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We will be picking up our trailer in July. The support from all the folks on the forum is so very helpful. Thank you to all that do participate. You guys are part of the reasons to buy an Oliver. Donna and Scott

Another Dometic "power lawnmower" AC bites the dust... Created a temporary skylight. What a nice, sturdy, double fiberglass hull with PVC board in between for strength! And a few pics of the outside of the unit since the first two pioneers (katanapilot and seadog) included different parts... All in all, it took me ~3.5 hours. I had two helpers to remove the old unit and put the new one on the roof: John Deere and my son. I ended up using Butyl tape on the outside frame because I had some high quality stuff on hand, I'm familiar with it and that's what OTT had used on the Dometic Penguin II I removed. Now only time will tell how these things perform and last. Some of my notes / observations so far to add to what has already been observed: 1. It's a lot quieter. I only measured sound at the bed where our heads are with high fan and compressor (about 5' away). With the Dometic it was ~80 dB (as loud as a power lawnmower) and with the Houghton it's ~60 dB (as loud as a normal conversation). Definitely will be able to sleep better. 2. AC and Heat Pump both work on either batteries (Lithium) or the Honda 2200 generator without the EasyStart. On battery power through the inverter, it ran smooth / fantastic. However, with the generator there were a few hiccups as the compressor didn't start a few times and the surge protector (I think) made some "strange" clanging sounds. A 2200 generator alone may be borderline and may need either the EasyStart (if possible) or a pair of generators to be safe. 3. Fan alone takes 1 Amp on 120V and 8 amps on 12V. Fan plus AC compressor takes 9 amps on 120V and 90 amps on 12V. Fan plus heat pump takes 13 amps on 120v and 130 amps on 12V. I think I'll still be carrying my small Vortex space heater in the winter, but it's nice to have another all electric option when power is available. 4. The exterior cover is nice, but it's not pure white like the Ollie or the MaxAir fan. It's a bit of an "off white" I think. 5. The AC compressor and the heatpump both cycled about every 7 minutes. I think that's expected since the thermostat is in the unit itself and there's not a lot of air circulation up in the back of the Ollie ceiling. An additional fan may help. 6. It's 3.5" shallower than the Dometic on the outside. Thanks again to katanapilot for researching and finding this alternative and to both seadog and katanapilot for sharing some additional tidbits that helped make my installation painless! Now I will try to sell my old unit to subsidize this upgrade so we can afford diesel for the next camping trip. 😬

As I prepared and was planning my two month fly fishing trip to Wyoming for this summer, I found out that I could not get reservations in one of my favorite campgrounds. This particular campground had always been a bit of a problem in that it only has eight sites and only four of those are reserveable. A day or two later I found out about a "free" reservation service available at Wanderinglabs.com. I went to that site, opened an account, filled out a form stating the campground, camp site and the dates I wanted to reserve and then waited. This morning - some four weeks later - I received an email stating that reservations were now available for exactly what I wanted. I clicked on the link to Recreation.gov and got the site reserved. Simple as that! All without having to check back every day to see if something had become open. This service is free unless you want to pay for "premium service" (more frequent checking for openings) or if you want to "donate" because of the amount of time they saved you from having to do this checking yourself. Bill

Just to add to this thread... On my 2021 Elite 1, I also had the Norcold Code 10 issue, exactly as decribed above. My cord had become completely unplugged (not merely loose). I had a heckuva time locating the outlet box and getting the plug inserted into the holes. On my rig, the plug goes in facing aft (towards the rear of the trailer). I highly recommed a small mirror and light and some patience. Also - please disconnect shore power when you are blindly feeling around the outlet box to find the holes. After re-inserting the cord into the outlet, I secured plug with some duct tape. I tried the best I could to get a decent picture to share with this forum, but I was unable to get anything that looked decent. I reported the issue to Mike at the Oliver Service Desk who helped me along the way. He seemed familiar with this common issue and was ready with the trouble shooting steps. He also indicated there were screws that could be removed to gain access to this area behind the galley, but I was never able to locate the screws and so I was forced to reach back there and feel my way through it. This issue is very simple to resolve, but it is a booger to get the fridge plugged back in.

Thanks FrankC . I hauled out that section of water line and blew it out as you suggested. No big plastic chunks, so it seemed ok. In the end I ended up bleaching then flushing water through the system a bunch of times, cleaning the filter repeatably. Water pressure to both sinks has improved both from city water as well as the tank.. but the toilet was still just a trickle. It turns out there is a screen in the intake valve, and I dug a lot of stuff out of it with a screw driver ( gently) .. i don’t know what the material was, sort of a grayish paste.. wet fiberglass dust? Whatever it was, getting it out of there did the trick..

I sent Donna a PM, and yes still love my Durango, taking my first long trip to Florida this week as a loner, be really missing my late wife Carol and my late dog Gunner.

I'm thinking a few lifelike rubber snakes - If they get over the fright - after lifting the hatch, well, have at it I say. Course a lock of some sort may also work☠️😳

AT $84 for the above lock I opted to go this route. Well it took a few minutes to drill a pilot hole and then again a little larger to accommodate the cable lock. (I happen to have few firearm cable locks handy😎). Will it prevent a random snatch and grab hopefully and possibly. Will it stop a determined thief?...absolutely not. But this is what I am rolling with. And the price was right. 😄

the state of minnesota is developing a new campground on superiors north shore. please see link: Split Rock Lighthouse getting new 'drive-in' campground as area gets new mountain bike trails (msn.com) 10-q dan

I almost signed up for Starlink a few weeks ago when they finally opened up their beta to anyone, but it was quickly made clear that it wouldn't work at all for mobile use. That is, they specifically prevent you from doing so by tying your dish to a specific region. I wondered if that was a limit of the technology, but apparently it's just a temporary restriction due to the limited number of satellites in orbit right now. And it looks like that's changing already, with the announcement yesterday of a dedicated mobile product in the works - https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2021/03/spacex-plans-starlink-broadband-for-cars-boats-and-planes/ Very cool. Also, the download speeds are looking pretty darned good. About 150mbs now, and they'll up that limit to 300 later this year. I'm lucky enough to get fiber where we live, so it's usually above 900, but I could get by with a third of that even at home, and certainly for the trailer. Pretty neat how quickly this is moving. Just a couple of years ago, this was a 'someday in the future...' thing that got mentioned every now and then here, then in just October it became a real product, and now it's looking like within a year it will be a true option for us - cost aside, probably the best one.

I am considering this mod to help add a little more security to our propane tanks on our Ollie. The TorkLift lock has been around for awhile. Is anyone using anything different or more robust? Recently I have read on other RV/camping forums that there is a little up tick in propane tank theft grrr! It seems like a decent cable lock would slow a thief down or maybe force them to move onto a less time consuming or easier target. This lock appears like another possibility. I need to check our Ollies tank mount thread size 3/8 or 1/2”? Thoughts, suggestions welcome and appreciated. here - https://www.etrailer.com/RV-Locks/TorkLift/TLA7702.html A vid review- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrJs_fq9yQg

Just wait until you meet some of us! 😇 Bill

Make yourself a martini and melt into your camp chair. 4 hours being the coolest cat in the campground.

A friend sent this to me recently. I think it's clever. And no, I don't have any harmonica CD's!

David, Looks good!

I'd second Bill's suggestion to call service. Gel coat color match is tough. We've had Oliver repair a few spots in ours, and I can't tell you where they are, now.

I've had good luck with products from Spectrum for fiberglass ding and chip repair work. Would still suggest a call to service first as Bill mentioned. https://spectrumcolor-com.3dcartstores.com/

You might want to try giving the guys in Service a call. They have the materials (and knowhow) for these kinds of repair. Perhaps they can steer you in the right direction with the proper "color" of gelcoat repair material. Bill

I've always used a cable that is just long enough to feed through both bottles and then down and around the frame. All of this is secured with a decent padlock. Certainly the cable could be cut with a hefty pair of cable cutters but the thief would first have to figure out that the bottles were locked down and then have to take the time to cut the cable or lock. Having said all this - I've never noticed any sign of tampering with anything around my Ollie to include the dog house. Bill

Finally finished having all 5 of my "new" (11/20 Ollie) tires balanced. The first one took 3.25 oz as I mentioned in a previous post and that one was the worst. The other tires required the following: 1.25 oz, 1 oz, 1.75 oz, and 3 oz. All in all not too bad given the size/weight of the tires. I think this indicates pretty high quality rims and tires being used by OTT. Now I hope OTT added "make sure tires / wheels are balanced" to the quality checklist so future owners don't have to go through the hassle of getting it done post-delivery. 🙂

WandR, So glad to hear this worked out for you. John Halter the owner of Zarcor was a pleasure to do business with and I highly recommend his company. He really made things seamless for us when we ordered. Maybe Oliver will offer this as option or better yet a standard feature. We would have gladly selected it. @Topgun2 as mentioned was instrumental in our pursuit of this very useful mod, so to his credit. 👍🏻 Happy Camping!

Mmmmmm, boomer music. 😂

Stevie and Slow hand....

He was a legend...

Dickey Betts really does a fine job in this acoustic version.

We have signed up and paid the deposit. It is supposed to be available in our area mid-to-late year and only to a limited number of households. You are tied to a "cell" and it will only work in that area. We cannot get a decent provider for where we live. We have to have satellite internet and Hughes net and others constantly buffer. We finally gave up after trying 3-4 different provides and have just used our cell phone data for the last year but after a certain amount they throttle it. Hoping that Starlink will blow away everything available to us now. I believe in the future they plan to have a mobile option available but it will probably require different equipment and more money 🙂 Cindy

Howdy from a fellow Texan! We're up near Ft Worth but love the Hill Country. Hope to meet you on the road someday. A few of us Texans have been discussing the possibility of a fall meetup possible in the Hill Country. Cindy

Fun...brings back fond memories of watching Charlie Brown specials as a kid....Vince Guaraldi was an amazing pianist and to hear one of his classics played on guitar is pretty neat IMHO.

Reviving this thread, mostly because I just learned how to transfer iTunes playlists to Youtube, and I'm curious how those then show up here, as opposed to individual videos. But also because it's a good thread that didn't deserve to die. I consume a lot of music - meaning I add a few thousand songs to my library every year. About half of that is typically new to the world, while the other half is new only to me. So, playlists are good since I could post individual videos here for days. And days. And judging from the posts above, very few of you would like them, lol. Just kidding, but I do listen to a lot of new music rather than older stuff, which isn't always appealing to people outside their 20's. And I've also never cared much for popular stuff - after claiming my sister's Bowie albums for myself, the first one I bought on my own was Devo's New Traditionalists, and you can intuit the course that my musical taste took from there - punk, new wave, post punk, trip hop, EDM, IDM, etc... But one thing about maintaining a love for new music is that your tastes inevitably expand over time - so these days you'll find ample jazz, singer songwriter, hip hop, classical, world music, etc. in my library as well. About the only things you won't find is much in the way of pop, rock, or country music. So with that, here's a playlist, if it shows up correctly, of songs released this past year that warranted a full 5-stars in my library. It's about 100 songs, everything from Bossa nova to experimental, so hopefully there will be something in there for everyone. Edit - evidently a playlist shows up like it's a single video, but if you click on the button on the top right, you get a list of all the videos - pick something at random and enjoy. You can also press shift-N and cycle through them.

I saw this recent review today. Campbell River, so probably Surrey, BC. https://www.loveyourrv.com/starlink-satellite-dish-internet-first-look-setup-test-on-the-rv/

FrankC According to TireTraker, the sensors on the spare tires will sense the road vibration when moving and wake up. As TireTraker recommends, in the morning you can do a "Auto- Update" which will provide data on all the sensors. Richard

Perfect idea, I will zip tie a few rubber snakes onto the tanks inside the dog house for added effect..😂

Make 100% certain your repair material is a good color match. There are pigment kits for polyester resin, but use care, you can easily end up with a muddy grey. Be certain to check your color match after drying is complete before moving on to the actual repair. In the past I have repaired gel coat to an acceptable level by spreading a small amount of resin directly into the damaged area, then lay a piece of Saran Wrap over the material and carefully spread out to fill the area and blend into the adjacent area. After the material sets up you can peel away the plastic wrap. Your repair will most likely be very shiny and smooth. If you feel you want better leveling and blending, then take some 600 grit wet sandpaper on a block or wrap around a nice flat paint paddle, and wet sand the area smooth and level. The repair does not have to completely harden or cure before you remove the Saran Wrap. In fact it works better is the repair material is at about half cure...the Saran wraps peels away easier. Try it out on a sample part to get the hang of it. From that point you can use rubbing compound to polish out the 600 grit sand scratches. With some experience you can get acceptable results with just the clear Saran Wrap. Try to use the thickest grade of Saran Wrap you can find...it makes the smoothing process go much better. Steve

Summer can be chilly, too. I remember camping up by Duluth back in the 70s, running the furnace at night in the summer. Lol.

Thanks John

I am embarrassed that this simple fix took me as long as it did; but I spent a good hour on it....Almost all of the time was spent feeling my way behind the galley, and trying to get my light and a small mirror to see back there. I never could get a decent look at the plug. Honestly, I was doing other stuff while I was fixing this too. I was sanitizing the water lines and fresh tank, and installing some permanent plumbing connections in place. I also spent some time figuring out exactly how the drawer slides work. I am easily distracted.....This little trailer has become my new toy....

Butyl was our other choice, as we use that for boat hatches, trailer windows, vents, etc.. We debated the topic for days, as we had butyl tape on hand, as well. The foam seal is from leisure coach works, via Amazon. It's a nice one piece , dense foam seal, much like the one Oliver used in our original install, 13 years ago. We used the extra provided strips provided to make leveling "feet " for the rear if the unit. Paul torqued the 4 m8 bolts to 6 lbs, and we'll check it again in 30 days, as recommended. Without the foam, the unit would hug the roof, and be about 1/2 shorter. We'll see how it works out. My only concern is all the plastic vs metal in the mounting plates.

I extend my appreciation to all who provided their input and a special note of great appreciation to AndrewK who provided personalized input and exceptional assistance!

I’ve been out to the Black Hills area several times with an RV and a tent. The closer you get to Mount Rushmore, the more valuable campsites become. If you’re planning on staying in the Hill CIty or Keystone area and want an electric site, it’s going to be in a privately owned park with sites shoulder to shoulder. It’s going to be expensive and its going to be crowded. Just accept that given. If you don’t want electricity, or you’re willing to drive from further away, things open up. Angostura Reservoir is a BIG campground to the south. We practically had the whole place to ourselves one time. Unfortunately its a long drive to everywhere. Not much shade, but you can get an electric site. Pactola Reservoir had some nice sites, but most were in the trees and would be tough if you were expecting to run solar. I don’t think there were electric sites. Spearfish Campground is at the north end of the Hills and is run by the city. A trout stream runs through it along with a historic trout hatchery. Walking distance to restaurants. If I’m going to camp near others, this campground was a good compromise for me. No input on Custer State Park other than plan ahead. I wasn’t able to ever snag a reservation. The Black Hills in July is a busy area. Highly consider a reservation. Take your time, there is lots to see. And everything is spread out. Twice I’ve made the mistake of putting too much drive time into the trip. The roads are twisty and herds of buffalo take their time blocking roads. HTH, Ken

A few notes on our install of the smaller 9500 unit: We had another motive for changing out the ac, besides age and noise. The size of the Dometic 600 interfered with fully adjusting our two sidemounted 200 watt solar panels. We picked up several inches of gap with the new smaller ac unit. The old Dometic 600 was a well built, heavy unit, that lasted a long time. The new unit, though well built, has a lot more plastic, so we'll see if we get the same longevity. I'm also going to have to buy or sew a cover, as the outdoor unit has a huge rooftop grilled opening over the fan that will offer an open door to mud daubers, dirt, and leaves. The new unit has the convenience of a remote, but the remote is the only way to fully operate the small unit. So, I will be taking very good care of that remote. (Edit to add: limited function is available through a tiny touch screen in the bottom of the plenum. Ac will run at 24 or 22 c, fan on high.) The indoor distribution box is made of a glossy, lighter weight plastic. It's very slim and sleek, and we gained about an inch of headroom vs our old unit, but it's very light. It also just barely leaves room in the trolley part of the roof to easily remove the washable filters on each side. I'm not sure the larger unit like Katanapilot's would work in the smaller Elite. The install went very smoothly because the pieces are well thought out by the manufacturer. If you get the first indoor piece right, the rest falls into place. I wouldn't necessarily recommend our 3 person/two ladders/rope safety install without a lift, unless you have a sure-footed, strong young friend like ours, who volunteered to do the rooftop part of the job. He noted that our roof is very well waxed, and it would have been pretty easy to slip. (And, he's used to working on fiberglass boats.) You definitely want two, or better, three people, though, to make it an easier job, even with a lift. It's a very precise fit, and one on the roof, one inside, at least saves time and aggravation. We used a foam gasket, instead of silicone sealant to install the top plate. This method had served us well for the last ac. If it doesn't work out, removing it and replacing with butyl or silicon will not be that difficult.

@katanapilot I've got my Dometic removed and I'm not seeing that E5 error with my furnace running. I did have a freeze sensor on mine that I still have connected to the relay box (currently just hanging in the air). I removed it from the coils before taking the unit out. Not sure why you didn't have a freeze sensor on yours? Also, I seem to have a slightly different thermostat in that it doesn't support bluetooth. Weird that we have a few different components when our Ollies were built fairly close together. Two additional question if you don't mind... 1. How did you safely remove that black compressor relay from the circuit board? 2. Have you tested with a 2K generator by chance? Wondering about needing the EasyStart. Thanks!

Hey there John, the vinegar purge worked out great, thanks! When hooked to city water ive now got good pressure in all areas. From the tank ...not so much... pump runs for a loooong time after the faucet is turned off. I’ve cleaned filter several times. Because we are on the road I hadn’t filled the tank, only had 35-50 % filled. I think I’ll fill it next stop, maybe the pump is sucking air out of the tank that I need to displace in order to get things back on an even keel.. thanks again for the vinegar idea! mark

A couple of years ago I had to open up the bathroom faucet. There was two or three clumps of calcium like particles. They were sitting on the ports of the single lever cartridge. Cleaned them off and no problems since. The lucky part was we were at the Oliver Rally and Richie had the sealant and put the towel bar back on the vanity for me. I thought it was at the end of the hoses. If I had opened the faucet first, I wouldn't have opened the vanity. Not all water is as clear as in Maine. A filter is hooked up every time, even if just for one day...

The best boss I ever had shared this advice with me, "Talk to your people ever day. And listen. You can learn something every day, from anyone. The newest and least experienced guy in your group may just have a new insight or a great idea." I tried to follow that advice. And, I still do. Personally, I welcome the questions from new members, even if the question has been asked before. I don't mind looking up old threads, and adding links, either. Some people don't have the same skills, or time, that others do. I also very much appreciate the input from older members, who are so generous and kind with their responses, time, experience, and expertise. All if this is why, in my opinion, we have the best forum. It's welcoming, and interesting. And quite often fun. I will open a discussion on FAQ on the moderators' forum. Maybe a group of pinned topics could be helpful. We'll see. Sherry

The benefit to us would be for emergency use and trip planning. We usually just plan a few days at a time, sometimes hour by hour, and it's nice to be able to bring up a map, look something up, etc. Plus we both still work, so the ability to take care of something without having to drive out of the way to find service would be welcome.

John, I don't know if you saw this on another post. I too needed the elbow room and started with the standard floor plan. We ended up not liking it and came up with what we call a modified twin. Works great for us. (Before and After Pictures) Andrew

Cindy and Russell, We like Stevie Ray!!!! We also like, WHY WORRY, The Everly Brothers, Mark Knopfler, Chet Atkins, Michael McDonald https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkFcQRiFL68

Ronny Jordan- After Hours - YouTube