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The 48th state was Rhode Island. We completed the last fifteen (15) states over the past 12 Months. Newport, RI was a fun town to complete the job.

The Oliver Porch Lights are bright for a dark campsite, so we rarely use them. But if you need to light up the area they work great. I've often wondered, why isn't there lighting on the front and rear of the Oliver? I asked a year ago about replacement lights for our OEM Porch Lights and just purchased some recently. OTT should install these lights in all four directions. I would have done one up front too, but running wire would be difficult. I got something else for up front, more on that later. https://itcshopnow.com/products/assurance-exterior-flood-light?variant=50392962007319 I carefully measured the four Porch Lights OTT installed, as the distance from hull belly line, which btw holds a tape measure nicely, up to centerline of the Porch Light at the mounting screws. Turns out they were all installed at different heights +/- 3/4". As a special bonus, this light is 1/4" off from front to the rear mounting screws. My new Rear Porch Light, I promise is the straightest of the bunch! 🤣 It's not easy to choose the best spot to drill into the exterior of your hull, this one especially. I cut away some of the white insulation in the back of the attic. I used a 2-ft piece of metal fish-tape with the ends curled back, running it down the inside of the back exterior hull. Repeatedly, it measured 12" form the bottom of the OLIVER taillight to where the fish-tape hit the top of the rear window frame. It measured 12" so I figured I should go 10" max. Looking from the outside, there is a flat fiberglass frame around the rear window. Above that, the top rear is convex. I had to find the best spot so that the approx. 8" x 1 1/2" light would sit flat in both directions. If not water would get behind it. I drilled a 1/4" hole centered to the window, so the light is just above the flat frame area of the rear window. I soldered and heat shrink extra length of wire to the light. If they only attached 18" of wire! Offset the splices so that they would fit nicely into the drilled hole. It wasn't an easy pull but a few ins and outs and the light pulled flush (would be easier with 2 people, one in one out). I eyeballed the light level to the window frame. I wanted to VHB the light housing vs. drilling two mounting holes but the design of the light would not allow for it. They do not include hardware. Found the stoutest 1" course thread screws that would fit the openings and I drilled 6/94" holes after marking the centers. Wiring? I wanted to add the new rear light to the Side Porch Lights (streetside). However, I could not find the switch leg in the back corner of the attic and I did not want to remove all the stuff out of the kitchen cabinets. But that would be the right way to do it. Cabinets empty, you can easily run wiring up to the main switch panel. Our hull had a rear camera and a separate switch to power it. I removed the camera a year ago, so I'm using this separate switch with existing wiring. I copied something Geoff did, where he used a Sharpie to black out the word "Awning." Mine has a thin cut piece of black tape over the word "Camera" so it just reads "Rear" now! 🤣 I had to wait patiently for dusk and dark tonight! The hull looks great with the new Rear Porch Light to compliment the side lights. And finally, it alone lights up the yard! 😎

There are many great postings for installing a main battery switch. Folks like them for safety reasons, to kill parasite loads during storage, or for when working on the system. But I’m not a big fan because the safety benefits are more mythical than real, and 96% of parasite loads can be killed by shutting off the 60 amp DC panel breaker. I just don’t like introducing unnecessary resistance in the high current battery circuit. In rare cases when the main battery circuit needs to worked on, the battery can be disconnected, or the 300 amp breaker can be opened. Even with liability exposure, Oliver’s decision not to have a main battery switch was a deliberate and sound engineering choice in my opinion There may be some merit-worthy arguments for one, or perhaps a lingering perception that one is needed because it’s a requirement in the marine industry for different risks. In reality, the need to cut power in 12-volt RV systems during emergencies is rare and not normal practice. Besides, most firefighters are trained to cut battery cables before looking for a switch, or trusting it. There is no shock hazard from the battery, and breakers and fuses are more reliable protection against fire hazards, than relying on the right person being in the right place at the right time to find a switch. I've seen a number of battery switch installations that completely disconnect the battery. This can actually create more credible safety hazards than it prevents. A towed trailer with its battery switched off has no emergency breakaway brakes and no gas or CO detection, both of which should never be switched off. The solar and AC chargers are also disabled in that configuration. However, switching off parasite loads is definitely a good idea for storage, but it doesn’t require switching off the entire battery. In the example shown below, the DC panel carries 96% of the parasite load. The remaining 4% of parasitic load comes from the inverter/charger, solar charger, and LP/CO alarm which are all connected directly to the battery. I don't believe it's necessary or advisable to disconnect these circuits for normal off-season storage because those parasite loads are non-consequential. For unusually long storage periods, some additional battery maintenance would be needed regardless. The parasite load percentages below are based on precise measurements of my Oliver trailer with a 390 amp battery, your setup and amperage may vary. They include electronic standby currents from various LEDs, memories, displays, power supplies, and such. There is no singular large load, but they collectively add up: Circuit Draw DC Panel load 0.48 A 96% Inverter, Solar Charger, Gas/CO detector 0.02 A 4% Total measured from battery 0.50 A 100% DC panel breakdown: Fuse Circuit Draw 2 Various electronics 0.117 A 4 Furnace 0.012 A 5 Main lighting 0.003 A 6 Fans 0.016 A 7 Truma water heater 0.113 A 8 *Furrion Radio 0.204 A 9 USB outlets 0.007 A 10 USB outlets 0.009 A Total 0.481 A *My new IRV stereo is only 0.083 A Under ideal conditions, a 0.481-amp load from the DC panel would deplete a 390 amp-hour battery in roughly 34 days. Real-world depletion will be faster due to BMS overhead and temperature effects. The remaining 0.02-amp load from the non-DC Panel circuits would take approximately 2.2 years to deplete the battery. A lead acid battery system without inverter would have less parasite draw with the DC panel shut off. It would still last a 7 month storage season before depleting the batteries to a safe 50% discharge. I used to turn off the DC panel with its 60 amp breaker under the street-side bed. Although effective, it’s inconvenient to reach. This modification provides a more convenient way to turn it off with a latching solenoid relay controlled by a small switch. Latching means it holds position without any power draw, it only consumes current for the instant it switches, adding nothing to the parasite load. These relays are designed for exactly this purpose and are commonly used in boats and RVs. I used an Intellitech style RV latching relay rated for 100 amps. The relay mounts next to the 60-amp breaker. The existing DC panel feed wire is moved from the breaker output — to the relay output. A new #4 AWG jumper goes from the vacated breaker output — to the latching relay input. Premade made jumpers with ring terminals are readily available in 6” & 12” lengths. Note: The 60 amp breaker may also have other loads such as the electric jacks. The jacks do not have parasite loads, but turning them off is a form of anti-theft protection to prevent the trailer from being towed away with jacks deployed. If you choose to move these loads to the relay, then the ring terminals need to be enlarged from 1/4” to 5/16” stud size to fit the relay. Use a sheet metal step drill to enlarge the terminal ring lugs while holding them with pliers, otherwise a twist drill will grab and destroy it. Step drills are great for drilling chip free holes in fiberglass tool. The relay is controlled with a Double Pole Double Throw (DPDT) momentary switch with a spring return to center. This is the same type of polarity-swapping switch used for the electric jacks. The switch can be located in any accessible and convenient location. I put mine in the battery compartment and wired it with a jacketed 4-conductor 18-gauge cable. The cable fits snugly through a 5/16” hole drilled next to where the DC panel wire penetrates the battery compartment. I linked one option for a switch mounting bracket. However, I made my own 3-D printed bracket with a red label to identify it as the DC panel shutoff. The print STL file is available, or I have a few extras if anyone needs one. I mounted the switch bracket with high strength double-stick foam tape and stick-on zip-tie mounts for the wire. The DC panel can now be turned on/off with the switch, without disturbing the inverter/charger, solar charger, or safety circuits. Newer Olivers have a solar disconnect switch and it’s possible to use the latching relay to disconnect the solar too. However, there is limited space on the relay’s stud for circuits so a terminal block would be needed for that purpose. I couldn’t find decent wiring instructions for the relay, so I provided a sketch. The relay comes with two fuses, use the one connected to the V+ input to power the switch. The other fuse is for an optional switch indicator LED. The switch’s V+ wire connects directly to the fuse spade with a female spade terminal. BTW: As seen in the picture, my installation is way more congested than normal due to other modifications. I have a large piece of plywood for mounting all my gadgets, you may need to glue a small wood mounting block for the relay. Just trim the insulation and use a good construction glue or epoxy. Here are some Amazon links for parts: Latching 100 amp Relay https://a.co/d/09MjQYjx DPDT momentary return to center switch https://a.co/d/0hNXSZkO Switch bracket https://a.co/d/08qc1lvY 4-18 AWG cable https://a.co/d/05Zn0CF6 6” x #4 AWG Jumper https://a.co/d/049xhKq6 Zip tie mounts https://a.co/d/0iRWzLD2 3-piece step drill kit https://a.co/d/01TaDQmg Hope you find this useful. Cheers! Geoff

I’ve never liked the Furrion DV1230 entertainment center, it’s not user friendly and the front panel is difficult to read in low light. The tiny remote is absolutely terrible, and the larger upgrade remote isn't much better. I usually control it with the phone app when I remember where to find it, for some reason they called it "ES Control,” and it constantly drops out. The tech is outdated. Iv’e wanted to upgrade it for years, but never found a unit that met my requirements and justified the expense: Has to fit into the existing cutout (7-3/8" x 4") Controls that are intuitive and easy-to-read Decent remote control HDMI ARC ports on front and back (not the cheap HDMI pass-through ports) Current Bluetooth technology Two speaker zones Cost under $200 I found IRV Technology’s model IRV62 for a $180, and it had everything I wanted. https://a.co/d/0dODdwBi The controls couldn’t be simpler or easier to read. It does have a few less features than the Furrion, but nothing that will be missed. Like only 2 speaker zones compared to Furrion’s 3 and the Optical audio port that caused horrible sounding audio phasing issues between TV and stereo speakers. The IVR62 was a close fit on paper. But unfortunately Oliver had cut an oversized opening for the Furrion and miss-drilled extra mounting holes. Consequently, the new faceplate didn’t quite cover the extra holes, and the new mounting holes were on the very edge of the cutout. This was resolved with white JB weld on the edge of the oversized cutout to strengthen the screw holes, and I made a thin 3-D printed bezel that covers the extra holes. It’s not even noticeable. The print file is available if anyone has the same problem, or I made extra bezels if anyone needs one. The rest of the installation was easy, although it took a minute to figure out how the Furrion was mounted. There are 4 screws behind top and bottom trim pieces. These trims have small notches on the ends where they can be popped off with a screwdriver. It’s highly recommended to identify and mark each of the 4 speaker cables before cutting the connections. Use the wire color code legend on the back of the Furrion case to identify the right rear, left rear, right front, and left front. Also the IRV’s yellow “Bat” wire and the fused red “+12” wire are both connected to the Olivers hot wire, which was purple in my case. Other than that, the wiring is straight forward. The new stereo is so much easier to use, it works seamlessly with Bluetooth and the TV, and it sounds better too. I’ll be using it more often now that I don’t need a flashlight and reading glasses to operate it. Cheers! Geoff

I’ll chime in here. Former Elite II owner here, and also a former Ford Expedition owner. I still check out the owner forums to see what’s new, and because we do miss our travels with our Ollie #461 that is now with a new owner, as we have moved on to some overseas travel as our next adventure in life. Yes, it’s more than safe to tow your Oliver with the Expedition with the factory Tow Package. We had almost the identical setup to yours. Our 2017 Expedition 4X4 was called the EL version (extended length, now called Max). The Ollie is well within the towing specs of the Expedition. It’s a body on frame construction SUV that shares a lot with the Ford F-150 truck. You WILL need to use the Andersen weight distribution hitch. The Ford factory towing package and the factory trailer brake controller worked very well. Use the Tow/Haul mode when towing. There are a couple of cons though: After a couple of years we did find the limited payload capacity became an issue as we started carrying more camping equipment for extended trips. The Ford Eco-Boost turbocharged V6 was adequate but it really had to rev very high in mountainous areas going uphill, and the engine temp tended to get pretty hot. We eventually upgraded to an F-250 to get much higher payload capacity and also eliminate the need for the weight distribution hitch. Enjoy your Ollie!

Here’s a trick to dump your tanks when the sewer hookup is uphill from your bumper. Here I used (2) 1”x2”x8 ft from an Ace Hardware store on the Keweenaw Peninsula Houghton MI Door County WI This time I picked up (2) pieces of 1/2”x10 ft EMT conduit from HD in Ellsworth ME. I like the conduit better than the 1x2 wood. The sewer hose supports slide better on the conduit and when I get home I’ll cut each conduit in half and turn a steel rod to just fit inside the conduit to make a splice for the halves. I thought I could stick the whole 10ft length into the Oliver aluminum rectangle frame rail but bolts through the rail prevent my doing this. Bill

The steps on our Oliver have always been loud when being lowered or raised. I have taken some “steps” that have made them quieter. And before you ask, no, I don’t have before and after noise level analytical data. I just know that they are quieter. 1. I draw filed the top and bottom of both slots. This picture after a couple of draw passes with a file shows the roughness left by the machining process. The bright spots are the high spots of the rough surface. I suspect that one side of the slot was smoother than the other due to the direction of rotation of the cutting tool. Picture of the bottom of the right side slot after several passes using a draw file technique. Be sure to keep the swarf cleaned out of the file. There is a light shining on the surface. It is much smoother. I then applied some silicone lubricant to both sides of each slot and allowed it to dry. 2. I next reassembled the steps and placed (6) rubber bushings on the stainless steel rod to dampen the vibrations that the rod made when being drawn through the slot in the aluminum sides. 3. I also replaced the aluminum spacers on each side with polypropylene spacers. 4. I removed the female halves of the sex bolts that act as the pivot for the lower step. I used a T50 torx bit but it is actually a T55. I have the correct bit now. Never pass up the chance to buy a new tool. I applied silicone lubricant to the inside of the hole in the step side and to the outside of the binding barrel and allowed it to dry before reassembling. I will probably drill those holes out to receive Oilite bushings this winter but this will suffice for now. Material used. The rubber bushings are actually 1/2” ID x 2” OD x 2” long. The holes aren’t perfectly centered but I didn’t need for them to be. I chose 2” OD so that they would clear other parts of the step assembly. You will have to lubricate the step rod and the hole in the bushings to be able to assemble them. The polypropylene spacers came from McMaster Carr. Be sure to use a dry silicone lubricant instead of grease. The grease will retain grit picked up off the road. Bill

This simple mod makes our camping life easier to organize. It's just a piece of removable whiteboard decal on the closet door for shopping and to-do lists. We also put our campground address and site number there in case we have to call 911. The final touch was a whiteboard marker Velcroed above it. Amazon: https://a.co/d/08ma1cjD

If Geoff ever sells their Oliver, the buyer will have to be another EE! 😎

Here's just a little insight into what likely happened in David's situation and how to reduce the chances of others experiencing the same situation in the future. After examining this filter plug more closely, I have determined that the part that broke out of David's filter is designed as an over pressure protection for the water heater. By code all water heaters are required to have a high pressure relief. For the Truma, instead of a standard pressure relief valve, they have chosen to use a sacrificial relief that's designed to let an over-pressure situation release and drain to the outside. With David's description of the event, I'm convinced that when the water supply valve at the water heater was opened to run through the water heater, a high pressure surge hit the water heater causing the "safety device" to rupture. This was very likely a high water pressure situation, possibly caused by and air pocket in the water line just before the valve that caused a water hammer effect in the heater when the valve was opened. Now I can't prove this is what actually happened, but in liquid and steam systems I have worked with over the years, coils such as that in the Truma water heater are usually protected by what is called a rupture disc, designed to fail before damage can occur to the more valuable parts of the system. Whenever opening a valve to pressurize a system, it's imperative to open the valve very slowly so as not to cause a hydraulic hammering of the system when doing so. Also it's very important to run a system clear of any air pockets before opening a valve to other components in the system. For air and gas systems this is not an issue. But with hydraulic systems it's critical. A very good precautionary step to reduce the chances of water hammer when opening a valve is to very slowly open the valve to prevent a surge. One additional precautionary step to take before repressurizing the water heater is to open one of the faucets to hot water to allow flow through that side of the system when the valve to the is being opened to the water heater. Again this allows flow through the water heater, allowing air pockets to escape without cause a water hammer condition. These steps should prevent this from occurring to anyone in the future. Hope this helps anyone with concerns about their Truma water heater. PS - Obviously a high water pressure from the utility source connected to the trailer could also cause this situation to happen. This is the obvious reason why we must always use a pressure regulator and never setting it above 40 psi. PPS - If you purchased the Truma anti-freeze plug when you bought your Oliver, it can be used in place of the regular filter plug should you need a short term backup. It works exactly the same as the standard filter plug, just has a heat coil built into it. You don't need to plug the coil in for this use purpose.

Please read my detailed report that I sent in on this topic attached....I've had truma's replace 3 times. First potential cause - Truma didn't properly tighten the brass fittings internally that feed the burner assembly. Second potential cause - Truma didn't crimp the burner tube assembly correctly, and with travel they rattle out (the burner tubes are like in a bar-b-q and can fall off which causes raw gas to be injected into the burner area for explosive ignition instead of gentle start.) This blog post has 3 goals and was SENT to NHTSA for evidence of why Truma needs to do something to fix their defective mfg process. 1) List symptoms we experienced with our Truma and use photos to illustrate the 3 firebox events. 2) Describe 2 different Truma reported manufacturing defects and show photos illustrating those issues. 3) Describe the in field solutions for each of the 2 manufacturing issues. 4) Show a pictures of the current Truma Burner Unit with all Manufacturing updates in place. The attached PDF is in full detail with picture of what is likely the issue or issues causing explosive ignition. Truma Issues.pdf Hope that helps...remember...you need to report this to both Oliver and Truma in order to get any warranty coverage. Craig Short

6 or 7 consecutive for Wyoming. This will be number 21 for consecutive years in either Wyoming, Montana, Idaho or Colorado. Ya just don't know where the "stupid" fish are located! 😉 Bill

USFS Campground Columbine Creek , near Questa New Mexico and Red River. Bighorn sheep hangout along the highway nearby, cool visitor center in Questa New Mexico. Hiking trails in the campground to the Honda Wilderness Restored Catholic Church in Questa where is everyone else 🧐

My 2023 has the same outlet, and I think Tom is correct in that it is for AC power to the fridge. I used that outlet with a 12 ga extension cord to supply power to my exterior AC outlet under the folding table. I tapped into the fridge's 12V DC power for the cigarette outlet.

Order a 1/2 shaft collar from Amazon. Try to find a collar that is split and clamps on or one that uses a set screw for attachment. Buy one that is stainless steel. The collar should be clamped on the rod end that had the washer, the other end will still use the washer and cotter pin. These stainless collars are only a few dollars each and will make a good solid end.

So, I had the one overnight mentioned above, where the Chill Cube made the cabin much colder than the set temp. This was a one-off, not experienced again. I had it on AUTO MODE and AUTO FAN that time. I noticed it switched itself to DRY MODE during the night. We were in the desert valley at 20% RH outside and a very comfortable 40% RH inside. When we got home, I ran the Chill Cube 24x7 for 8 days and nights unplugged, on batteries/inverter only! This time I set to COOL MODE, fan in AUTO MODE. The cabin started at 90F and it was 88F outside. I set temp on the Chill Cube at 76F and the Chill Cube kept the cabin at 76F daily for most of the week, got down to 74 on day 7 and 72 on day 8, as ambient temps got lower. I ended the test after 8 days, since it got cold again up here again (highs low 70s, lows high 40s). We're having a wonderful long spring in the AZ High Country! In the first 24 hour period, we used 60 Ah. This would be -10% SOC only for those of you with 600 Ah. Day two was about the same. Ambient temps lowered a little and on Day 3 we ONLY used net -15 Ah! These numbers include the 320W rooftop solar adding about 12 Ah every sunny hour of the day. The next few days were the same, only using about -2% SOC per day. I believe the Chill Cube will get colder than set temp ONLY when A/C is not really needed, like overnight in the desert where it gets cool outside. Next time when sleeping on a cooler night I should just turn it off. Our lovely spring temps will end soon. I'll run a similar test in 60-90 days when it gets very hot even at high elevation. Last 3 summers, I had the Oliver plugged in with the Dometic P2 set at 80F. It would run nonstop during afternoons with near 100F highs. Without A/C the Oliver could get to over 110F sitting in the sun outdoors, not good. We could hear the LOUD P2 from our deck 100 ft away. Last week while the Chill Cube was running, I thought once Chris had turned it off. I was outside walking around and behind the Oliver and I could not hear the A/C running at all! When I entered the cabin, I could hear the Chill Cube on its very lowest fan setting. In Auto FAN it will run slower than the LOW FAN setting, very low and quiet! 😎

Heading west in the green Prairie of eastern Oklahoma Following the path of frontier people traveled 225 years ago planning to visit the old historic downtown areas of Muskogee, Wagoner and Pryor Oklahoma day 31, 10 campgrounds so far Flat Rock Creek COE Chouteau, Oklahoma

Dam Site Lake COE near Eureka Springs Arkansas on Beaver Lake

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

I have been wanting to do this modification for a few years now and actually bought the hatch a few years ago but just got around to installing it before this recent trip. I never have liked the shower caddy/shelf in the bathroom vanity. I’ve had it out at least 2 times to work on the faucet and to replace the sink drainpipe. I needed to tighten the nuts on the bolts that go through the propane enclosure and are accessible only under the sink so I took the opportunity to install the marine hatch. Picture of caddy removed and cleaned up using ASI 0240 adhesive remover and plastic razor blades. I never have cared for the way the factory drills holes in the gelcoat. Every factory screw hole I have seen has cracked gelcoat around it. Vanity front taped up and template taped in place. I actually lowered it after this picture was taken. The door doesn’t detach from the flange, and even if it did you couldn’t reassemble it after the flange was mounted. This and the small space that you are working in makes the hatch and flange difficult to position accurately. It helps to make the opening just large enough for the flange to fit into, then you can modify the hole if needed to square up the hatch. I used a coping saw to cut the fiberglass and a sanding drum in a drill to shape the hole. I cut the opening a little small at first but it was easy to open up a bit using the sanding drum and a sanding block. I marked and drilled pilot holes, then screw-sized holes, then chamfered the screw holes with a 1/2 inch chamfer bit. I also cleaned up the factory holes using my chamfer bit. You’ll want to locate and drill 2 holes, one on each vertical side, then temporarily mount the hatch so that you can better mark the remaining holes. Holes not shown in this picture. I placed one layer of butyl tape all around the flange then an additional layer of butyl along the vertical sides. I did this because the front of the vanity has a slight curve and I didn’t want to pull the vertical sides down to meet the vanity surface. I used 10-24 x 1inch stainless steel oval head machine screws, #12 stainless steel flat washers (because that what I had), and 10-24 Stainless steel Nylock nuts to secure the flange to the vanity. Picture after the butyl is through oozing and trimmed flush with the flange. You can’t trim the butyl behind the hinge so be careful how you apply it to the back of the flange on the hinge side. I suggest keeping it back away from the edge 1/16” and hopefully it will extrude evenly as you tighten the machine screws. I’ll talk more about this area later. Taped off for caulking with ASI 335 sealant You can’t caulk the edge behind the hinge. I wasn’t pleased with the way the butyl looked behind the hinge… …So I used a paint stirring stick that had dried latex paint on it (this sealed the end grain of the stick) to “tool” the butyl behind the hinge. This produced a finish that I was pleased with Picture of open hatch. I have yet to relocate the pump switch and light. I am thinking about putting them in a stainless steel bracket just inside the top right of the opening so that the switch can be accessed while seated. Notice the pump switch and light hanging over the p-trap. I’ve got it cable tied there for this trip. Marine hatch used. I think I ordered it off Amazon. I am very pleased with the way this modification turned out and being able to very easily access the area below the sink. I don’t intend to store anything under the sink, I just like being able to see in as many places as possible. Again, apologies to any of my High School English teachers who may be reading this. Bill

UPDATE: As you can see from my first post, we experienced the issue captured in the video late on Saturday the 30th. After reading the information provided above, and doing a little more research, I called and opened a ticket using the forum link to the ticketing system, called Oliver customer support and left a voicemail, and lastly I sent the video in an email to support@olivertraveltrailers.com with a copy to one of the leadership team. Sunday AM: I received an email from Oliver asking for the model and serial number of the Truma, which I promptly sent. Monday AM (8:30ish) : I called customer support at Oliver and I barely got out my name when the tech said, "oh yes, you were the first topic at our team meeting this morning. You should expect a call from someone on the leadership team to help resolve this." An hour or so later, sure enough, I received a call, and the ball was rolling. A full explanation of the plan to get us back up and running with hot water was laid out. (Note: My Aquago was not in the range of serial numbers that were part of the recall, but the plan we were executing assumed that it was. More on that later.) I was in Pennsylvania the day the issue occurred. I was in Buffalo NY headed to Rochester, when I received the first call on Monday. Oliver gave me several options for where I could have the burner swapped out, and we chose an RV facility in Rochester since we planned to be there for 3 days. Oliver next day aired the part, worked with the RV store to schedule the repair, and the work was completed Wednesday, and we were on our way - WITH hot water. 🙂 For the record, my AquaGo is under warranty. Whether or not the issue is the same one addressed with the recall, I don't know. I will let Oliver and Truma work that out, but it appears to be a different issue. Bottom line, Oliver went above and beyond on this one. There was one individual who was in the driver's seat at Oliver, and she will have a thank-you card and a small gift on the way as soon as we get to a stop where we can make that happen. We are grateful for the response and count ourselves lucky to be part of the Oliver family. Bob P.S. It probably helped to provide a video of a fireball on the side of the trailer. 🙂 Nevertheless, good job, Oliver.

This morning while doing a full systems ‘go’ inspection on Hull #634 XPLOR, I discovered when I configured the Truma water heater valve to the ON position, an impressive stream of water shot directly out of the Truma filter exterior housing. After a little troubleshooting, I removed the filter and discovered that inside the filter housing, a small black round piece of plastic had blown out of the filter housing. This rendered the filter useless. We have had 5.5 years of trouble-free service from our tankless Truma and this was a first. We like our Aqua Go. I am posting this in the event anyone should have the same issue with their Truma filter. I have the optional antifreeze filter which works in a pinch as a back up. If you do not have the optional antifreeze filter as a back up, you will be stuck like Chuck with no hot water. In order for the Aqua Go to work, it has to have the filter element. I contacted Oliver Service and ordered a OEM replacement and an extra back filter up of the exact one you see in the below pics. “Two is one and one is none.” 🫡🇺🇸 Replacement filters are $95.00 plus shipping. Thank you Mike Sharpe for getting my new filters shipped out. The tiny piece of plastic that broke loose. Here is the filter that failed. You should not be able to look through your filter. The arrow points to where this tiny piece blew out. There is no way to repair it. I pass this on, so that if you have this issue you can just replace the filter with a new one.

Oliver's response has been outstanding. We are working together to address the issue. More to follow when I have a chance to provide a detailed update. Bob

Got this working yesterday, using the screws supplied with the light on top and hardware I had in the shop to attach the bottoms. It looked hodgepodge today. I really should fab a proper bracket, but for now I just wanted to fix its appearance. Went to the local HW store and got four short 4mm countersink screws and two Nylok nuts and washers. I had to countersink the brackets further to get the screws flush. The assembly is much better, but now that the light is taller, I noticed two things. The base bracket looks cheap now that you can fully see it. And the height is right at the belly line where the hulls meet, so visually it's not good. It looked better shorter, but now the light is where you need it. If I was to do this again, first I would use the great idea @Steph and Dud B made above; to grab power and use the light switch on the jack. Second I would fab a proper bracket a bit shorter than this one and push it forward a couple inches to get the required angle. Then it's not up against the hull belly line and will look better. It's too late for me re the first idea, but I'll do the latter when I source the right stainless steel stock. Looks like one of those Star Wars robots! It's all the light we'll need to hitch-up and load or unload the truck in the dark when necessary. We now have proper exterior lighting on all four sides! 😎

I took a trip to Oliver on Tuesday with a prospective buyer. While we were looking at the 2027 model the salesman started the Dometic Freshjet, It was almost as quiet as the Truma AC in my Elite ll. We could easily converse with it running.

It had lost prime. I connected city water to boondock connection. Turned on water for 20 seconds or so. Connected my boondock hose to boondock port. Turned on pump. Sucked up a gallon of water lickety split.

I Just recently had CGI do the annual touchup on my camper and they told me about a new service they are offering. It is a durable protective gloss film that they apply to the front of the camper. Might be a nice thing to have if you like getting off the beaten path (gravel roads, ALCAN Hwy, etc.), it would help protect the gelcoat from chips and make it easier to keep clean as well. Lasts 5-7 years or more typically and is generally easy to remove/replace. Not cheap but makes life easier and protects your investment. Short video link: IMG_8147.MOV

Eagle Nest State Park , New Mexico park has been remodeled and is very nice, sites are electric only water fill available, no dump station cloudy and rainy and cold weather has us a little wet super nice Vietnam War Memorial Park nearby Remembering all of the men that served and the young men that never came home 🙏

On to Clayton Lake State Park, near Clayton New Mexico first boondocking since we left home April 18 We were enjoying the COE sites at $12.50 per night with power and water gotta practice our energy and water management now Too much rain has been a little depressing, finally saw the sun today

Wild Bills RV and trailer park Boise Oklahoma overnight stop fantastic museum next door do not pass up the museum !!!

I am glad the CGI crew is now offering PPF on the front of Olivers. We have had XPEL PPF on the “blast zones” on the of our Oliver to include the dog house, aka LP surround and all the way down each side under the bottom edges of both sides of our Oliver. We have had it for several years now and it has really worked as advertised. Shortly after we took delivery of Hull #634 we had 10 mil XPEL paint protection installed. Here is a photo of our installer working his magic. The standard paint protection used on most cars and trucks today is 8 mil. The 10 mil material is naturally thicker and it’s really tough material. It’s presently the thickest p/p made by XPEL. So far, it’s held up great with no damage to our gelcoat. It’s fairly expensive to have installed, but well worth it in our experience. We use a product called Plexus to keep it clean and polished up. Our installers business name is Sun Stoppers located in Cornelius, NC. Also, we have PPF on all our vehicles. The 8 mil still offers robust protection from road rash, missiles etc. https://www.xpel.com This same fella installed 8 mil XPEL PPF on our entire Super Duty just after we purchased it in 2021. It was well worth the money and has kept our TV paint chip free 5 yrs later. If you trade vehicles every few years it may not be worth the expense. We tend to keep our cars and trucks for the long haul. I recently found and purchased a one owner, NC dealer serviced 2020 Toyota TRD Pro. It is in really excellent condition. So I took it to my XPEL PPF tech to let him work his magic. I could not be happier with his work as he exceeded my expectations. It’s all about the install and the installer. A few things to note: if you take it to an installer make sure you don’t have any paint chips on the areas you want protected by PPF. If any installer wants to cover areas on your truck or car with PPF with existing paint chips…in my opinion, you have the wrong installer. Find an installer that does high-end Teslas, Lexus, Benz, Lambos, Bentleys etc. After having a complete paint correction done, I had the headlights, front and rear bumpers, trim below the headlights, the painted grill surround, windshield pillars all covered in 8mil XPEL PPF. The prior owner already had the entire hood and mirror caps covered. The larger the surface area you cover, the higher the cost. I like XPEL PPF as it is hydrophobic and just repels dirt and dust with ease. You can also ceramic coat over XPEL PPF. ** Prices vary on installation, so its best if you’re considering PPF to get a quote from your local installer. My XPEL PPF installers shop 3 weeks ago. I also had XPEL 50% tint installed on the interior front w/s. A game changer in reducing heat and dangerous UV rays into the cabin. Note; check your State DMV on tint % laws. Post PPF install.

I had Suncoast Designers rebuild three of my windows several years ago and they did a good job. They remove the entire window, completely disassembled it, disassembled the individual sections, fixed the seal, and reassembled everything and put the whole assembly back in the trailer. They rebuilt both the fixed and the movable sections in order to provide a complete lifetime warranty. Complete disassembly of the frame requires the astragal to be removed by drilling out the pop rivets and replaced with gaskets and pop rivets again. If only the moving panel needs to be fixed, that is easily removed by removing the plastic/rubber track material first then the window just lifts out. After they removed, rebuilt and replaced the windows I had to reseal the frame to trailer myself. Not inexpensive but at the time I had mine done they had a lifetime warranty. If you can rebuild them soon, before any etching takes place between the panels, they can reuse the original glass. They have a fairly large parking lot and nearly every spot has electricity and water so that you can stay in your camper. Also, there used to be a guy at Quartzsite during the big tent rv show that would rebuild windows but you had to remove your own windows and deliver them to him. I have never met him but I know of a couple of Oliver owners who have had windows fixed by him.

My black tank dump valve was hard to close from day 1, March 14, 2018. During the Summer of 2018 I found the installation instructions for the cable and valve and realized that it was at best a marginal install. I pulled the cable out and lubed it with a dry type lubricant and straightened the kink in the very end of the cable where the factory had screwed the set screw in and barely caught the end of the cable and bent it into the hole opposite the threaded set screw hole. This caused the cable to be slightly bowed which didn’t help the situation (See A and B below) and didn’t make valve closure any better. I also noticed that the clamp on the frame above the valve was broken and didn’t properly secure the cable sheath. I could get some clamping force but not enough to suit me. Given this and the fact that the cable/sheath/clamp length and position relationship weren’t going to permit full closure of the blade (if you have worked on bicycle brakes, throttle cables, choke cables you know what I mean) I decided to modify the clamp portion of the frame above the valve. I disassembled the frame and drilled the hole where the sheath is clamped through the bottom of the frame (See C and D below). I used a drill size that would create a tight fit of the sheath in the clamp hole. I reassembled everything, pushing the sheath lower in the frame (which also allowed me to push the end of the cable down past the set screw in the plunger) and this permitted the blade to completely close. Now with the valve closing completely I wasn’t having water in the sewer hose when I went to hook it up at a campsite but it was still difficult to open and close the valve due to the routing of the cable. Winter of 2020, I finally accepted that manual operation of the dump valve wasn’t going to be as smooth as I expected it to be so I ordered (2) stainless steel knobs from McMaster Carr, drilled and tapped them to fit on the opposite end of the cables, and installed them in place of the Valterra handles that came on the trailer. This made it easier to pull and push the cables without concern about breaking the handles. I think it was Spring 2021 when I talked to the service department about my findings and what I had done and that I still wasn’t pleased with the force required to operate the valve and that I thought it was due to the cable routing. They offered to relocate the black tank dump valve and since the sheath clamp part of the frame was broken I took them up on their offer. The service department relocated my black tank dump valve as shown below. This resulted in the valve assembly being tilted about 75 degrees from the vertical to the street side and the cable was rerouted from under the dinette seats to the street side of the dinette seat. This resulted in an improvement in valve operation, not perfect, but it is an improvement. Valve location before After, showing only the 1.5 inch sink/shower drain valve New location of the valve showing also the new routing of the cable I hope that this information is helpful to those trying to improve the operation of the black tank dump valve. I also hope my high school English teachers don’t read this. They would be appalled. Bill Very early 2018 Hull 313

Lesson learned. So after a little deeper dive into cause and effect of how my water filter failed, I learned the following. Last fall when we winterized, I turned off the water supply to the Truma. I went out and pulled the yellow lever down, pulled the filter out and drained all of the water out of the Truma tank. With the system and the tank drained, I reinserted (error on my part) the Truma filter and it must have had a tiny amount of residual water near the internal plastic sacrificial disk inside the filter which resulted in it freezing and then cracking. If I had completely removed the filter and stored it inside the Oliver as I have done for the past 5 yrs, I likely would not be needing a replacement filter. Important to note, the Truma tank system was completely void of water with exception of what residual was in the filter housing which was apparently just enough to cause the sacrificial disk to do what it is suppose to do…fail. To complete my inspection of the Truma hot water tank, I temporarily used my winterization filter and the system worked as designed. We had the system set at 120d within about 8-10 seconds we had unlimited hot water in the galley and shower. Here is what I learned -open source- If your Truma AquaGo filter (or Easy Drain Lever) blew out, gushing water from the housing, the internal plastic disc or O-rings likely failed. This is almost always caused by residual water freezing and expanding inside the housing, or the O-rings being misaligned. [1, 2, 3, 4] The Fix You cannot repair a broken filter assembly with glue or tape due to the system's high water pressure. You will need to replace the entire filter/drain assembly. [1, 2, 3] Depressurize the system: Turn off your RV water pump or city water supply, and open a hot water faucet to relieve the pressure. Remove the old filter: Lift the thumb latch on the easy drain lever to drop the assembly down. Inspect the housing: Look inside the chamber for any leftover pieces of broken black plastic. Install the replacement: Pop the new filter cartridge into place and snap the lever back up to lock it. [1, 3] How to Prevent It Truma designed the filter to fail (break) first to prevent the internal mixing vessel from freezing and causing a $2,000+ tank replacement. During winterization, always make sure you pull the yellow lever, remove the filter cartridge, and drain the water entirely. Do not reinstall the filter until you are ready to use the RV in the spring.

Thanks for all the replies. Sorry I haven’t updated sooner. We have been boondocking for several days. I have been in communication with support at Oliver. At first they didn’t understand why it wasn’t working. As they investigated they reported that it appears that the stovetop does pull 1800 w and overloads the 2000 w inverter. The only other major draw is the refrigerator. Even when I turn that off, the stovetop does not come on. I stopped at a Bass Pro the first day to pick up a small 2 burner propane stove so we could at least have coffee in the morning. Not what I was planning when camping. If I had known I would have asked for the propane stove instead of the induction stove. We have the Platinum pkg and I did ask sales at the dealer if people liked the induction stove and if I could use it boondocking. Answer was that it works. I noticed that the induction cooktop comes standard on the Legacy 2026. This isn’t working for us as designed. I have asked for this to be resolved…proper inverter set up or a propane stove retro fit. If you do much camping at Harvest Hosts, BLM, National Forrest, National Parks, etc. w/o hookups, it is a problem unless you run a generator. When we return from our travels we will see where Oliver lands on this. They are considering possible “upgrades” to our camper. I wouldn't see a resolution as upgrades, but will find out. When hooked up to shore power, the cooktop works great. But so far for us, most of our trip, was making coffee or cooking outside on a portable propane stove.

I apologize for not posting a resolution sooner. I changed the inverter circuit breaker for new. Hard to find. Home Depot website only. Charging issue resolved. My theory is a washboard road in and out of 11 Mile Reservoir State Park CO. Who knows?! Thank you for all your knowledge. Mark

TECHNICAL SUPPORT TEAM answered my question -- I will leave it here, for others who might be asking the same. When you plan to decalcify the Truma AquaGo Water Heater AND Sanitize the plumbing system, there is a specific order that this should be done. It's logical, but I wasn't sure about any potential chemical reactions between the one (Truma Decalcification Tablets) and the other (a diluted water & bleach solution). FIRST -- complete the Decalcification process. Then flush the system with clean water. SECOND -- Sanitize the system. REMEMBER to put the system into BYPASS CONFIGURATION for the Water Heater during the Sanitization process. After Sanitization, flush the system TWICE with clean water. THIRD -- Fill the tank with fresh water Shout-out to Chris with Oliver's Technical Department for helping me out with this question this morning.

Assuming the valve set up is correct, and the pump screen is not plugged, them many have found that the boondock hose seal was worn or the boondock hose fitting was not FULLY and FIRMLY tightened. As a result, that connection sucks air and little or no water moves on board. Suggest double checking that connection and raising the boondock container as high as you can so reduce the hydrostatic head to the pump. This will assist in getting the pump to self prime. Ours takes about a minute a gallon to boondock onboard. Hope this helps GJ

I wonder what the "deck/wall" starts to look like after years of people walking on it. Can you screen that wall area at all when that is down? If not, I don't see myself keeping my wall open while camping.

With the inside work complete I went back to the roof area, trimmed the oozed butyl, wiped with isopropyl alcohol again, and taped off the area to be caulked leaving about a quarter inch gap from the edge of the flange in the front and rear and about an 1/8 inch gap on the sides where the caulk would be the shortest. I applied the caulk 3 times, wiping it off the first two times, reapplying the tape and recaulking each time because I didn’t like the way it looked. I finally left it alone because I decided that if I kept messing with it I would keep screwing it up and it was close to supper time and I was starting to get hungry. This picture shows the fan after the oozed butyl was trimmed back. It shows the built-up butyl in front of and behind the fan to keep the flange straight. This next picture is after the ASI 335 was applied. Notice that the black seal is straight, not bowed down at the front and rear due to having the flange pulled down to touch the roof. The black seal must remain straight so that the cover will seal properly when closed. I applied the ASI 335 to the screws but didn’t like the way they looked so I wiped it off. I had applied ASI 335 to the screw holes and the screws were twisted in through up to 3 layers of butyl so I figured they were sealed well enough. The caulk job wasn’t perfect but it looks good from the ground. The ripples are from my hand shaking after going through the process 3 times before finally accepting that it wasn’t going to be perfect. I actually like the stepped edge of the caulk versus a feathered edge because I think the feathered edge of caulk doesn’t hold up well after repeated washing, drying, and waxing. We’ve pulled the trailer through wind and rain for 1350 miles and it has remained closed and hasn’t leaked. I can’t completely say that it is quieter than the original Ventline fan but it does not have the rattle that it did. ASI 0240 https://meridianadhesives.com/products/asi-0240/ ASI 335 https://meridianadhesives.com/products/?product_search=335 It looks like ASI has two versions of the 335. The stuff I used looked like this Good luck on your installation. Bill

Picture below shows old Ventline fan removed and the roof area cleaned up. I used ASI 0240 adhesive remover and plastic razor blades. I cleaned up the edges of the original holes with a chamfer bit in a drill motor. The factory didn’t align the old vent with the hole very well resulting in screw holes too close to the edge of the opening and didn’t drill and chamfer the holes which resulted in chipped gelcoat. In this picture the pilot holes (1/16”) for MaxxFan Dome are located and drilled. I wanted the screws to be perpendicular to the MaxxFan mounting flange not the roof line so I tried to drill them at the correct angle to the surface of the roof. I did a lot of test fitting inside and out. The outside fan, the middle sleeve, and the interior trim ring must fit together well for this retrofit to work out right. I used a carpenter’s pencil and 2 rubber bands from of a bunch of broccoli to hold the sleeve in place while I got the pieces located just right. I did this before I marked the holes for the flange. New pilot holes are enlarged to 1/8 inch and chamfered Test fit the screws to make sure they are not too tight. If they are too tight you risk twisting the screw in two in the hole. This would be bad. Very bad. If the test fit is too tight go up to 9/64 inch bit. I used a 1/16 inch drill for a pilot then enlarged with a 1/8 inch drill and finished with a 1/2 inch chamfer bit. Be sure to use sharp bits and drill SLOW. I wanted the flange to be straight, not pulled down to fit the curved roof. I applied one layer of butyl all the way around the bottom of the flange. I then applied 2 short strips between about 10:00-2:00 and 4:00- 8:00. I again applied 2 even shorter strips between 10:30-1:30 and 4:30-7:30. I tried to build the butyl up in the places where the widest gaps would occur, that is the front and back of the fan. I wiped the mounting location with isopropyl alcohol and let it dry and filled the old and new screw holes with ASI 335 and set the fan in place using a couple of screws inserted through the flange and butyl for alignment. The black button on the handle goes toward the front of the trailer. Work the wires and splice connectors into the space between the hulls while inserting the fan assembly into the hole in the roof. Go back inside the bathroom and put the sleeve, pencil, and broccoli rubber bands in place to help maintain alignment of the fan on the roof. Back on top, tighten each screw down a little at a time and try to keep from distorting the flange. I would tighten the screws and leave them for a while to let the butyl push out then I would tighten them a little more until I got the flange sitting like I wanted it to sit and then left the butyl to do what it wanted to for a while. While the butyl was oozing I went inside the trailer and made sure the sleeve was in place with the upper edge of the sleeve against the bottom of the fan and the notch in the sleeve for the wire retainer properly located. Using a pencil I marked a line around the sleeve where it exits the curved ceiling. I drew another line 0.35” below this line to account for the interior trim ring and cut the sleeve to this line using a pair of heavy shears and a razor knife and finished to fit with a sanding block. I attached the trim ring and tightened the screws enough to pull the ring up to conform to the curvature of the ceiling.

Finally got around to fixing the problems that I identified in my original post almost 2 years ago. I used a small drum sander on a cordless drill motor to make a cutout for the part of the accumulator that was rubbing. This also quieted a vibration heard during pump operation While I had the drum sander out I enlarged the cutouts above both rear jack manual operation studs so that I can now get the manual crank on them if needed I placed a couple of spare bolt protectors on some 1/2 inch nuts and threaded them on the exposed bolt ends where they contacted the heater duct I know that these are really simple fixes but they might help someone that doesn’t know that the problems even exist. Bill

My recent acquisition, more useful than the air compressor blow nozzle!

UPDATE: I scheduled time with First Responder Mobile RV Repair -- the owner is Darrel Kehne. He's retired from the Collier County Sheriff's Office and he and his wife have owned various rigs. He trained with the RV school in Texas last summer (his certifications are on his website). He was extremely nice to work with, very efficient with his time and resolved a number of outstanding items for me. He had heard of Oliver, but had not seen one before. I suggested he come to the rally in October. :) I recommend him, for anyone in this area of Southwest Florida. https://www.firstrespondermobilervrepair.com/ (note, there are a few businesses with this name, in other places...)

We flew to Anchorage and rented a Class C motorhome from Great Alaskan Holidays. The motorhome was in fantastic shape (current model year) and came equipped with everything we needed except food and some odds and ends (hatchet, bear spray, firewood, etc.). We had it for 11 days and saw Seward, Homer, Talkeetna, Denali National Park, and everything in between. Stayed everywhere from commercial campgrounds to a night in a roadside pullout. Lots of wildlife (had a moose in our campsite), incredible scenery (the drive from Anchorage to Seward is stunning). Fantastic trip. If you want to RV Alaska but can't/won't take your Oliver there, I can't recommend Great Alaskan Holidays enough. Best trip we ever took. Great Alaskan Holidays https://share.google/KQoSc0xsFRph2wLCU

8/10/14 to 5/15/26. I wish I had kept total mileage. Need to check computer when I get home. Started logging Out/In mileage at some point. I will check.😊

"My Bad" but, I have found that if wifey starts a conversation with, "Honey, I think you need a tool to help you do this", she has my complete attention for the duration of the conversation, no matter what else we discuss... I think she realizes it too, as we have had some rather meandering (like what do tools have to do with making sure my daily work clothes are in the hamper on laundry day...) conversations, but I was paying attention to every word until we were done. Before we were married, my father told Maggie, "He is not hard of hearing, He is hard of listening..." Now I have hearing aids, and I still do not listen. 🤭 B~Out, I just heard the word "tool".

Had a tricky time finding grommets that fit the hole for our burner bases on our Dometic PI 8022 2 burner in our Hull 505 EII Added them to the outfitters guide here: Oliver Outfitters Guide Cheers, Craig & Rose Hull 505

The Texas a Oliver Rally is scheduled for April 5 (check in date) through April 8 (check out date). This event will be held at the Lake Livingston State Park. You will be able to book your site starting in December, 2026. Most information will be posted on Facebook but I will also post here as well. Hope to see you there!

Taking pressure off the wheels did it. Easy peasy after that. I ordered some zerk caps too. I don't think the zerk was clogged.