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Do Not Overfill Your Fresh Water Tank!
Rivernerd replied to Rivernerd's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
Thanks to all who have provided valuable insights and photos. As we have had a busy travel schedule on the road, I have not yet had the opportunity to pull the drawers under the sink or to inspect the underside of the fresh water tank overflow tube in Hull #1291. For now, we are carefully filling the fresh water tank when we need to boondock, until our pre-planned schedule allows me time to try to "get to the bottom" of what caused our problem. We will be on the road until the end of October. I hope to be able to investigate once we get back home. I will then report my findings, if any. -
We have done the list the last three years. After talking to Scott Oliver and Matt last year, they were going to try to include that information with the welcome package. So no, I am not collecting details this year. Due to a scheduling conflict with a building project here at home, we have canceled our reservations. We’ll see you in Florida for Eggs n S’mores.
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Steve, was it you who put the attendee list together with Site Locations last year for The Lake Guntersville Rally? If so, please add me. Hull 292, site E38 in The Range Rover, From Tampa Florida.
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Is there a list of 2026 Lake Guntersville Rally Attendants? Wish I could remember who put the list together with Camp sites.
Hope to see you there, from Gary, Anita, and Ranger, our Standard Poodle in Hull 292, The Range Rover
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mossemi started following Do Not Overfill Your Fresh Water Tank!
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Do Not Overfill Your Fresh Water Tank!
mossemi replied to Rivernerd's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
I have been following along without anything to add, but I now have a few thoughts. The fresh water overflow discharge port is, in the words of Google: So it looks like a 2 piece fitting that requires access to the inside and outside of the hull to install, service or remove. So the next step requires a modification to the floor below the bottom drawer below the sink. This picture of the area below the sink without the drawers in place. The blue square surrounds a cutout in the rear wall that OTT provided for access to the refrigerator 120V outlet. The red square surrounds a cutout in the floor that I made with a router, using the walls as a guide. This access was needed for a prior plumbing modification. It may also provide access to the freshwater overflow port that would be needed for the installation, removal or repair. Both of the access ports are normally covered with a thin piece of plywood. My MOP for sanitizing the freshwater tank in hull 193, begins by mixing several ounce of chorine or a quart of hydrogen peroxide in a 5 gallon water jug and using the boondocking port to pump it into the freshwater tank. I then fill the tank using a hose at the freshwater fill bib. I am generally in the area of the Ollie while doing the sanitation job, but I do not monitor the amount of water going in, I just wait for it to overflow. And I do use a pressure regulator set to 40 lbs. whenever connecting a hose to the freshwater tank or city water bibs. Mossey -
xdr started following Two weeks of feedback Apex #2 (Hull 1739)
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Fresh Water Tank Overflow Condition
jd1923 replied to Wayfinder's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
Better go ahead with your retirement as planned😎. You have seen the future! -
In addition to the Oliver regional rallies, there are also fiberglass rallies with more and more Olivers in attendance. Here in Ohio, the Casitas of Ohio put on a spring kick-off fiberglass rally and a fall rally. This past spring there were five Oliver’s in attendance out of maybe 20-25 total trailers. The Florida Eggs n S’mores fiberglass rally in January had at least a dozen Oliver’s. Hungry Mother fiberglass rally in Western Virginia had five Olivers. And there are similar rallies all over the country.
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Shower drain pipe: Is this normal?
jd1923 replied to John and Jodi's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
Good photos yep, one flexible P-trap is straight, the other is certainly twisted. How do they twist this during installation? Sometimes a job is easier when doing it the right way! Wish I had looked that direction when I had all the waste valves out (was instead looking forward to run DC-DC wiring)! Can a person get an arm in there to loosen the two hose clamps? If so, all can be good. You could put the part in hot water to get it back to original shape which was a great suggestion! But first I would send picture to OTT asking them to replace the part ASAP no charge. Also it's so cool to see the 3" ducting to the bathroom! If it kills me, I've got to install semi-rigid ducting, a homerun from furnace to bath. OEM ducting, Why, why, why? When the bottom hull is open for a few extra dollar full RIGID ducting SHOULD be laid. Ours was full of holes across the bottoms, everywhere. I replaced all I could within reach. -
Do Not Overfill Your Fresh Water Tank!
Snackchaser replied to Rivernerd's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
From the looks of those long tanks, and knowing that the level sensors are on the ends, just a few degrees off lengthwise level could result in significant tank level inaccuracies! Good picture! @Hokieman -
Do Not Overfill Your Fresh Water Tank!
Snackchaser replied to Rivernerd's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
That's a Through-hull marine fitting. Oliver probably added the insect screen. I looked at mine with a mirror and it doesn't have that black stuff. Me thinks it's clogged! I'd try poking a piano wire through the mesh while slowly adding water to the tank to see if it flushes out. Catch it in a white container to see what it is. -
Do Not Overfill Your Fresh Water Tank!
jd1923 replied to Rivernerd's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
Me too, and thanks for the photo Mike! You can almost read the print on the overflow tube! Hard to be sure with photography, things closer looking larger and all, BUT the overflow tube sure looks considerably larger than the rest of the plumbing. -
Do Not Overfill Your Fresh Water Tank!
Hokieman replied to Rivernerd's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
Here’s another photo that shows how it is installed. Replacing that screen is now on my task list. Thanks to @Wayfinder for bringing the screen situation to our attention, I would probably have never noticed it. And thanks to @Rivernerd for alerting us to a potential problem. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/11495-fresh-water-tank-overflow-condition/#comment-126984 -
TPMS are nice but the batteries do die and then it one more thing to replace. I have them on my tow vehicle and premptively replaced them because they are pain when they die. Been there with a different vehicle. Like you, a good, frequent visual check plus putting a pressure gage on once in awhile is my prefered method. Like Russell explained, having 4 pressures in your face all the time can be an unwelcome mental distraction for many of us.
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Do Not Overfill Your Fresh Water Tank!
jd1923 replied to Rivernerd's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
Agreed, a screen insert makes sense to keep insects out. Filter material, why? It does look like a filter, but there's no need to filter waste water! The finer the screen or filter material, the quicker it will muck up, and eventually be closed shut. Thanks for the picture! I suggested the scope and now I need to get one! The screen/mesh looks somewhat clogged up. Who knows what has collected above it in your 5 years, our 11 years? Hull #1291 has at most 4 years of use! Could be one of those hole-saw plugs from the tank installation stuck along the path. It irks me how lazy "professional installers" can be. With the right tool it would take a few seconds to retrieve the plugs and a blast of compressed air to quickly clean out the new tank. Fill the tank more slowly? Filling up at Maverick on our last trip, It took over 10 minutes to fill the tank (28 gal on the counter) and the hose had a very good flow rate. Because it's so slow, I now start filling the fresh tank and dump tanks while it's taking its time filling. For me the 1/2" PEX plus the OEM restrictor makes the incoming water flow slow enough. I'll be checking and likely removing this "filter" instead. On my long list is also removing the Fresh and City Water line restrictors (they restrict flow vs. pressure). Everybody in every RV forever has run the hose until the tank overflows. Camping is supposed to be fun! 🤣 Is the "plastic flanged bulkhead fitting" removable, so serviceable? The screen is relatively close to the bottom, so there's hope. Given @Rivernerd's experience, I would certainly try to remove that fitting and see if the screen/filter is serviceable. If not, I would take long auger drill bit and turn it by hand slowly into the screen, trying to grab as much of it as possible for removal. Try to remove as much as possible with the bit, wider bits and other tools. Then use the scope again to see if it's clear all the way up and down into the tank. Finally, take a piece of stainless steel screening material, shape it into a cone and insert it at the very bottom. This screen insert could be removed later easily with a needle-nose pliers. It will be interesting to find out the end result here. I imagine a lot of us will be looking up that overflow tube soon enough! -
I have been making my way east towards the rally, and visiting a few lakeside and riverside campgrounds. West Rolling Hills campground on Milford Lake, view from my campsite in Loop A West Rolling Hills is an Army Corp of Engineers cg located alongside Milford Lake, Milford SP, Milford Wildlife Area, Fish Hatchery, Nature Center.... https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/233608 Milford Lake is huge (I think over 15,000 acres) fed by the Republican River. Lots of fishermen, and I saw photo evidence from the camp host of a massive 54 pound catfish he caught the day I arrived. I didn't use any services there, but will attest to the friendliness of the host and other campers, and the clean conditions everywhere around the lake. A beautiful campsite. Sunset from the Prairie Meadow campground in Elk City State Park Elk City SP is west of Independence Kansas. This was a late arrival and early departure for me, but I enjoyed this sunset when I went walking after setting up. The campground overlooks Elk City Lake. There were lots of birds, including Barred Owls and Screech Owls near the campsite! The Current River is lined with vegetation, but walking trails provide direct access from some campsites in Big Spring cg Big Spring Campground in Ozark National Wild & Scenic River is also very pleasant. I've camped there a couple of times. It's a bit of a thrill (rollercoaster) driving to the campground along a narrow winding rolling road, but the campground and the river are beautiful. They have separate buildings for hot and cold showers, and offer other amenities. sunset from my campsite in Eureka Campground, Kuttawa KY Eureka Campground in Kuttawa KY is along the Cumberland River, overlooking The Land Between The Lakes. This is another ACOE campground, and another great location for fishing. The sites are mostly spacious with picnic tables and separate fish-cleaning tables at the site, fire pits and direct lake access from the campsite. There are tons of things to see and do near Land Between the Lakes. I plan to come back to this area. Oh! And about that 54 pound fish.... here's the camp host Tony with his catch at West Rolling Hills cg in Junction City KS
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I've met with another couple of Olivers on the road! One on my way to Elk Mountain Campground at Wind Cave, south of Hot Springs SD (Terry & Terri Hand, Hull #143) And then last week I met Kathy & Nancy who were locals from Abilene Kansas camping at West Rolling Hills Campground, on Milford Lake. Kathy couldn't quite remember her hull number; she thought it was 17xx but it was a 2022. It's always great to meet another Oliver on the road.
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Boudicca908 started following Do Not Overfill Your Fresh Water Tank!
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Do Not Overfill Your Fresh Water Tank!
Ollie-Haus replied to Rivernerd's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
Well I just crawled under there to get a better understanding of the drain port. Ours is in the form of a plastic flanged bulkhead fitting that appears to extend about four inches up through the bottom hull just off the aft corner of the fridge compartment. It’s ID is about 3/4 inch and upon shining a light up inside, there is a fine mesh screen at the upper end and it appears to have a black fiberish filter material on top of the screen. There’s board dividing the fridge compartment from the galley drawer space, so no access to the drain from the outside fridge access panel. My guess is the mesh and what appears to be a filter material are there to prevent anything from getting into the freshwater tank through the drain. But this also would restrict the flow of water during the filling process. Sounds like there’s a few questions for Oliver service to better understand the principle of design and of course what to do if this filter/mesh becomes clogged over time. -
Obviously, I haven't poked around enough in this amazing Forum space! Thanks Bill -- this is great.
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BackofBeyond replied to dewdev's topic in General Discussion
Very nice recap of the current Oliver business and overall RV climate. As a returning customer after a 6-year absence which drove a detailed perusing of the forum, the time spent catching up has been enlightening. The perspective you get as a current customer, being up to date with Oliver products and its overall business model is like seeing the trees in all their variety as the forest kind of blends in. When it all seems new, but you come from a base of familiarity, prior experience, the changes in business, features, models, service, no service department, dealers, no dealers, industry rise/decline - it all is a really interesting and a worthwhile study. I can appreciate the tactical moves in the Oliver business model and must give them some kudos as they worked to adapt to changing trends in the industry. Dealer networks, expanded service opportunities, improved option content, less choice, new models, only to regroup - no dealer network, strategize the service business, add a new product, it all represents forward thinking and a management team that looks to the future. Change is hard, it's not always correct, but directionally Oliver stays the course. Given that, what has not changed is the Oliver strategy- take care of customers, build industry leading products, innovate. From my vantage point Oliver has incorporated changes in the option and build content that not only make sense but align with what I once asked - why not? It appears to me streamlining or right sizing of choice has cleaned up the build variation, and driven a little more standard process, less variation. Less demand should drive better builds, and improve quality - not only FTQ, but actual in the field customer satisfaction. Price, whoa, price, now that is a shock - but break it down, it is not out of line with the entirety of the general price increase across the economy. Doesn't appear to be less of an Oliver (less chips in the bag), perhaps quite the contrary. Yearly Oliver owners retreat - a "Rally" --still happening and fully supported by Oliver. Who does that? Now don't get me wrong - I have some issues Oliver could improve, but they are not asking, and they seem to catch on eventually anyways. As I type this post, my mind reminds me of the several issues we had on our prior unit, the many mods I made to improve some function or fix a design issue, tempered by the satisfaction enjoyed in many a remote outpost. It was true to me then - 7 years back, the Oliver was a great thing to have in the wilds of American backcountry travel, it was relatively trouble free, and the Oliver company never let me down when there was a problem. That continues to be true today. I can only look forward to that remaining the case and perhaps improving. I'll let you know next March...... RB As I edit- they also provide and support this forum. another feather to be added to the cap. -
Shower drain pipe: Is this normal?
Boudicca908 replied to John and Jodi's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
@John and Jodi I wasn't able to get quite the same angle, but here are my photos. I have the same material, but it's not twisted like yours. .... why do I struggle with photo uploads? I will try to fix these.... a few minutes. -
Do Not Overfill Your Fresh Water Tank!
Snackchaser replied to Rivernerd's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
High pressure could cause enough turbulence to splash water up to the overflow tube creating gurgling and an air lock. An air lock can effectively block the vent tube. It's not uncommon, even with large industrial tanks! It's also possible that floating debris blocked the overflow tube as the tank filled, then it floated away afterwards. This is intermittent and it's happened with hole-saw plugs that were left in the tank during fabrication. I've always instinctively filled the freshwater tank very slowly, just a crack of the valve. The overflow tube is no match for my hose pressure and volume, and the tank is not designed to be pressurized. -
Shower drain pipe: Is this normal?
John and Jodi replied to John and Jodi's topic in Mechanical & Technical Tips
I removed the access panel on the dinette seat closest to the shower and looked down and right. -
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topgun2 replied to dewdev's topic in General Discussion
Please remember that Oliver Travel Trailers is a relatively small family owned business. They do not have much of a marketing department and all of the employees that I know wear multiple hats. There was a time when Oliver could sell every trailer they made with not much more marketing than "word of mouth". Of course HDRider is correct regarding listening to customers. I would argue that this is how our Olivers got solar, better and bigger batteries, better quality, induction stove tops, electric switch for the shower drain "backflow", simpler to use information systems for solar, awning style windows, compressor fridges, etc.. The recently rescinded attempt of increasing distribution via an external sales force (i.e. the dealer network) didn't produce the desired results but its genesis was two pronged - counter act the effect that the general RV industry decline had on sales plus Oliver owners asking for a better way of getting "service" on Ollies when it was not easy to travel long distances back to the "Mothership". Note that the only Owner's Rally that Scott Oliver has missed was due to his daughter getting married on the same weekend as the Owner's Rally. However, the head of the Sales department and the head of the Service department have always been in attendance and for a number (perhaps all of them but I don't know that for sure) of Owner's Rallies even the head of Production has been in attendance. In addition, Sales staff, the limited Marketing staff and other Oliver personnel have been in attendance - I've been told that this year there will be even more Oliver personnel available at the Rally. But, all of this does not really address monitoring the Forum more closely. I don't have an easy answer for this other than the ones mentioned above. However, I do know that Oliver Management has asked us (owners) to bring any complaints or suggestions to them before we "air" those on "social media" in order to give them a chance to clarify or rectify a situation or problem. I believe that not only is this a "fair" request but that Oliver has virtually always bent over backwards to reach a reasonable solution to "issues". Bill
