All Activity

Geoff adds some new thinking here and a clever solid approach! Using relays or solenoids for high amp connections is a good approach! We keep our our Oliver outdoors, never winterized, parked often but never "in storage." She's been parked a few weeks now and our batteries with rooftop solar are currently at 99% SOC. Needles to say, parasitic draw is not a concern of ours. I believe that adding a cut-off switch to the main 4/0 cabling, adds a point of resistance and possible point of failure. Geoff's solution does not interfere with the main power connection. Just hardwire straight to the inverter is a good thing! Yet our friend GJ garages his Oliver for 8-9 months on the mainland while he enjoys Aloha-land! Extra precautions must be made if you out-of-sight of your Oliver for this duration. Both solutions fit the differing needs of 2 Oliver owners! 😂 I'm old-school in that when servicing any vehicle, the first step in any auto service manual is to "disconnect the ground." This is more trusting than any switched solution! I installed the 4/0 wire with the main ground connection closest to the opening, I can disconnect it in a minute when needed without rolling out a tray (ours was deleted) or removing the locking cover plate I installed. I disconnect rarely, haven't done so since I added a 3rd battery last year. But the main ground is there when needed! 😎

Interesting thread indeed, and it will definitely be interesting to know how Oliver resolves the issue with @Lamar’s cooktop/inverter. It definitely appears that unique design considerations were required with the LE and its more limited power capabilities compared to the LE2 and it’s larger inverter and battery capacity. Depending on the outcome, this experience may initiate design changes for future LE builds. Regarding comments by @jd1923 and @DanielBoondock about induction appliances in their Oliver travels, after more than two seasons in our LE2 we definitely prefer induction for all cooking needs. Whether cooking outside or inside, the quickest, cleanest, simplest and in my opinion safest cooking option in an LE2 with large lithium system and 3k inverter is induction. And for us that includes both with utility connections and boondocking disconnected. Like any electrical system it requires a mind for managing capacity and demand. We actually have two of the induction cooktops @jd1923 mentioned above, and use them simultaneously when needed. The beauty of two separate units is they can be positioned side by side and used like a two burner and not be limited by the settings on the opposite unit. We even have a nice non-stick griddle we place on the dual burner arrangement, with separate controls for each half just like you can on a double burner single unit. For outside cooking, if we have utilities at the site, one gets plugged into the curbside outlet and the other run off the pedestal via a short 12ga extension cord. My eventual plans are to run a separate circuit from an added breaker in the 120v panel to a plug above the galley to facilitate using both induction units simultaneously without overloading a single circuit, keeping in mind the inverter capacity. Simultaneous use of one hot plate and the hot induction kettle would also become an option. As mentioned by @DanielBoondock we always must take into consideration any other appliances such as AC, microwave, induction kettle, and the notorious hairdryer!😉 But once you understand the capabilities of the LE2 and its electrical capacities, induction appliances really open up a lot of options. We love the propane system for unlimited and instant hot water and it’s excellent heating capabilities with the furnace, but for us, the convenience of instant and precise cooking with induction is something we’ve learned to love at home, and now very happy to have while traveling.

Good write up. But I'll stay with my 350 amp BlueSeas Master DC cut off switch. Why? Less complicated and less maintenance than a Master Switch. When a Master Switch if off, there are no power draws during the 8 months my OTT is lonely. Smart owners always do a brake check when starting a tow. Doing so also hints at DC power to the CO and Propane detectors and referigerator. GJ

I used the stainless steel version of these when I added LED strip lights under my awning a few years ago. Love them.. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/9314-curbside-led-strip-lighting/?_rid=6801

Great minds think alike - I have this one for cooking outside https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G9YKPQC Stainless is nice but most is I like that its fine if it rains, don’t ask me how I know. Also it’s got .5 increments so is finer grained control than the interior stove Hm? Not sure what you mean either … I’m just saying that the cooktops have a specified input power they can spend however they want. For the home Bosch the electrician used the wire gauge and breaker size required for installation and obviously same here. So the induction is sized to that, but they can use that power however it wants. The Bosch has a boost mode which is super crazy fast for boiling water, less than a minute for a full pot. I forget how much it is, 6-9kW I think? Anyhow that can only be used with the other burners at a much lower power, so it basically hogs the input. The Oliver induction is much the same. I can use the main burner on 10, and the secondary on 1 or 2 IIRC. Or I can use the secondary on 8 (max), and the main on 3. So clearly, 11 is the maximum level (the engineer must have seen Spinal Tap), and the onboard PLC lets you spread that across two burners in this way. Now the burner could be sized bigger, say 2.5 kW, and (without doing the math) say that allows both burners on full. OK fine, but now that would only sell to RV’s with 3k inverters which isn’t as common as 2k. Even on shore power we only have a 30A input which still limits. Don’t know what this means, everybody is limited to 30A on shore, and on battery are limited by the inverter and battery. With my stock dual Lithionics 9kWh batteries and the Xantrex 3k I always have to be mindful of power while cooking. On battery I can do two things at once usually, but no AC. On shore I can do AC and cook, one or two things but still have to be careful. From the factory they incorrectly set the low voltage cutoff of the Xantrex at 11.3 IIRC. By accident I found that out, it’s supposed to be 12.1. At the previous value I could easily run two things at once on battery. At the correct 12.1 I have to be much more careful and run more like 1.5 appliances simultaneously. Making it more interesting I’ve got 10 kW off my truck if you can believe that. 7kW off the bed power sockets, and I have a ~3kW dongle which goes off the charge port in a ‘reverse power’ configuration. I think it’s using the onboard Level II AC inverter backwards for that. Anyhow this dongle has a TT-30 socket - they must have done it for the campers, so I can plug the trailer into mobile ‘shore power’. But it’s limited to 25A not 30A, so have to be a bit more careful. Buuuuuuut, if it really mattered, I could also go off the bed power (using an adapter for 240V), or just run the outdoor induction off one of the 120V, or whatever. tl/dr …

Be careful! Pretty soon you two just might run out of things to talk about!😇

The price for your dimmer switches at about $20 is sure a BUNCH cheaper than what I paid for my single dimmer switch some 10 years ago. And, the finished product looks great too. Bill

I’ve been looking for a quality dimming option for the three lights you mentioned, and I appreciate you sharing your results.

I installed Obeaming touch lights and been very pleased, they are dimmable to your desired level of eye comfort and ambiance. I posted the install on this forum. Here’s a few pics:

@mossemi And thank you Sir for your help. Bill

I'd like to install a Mini Split A/C at home. Looking for my technical friends here who have researched models or installed one in your home. Our home, built in 1980, is still on the original HVAC system (with a few repairs I've made). It's a combined unit up on stilts, attached to one end of our long 4100 SF home. The other end of the home doesn't get much airflow and neither do the bedrooms. I'd like to install a dual-head mini split, one head in our bedroom and the other in my office where I train via Zoom in the afternoons. Both rooms get hot in the summer and it's a waste cooling the entire home low enough to cool these two small rooms (only 180 SF each). It would be OK if cool air flowed out in the hallway too to give the old system some help. Likely the smallest dual unit at 9,000 + 9,000 BTU is enough, or maybe 12 + 12. I see brands that are familiar like Tosot, Turbro and Pioneer, since they make RV units. I also see Senville, Cooper & Hunter, Daiken, Della and others. Any brand preference? I see Senville has good reviews with a 5/10 yr warranty. I'd like to buy from an HVAC distributor vs. Amazon, but each time I find a link the $2K dual unit on Amazon goes for over $3K elsewhere! Definitely need a dual head unit and the 2 rooms are side-by-side on one exterior wall which should make for a tidy installation. Time to drill into our home instead of the Oliver! 🤣 115V would be a close run. I could tap into a bedroom outlet which only has a nightstand lamp on the circuit. For 230V I can add a breaker and run wire from the garage along the soffit. Thinking 230V is more efficient, but not sure. Is R32 the best refrigerant or another kind? Lots of Qs! Any installation or use experience out there? Thanks

Steph and Dud, This works great for us. We are coming to the end our initial voyage . We needed to keep reminding each other where/when in the days ahead. We tend to not think about calendars so much when traveling and sometimes we don’t even know where we will stay the next night. I put up a similar white board using command strips on the closet door of our 2026 LE1. Hull #1687. Good use of that space and we quit asking each other what’s next. Lamar😁

@Townesw The hatch looks very nice and you will love the easy access. Thank you for the step by step procedure. It will help someone else in the future! Mossey

The recent posts about adding lights to the rear and tongue reminded me to share this. There had also been a few previous posts about the bright exterior lights, and some mentioned adding dimmers. We've added these dimmers to ours. From what I've read, Oliver has changed the way the exterior lights are switched over the years so this modification may not work for everyone. On our 2022 LE2, the four Porch lights on both sides of the trailer are on a single switch, as are the lower Courtesy lights. The Porch lights are quite bright, which can be very annoying, especially to neighbors on the streetside. Though we can just use the awning light if we need to keep the streetside dark, sometimes we like less intense lighting. These dimmers replace the rockers in the original control panel. It's an easy modification, but requires enlarging the rocker hole slightly. We also added a dimmer to the Main Cabin lights. (Note: the blue light ring in the picture doesn't indicate whether the light is on/off, it's always on or off depending on a separate setting.) Steve

Regardless of usage, there is a wattage spec listed on electrical appliances sold in the USA. Pretty sure it's code, so that electricians know how to size wiring and fuses/breakers. Also, part of RV solar planning is to add up the wattage of each appliance and to estimate how many hours per day of usage, and so forth. We use the induction cooktop that @Ollie-Haus made us aware of in an older post. My wife likes it so much that after she was using at home too often, I purchased a 2nd one for the Oliver only (I like our Oliver always ready to go, fully equipped). It's rated at 1800W which is listed on the Amazon title and on the product label underneath. Wattage spec should also be listed in product literature and user manuals. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KSNTSVR/?th=1 I do not get this statement either, "the stove itself." How can an appliance possibly know what it's wired to, or know whether you're on inverter or shore power? We run our induction cooktop often at the full #10 setting, for example to boil water for pasta. Everything always on our Victron Multiplus II, no problem. 😎

As I said, from page 2

Caulk used Adhesive remover used Plastic razor blades from O’Reilly Razor blade holder also from O’Reilly Bill

Interesting. That corresponds pretty well with our WeighSafe hitch, which usually reports a tongue weight around 550# with a full loadout, including full fresh water and empty grey/black tanks. Our closet floor is mostly tools.

Making the popcorn now...

I called Parts earlier this week and got the $350 number (just for the front logo) and they only had one color that did not match my sides. Ngl, I'll head back to the vinyl shop tomorrow -- probably tow over there -- and ask them what it would cost to repro the entire OEM set. I will then compare the number to an actual wrap. I cannot imagine the latter being competitive but if its within 20% I might just do a wrap. Would certainly be unique as an EII. For cars, wraps are usually a wash at-best for resale but we shall see. It's kinda crazy that this has run this long. You can literally run a hand-held scanner over the surface, import that into any decent photo editor, and then convert to vector graphics with just a bit of work.

O2R - Thank you so much for giving us the conclusion of your Service story. I am so happy that things worked out for you. I am often perplexed by the stories I hear in which what happens seems to be at the entire opposite end of the scale. I'm simply not sure what's the cause of this seemingly drastic difference between quick through responses that , "Oliver went above and beyond on this one" and the owners that report complete dissatisfaction with virtually anything done by anyone working at Oliver. Perhaps your story and how you handled the situation can serve as a "road map" for others to travel. Bill

My Bosch induction at home doesn’t. The burners have a boost setting but you can’t use them simultaneously. This is normal for induction ranges. It’s normal for most electrical appliances too and houses. Try running all your house lines at absolute full bore and see how fast you start tripping breakers. IIRC the national code specifies 80% continuous and non simultaneous use. Which is why total breaker ratings can add up to more than the panel can technically handle (200A typically). But you guys are still thinking in gas terms, electrical doesn’t work that way. But it doesn’t matter, induction is faster and more efficient than gas so you don’t need full simultaneous use. To answer your question specifically I don’t know as I’d have to have the circuit or block diagram of the cooktop to answer, or maybe they talk about it in the manual. Moot point as it’s pretty obvious. Another take, this is just the same as why I can’t use AC, wave and cooktop simultaneously. Making electrical support full simultaneous use is too expensive and not necessary.

Below is the reply that I received an hour ago from Jason: "That's a tough one for me specifically as I have no idea about any of this or where to even find those graphics. Have you tried reaching out to technical support or service?" Bill p.s. I expect that it will take a bit of time before hearing back from Matt Duncan - as mentioned above - he only checks in with Oliver related subjects on an occasional basis.

Yes, though every Oliver is packed differently! We always have a full FWT. The bottom of our closet is also wall-to-wall drinking water, wine, soft drinks. Very full pantry and Fridge. Back cabinets full of clothes, Attic rather Full, try to keep the rear basement light. Not sure if you have D52 axles and Alcans, but that’s a bit of weight too that is exactly centered! The 580 Lb tongue weight was one measurement taken on the same scale. You can add 600 lbs to the trailer and if centered add little to tongue weight. Tongue weight is light on the Oliver. Reason for WDH on half-ton trucks. Should be 10-15% of trailer weight.