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Hi Jason, Thank you for initiating a very helpful blog! The following ideas may be of help. 1. I have the EZ-Flex installed so I add grease to each fitting. 2. I like to inspect the metal connections on the 7-pin trailer connector and treat with Permatex dielectric grease. 3. To lessen the work involved in removing dead bugs from the front of the trailer, I treat with CorrosionX 61002 Rejex. 4. To minimize any issues with the four exterior locks, I treat each cylinder with AGS LE5 Lock Ease. 5. To lessen any issues with the black and grey tank valves, I treat with Cameo 40246 TST Drain Valve Lube. 6. I use a new Cameo 40043 TastePURE Water Filter each spring. 7. After a harsh New England winter, I inspect each porch light gasket and treat with Captain Tolley’s Creeping Crack Cure. 8. I use Boeshield T-9 Waterproof Lubrication to protect the rims against corrosion. It also helps lubricate the front steps, door hinges and window slides. I could keep going, but at least this is a few additional ideas regarding my spring prep routine. Buzzy

The charger works well when plugged in to shore power and maintains 100% charge. When disconnected there is no positive charge taking place. With all users off and circuit breakers normally powered by the batteries there is a .5 amp draw on the system. In 4 days the charge is down to 75% and battery voltage is 12.8. The trailer is parked in full sun, no shade and getting lots of sun exposure. I plugged in shore power and voltage went to 13.6 and 9.0 amps positive charge rate. My solar control knob is on. The switch and display near it are in EMS Bypass. I tried Normal Operation position with no change in indications and went back to EMS Bypass. Am I missing something in set up configuration, (I am not sure it has ever worked becuse it has been hooked up to shore power most of the time). Could I have the "shunt not connected" issue others have had and how would I confirm and resolve it if I do?

I added a new little blog if y'all wanna take a look at it. I am looking to add more ideas, steps or improvements if you have any suggestions - lay them on me. http://olivertraveltrailers.com/travel-trailers-preparation-spring/ Thanks! Jason

We picked up our Oliver May 31 (Hull # 137), and had a similar experience, although it took me awhile to realize there was a problem (first time owning a travel trailer.) We, too, always were hooked up to shore power, but noticed that the voltage would decline while the trailer was in storage parked in the full sun. After several discussions with Tommie (and my own numerous contacts with Blue Sky), Tommie recommended that a local RV repair shop take a look. Diagnosis: the solar panels were never connected! The repair shop fixed that problem, and the solar panels charged -- for a short period of time, but then stopped. Opening up the charge controller, I eventually realized that the solar panels would charge when the lid to the controller was left open and upside down, but not charge when the lid was on. I then stumbled across a video a former owner (Wincrasher) made of his Ollie, and realized that the charge controller box in my Ollie was installed the reverse of his. This in turn had caused the wiring from the battery and solar panels to be severely bent over to connect to the controller terminals, and resulted in the terminals disconnecting from the controller circuit board when the lid was on the controller box. We ended up taking the Ollie back to factory for some modifications, and a new charge controller was installed while we were there. The final irony: the solar panels still were not charging! Anyway, this turned out to be an easy fix. The incoming cables from the solar panels and batteries had been connected in reverse (solar to the battery terminal and batter to the solar panel) when the new controller was installed. Once I fixed that, the charge controller has since worked great. I suggest you use a multimeter to check the voltage from the solar panels. If there is none, make sure the panels are connected. If there is, then the culprit may be the charge controller. Good luck! Russ & Mary Caslin

We did have a bear attack our Ollie on a dark night in North Georgia. He was pushing on the door which rocked the trailer, and then he ripped the fridge access panel off the trailer. I turned on the scare lights and yelled through my bedroom window and he left. It was pretty traumatic. I don't believe a flashlight would have been useful because I was not about to open the door. That said I have a headlamp with 1000 lumens powered by2 LI 18650 batteries. Love it.

I use this headlamp for around camp and night fishing. Multiple settings, dims, and has red for preserving night vision. Very light weight and comfortable. https://www.amazon.com/Black-Diamond-Strom-Headlamp-Aluminum/dp/B019EY4VZM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1492568890&sr=8-2&keywords=black+diamond+headlamp

Buzzy, thanks for the product links... Even though one has a very funny name! We wax our trailer spring and fall with the same 3M ultra performance paste wax we use on our boats. Added UV protection. Every other year, I wax the fiberglass parts of the interior, too. After running out the pink stuff with new water, we sanitize the tank and lines. After adding bleach to the tank water, we run the water out through each faucet to sanitize the lines. Dump the grey tank into the home dump station, and refill the tank. Spring is a good time to pop out the screens and clean them again. Clean any collected debris from the window weeps. Check ac, refrigerator, water heater, and furnace intake areas for mud dauber nests. Reset ant traps. Replenish batteries in flashlights, as we remove them for winter. Thanks for starting an Oliver specific checklist. It's great. Sherry

Blue sky, in California, can be extremely helpful, the tech called me on his way off work and trouble shot with me for over an hour while he drove home, before we quit for the night. I ended up finding the problem myself when I returned home, too much to deal with on the road, changed to a powered site to not worry about it. He did call me back the next day to see how it went. My problem was the main neutral connection from the DC fuse panel had vibrated loose and was causing a crazy draw. My first recommendation is call them. Good luck and let us know what you find.

Hi Karen, Your propane tanks should have been full at delivery. I'm sorry this happened. Our tanks a filled by a third party and should be full when installed before delivery. I will let the team know to double check these from now on. Matt

I tried to start an actual siphon to fill the water tank through the fresh water valve tonight and found that the fresh water inlet line does have pressure on it from the check valve not allowing it to work. So I cleaned out the trunk, pulled up the V- mat, and looked at the pipes. There is a hole cut in the floor under the mat but it didn't open up the whole area. The hole worked, but I figured that I would be pulling a door open. Here it is looking in from the door Then here's a view of the check valves and wall connection. Because the hole is so far from the door, the access is limited. The green and red arrows show the back side of this - So the red arrow points to the fresh water connection. I still have my siphon hose from the Casita and was hoping to gravity fill the tank with it. But it will still work fine on the back when I am pumping the water in by changing the valves and turning on the fresh water pump. Here's a picture of my 3 hoses that I use for filling from National Forest water spigots or any faucet including my siphon valve and hose. This experiment may have failed but it was a needed step that we all were able to learn from :) The siphon is a 1" clear poly flow hose with a Simple Siphon Big Gulp. 1" works great for all RV gravity feed systems but the 3/4" or less is all that's needed for the Oliver's waterpump system. Also, you can see that I have used the quick disconnects throughout my system :) Reed

I suspect many owners have had, or continue to have, issues with their Blue Sky gear. Despite that realization, I believe Blue Sky gear is the best-of-the-best. Just like an Ollie! Last summer I had my issues and worked closely with Steve (ScubaRX), Tommy and Boz. At the time, Tommy mentioned to me how there was not a depth of knowledge in problem solving Blue Sky issues within OTT. I was not certain Tommy had an opportunity to train co-workers prior to leaving OTT. Also, my research indicated no Blue Sky service technicians within my New England region. In addition, OTT has now migrated away from Blue Sky to Zamp. That all adds up to a strong need for growing knowledge within our community of Forum members and document our work within the Forum history files. I believe if we are unsuccessful with this task, the day could come when we would need to switch out our gear for Zamp as the problem solution. In my view, that would be disappointing. As we craft a path forward, I believe we should each document in some way our problem(s) and solution(s) so we can assemble a trouble shooting guide. The reason I say this is due to my experience with two issues. One issue involved a loose wire between the shunt and the monitor. That could happen at any time to any owner. The other issue involved a lack of understand on how to reboot the controller. Once again, a base of knowledge we all need. Buzzy

Light mist, light traffic, light construction.... made it to under 30 miles to go. Let the fun begin, tomorrow...

and for Things That Go Bump in the Night? I've been looking at various lights and have pretty much decided on the very highly rated Fenix PD35 1000 lumen tactical light. It is compact and powerful with a 1 inch diameter housing, so it will clip into one (or two) of the stick-on "broom holders" close to the doorway, where it will be very quick to access. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DR9GWX0/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1X5H11EH41351&coliid=I1AYROSZRRV96L Great info here, full review at the bottom. .... https://www.yourbestdigs.com/reviews/the-best-rechargeable-flashlight/ Comments? Do you have a dedicated security light or do you just use a small pocket one? If you do have a light attached to a wall, where did you mount it? I have two different smaller Fenix lights and I am a huge fan. They really are great lights. I plan to keep my shotgun stored in the closet, so a good tactical light clipped nearby would be a great companion to it. Thanks for any suggestions or pictures. I leave in three weeks for Hole-in-the-Wall TN to pick up my Ollie and I am getting really psyched up! John Davies Spokane WA

George, It is good you notified Jason. Keep in mind the newly built Ollie trailers will come equipped with Zamp gear in place of the Blue Sky. I believe you may have the Blue Sky Solar Boost 2512iX-HX installed. (You should verify that assumption by looking at the markings on the cover panel.) If that is true, please review Page 7 of the manual in great detail. The Setup and Wiring Diagram will guide you when using your multi-meter. I asked the question regarding your battery choice for a reason. Please keep in mind you must never allow the controller to equalize your AGMs. That process will fry your batteries and they would need to be replaced. There are two methods for turning off the equalization function within the controller. The first method involves setting the Dip Switch #4 to the "off" position. You would need to pop the cover and understand the layout of the internals. Your system should have been configured in this fashion at time of installation. My feeling is, you should double check that this was done with your own eyes. The second method involves a knowledge of the configuration parameters as accessed via the monitor. I developed a knowledge of both methods and set both to prohibit equalization of my AGMs. You may need coaching to work with the multiple layers of parameters. A word to the wise. The OTT staff may not have all the information you require. Our Forum or Boz may be your best sources. Buzzy

I will be honest, I did borrow some of y'all's informative posts from the past! :D So many great suggestions and wanna thank you all for the them! I did post a link to this discussion at the bottom of the blog post as well! If I get some time to do some writing I will update the blog or I just may write a whole new blog about something else using your suggestions!

Thanks Reed. It really is helpful for me to see pictures and learn about how Ollie works. I was unfamiliar with the Simple Siphon Big Gulp so I googled it and found your video using it on the Casita. Loved it! You really have a knack for video ???? Yvonne

We have a two burner propane stove which is light and folds up very nice and the optional bag to carry it in. Also we have the propane campfire similar to Lukens but we ordered from Amazon. Sorry, we haven't used them yet as wife still works full time and then some. The two burner cooking stove can be used with small canister type propane or with the adapter hose a 20# propane tank or from the trailer hook up. We pretty much follow the Lukens equipment as we appreciate their camping knowledge and experience. But many others have been helpful to us too. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004S3HDBO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007V4SJSS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008JORKP2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Hi geokeg (George and Gretchen), As Randy mentioned above, it is useful to contact the technical support engineer at Blue Sky in California. His name is Boz and he is excellent! His contact email is below. "Boz Kamyabi" techsupport@blueskyenergyinc.com Chances are Boz will direct you to aid him by performing a few diagnostic activities centered around the controller. As Russ and Mary suggests, you would be wise to own a multi-meter and know how to use it. I assume you have copies (paper or electronic) of the technical documents for both the controller and the monitor? Boz will be referring to these documents as you gather the data he will need. Is it safe to assume your controller is operational? Have you seen any indication via the monitor or via the indication light on the controller cover, of progression through the charge phases? Are you familiar with the charge phases as documented in the technical manuals? Boz will be expecting this level of knowledge. Keep in mind, you will need to pop the cover in the controller to measure the voltage coming from the PV array as well as the voltage going to the batteries via the controller. These actions have risk and you need to feel comfortable working safely around electrical equipment. It is also valuable to attach photography to your communications to greatly aid in the diagnostics. Keep in mind you are not the first to encounter issues as you describe, however, each owner may have implemented slightly different solutions. Curious! Can you describe your batteries? I assume you have four AGMs. There may come a time when you will need to speak with the technical support engineer at the Trojan Battery Company, but let’s hold off on that guidance until we know more. Buzzy

Wow! That Nitecore MH12 looks exactly like my 3 year old Fenix PD35. They must have cross traded or something because an exact match in every way Except... there's no N on the thumb button. https://www.amazon.com/Fenix-PD35-Flashlight-rechargeable-EdisonBright/dp/B00GACBSZ8/ref=sr_1_19?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1492570350&sr=1-19&keywords=Fenix+pd35

Buzzy . . . . . . "Captain Tolley’s Creeping Crack Cure" GASP! Pete

Jason, thanks for putting this together. While some of the experienced campers already have this knowledge there are a lot of folks that will find this very useful. It would be nice to have an information archive on the forums or Oliver web page that information like this could reside. Maybe in the Tech Bulletin area? Mike

Thanks, we are close. Within 500 miles and a day to go. We wanted to 'scoot-a long' while the sun was shining, especially with interstate construction. Boy, the south must be almost empty with all the snowbirds we have seen fleeing home.

Great comments! This forum is great. I want to caution folks to not buy too many lumens. If you need to project a beam hundreds of yards (hunting, or on a boat) then a really high intensity beam, over 1000 lm, is desirable. But using one for poking around your campsite is a mistake, unless you can lower the intensity in increments. When it is pitch dark out, 200 lumens up close is _bright_. If you shine it onto a reflective surface like a window on your truck, you will dazzle yourself momentarily, and your night vision will be gone for minutes. If you reflect several thousand lumens into your eyes you will be saying lots of bad words. Pick a light with multiple levels, and don't try to burn up the night, unless you are deliberately trying to blind or dazzle a large animal or a crook. My bedside tactical light is an older Gerber that is only 90 lumens, and it is plenty bright for walking around inside in the pitch dark. But it is no good at all outside if I need to throw a beam very far. My daily carry flashlight is an older Fenix TK16, I think, with a Turbo setting of about 500 lm, and I rarely need that much juice. These lights keep getting more and more powerful, and you don't usually need that much. Plus the really powerful lights can set fires and burn hands! Also, you want a good beam spread, or scatter, so that more of the surroundings are lighted, with a defined bright spot in the middle. When mounted on a firearm, that bright central spot is where your shots will go, at close range. John Davies Spokane WA

Yes, traveling with firearms has some problems, you need to be very aware of what is legal, and stay out of the Hell Hole areas that are simply not gun friendly, like DC, NJ, and NYC. A full sized 12 gauge shotgun is OK just about anywhere, but whether or not you can travel with it loaded varies by state. Handguns are way more complicated. I plan to keep my shottie in a police type quick access vertical mount, with a remote release button switch. I will start a thread on this when I get my trailer and have time to install the rack. Can we keep this thread on topic about security lights for bears, bad guys, and trips to the potty? Thanks. John Davies Spokane WA

To be quite frank, our volunteer "job" as moderators, isn't fun, sometimes. Once in awhile, people , comments, and things just don't work. This is one of the few instances I can remember where someone didn't heed warnings and PM's, and the mod board actually had to invoke the undesirable option. It's definitely not our first option, nor taken lightly. But, it's a group, communal decision. Just because Pete posted, he was not alone. We always communicate. No one on the mod board acts alone, except in the case of foreign spammers. Sherry

I have to say that you all handled that very well. I have been lurking here for months appreciating the vast amount of knowledge shared within this forum. I often cringed at the posts by Bugbite and wondered if this most recent one would finally be the proverbial nail in the coffin. Thanks for keeping this place one of mutual respect and free idea sharing. Rodney

We picked up Hull #201 March 27 and had a wonderful week on the road visiting Nashville and Cleveland on the way back to New Jersey. It was a great experience at the factory and the sales center. Many thanks to the Oliver team!

They sent us new drawers last week and also a set of longer screws for the other 3. We haven't had a problem since and the new screws are 3/4" full thread so it looks fine. What I did do different was I changed the magnet plate distance on the back of the drawers so that they make full contact with the magnet. Before, they were 1/8" away from hitting.

Issue: Galley drawers sliding out during transit Potential Models Impacted: 2016-2017 Information: The current blum slides being used were implemented during the 2016 model year. We have since seen three issues where a kitchen galley drawer has come loose during transit. The blum stays attached to the drawer slide and pulls loose from the drawer itself. Resolution: Process change in the way the drawer is built as well as longer screws being used to ensure this issue does not continue. What Should you do: At this time we have only seen or been made aware of three instances where this has happened. We have the same slides and design in about 127 units. If the issue occurs, please contact our service department at 866-205-2621 so we can assist with the resolution.

I have used a front receiver by Drawtite. A Swagman rack works perfectly. I had to use an extension bar and anti rattle device but was happy with the setup. I have changed tow vehicles and will add the same setup to my Ram. I heard a story of an Oliver owner whose GPS took him down a narrow road into a dead end. He was able to unhitch the trailer, turn the truck around, and using his front receiver push the Ollie back to a place wide enough to turn around. So Many uses for a front receiver.

This is how my Breezer Downtown bike will ride to Newfoundland this summer. I took it out for a test ride today and it is absolutely steady with no dipping or wobbling. I have a Curt front hitch for the Taco and use Swagman X/C carrier and an anti-wobble clamp. No ground clearance is lost for the vehicle (the skid plate is lower by several inches) Contrary to how it appears, there is no problem with visibility from the handle bars. The wheels do not extend beyond the sides of the truck, so there is no loss in maneuvering. Parking between vehicles at the grocery store was not a problem. The bike is secured to the hitch with a locking cable. After putting a topper on the back of the Taco, the previous setup interfered with opening the hatch. This was a good solution for me. I'm not too worried about bug splatter on the bike. As long as the seat is clean I'm good to ride. The chain is fully enclosed in a shroud, so there should be minimal issues with rust. My Taco has 218,000 miles on it and still runs like brand new.

My wife and I really enjoy cycling. We have this bike rack set up in our pick up truck. The bikes fit snugly without needing to remove any wheels.

Hey guys! We were on the factory tour with you back in November and just picked ours up a week ago. Glad you made it home and hope to see you on the road sometime.

... OTT is taking this seriously and has already secured a fix for the trailers still in their inventory, and they have already got the new screws, 2 new drawers, and a new mirror in the mail to us, so they are on the ball and making the changes needed immediately. This is a small issue and easily fixed, even on the road. Oliver has made some big changes in the last few years and they continue to do their best to give us the highest quality product out there. These Blum slides are supposed to be the top of the line and as far as sliding, they work great, they looked at my fix today with the extra screws and called me up to talk about the slides. I told them that I like them and also we talked about how to improve them. So Oliver is on it, and there's no worries about that on our end :)

Issue: Black streaks running down side of camper due to porch light gaskets. Models Impacted: 2016 - 2017 Models Information: At this time the manufacturer of the porch lights has no intentions of replacing and/or designing a different gasket to resolve this issue. Oliver is researching and testing some different gasket materials to find a long term solution for our customers. We are aware of some different methods being used by our customers to resolve this issue, ie: Murphy's Oil and DAP silicone. Resolution: Currently in Research & Testing *This thread will be updated as new information becomes available.