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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

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,

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.

Outside of this post, I have not studied any Ecoflow literature, nor the product manual. However, based solely on the diagram you shared it appears you have what you need. Meaning the Ecoflow should have two (2) internal solar chargers (terminals #7, #8 as pictured). Given this is true, then all you need is cabling from the panels to a port in the hull, then wiring to the Ecoflow. The link you provided shows a hybrid solar cable. It has standard MC4 solar connectors for the panel side and it has the Ecoflow proprietary terminal on the other (just plug it in). You'll need to build a cable like this since the MC4 terminals will be outside of the hull connected to the folding panels and the special terminal connected inside on the Ecoflow. I found about 40 ft +/- of cable exterior to the hull is a good length for panel movement. More length will be needed interior to the hull, wired to the Ecoflow. Per my earlier comment to get with OTT for wiring schematic... You're taking delivery in December, so get OTT to walk you through the Ecoflow. Given you are NOT adding awning solar, is your rooftop solar wired to terminal #7 leaving #8 open/available? Ask re the fully optioned Apex with solar awning(s). How do they wire it? To #8? Then per the Ecoflow manual, what are the amperage ratings of the two internal SCs? You'd want to know, but given OTT can add awning panel(s) a 400W folder should be a go! I put my solar port in the rear of the hull and two years later I like the choice I made. OTT had installed a useless cable TV port in the rear of our hull. Repurposing it made it so I did not have to drill new holes (it was 2016, were people still using campground cable? 🤣). You can install a solar connection terminal left, right, front or rear of your new Apex. I like rear since the cable can easily be laid left or right and it's back there out of the way. You don't want to drill in the hull? Then put it up front under the doghouse. The front location may actually be the best since many campsites are more shaded at the rear, but then you may be tripping over the wiring when camping. There's a bit to think through, but if it was me, the last thing I would do is drill into the curbside or streetside of the hull in a highly visual location. Since your SC is integrated to the Ecoflow which is close to the batteries, your solar wiring only needs light gauge wire. I made my calculations 2 years ago and a 400W suitcase requires 12 AWG for 50+ ft of length. I used 10 AWG, one gauge heavier mainly because Lowes had #10 stranded clearance priced. Copper is very expensive today! Hope this helps! Best wishes on delivery day and to ALL of you new Apex owners (3 so far?). Enjoy this exciting time to your fullest! 😂

We buy our RV antifreeze at ACE Hardware

Yes, had our alarm go off, and discovered the detector was close to its 5 year life. I replaced it. I now cover my detector with seranwrap while trailer is winterized and stored. No more problems. RV antifreeze is human safe and it is designed to keep "O" rings and other components lubricated. When we de-winterize, we run fresh water through the lines, we close the fresh tank, and reconfigure the knobs, add a 1/4 cup of bleach into the hose, connect the hose to the fresh tank fill and fill the fresh tank. We run water through the lines, let things sit for an hour, and drain the tank. We refill the tank and are ready to travel. No where have I found anything posted that RV Antifreeze will damage your seals or components. We have hard water in Indiana and use a On The Go Water Softener and top of the line single filter whenever we fill up. Filter by The FitRV

chance to imagine

Jd, your math is off a bit. The charger is rated 600W at 12V and 700W at 14V, so 700 ÷ 14.2 is about 49 A. But that’s only up to 104F, above that it reduces output as it gets hotter. I assume yours was running pretty hot, since your air conditioner was on. Clearly heat is a factor, but it doesn’t fully explain why it was dropping down to 29amps. At 29 amps, the spec would have it at over 150F which is beyond the Orion’s operating limit. Regardless, you might look into the fan that @Dean and Mary found. Voltage drop from cable size and frame resistance doesn’t fully explain it either. Said in simple terms . . with the low SOC calling for charge, and only 29amps output, it means the Orion would be receiving under 9V after voltage drop. Only it would have cut out on low voltage long before that. A consistent charge in the low 40s shows the charger is working correctly within the limits you’d expect from cable voltage drop. Add heat derating and heat-induced resistance, and I’d be okay with those numbers. If the Orion was really making only 29 amps, it should be confirmed with some more definitive testing. I’d also look at the alternator. With your conventional alternator, it could be bad diodes, which are replaceable. They might not show up on the dashboard during light loads, but they cut the alternator’s maximum output. Look up load and ripple testing; you have the tools and skills for it. I earlier described some tests to check charger output and total voltage drop. In your installation using the TV frame as a conductor, it might also be interesting to measure amps at the Orion input at both the positive and negative leads. Any difference between them would show if there is current bleed-off through the hitch or the tow harness ground. This would indicate if the frame had any high resistance spots that cause the current to take the path of lessor resistance. I think you have a good start. Keep us informed of what you find. Cheers! Geoff

This is why I'm so flummoxed --- a separate charge controller shouldn't be necessary with the ecoflow "power hub" product that the apex has. You should be able to plug in and go. There's three dedicated photovoltaic in ports on the head unit, and they sell dedicated mc4 <==> power hub cables. The charge controller is built into the system. All oliver has to do is provide an easy way to route the cable out for really flexible supplementary solar support. On a fully optioned unit, all three of those ports are filled (roof, awning, awning.) On a not fully optioned one, one or two ports are free. I can drill the door to the battery compartment with some sort of gland or port, which will provide easy routing up to the ecoflow head unit, but shouldn't have to. Importantly, a Zamp external port would be a downgrade vs. arbitrary access, since the zamp panels are heavy and expensive for what they are. https://us.ecoflow.com/products/power-hub-solar-charge-cable-20-feet?variant=40309252390985

Thanks, appreciate it.

Geoff, Thanks for the detailed feedback. I agree with everything you mentioned in your response. Four-gauge cable is commonly used, even though the voltage-drop calculations and cable-sizing tables show that the loss can be higher than ideal for maximizing the efficiency of the Orion XS. I think a lot of the recommendations stem from camper van installations where the cable runs are much shorter, as you suggested. Victron generally recommends keeping DC voltage drop below 2.5% to achieve optimal charging performance and efficiency. When I run the numbers, review the voltage-drop tables, or even check with AI tools, the results consistently point to 1/0 cable as the size needed to stay within that guideline for a typical tow vehicle-to-trailer cable run of 80 feet round trip. Based on that, it looks like my Orion installation is going to cost more than I originally anticipated, especially considering the current price of quality copper cable. However, I'd rather size the wiring correctly the first time than leave charging performance on the table. I will install individual terminal lugs a few inches before connecting to the Orion and then connect with 4 gauge wire. Thanks, Dean

Take both pieces to a muffler shop and have them weld them back together.

Thanks SnackChaser! Hopefully this information will help me get my DC to DC charger working properly. I have been struggling with it since it was installed in May. I will try grounding to the body first versus to the negative battery cable. If this does not work, I will try using the 12V+ wire from the 7pin.

Krunch and I have reservations for 3-29 to 4-2. Thanks Toni, Mossey

Again Geoff, thank you so much for providing your electrical expertise and very well written, btw. I've learned a lot in reading your last two posts (reading them twice)! To extrapolate your math, the 50A Orion is therefore a 600W charger and should produce up to 42A (600/14.2). +42A output (+/-) is a number I've seen often (Orion on Victron Connect app). I've seen high 30s to low 40s regularly, with a high 40s number a few times. Our Orion is set on the full 50A output setting, wired with 4 AWG (I understand it's on the light side). To date I've counted on the fact that we get +40Ah for every hour towing. So, I recently have a different kind of issue... I installed our Orion 50 during March 2025. The TV alternator was also upgraded (output increased by 50A) and we're talking old-school alternator (not Smart). My truck gauges always show readings of 13.8 to 14.2V. We have traveled (exactly) 100 days in 1 1/2 years (LOL, checked the data) always DC-DC charging, always getting +40A until our last two outings. We ran a 5-day trip un-plugged needing a bit of A/C. Then we did a 10-day trip no hook-ups. Both trips we hovered around 50-60% SOC most of the time on 900 Ah total, by adding suitcase solar when camped and we ALWAYS have DC-DC cables connected when towing. We move around a lot, so DC-DC is usually all we need. We have rarely needed our suitcase solar since with DC-DC charging. Near the end of both trips we got down below 30% SOC, so I was checking the Victron app while towing which I had not done for awhile. No longer are we getting a 40A charge, instead recent readings were +29A +/-. I monitored it a few times while towing (didn't think to check history page). When our batteries were very low in SOC% and we needed DC-DC charging the most, it produced less. We used to get +30A sitting at idle, consistently and 40 when towing. Looking back, we only got this low in SOC% because the DC-DC charging was not performing to par! I thought loose connections or ground (because my installation has a truck frame ground), but I checked all connections and they were tight as when installed. It will be a while 'til I get to troubleshooting. We're not traveling until Jan. I need to just hook up, run it at idle parked at home and get the clamp ammeter out! It will be easy to read amps on the wiring from TV to TT (is this even a valid test? IDK). Testing ideas appreciated and thanks again. 😎

when its your

My wife and I reserved a site. There are plenty available now, but considering it’s near Easter & Spring Break, it would be good to book it soon if you want to go. Looking forward to it!

Dean, I like that fan, it's a great idea and should greatly help the efficiency! I noticed that you're going with #4 AWG, which is undersized for 50 amps at the approximate 100’ or more round trip cable run that you will need. You would be looking at about 1.3V of voltage drop, not including fuses, terminations and Anderson connectors that could add a few tenths more. #4 AWG is even marginal for a 30 amp charger. There is a common misnomer that #4 is the correct wire size because the Orion’s terminals are sized for #4. That’s because most of the installations are in boats, vans and motorhomes with much shorter runs. There are advocates for using smaller wire, but it’s not the best advice for a number of reasons, particularly if you're watching efficiency. You should be considering #2 minimum, 1/0 is ideal. You can terminate the 1/0 cable to a terminal strip on the negative and a fuse block on the positive, then use short #4 jumpers to the Orion. The jumpers won’t contribute much to the overall voltage drop. Cheers! Geoff

I must agree, I like my vintage gear onboard #110. I'm sure someday I may regret not being able to run my A/C off batteries, but I will still need a generator to re-charge those beastly batteries, or a truck that can do it IF I drive the next day. When these 2024 AGMs are used up, I'll upgrade the rig to all new Victron & good lithiums. We'll see how my retirement travels work-out for me.

Not that I saw, but the entire week for me was a blur.

The 2027 Florida Oliver Owners Rally will take place March 29 through April 2, 2027 -- 4 nights, checking out on Friday 4/2/27. This event is being organized by Jenni Rivera @RVera_10 and other Florida Oliver TT owners. The venue will be Salt Springs Recreation Area, located in central Florida. Salt Springs is a recreational jewel in the Ocala National Forest, and features pristine natural mineral springs. Activities at this location include swimming in the mineral springs, plus fishing, snorkeling, hiking and boating. Come join us for a friendly micro rally! Participants will need to reserve their own campground space through Recreation.gov found at this link: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/233920 Spaces are not being held for the event, so early reservations are recommended. Join the FL OLIVER TT MICRO RALLY Facebook group to find more details. This Oliver Forum Post is intended to mirror the information posted by Jenni on facebook, to serve those who are not on facebook. WHEN: 3/29/27 - 4/2/27 WHERE: Salt Springs Recreation Area campground, Ocala National Forest. Salt Springs is located 35 miles east of Ocala (I-75), 60 miles west of Daytona Beach (I-95) and 95 miles north of Orlando, Florida. CAMPGROUND RESERVATIONS: the window is now open for reservations at this location and winter is our prime season, so get your spots reserved now! https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/233920 ** Please be sure to read about facility restrictions on their website before making your reservations. ** SCHEDULE OF EVENTS: look for future updates MONDAY 3/29 : REGISTRATION, campground checkin time begins at 2:00pm TUESDAY 3/30 thru THURSDAY 4/1 : group activities TBD FRIDAY 4/2 : checkout Improved venue map, courtesy Jenni. (The black and white PDF is from National Forest website.) Please note: @Boudicca908 does not monitor the OTT forum on a daily basis, and does not have any active notifications for incoming messages. Salt Springs facility map 73853_SSRA.pdf

Sorry, I do not have any pics.

While gathering information for this project, I also discovered that Victron has introduced a new Orion XS 12/12-70A model. It has the same footprint and mounting pattern as the 50A version but adds integrated cooling fans. Victron also slightly increased the terminal size, which should make it much easier to terminate 4 AWG wire. Getting 4 AWG wire into the terminals of the 50A version can be a challenge, so that is a welcome improvement for higher-current installations. It is pricey and I just recently purchased my 50 amp version, so not for me at this time.

Accidental duplication.