantrex’ from the forum home page and you should find instructions for changing this parameter. Also 50% SOC is not LOW with LiFePO4 batteries! We have a Victron inverter with 900 Ah. The Victron allows for this, since we can run our A/C AND the microwave (oven) with SOC <20%! Both the inverter and batteries have low voltage cutoff protection. I’ve never read here re Lithionics cutting out. The Victron inverter never cuts out. There are only Xantrex cutoff issues. Also it’s not your microwave given it runs long when plugged into shore power. Check your Xantrex manual and their Tech Support if necessary.
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Filling the freshwater tank from a container
Dean and Mary replied to Brian H.'s topic in Welcome to the Oliver Forums
You're welcome. John brought up a good point. Oliver simplified the plumbing by adding a valve, which allowed them to reduce the number of inlets. -
Filling the freshwater tank from a container
Brian H. replied to Brian H.'s topic in Welcome to the Oliver Forums
Thanks for the help! This is exactly what i needed. -
Wide open spaces
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Here on the upper West Coast we can get incredible amounts of damp, cold humidity. The little Peltier dehumidifiers don’t work worth beans, and using your AC just puts on the freeze. So I took a chance on the Media Cube 20 pint. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08ZMY8BC8 Fits nicely between the twin beds, I’ll just keep it there by the bedside table which is a great spot. Note in tank mode it blocks the door, I’ll look into a drain hose sometime (OTOH it won’t be on every trip, mostly likely I’ll just bring it along based on where we’re going). So anyhow not for summer humidity - just use the AC - but for winter humidity this works perfectly. It acts like a little 200W space heater, is pretty quiet and pulls an enormous amount of water out of the air. When traveling or storing the top half nests inside the lower half tank.
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rideandfly started following Garmin update
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Thanks for the info, will update our Garmin RV Navigator
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In doing some map research I stumbled across a couple of updates to Garmin devices that are currently available. The first is an update to IOverlander's points of interests and the second is a fairly substantial update of North American Maps. As usual, Garmin Express can be used to perform these updates or WiFi can be used if your Garmin device is equipped for it. Bill
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Xantrex 3000w inverter issue
Steph and Dud B replied to carpenter's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
It's possible your SOC is out of calibration. Have you ever run the batteries all the way down to shutoff then recharged them to full? -
My LiFePo4 batter bank is at roughly 55% soc. It is the 3 battery lithionics set up with 360ah. I went to use the convection oven on microwave setting to warm up my coffee this morning and it will only run for 30 seconds or so before the xantrex beeps and throws code 1. The draw on the microwave should not exceed the available charge in the battery to run for 1 minutes to warm up coffee. I made sure to turn off all other items such as the anti freeze on my truma before using the microwave. This is the second time this has happened, the last time I was roughly 60% on soc. 2022 elite 2 if that gives you any more information. Thank in advance for any input.
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the solar system.
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Thanks for the thoughts and experience here. I was thinking battery door purely because it's already routing back to the head unit, but what you're saying makes sense. I'm really liking the idea and specs of the ecoflow system. Only reservations I have are longevity and continued availability and support.
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Thanks for the thoughts and comments! In the pictures I've seen, they have the rooftop plugged into the (dual use port) that is going to engine/alternator in the schematic I posted. Awnings go to the two that are explicitly shown connecting to panels.
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double hull (Only two - balance)
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I wouldn't expect OTT to route the cable not knowing customers' future needs. They learned that lesson with Zamp ports a few years ago. And I wouldn't want them drilling more holes into my hull. This is custom work and routing a suitcase solar can work many different ways. They have standard interior wiring to connect to the awnings when purchasing that option. All that’s needed is a simple connector port and wiring given the ECOFLOW has these solar input terminals. The Ecoflow is under the street side bed (copied photo from other Apex thread). You haven't had your head in the basement of an Oliver yet, but trust me having mine down there for toooo MANY hours and the Apex and Elite hulls are basically the same. Wiring can very easily be run the full length of the streetside basement. Up to the doghouse is a just little more work. There are also ways to wire to the curbside, the easiest being stringing wire around the rear of the basement. Please don't "drill the door to the battery compartment!" You'll likely be sorry later, since there are far better locations. Give it some time after your delivery to think about it. We've camped 200 overnights in 3 years, with 65% of our stays unplugged (spreadsheet data). I've only setup suitcase solar about 8 days (4%). We did truly need it last trip which was a first. Additional solar is only needed for long boondocking, like going to max the 14-day BLM limit! Most of our stays are 1-3 days at one campsite, so DC-DC charging is generally what's needed! 😎 I like these ECOFLOW terminals. Through the years, some OTT wiring has loosened/crusted up over time causing issues. These look to be rock solid!
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all fiberglass travel trailer
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Plastic Swivel Adaptors starting to fail - likely age
mossemi replied to Wayfinder's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
On the subject of SharkBite fittings, none of the fittings in Chris's picture are actually SharkBite brand. I suggest identifying the brand of Pex tubing and purchase fittings that are compatible. The information available from SharkBite is that their fittings and Pex tubing are are recommended based on compatibility. Also note that SharkBite makes at least 3 different models of fittings and not all are reusable. Buyer beware! I would consult the AI engine of your choice if you are confused by all the information available. Mossey -
plwilds joined the community
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Plastic Swivel Adaptors starting to fail - likely age
Rivernerd replied to Wayfinder's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
I would just buy Sharkbites, along with a length of Pex B, and a pipe cutter, which makes it easier to get a clean, flush cut. -
@TC-Starrysky welcome to forum, sorry it took so long to reply. Many of us have been busy with the official Oliver rally in Alabama. I see you are in Vermont. I'm hoping to make it up to Oliver Mini rally in Boothbay, Maine next year. It will be much closer to you than for me, as I'm in Georgia. I believe @dewdev manages that rally. I have a Google Map of growing mini/micro rallies here: https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1dsUQmPEsXOhV3KgTIkwI1QzIeWChkCw&usp=sharing I best call the campground there to reserve a site. LOL Cheers,
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Thanks Geoff @Snackchaser, Lots here to get started and of course I'll keep our community posted. BTW, we were running A/C on inverter, but not while towing this time. Never thought heat would be a leading issue. The basement near the MP2 has seen 104F at highest, more often 80-90F. The Orion is under the rear dinette seat, a lot of air up there and nothing else producing heat while towing. Fall temps in the 70s. Next time out is not coming soon, but I'll fix a Ruuvi sensor directly to the Orion. Testing at idle on our property likely would not produce much heat, but I'll hit the Orion with my IR temp gun after an hour idling to see. My alternator is a built Nations brand HD alternator. I wouldn't think 2 years later it's the issue but yes, it should be tested. We just got a week of unprecedented HEAVY rains. Much of AZ had flooded. We are safe on high ground, but I have weeks of some repair and yardwork to do first. I should take some time later in the year to work on this. Thanks again.
