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I think this is the thread you’re talking about - An additional trick that I thought of before doing mine - if you tape a thumb tack to the center of the handle and pull the handle out just enough, then you can close the hatch and the tack will mark the center of the handle in the insulation on the back of the door. Then you can drill a small pilot hole from the back and your hole will be perfectly centered on the handle.

Solution found! A custom Oceanair Skyshade Cabinshade mounted to the screen door. It allows for full view and can be open/closed from inside. Andrew

We went dry camping this past weekend and when my wife started the Kuerig using an outlet on the bed stand. The machine started then stopped. I thought it was an inverter issue as the microwave went dead too. Went we got home I started debugging and found that not all outlets were dead and all behaved the same whether on shore power or inverter. Turns out a splice in the outlet on the twin bed street side had come loose. All the outlets are on one circuit but both receptacles on each bed side (twin bed arrangement) have splices in the receptacles and a bad splice means that all “downstream” outlets will not work. The outlets are SCD (self-contained device style and instead of terminal screws or push connects have slotted copper bands where the neutral, hot, and ground wires go. They can be wired as pass-through or spliced or end of line. It requires an installation tool to properly press the wire into the SCD slots. The top slice virtually fell out as I opened the receptacle cover. If the Oliver folks used a tool, they didn’t do a very good job. I also opened the receptacle that the Kuerig was plugged into and that pass-through insertion was not solid either. The receptacle specs and installation guide is here: https://mobilehomepartsstore.com/Merchant2/documents/scd-instructions.pdf I decided to get this installation tool as I figure there is a strong possibility that this issue may surface again https://www.magicmobilehomesupply.com/SCDT-Tool-p/3795.htm I also noted that the wiring diagram had errors. There is not a separate leg to the microwave outlet - all outlets are served by 1- 12/2 Rolex cable. The breaker for the outlets was also mislabeled (we have Truma/inverter/no solar. We also have a receptacle inside the closet as well as outside and only one was on the wiring diagram. I think the outlet inside the closet was added a couple years ago. The photo shows the inside of the SCD with the failed spice connection. The slice connection is listed as one of the connection methods but a pass-through would probably be better as it would not affect the other “downstream” receptacles. Hopefully this will help someone if something similar happens. I spent hours tracing wires checking voltage and continuity, etc. before I found the issue.

As Mike said - the problem is remembering to open (or close) that valve. However, the electric switch option still requires you to remember to open (or close) the valve. All the switch does is save you from having to bend over to open (or close) via the manual one. You would almost have to actually try to catch your ankle on that manual handle. Again, as Mike said, I've never even thought about it. Bill

In 4+ years we’ve never whacked an ankle. Not even close. We have forgotten to open it (pullout) and had some sink water come up through the floor drain. But ankle whacking has not occurred.

We fixed that with a Tesla powerwall battery backup after Hurricane Irma. We also have frequent, though usually brief, power outages. The changeover is so quick and transparent I usually don't even notice that we've lost power. Sherry

Fair at best, even when powered on. I listen to over the air radio at home, work, and in the shop. The camper has the worst reception of all of the antenna/receiver combinations that I use. The shop radio has a coat hanger for an antenna, the radio at work has a piece of welding wire, so that’s not saying much. hth, Ken KE0VTG

Ours is a 2016. At some point they switched to white. We didn’t even think about it when we ordered. As Bill advised, I’d check with the sales office.

Susan - The black weatherstripping availability (or not) is a question that is better asked of your Sales Rep. Bill

John - I'm sure that Anita in the Sales Office can get that for you. Just give them a ring - there really isn't any "sales pressure". Bill

Not in the general description but if you download the data sheet, it is recommended for fiberglass.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: it’s absolutely asinine that, as manufactured, you have to open the basement door to pull the dump valves and if it’s raining water runs off the roof onto the open basement door. I know you can add auto drain valves and do other mods to get around this but this design should never have made it into production. And yes, it’s raining right now and I’m having to dump my tanks. Edited to add: Even though this is bothersome, I still wouldn’t trade my Oliver for another RV 🙂

Well, gentle readers (with special attention to Mossey), I must confess that I erred in my previous statement. With a little more digging and some "gentle persuasion" from my good friend 'Hardrock', it has come to my attention that the Wendy's and McDonald's is not, in fact, located within the confines of the Grand Canyon -South Rim NP. Rather they are located at Tusayan, AZ, about two miles from the South Entrance. I hope we can all breathe a little easier with this knowledge. Sorry for the confusion. Seriously, I have contacted my representative in regards to this issue.

Practical sailor recommends a product called ReMov, which isn't likely in your garage. (Not in mine, either.) After getting everything off that I could mechanically, I'd try mineral spirits or GoopOff on any bits remaining, then wipe it down again with mineral spirits or Goopoff, followed by denatured alcohol. Silicone loves to get down into the pores. I've heard of using kerosene in place of mineral spirits, but we don't typically have that around either.

That looks awful! I know some sealants don't like butyl. I'd love to know what they used, so that I never buy any. We'll probably never know, though. My best guess, someone grabbed a gun loaded with an interior bathroom caulk, without uv protection. 3m 4200 will turn yellow quickly, because it has no uv. Hope it's not that, as it's much harder to remove than silicone. I don't think we've ever used a white butyl (just grey), so I can't speak from personal experience, there, either. I saw a post on Facebook about the silicone Oliver is currently using. I'll see if I find any complaints elsewhere about yellowing. I'm really sorry for you. It's very noticeable, and unattractive. Sherry

As I mentioned in my May 26th post above, I'm still dealing with Dometic concerning my warranty claim. They had me take the "dead" alarm to an authorized service center - the local CampingWorld - who tested it and confirmed that it was indeed dead. Then I emailed Dometic and asked what did I need to do next and they asked me to send them a picture of the dead unit. Great, but, CampingWorld kept it! So, I sent Dometic a description and a link to their own website. In return they sent me a picture (the same one that is on their website) to confirm that this was the unit. I confirmed it just yesterday so now we will see what happens next. Bill p.s. (edit) sure is a bunch nicer on those rare occasions when I have needed to deal with Oliver.

We are new very soon to be Ollie owners. In learning from members on this forum and other Ollie owners locally this is a good product to add to your black and gray tanks to help with lubing the blade valves you mention. Other owners will hopefully chime in. I have a few bottles of this and plan to use it per manual directions. I am sure there are other products out there, but this was highly recommended to me by a few Ollie owners/friends it has decent reviews.

Off topic, but we had a bike rack on our X5 that had an anti-rattle gizmo built into it. When it came time to sell it after we got our truck, the anti-rattle thing had broken and so the retaining bolt just spun, which meant there was no way to get the rack off without a lot of cutting and drilling, So of course I included the rack with the X5 as a 'bonus'. Funny thing is that the people who own it now live in the neighborhood so I still see it every now and then - bike rack still attached.

Regarding the use of antifreeze: when winterizing the RV with antifreeze you must always drain the Truma tank and remove the inline filter. There is an additional step when winterizing with antifreeze: you must bypass the Truma in the water system so not to get antifreeze into the Truma. I believe, in the Elite II twin, the valves for bypassing are under one of the beds (curbside?) This may be why you are confused.

Overland, There is an outlet in the same place yours is but there is no hole cut through from the microwave cabinet to the upper cabinet. As you have said, I am sure it could easily be done. Andrew

Mike and Carol: Our unit was doing the same over the last few months; but ours is not an Atwood. This is the replacement unit I used Safe-T-Alert Model 35-742-WT (Dual Carbon Monoxide & Propane Gas Alarm Unit). It was purchased from Camping World, installed in same location as the original unit. There is a one amp fuse under the left side bed for the unit. According to the manufacture these units should be replaced every five year. I installed quick disconnects in the 12VDC feeds which will make it easy to replace in the future.

My thanks to all who commented. My problem was with the speakers on the dinette side front and aft. They neither never worked or had a muffled sound. I am half deaf so I never really noticed it. But my wife isn't half deaf and was tired of me turning up the television the few times we watch it. Yes, the plastic radio cover does pop off easily (the bottom half) and no, I did not break it. The wires were all plugged in properly and so my problem was not there. After reinstalling the radio and popping the cover back on I went back to the TV (which I had already done previously). This time I pulled out every wire that was plugged in and observed the color-coded receptor for each plug. There was a red-colored plug-receptor on the bottom that had no wire plugged in it. I moved the top red wire down to that red receptor and problem solved. (Somebody was in a hurry to go home that day and merely plugged the red feed into the wrong hole.) The Oliver forum (for those who do not know) is a lifesaver for building confidence for DIY projects, tackling problems that come up when owning a boat or trailer, and restoring self esteem religiously. Cheers to all who helped and those who needed it as well.

The Alarm that comes with the Oliver is a combination Smoke and CO detector. If you switch it out to a Smoke only you give up that detector's ability to detect CO. There is a CO detection capability on the LP detector though. Two downsides I see for CO detection with the LP detector are: 1.) the location is optimized for propane detection (heavier than air) and 2.) the power is from the 12 volt of the trailer without battery backup. I think it is best to keep both CO detection capabilities. If you switch to a Smoke detector only, you should add another CO detector that has a separate battery from the trailer and is in a better location than the LP/CO detector. Another thought to keep in mind. The Smoke detector sensor for the Smoke and CO detector is for Smoke (smoldering type fires). That detector is a photo optic detector that determines when large smoke particles block the light passing through the sensor. Another type of Fire sensor is the Ionization detector which detects particles from fast burning fires much quicker than a the sensor of a smoke detector will. I think it is best to use both types in your trailer and your house. For those with older units, the maximum life of a detector is 10years. In some cases it is less. I've seen CO detectors with shorter lives as recommended by the manufacturer. With the environment our units live in it would probably be better to change out more often. - Randy

I have a few questions about upgrading the stinky slinky to a higher quality hose and clear end connector.(We want to keep our Oliver hose as a spare) We are looking for a high quality reliable hose that we can still store in the bumper including the clear end cap. We also want a hose that will attach to the black tank outlet without out any modifications. I have asked a few members in PMs but just thought I would ask the group. Mods respectively if there is a write up on this please delete my post and redirect me to the link. What is the general length of hose everyone is using that stores in the bumper 15’, 20’? Is a 45 degree clear end adaptor a better option than a 90 degree? What’s everyone using successfully? Thanks in advance for your patience with our questions. Thoughts and recommendations appreciated. -Patriot

I replaced our smoke detector with one of these First Alert Atoms. Looks a lot nicer and they come with a 10 year battery. I give it a test before each trip just to make sure.

Fwiw, We tend to remove all batteries at the end of the season. Helps to avoid the leakers, and corrosion. We reuse the aaa and aa in secondary flashlights, next season. I don't trust most batteries for more than a year. At my mom's, I replace all her batteries (emergency flashlights, remotes, smoke alarms) on mother's day. Pick a date. Once a year, is my motto. Sherry

Mirna - Certainly the Truma is nice and if you simply can not remember to keep the standard water heater turned off, the Truma will save you propane. It also has the benefit of "instant gratification" given the short time it takes to provide hot water. Some claim that the Truma also simplifies maintenance but that can be argued. If those features are important enough to you to spend the extra money that is asked for the Truma then you have your answer. However, on the rare occasion that either one of these heaters requires repair, the standard heater is generally less expensive to repair and parts tend to be more generally available. If you can remember to turn the heater on about ten minutes prior to needing the hot water AND turn it off after you have the hot water you need then the standard water heater is probably cheaper to run. And the standard water heater gives you the option to run on electric if you are plugged into shore power. Bill

Sometimes a little humor is good. Not every post will be serious and on topic. We have a number of members who like to inject some sarcasm or humor. Not a problem. As long as we don’t get mean, personal or too political we can read, smile and move on. Mike

We just placed our first big deposit this week and went back and forth with many of the options. The option we struggled with the most was the Nature's Head. We almost always use the campgrounds facilities when we camp at National & State Parks and I do not enjoy the smell of the black tank additives. Our kids were shocked we went in that direction but we are giving the compost toilet the thumbs up. If we find we totally do not like it we can always do a refitting. I also felt like with the cost of the Ollie, I was spending so much more than any other camper, how much more did it really add in the scheme of things. The rear hitch and the street side awning were two items I will probably use the least. I figured the street side I could operate manually when I used it. We did not get the TV booster because we have found we watch internet tv and almost never network programming. In 40 years of camping, TV watching while camping was never on our mind but that is a personal thing. The solar option to me is a no brainer since technology is moving in that direction by leaps and bounds. The twin beds are a better use of room and flexibility. and the final note....the stock markets swings so much in both direction I figured I gained or lost more than the options every day.....

As I said in another post I'm not a big fan of all those electronics in our trailer, but at home we have it all. Camping we find ourselves not wanting to be connected that much, just our choice, we like the get away feeling. If the tow vehicle has satellite radio and we have our iPhone s we feel we can get the info we need most of the time. We use the laptop when service is available and that also works for us, we have not found we couldn't find out what is going on in the world, so for now, I will stay with what works for us. I sometimes wonder how 40 plus years ago we loaded up the trailer and went camping for two weeks and all we had was the truck radio and probably didn't listen to it too much. All I can really remember about those days was how much fun we had and all the place we visited, it still puts a smile on my face when I think about it. trainman

Calculations on paper never equate to the real world. There are a lot of hard-to-quantify errors and losses involved in converting sun to battery to inverter to air conditioner to comfortable occupants. Many steps, many sets of losses - battery condition, monitor error, compressor start-up surges, resistance losses through wires and connections .... no way you can get what you think you should get. Sometimes close has to be good enough. Thanks for doing the experiment. Your results are impressive anyway. I will take my cookie now. John Davies Spokane WA