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Yesterday, we got up a little early, and headed to the festival at St John's County Fairgrounds, sling with our neighbors. We visited a huge number of hand built tiny homes from around the nation. I especially wanted to see the one by Usgbc/Norsk Homes, which will be the first LEED certified tiny home in the US. It was a very relaxing, fun day. Tiny homes, vintage trailers, converted buses, yurts... A number of scamps and casitas. Maybe next year we'll take our Oliver and camp. The fairgrounds is only about 20 miles from St Augustine. A number of displays from builders around the nation, lithium ion batteries and solar panels, noted speakers from the tiny home industry, live music, food trucks, dog friendly fairgrounds. Very laid back and friendly... A great time, in a beautiful day in an old and tiny Florida town. Sherry

While we were on our western trip in July and August we visited Rocky Mountain National Park, we ran upon a herd of 200 – 300 elk in a meadow.

We too had the issue of the lights showing all green on the cell phone amplifier, and then sometimes two of the lights going to red. When we made our repair trek back to Hohenwald this was one of the items on the “to do” list. The diagnosis, based on the instruction manual, was that there was feedback between the outside and inside antennas. The standard cure was applied, i.e. move the inside antennae a few inches and put some aluminum foil on the bottom of the compartment above. This seemed to help, but when I got back to home base the problem reappeared. So, I called the manufacturer, WeBoost, at the number in the manual. I got this from the technician I talked to: First, he had me describe the inside and outside antennae locations, and pronounced them plenty far apart. No need to fool around moving the inside antennae a few inches in any direction. Then he had me hang up and do a series of phone signal strength tests (different from the bars) with the amplifier on and off, and record the data. We talked the next day. Based on the numbers he said that I was in a strong signal area, and the booster was reducing the amplification gain because it wasn’t necessary, and showing two red lights to indicate it was doing so. The booster, he said, was working as designed, and there was nothing wrong with it. When the booster sensed a weaker cell signal it would increase the gain and show all green. What the tech told me seems to have been borne out by our experience while traveling. When we are in the weak signal boonies the amplifier shows all green and we get a stronger signal with the amplifier turned on. (The cell phone has to be within a few feet of the inside antennae to get the benefit.) When we are in a strong signal area we get red lights and no boost. Assuming that what I got from the technician is true and accurate, it would seem many of us have been misled & alarmed by reading an incomplete owners manual. The “strong signal-reduced gain” phenomenon should have been fully described in the manual. Electrons were never my long suit, so I can’t vouch for what I got from WeBoost. It might be worthwhile if some of you who are commenting also call WeBoost and see what you can find out. Be interesting to see if the story comes out the same, and learn for sure whether we are really having a problem with our cell phone signal amplifier or all is okay. John Shkor SailorsAshore

Dave - nope, have not done the vinegar thing. That rinse is to help get even more of any deposits that might be on the inside of the tank off. Given the look of your rod and the amount of "stuff" that you got out of the tank I seriously doubt if you need to do that. Bill p.s. the anode rods are made out of either magnesium or aluminum. I wait until I see one on sale (they are less than $20) and then buy it just to make sure that I always have a spare one in the workshop for when I do the annual winterization thing. If I have less than 50% of the rod remaining I just go ahead and change it - primarily so that I do not have to keep checking it any other time during the camping season.

We also had ours showing all green then two changing to red. That’s caused by feedback between the inside and outside antennas. Jason moved the inside antenna to the sidewall which cleared up one. Then he took a piece of metal backed insulation (about 12X12 inches) and we put it under the mat in the overhead storage right above the inside antenna. We’ve had no issues since. All green. Ours does help when the cell signal is weak. Mike

Dave, the anode rod has a steel core so it is unlikely to fall off. Even if it did, it would be easy enough to drag out of that big hole. There is nothing else at the bottom of the tank - the heating element is further up. Be sure to clean the threads on the anode and also inside the hole before reinstalling with new thread sealer. John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks Bill, I didn't want the anode to break off from the nut! Mine is two years old as well. Guess I'll give it one more year and see. I also recommend anyone doing this to flush their tank out with a wand made for the task. A lot of junk came out (the ring of granules in pic). Be sure to close the bypass valve behind the tank first so as to not accidentally blow any debris into the valve. Dave

Final pic of new fixture with amber lenses Hard to duplicate this using 3M 4000 or the like. The butyl tape is tight, clean, and most importantly hasn't leaked a bit through all the downpours and sleet and snow that has followed me around this Fall! This is now an outdated fixture for Oliver. But I hope that anyone who may have silicone sealant on their rig and wants to get rid of it for real will find this post useful. Also if you want to add any accessory items like a plug for aux. solar panels, or need to reset a window, or whatever, will consider using this technique. Contrary to what some folks think of butyl tape, this brand has not oozed out in the heat or collected dirt and turned black. If you keep it tight to the fixture and use a quality product like Bed-it, you should be a happy camper! Ok, it's past happy hour..... Dave

EDIT 12/10/23. Useful link: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/6720-natures-head-compost-toilet-troubleshooting-user-guide/ EDIT 06/06/23. This is an Oliver factory installation, not mine. One member has assumed that I did this. There are a number of threads asking about this toilet. I hope we can gather up a lot of the talk here in one place. I think there has been one other installation in an Ollie but there have been NO published pictures of any kind, that I have been able to find, even from the factory. This is baffling to me. I really wanted to cut the dump station umbilical. We routinely dry camp and finding an open station during a busy holiday weekend or off season is not something I want to face. With the NH toilet we can get rid of our grey water with a 3/4 inch garden hose. In many western states it is legal and encouraged to run a hose out to a nearby shrub and let your water trickle into the ground. The black tank, drain plumbing and vent system are all completely retained. The factory folks are extremely reluctant to delete these parts, since they are part of their certification. If you wanted to reinstall a regular toilet, it would be a very minor job. The fresh water line is even in place, next to the wall. You could sell the used NH for $400 and that would pay for the replacement conventional RV toilet, with a lot left over. An RV toilet is less than $200.... I chose to charge the base with coconut coir rather than peat moss, since it is a renewable resource and doesn't damage the environment. https://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=coconut+coir I made the mistake of just dropping a dry 2 pound brick into the bottom, adding water and then letting it hydrate. I ended up with WAY too much material. You need to do this in a bucket, outside, and then transfer the expanded stuff into the base, and the leftovers into gallon zip bags. The correct height is even with the internal agitator centerline. Any higher and it becomes difficult to turn with the handle. It takes about two gallons, I did not measure. There are many online sources with info. To summarize: Sit to pee, everybody, so there is no splashing. The trapdoor stays closed and your pee goes forward, and then down into the reservoir. Which you pre-treated with a half cup of vinegar, to kill the odor. That part is easy. To poop, open the trapdoor, finish the job, wipe and close the door. Give the agitator handle two or three turns. The poop and paper will decompose rapidly once the natural process gets going, which may take a few days. The fan keeps a steady flow of fresh air into the reservoir and out of the trailer through the existing roof vent. I never noticed any bad odors except the first days, before I figured out that Oliver had installed the wrong fuse, a 1 amp, which had blown. Once I installed the correct fuse (2 to 5 specified, I used 3 amp), the fan worked as designed. The fuse is located in the main distribution panel under the dinette table, right row, bottom position (UN-labeled!). It is best to put only the absolute minimum amount of RV toilet paper into the base. If you put a lot in, it wraps around the agitator and makes it harder to turn. Only stinky paper goes down - the rest (damp with pee) goes into the small covered waste can to be disposed of weekly. The can came from Walmart, $10 I think. Cleaning is simple: spritz the area lightly with a dilute vinegar spray and wipe down with a disposable baby wipe, toss in can. Done. The residual vinegar and wipes control any odor from the can. The pee tank is big but it will fill up faster than you can believe if you have four people using it! Empty when it gets to within an inch or two from the top: Flip the two side latches, carefully rotate the top off the base, remove the pee bottle and cap it. Dump it in any approved location - a pit toilet or a rest stop restroom. Rinse with fresh water a couple of times and recharge with half a cup of vinegar. Reinstall into the toilet and close and latch the top. The pee will eventually form crusty yellow deposits. The fix, I have read, is to add gravel and water and shake it hard, then rinse several times. In two weeks of use I never noticed any significant deposits. The longer you let the poop decompose the better. If you can leave it over the winter, dump it out in the spring and it will be totally benign. If you need to empty it mid-season, remove the pee bottle and vent hose, unscrew the two hold down knobs and lift out the entire unit. Carry it outside and put a 13 gallon or larger trash bag on top, flip it over and empty the compost. Refill with clean coir to the centerline. There is NO need to clean it out. Any residual material will just help the next batch get started. The organic waste you can double bag and put in the trash, or if fully decomposed, it can be spread out in the woods, but not near a potable water supply or garden. The way to keep the smell in control is to keep the pee out of the main reservoir. It's the urine that makes a pit toilet smell so bad.... If you throw up or have a messy poop, you can add a little more fresh coir to help absorb the extra fluids. I keep a gallon bag of the hydrated stuff in the overheard cabinet (along with a quart of vinegar) and haven't had to add any extra. The fan has a dust filter that is supposed to be checked every few weeks, by removing two Philips screws. I think that is way too often in the clean environment of a fiberglass trailer, unless you have a dog that sheds. You can put your hand over the left (inlet) opening and feel a light suction. If that isn't present, you need to clean the filter. The pee bottle sits in a sealed cavity to catch overflows, This is a problem since when you take a shower, a bunch of fresh water gets trapped there. I intend to drill a couple of small drain holes in the bottom. I don't care if the pee bottle overflows onto the floor of the head, at least that way I will notice it! unless it is dark, and I am barefooted.... that would be bad 😉 This is why you want to empty the tank before it gets too close to the top. Agitator handle: ours fell off right away, the shaft has a set screw with lock nut. It is very easy to tighten correctly. I am not sure why the factory guy couldn't do it successfully. Spares: I intend to purchase a spare pee tank ($40), spare lids, and a fan.I already have extra 3 amp fuses. ... http://store.natureshead.net I intend to wire in a small LED in the wire harness to show that the fan has power. You can probably hear it running, faintly, if you are in a very quiet area and don't have bad tinnitus, as I do. The Nature's Head is a cool device, but it is really just a fancy bucket. A solidly built, very expensive bucket. I wish the price were about $250 instead of $800. That seems about right for what you get. OTH it is very rugged, and long time users seem to love it. My wife still has some reservations about using it, and we need to get a short step stool since it sits so much higher than even a tall toilet. This one might work well, and it might fit in close to the base with a bungee cord around it for travel: .... https://www.squattypotty.com/shop/poop-better/classic-ecco I am still learning, but I have no regrets at this time. Questions? John Davies Spokane WA

We are going into our 4th week of no house phone or internet. We did get back our electric about a week ago. The windstorm that came ashore sure uprooted a lot of trees and infrastructure. Sure glad for cell phones, but think we will have to bump up the data plan. Amazing the contacts we had with the house system. Looking at VOIP system, but not sure after some comments on here about them. But, we are alive and well...

Hello Peter and Patty, I think maybe we are the Oliver owners near Denver you are waiting to hear from. Anita called me last week about your interest but we were in San Francisco on a quick business trip and returned home last night. Also, I tried to call you this morning, but couldn't get an answer. Please feel free to contact me by the contact info I emailed you earlier today or respond to this thread to meet up. I look forward to hearing from you and assisting you in your quest for a quality RV. Totality confident you have found that in Oliver. Regards, Malcolm J Monlezun

Hope you said "Hello" to my brother. As a retired Chief Seadawg, carrier type, he still has the wander lust and checks out all the shows, especially in St. John's County. The smaller the unit seems the better he likes it. All are bigger than a bunk under the fantail...

Cleaning and winterizing today. Do you think it's time for a new anode? The bulk of the oxidation is at the nut. The rest of the anode is a little pitted, but in pretty good shape. Is this typical? First time dealing with this. Dave

We have a local cable internet system at home. Use Ooma System with cable internet for lower 48 free calling for about $5.00 per month. Had to make a one time purchase of hardware at Best Buy for around $125 for one telephone. Purchased a wireless remote from Ooma for around $50 and plugged it into a home telephone jack to make every telephone work in the house. System has been working fine since purchase for 2 or 3 years. Can also check home telephone voice messages using internet while camping.

With involvement of state legislators we have been promised service by 6 pm. However, we have been given the same " promise" every day for the last 7 days... Guess we are not too bad, at least we got power back on after 10 to 12 days...

Bill, I monitor NOAA when the weather is questionable. My radio does not automatic alert feature. http://kaitoradio.com/ka350grey.html This Kaito radio has automatic weather alert: http://kaitoradio.com/emergency-radios/ka550y.html Here's all of their emergency radios: http://kaitoradio.com/emergency-radios.html

Mike, Beautiful Rainbow shot!!!!!!!!! Bill, Yes, we see folks trout fishing at Stone Mountain NC and Blue Ridge Parkway is not far away, for beautiful scenic drives.

Here's the small/inexpensive Kaito KA-350 radio we used for 4 years, so far. It's has hand crank power, solar charger, AM/FM, Shortwave, flashlight, and NOAA weather. Only used the headphone outlet so far, it also has USB-out & 5V-in ports.

Stan, I had the same issue a while back. Turned out that the power cord went bad. I called Weboost and they sent one out pretty quickly. I wired it in and then it worked fine. 'Good Luck, Scotty

Reed i had the same issue, started off with 4 green lights then two of them turned red, seems like the wiring running through the cabinets were causing feedback ( don't ask me to explain, don't know) Richie at oliver moved the antenna to the sidewall right above the window, problem solved!

Reed, I have the old style lights, but they leaked as well. They were "sealed" at the factory with silicone, which failed promptly. I cleaned and rebedded them with a very high quality butyl tape. This has worked beautifully. You don't need no stinkin' gaskets, just the butyl tape. The 3M 4000 would be my next choice, but it would be a far second. As for silicone....never. I posted a while back on the procedure I did. Just in case you missed it. I have not seen the new porch lights, and perhaps just squeezing some 3M 4000 in the screw holes would be enough in a pinch, but I think sealing the perimeter of the entire fixture would be best. If you do elect to just seal the holes, put a slight countersink on them, and make sure they are bone dry (hair dryer) before applying sealant. Good luck. Dave http://olivertraveltrailers.com/topic/porch-light-reseal-and-silicone-removal/

Ditto with everyone else Dave, mine looked worse than yours ( may - november), i just reinserted it and will check it in he spring sometime.

Just to be clear I found three of four windows leaking on my 2015 elite ll I removed the complete window assemblies reset them in sealant and have had no more problems (I have not resealed the four exterior lights) all I’m trying to say is it is very possible that there are more window frames out there that are leaking one way to ck this is to tape a piece of plastic to the trailer allowing the plastic drape over the window then a hose down the trailer above the taped area an ck for leaks if none are found pull the windows and reseal. Not saying the lights aren’t leaking but mine were not. Thanks to all who participate in finding solutions for problems we find on our units. Marc

Is this too much radio? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QMTI6YK/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00QMTI6YK&linkCode=as2&tag=radiojayallen-20&linkId=PDEBKMRRH7A5WL2E It is well made and gets very good reviews, I bet the manufacturer has simpler models if you don’t care about listening to pilots. It does have the ability to use rechargeable batteries and plug into a USB port. https://radiojayallen.com/c-crane-cc-skywave-radio/ These little SW radios are fun to play with when you are bored or have a child that needs entertaining.... John Davies Spokane WA

Dave - Good suggestion on that flush of the tank. I have the same "wand" that you do and I kept moving it back and forth - up and down for about ten minutes before the water ran clean. Bill

Not sure if I understood all you said, but, IF "...I’ll bet that the light are fine.." means you think the lights are not the source of the water, THEN I bet that it is. There is a light over every window and it is a known issue (now resolved) they they were leaking around the attachment screws. You are correct that "...you can't imagine how much water can come in with no signs of voids..." During the toad strangler that they described, enough water could flow around the screws to easily flood the inside. The fix is easy, remove the screws (one at a time) and put a dab of 4000 in the hole and replace the screw. You don't even have to take down the lights. I went for over three years with the high light in the rear leaking and it exiting around the frame of the egress window below. It took a couple of years to find the problem as I kept blaming it on the window. Not the case. If your rear window is leaking, check the light above from the inside of the upper cabinet. There's where you'll most likely find your problem.

I had VoIP but thru DSL so we needed the phone line anyway, but it was free and it worked fine as long as I had a good connection and wasn't downloading anything... If the connection was clear... sometimes the call would be clear, but usually there was a "can you hear me now?" moment in every call, but this is out in the woods anyway. In the end I got rid of it just because I didn't need a second phone line. Reed

Canoe12 - looks like a good plan to me. Bill

Dang! I didn't realize that it was THAT BAD up there in the Great State. Bill

Not sure about other owners, but I have had a few return for a second visit. The first can be over whelming with all the info and enthusiasm. On the second visit they come with a list of questions, realistic expectations, and are a lot more relaxed. Of course that all depends on the distance required to travel. You will find most Oliver owners are nice people with a lot of pride in the quality and vercitalty of their unit. Good luck with your research. The hardest part is waiting for delivery, after writing the check. See you around a campfire sometime...

When I bought my Oliver I was hoping that the camper was what my research said it was and, more importantly, that the company building it was what I thought it was. Each and every time that I've had an issue with the camper, the company has more than taken care of the problem. I'm not a Pollyanna and I do realize that Oliver, like virtually all companies, has limited resources and sometimes it simply takes a bit of time and/or persistence to get things done. Having said this I do think that it is a bit unfair (in ANY relationship) to expound on a situation or problem without giving the other party in that relationship a fair chance to help solve it. Once the situation/problem is solved it can be helpful to disseminate both the problem and the solution so that others that might find themselves in the same situation will know how to proceed. Or, if a reasonable amount of time has gone by without appropriate response then "outside" assistance just might be needed in order to get a solution or to get the wheels moving in the right direction. Certainly I have learned a lot from all of those on this Forum and hope that this will continue. But, fair is fair. Bill

Just outside of Rocky Mountain NP on the Grand Lake side in September. Rainbows seem bigger there! Camera can’t really do justice to the scenery. Mike

Peter and Patty - When you go to see an Oliver be sure to take a camera and a note pad. These will help you remember what you saw and, perhaps, spur questions. Assuming that the Oliver is for you, it will also help you when it comes time to decide on options and decorating. I'm excited for you! Bill

We were at the Bristlecone Pines campground in CA at about 8,500 ft. Got all set up late in the day and I got a campfire going. Then it started to snow. Beautiful. I sat outside in the snow and just marveled at the quiet and the beauty. Poking at the fire and moving closer to stay warm. A libation offered some distraction from the gathering cold and darkness. Liye decided to move inside. Eventually, I moved in too. But looked out the window at the orange glow and fog of snowflakes. Again, totally quiet and we were the only ones there. Miles from anywhere and anyone. The heater clicked on and off during the night and as I noticed it, I also noticed how snug we were. Snow makes the dark forest even quieter. Morning brought the chance to see how much snow we got and start a new adventure going on up to the 10,000 ft level to marvel at the 5,000 year old trees. Bristlecone Pines. One of my favorite places. Through coring and other tree ring methods we can look back 12,000 years with a recorded history. All of this from trees growing in a dolomite soil that was previously a sea bottom. Now, that ancient "sea bottom" is at 10,000 ft elevation. Such are the wonders of the Sierra Nevada Range and plate tectonics. Fun to ponder on a quiet night, camped in the snow with a warm fire crackling. The idea is to lean into it, experience it, marvel at what it is. Try to grasp the enormous amount of time that has passed to form this scene. Living trees that I can reach out and touch, that were alive when the pyramids were being built. But more than that, soil that formed as a sea bed and is now here! Without our beautiful little trailer, we could never come here and have a comfortable winter visit.

What a wonderful tribute to your mother! My parents retired in their late 50's. They purchased a used Airstream before they retired, but didn't travel with it very much. Once they retired, they moved to a house in the mountains in Eastern Arizona at 8200 feet. They left in late October or early November each year in a series of riveted trailers (another Airstream, an Avion, and a Streamline. They traveled with their trailers until the snow melted--usually in May. I took one of their Airstreams on a trip from Nebraska to the Canadian Rockies when I was 20 years old and didn't camp with an RV of any type until I purchased my Oliver in 2016. I think about my parents everytime I hitch up and hit the road. I hope your Oliver gives you as much pleasure as mine has given me and that you continue to have fond memories of your mother as you go camping.

Thanks Angela. Yes there is a story. Our mom passed away in December 2014 (at 80). She had always dreamed of traveling in an RV after retirement but that never worked out for her. She had a thing for ladybugs (and moose). This is our way of bringing her along on our travels. One thing I have learned (as a breast cancer survivor) is you have to live your dreams while you can. My sister is retiring in May and our longer travels will start then. But in the meantime we will learn the Ladybug's systems and camp on the weekends all around the Atlanta area. Hope to see you on the road. Robin

If you read those articles I linked to and talk to people who have these, it doesn't seem quite so alien. My wife had pretty major reservations, but she has come to accept it, if not exactly embrace the idea... ;) It truly is nastier dealing with raw sewage and the big stinky hose. If your husband is doing that job, then good for you. But if you have to do it yourself, you will soon understand that it is unpleasant at the best of times, and potentially VERY nasty if there is a spill, backed up drain, or ripped hose.... Dealing with soapy water from the grey tank is painless and odor free. Composting toilets have truly revolutionized toilets in cruising boats. They are starting to catch on in RVs. There is a steep learning curve, to get past the initial wierdness. John Davies Spokane WA