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I was testing our quick-connect propane connector with an outdoor stove today. It works great, so glad we had it added to the back of our Oliver. I left the propane tank values open but shut-off the stove and went in to eat lunch. When I came back out I thought I smelt gas! Checked the stove it was still off and no smell around it. Walked closer to the front of the trailer, there it was again. Clearly gas and coming from the front propane tank cover. Opening up the cover, I could see frost over both tanks and the curb side tank was bubbling at the QCC Connection brass crimped fitting. Not good. Shut the tank values, not that there was much gas left and took the hose off. While our Oliver is only a year old the hose looked fine, no cracks or weathering. Got online and looked up the hose, its a Marshall Excelsior MER425-15 15" RV Pigtail - Female QCC Type 1 Connection X 1/4" Male Inverted Flare. The 1/4" Male Inverted Flare is the important point if you even need to replace one. There is a short Camco video that explains the two type of hoses In reading reviews, most of these don't last outside for more then two years. I decided to check the other one with some soapy water and sure enough it was leaking too, only not as much. Something to add to your yearly check list, as it is now on mine. Back to ordering two new hoses from amazon.com http://a.co/6zEYFQX and heading to the hardware store for propane. Better to have happened now, then on the road. Onward,

I want to ask Dometic Penguin II owner's about the noise level then your AC is running. While I am very happy with the cooling performance on our unit, especially here is sunny Florida, the noise is overwhelming. When the AC kicks in and we are watching the TV and with the audio turned up all the way, we can't hear it. While I can pump the TV audio through the four speakers to fix this situation somewhat, it is very distorted at best. I have read the threads in the forum regarding AC noise but found no real answers. I also searched the web and dometic.com for noise issues around the Dometic Penguin II but, can't find anything other then what a great improvement this unit is over older ones. That may be true, but I hope not. Would appreciate your thoughts on this issue. Thanks,

Hello all, I also purchased a ventilation product(Aire-Flow) before taking delivery of my TT. I opted for the latex mattresses and decided the extra ventilation might be beneficial and relatively cheap insurance for the costly latex mattresses! Aire-Flow ventilation material is not inexpensive. I ordered it online from Mattress Insider. (Very good customer service) Based upon my experiences so far, I have no regrets....despite having camped in conditions with wide swings in temp and humidity I have no mold under the latex mattresses . The Aire-Flow material is a light weight mesh that somehow maintains it's thickness. It looks like scrunched up strands of plastic. The product arrives with a fabric backing. You will notice an extra 3-4 inches of fabric attached along the length of one side. When cutting to size(to follow the shape of the mattress) I noticed the 'cut' edge felt very sharp. I should add: I used the leftover/scrap edge of Aire-Flow to create a vertical barrier between the exterior wall and the mattress. But once all pieces were loosely fitted in place I then had these sharp edges below and beside the mattress! I feared a bad scratch when I made the bed or puncturing/ruining my bottom sheets. As I mentioned, the product arrives with an extra 3-4 inches of fabric attached to the length of one side. This flap of fabric can be folded over to cover one edge. But the remaining edges? My solution was to take a scrap of the Aire Flow fabric backing material to a fabric store and purchase a similar fabric. (I believe the fabric is commonly used on the underside of upholstered furniture) It was the exact same color/appearance and less than $1/yd. I cut long strips of the fabric about 6" wide and folded them over the remaining exposed edge of the Aire Flow. I used a heavy duty needle and crudely attached the strips of fabric threading through the open spaces on the aire-flow. This solution has worked well for me. I hope this information is helpful. I appreciate all the info I have obtained by reading this forum!

I have the Attwood Air Command, the 16K BTU model, which uses two small variable speed motors instead of one monster motor. It starts and runs fine off my Yamaha 2400 watt generator without needing an Easy Start, and it pulls about 11 amps running. It runs fine off a 15A circuit if there are no other large loads. It is EXTREMELY quiet outside, whisper quiet, amazingly quiet. Inside is another story, the fan is obnoxiously loud and the fan stays running when the compressor kicks off. I saw no mention of this in their advertising...they claim “2X quieter, as low as 66dB” . http://www.atwoodmobile.com/images/air-conditioners-brochure.pdf I don’t see any way to avoid the high noise, you are living several feet from the high-speed moving parts and rushing air flow. A ducted system, or a unit mounted as far forward on the roof as possible, makes more sense to me, rather than having it right over the sleeping area! This is an interesting article. .... http://www.beginningfromthismorning.com/mini-split-ac/ I am not aware of ANY small RV certified unit that would work reliably in our small trailers and withstand the rocking and jostling without fracturing the copper freon lines. There are DC coolers out there but they consume an enormous amount of battery power. .... https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/finally-a-real-12v-air-conditioner-indel-sleeping-well-cube.142600/ I keep a large bag of earplugs for the very rare ocassions I have to sleep with the AC running. John Davies Spokane WA

Oh the thought of Colorado in the summer. In Florida its 88 this morning and going to 93 by mid-day.

This posting is in response to a PM which I received from David Thompson (aka – thompsonkd). He mentioned some of my previous attachments may not have transitioned to our new and improved Forum. I thought this posting might be helpful. David, first off congratulations on the purchase of your new Ollie. Oliver travel trailers are the best! I have attached three files. The Campsite Arrival Checklist, The Campsite Departure Checklist and The Core Competencies for Travel Trailer. I picked up my Ollie back in June of 2016 and developed these documents prior to my drive to the factory. I should note, the Arrival and Departure Checklists are scanned documents. I maintain a color laminated card, 5.5”X7.0”, with a checklist on each side. I keep it in the center console of my truck and refer to it all the time. I use several abbreviations which may need clarification: TV=Tow Vehicle, TT=Travel Trailer, PTBA= Pro Trailer Backup Assist (an optional feature on my F-150), Hitch Evolution=A series of steps to connect the trailer which includes an Andersen hitch. When I purchased Ollie, it was my first time owning and operating an RV. I knew less than nothing and felt checklists would be helpful. Keep in mind, my lists do not pretend to be best practice. They are also customized to how I think and progress through a series of operations. For the most part, they have stood the test of time, but could use some updating. As a case in point, I became a widower in 2017 so I no longer have anyone to operation the Walkie Talkies with me. A will add, being a solo camper, makes the lists more essential. David, so there you have it! Please note, I am off again tomorrow morning camping in a state park in Vermont with my dog, Buddy. He loves camping, so we head out all the time and may be off the grid for a while. Buzzy [attachment file=Campsite Arrival Checklist 1.pdf] [attachment file=Campsite Departure Checklist 1.pdf] [attachment file=Core Competencies for Travel Trailer.docx] Campsite-Arrival-Checklist-1.pdf Campsite-Departure-Checklist-1.pdf Core-Competencies-for-Travel-Trailer.docx

The softener I got is from ABC Water. It’s about the size of a propane tank. You recharge it every few months with a box of table salt. Amazon has several models and sizes. I also use it to wash my truck and car.