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Thanks gang. I knew some questions were probably a longshot since no one knows what the new Victron setup will be. I read through John’s Natures Head thread, so I knew some of the problems. But that was before wiring harness standardization. I’m sure hoping wires are where I’ll need them! Some of these questions *were* asked during our visit, which is why I’m asking here… Perhaps Jason will know when I call.

My Natures Head was a factory install, one of the very first. It was a custom order that later became a regular option. I doubt that the fan power wire is there in a non NH trailer It would be simple enough to run one from an unused fuse in back.You would have to block off the top of the black tank and add a tee and pipe to the 1 1/2” black sewer pipe for the new toilet vent. You could leave the fresh flush line intact, as Oliver does, but it would be best to cap off that line under the vanity so you don’t have to fuss with winterizing that small section of line. The hold down brackets would be straight forward. It should be a fairly easy mod. If you did it right away you could sell your porcelon toilet as “nearly new, unpooped in” on Craigslist. 😁 FYI the early installations of the NH had the wrong fan fuse and it would pop after a day or two. Oliver put in a 1 amp, the required one is 2.5 Amp. John Davies Spokane WA

There is a check valve in that line, its possible that is defective or clogged with something. Did you check to see that your screen did not come dislodged and get forced into the valve? It’s possible to fill the tank from the City Water inlet. It requires a simple non-standard valve configuration that can be figured out by studying the plumbing diagram. Let me know if you need more help with that.

It seems to me that the fresh water connection is a straight shot to the tank and water should flow even if it is full. If it is full water will come out of the overflow, that’s how I know I have a full tank. Mike

Thanks, Brian, We traded the KTTs out at Oliver back in May. We're happy with the Tochtas. They are actually a lot lighter than the KTTs and easier to move around for hatch access. John

No. There is a dual AC outlet on the rear curb side. No. I use a portable battery to power my portable fridge, which is usually stowed in my truck. If the battery gets low, I use a Zamp extension cable plugged into the 12v Zamp sidewall port near the battery box. I use the same cable to extend the distance to my portable Zamp Portable Panels. Zamp Cable Extension It’s not difficult to install these components, but I suggest you get your trailer first to figure out if it’s necessary. As you mentioned, you could just run a short AC extension cord to the power post to power your truck fridge, or run a 12v cable to the side port.

I hesitate to attempt to answer your questions based on my 6+ year old trailer. I’d contact your sales rep, these should be easy to answer. Mike

Tonight, we did burgers on the fire. Nothing beats the flavor of wood fired cooking, imo. Our neice's husband, camping with us.

I have an 2016 Elite II. I had the same issue a few years ago. The cause of the problem was a faulty check valve. I eventually replaced it (it’s located in the basement), but was able to use the inlet in the rear of the trailer to fill the tank. You might try that as a temporary work around. You’ll need to re-configure the valves, same as when winterizing.

I'd say the 10 per cent recovery on 340 watts is pretty accurate, in full sun, with 630 ah batteries. When we swapped 200 watts solar for 400, in partial spring shade (buds, no leaves) we could power our 12v danfoss/secop without portable. I took a lot of notes, but I can't find them at the moment. Our truckfridge uses 60 or slightly more ah per day. We can keep up in mostly sun. In shade, or rain, we have to break out the portable panels, or the genset to keep up. ( we only have 2 x 105 ah agm batteries. ) If you do the math, that's acceptable. And, expected. To recharge 630 ah batteries with solar, you'd need a ton more solar. The Ollie rooftop is just not that big. The idea is to give you power when you need it, without worry. Boondocking. Ac for an hour or two, sure. Overnight, I don't think so, as far as replenishing.

You are putting it in your fresh water not city water connection, correct?

Glad my testing has helped! I recently purchased a 200 watt portable panel, but haven’t tested it. I did camp over 10 days in early July, high elevation, so no AC was needed. I had filtered sunlight due to foliage, used anything and everything we wanted, including the convection feature on the microwave, CPAP nightly, just no AC…..after 10 days, we still had 66% of our battery power left.

This is SUPER helpful and very encouraging as someone taking delivery in FEB and hoping the Victron charger, and slightly better panels will do even better. Still will go with either a Honda or Champion 1800 Watt generator as a backup but hope we can minimize its use. I will be curious to see how it does running at night during sleeping hours for us. The lack of sun gain into this equation should help but of course no sun either during that time period. Sleeping is where we expect to really need AC when its super hot and humid. Thanks for running the test and sending out the info!

w00t!! I just called and Lake Guntersville has a few sites reserved for situations like this. So, instead of one of the spots back in Section B, we will have a corner spot at site G23 (BINGO!) Thanks for the suggestion to call. I've been watching to reservation site every day to see if anyone has cancelled for some reason.

I wonder (out loud) how Renogy's mppt controller works, when you daisy chain two panels, one as primary with the controller, one without? They've sold many of these systems. I'll just conjecture that they have some answers for you, if you call. Most rvs out there have a zamp or furrion port, with a 10 amp fuse. Like John, and you, we have the furrion port, as we deemed it more weather resistant than the zamp port. Time will tell.

There is no way to increase that 10 amp maximum, it is built into the design. I thought about this once and decided that I would replace the Furion port with an Anderson Power Pole double panel mount. https://powerwerx.com/panelpole-panel-mount-powerpole-black-dual You do need to buy the additional connectors and special tools unless you know a tech or a Ham radio nut that has them. I “think” you could gut the Furion port and install this into the housing. No guarantees 😳 John Davies Spokane WA

I’ve got the same Zamp 340W panels on our trailer also, as well as the standard Zamp 30A PWM controller. In a conversation with Zamp Tech Support, they said to expect an average of +/- 70AH/day, conditions varying widely of course. This figure lines up fairly well with @Jstone’s +/-10% (~63AH). I’ve never measured my daily solar input carefully, plan to do that soon just to confirm. I know I can improve that with retrofitting a Victron MPPT controller, but frankly, I have not come up short on stored power when I need it….yet. We do not have an inverter nor a microwave, so no major energy draws. I have an older Honda EU2000 generator if we fall short on power, however we rarely use it, and only to run the AC for a short while. Does anyone have good figures of how much daily power their 340W Zamp panels produce? If so, let us know which controller you use.

There is a Zamp sidewall port on the street side near the battery box. The fused circuit is wired directly to the batteries. It has a limit of maybe 10A, but that’s just a guess, I don’t recall. Only the roof panels go through a controller. You’ll have to buy a small controller, PWM types are very inexpensive. As Seadawg mentioned, the Zamp outlet is an SAE type, reverse polarity. Zamp Port

Mike and Carol are correct. Since we do not all have new campers (and things change over the years and even in the same year), it is best to ask your questions to your sales person at Oliver.

No such thing as a stupid question, this is how we learn. I think these are all very good questions. We kept the stock camera but we liked our Tadibrothers better on our last camper and may eventually change it, but we did change out the monitor to a 7” the one that came with the camper was way too small.

I'll try, but I have a 2008. Our trailer has a 110 outlet, by the tires. Your bluetti panels will need not only a charge controller (not that expensive), but possibly a device to reverse the polarity that zamp reverses, sae. (If new trailers still use zamp port. Idk.) To tap into 12v for the tiny fan for a composting toilet will likely not be difficult. If you decide to change it up, and if you don't have wiring installed. I'd pm John e Davies, as I think he installed his nature's head, himself. Orhers have. Some very good questions for your Oliver rep. We'll see what he or she has to say.

Thank you for this post. We are waiting on an LE II build with a similar setup. So you are saying you have 340W of solar panels and in full sunlight you only recovered 10% each day? I am guessing you have the Zamp solar charge controller? I am hoping their move to the Victron Solar Charge controller and adding 60w of solar (for a total of 400w) will perform a little better than that. Also, I will be supplementing my solar with a portable, dual-fuel 2500w generator as required. Again, thank you for the post. Brian

Think you might find that the two 6V batteries have more "drawdown" than one 12V battery. Think why all those golf carts out there use a series of 6V instead of 12V?

I have some of this DMX-1 Step underlayment leftover from a flooring project and I'm thinking of installing it under the cushions in my Ollie. I'm fairly certain that it will allow more than enough airflow to prevent condensation under the cushions plus it is a moisture and thermal barrier too. Additionally, it's much thinner than Hypervent and only costs around 70 cents per square foot. Any thoughts, pro or con? Seems to be a superior solution to me, but maybe I'm missing something? https://dmx1step.com/

I’m home, in hot, humid Myrtle Beach SC area. I have the 630ah/340w on my 2022 Elite 2…soft start on the AC. I ran a quick & dirty test last week, ambient temp in low 90’s, camper fully closed & in full sunlight. I started at 100% SOC, and set the thermostat to 80 degrees/automatic…kept the blackout shades closed. Ran the AC as stated above for 5 hours, 3-8pm, charge dropped to appx. 40%. I replaced about 10% charge per day, so I was just over 50% on Friday, 60% Saturday, with no power consumption….I did the same full-sun run in the AC on Sunday, started at 60% SOC, ambient temps were about the same. 4 hours of use saw the SOC drop to 18% & 20%. I plugged into shore power and the batteries were at 100% SOC in 3 hours. Far from a scientific test, but I was surprised how well the batteries handled the challenge and how quickly they recovered.

Hello Brian, My antenna is on the front. We sometimes use the antenna to get local over the air channels...it works fine. However, an alternative we use more frequently is a Roku stick...using an I-phone as a hotspot. My phone service is through Visible so there is no data limit ($35/m)...works good when there is a connection. Of course, with Roku or other similar devices you can pull in whatever services you subscribe to and all the free streaming channels. The variety is much better than the over the air stations. (For example...YoutubeTV has ESPN and other sports channels). There may have been locations where I could not get cell service but could get over the air channels but i can't recall. Traveling through remote areas in New England, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, etc....there were plenty of places where neither were available....but not a big deal. If I had to do it over again I would delete the antenna and probably also the cell phone booster. The cell phone booster is mounted over the dinette and can boost a very very weak signal up to a very weak signal 🙄 ...... if you mount/hold the phone within a foot or so. A more portable booster would make more sense. Steve Hull 806

Thanks so much for highlighting this in 2022 Owners Manual! I also checked the 2021 manual for my trailer in the Oliver University and that manual has been updated with many electrical layout diagrams. While they are not detailed wiring schematics, they are a big improvement over the blank pages that were in the manual when I received my trailer. Not sure if you newer folks have seen some of the posts, but a lack of electrical schematics in 2020 and later have been the source of many posts & complaints. Looks like somebody at Oliver responded with a compromise. If you do need more detailed wiring schematics, you can refer to the 2019 Owners Manual, which will get you close. You can also put pressure on your Oliver Sales team in advance and request them on behalf of us all.

Of course photos can help identify a problem but to solve a problem requires more info than a photo can provide. In fact, I’ve seen that very non-valve connector setup in some of the early trailers. Without a full profile and a signature repeating pertinent info not all means of help are available to all the members trying to assist.

Yes to replacing +/- 10% per day.

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/3247-how-to-external-solar-dc-power-cable-using-factory-furrion-port/ John Davies Spokane WA

Is the trailer pre-wired for cell or WiFi boosters if I don't order one? Is the trailer wired for a rear camera if I want to put my own in, and are all the switches, fuses, etc. there and accessible? Technology changes so fast, that it doesn't make sense to me to order an expensive system that might be obsolete in a year or two. If I find down the road that I want to add my own WiFi or cellular booster, are the wires already installed and easy to get to? I know Oliver has changed to a standard wiring harness, but that doesn't necessarily mean that every option is prewired, or that I might have to drill somewhere to find a buried cable. Same question with the rear camera. I've read complaints about the quality of the OEM one, but according to Anita, I can't supply my own camera and have Oliver install it. So I either use the optional one, or add my own after the fact. Thanks for any input!

Is there an external 115V AC outlet at/near the front of the trailer? Is there an external 12V DC outlet at/near the front of the trailer? I keep my fridge/freezer in the back of my tow vehicle, with a 115V AC pigtail hanging under the rear bumper. At home, or when at a campsite with electricity, I keep the fridge plugged in via an extension cord. So, one cord from the trailer to the power post, and one from the truck. It sure would be nice if there was an outlet near the front to plug the fridge into. Same with 12V DC. I forgot to look when at the factory, and I haven't seen any mention of one on videos, so I'm assuming not. Am I going to have a problem adding a 115V AC and/or 12V DC outlet up front? Thanks!

Thanks again Andrew and Mossey: I tried the generator after turning off the inverter 15 amp breaker and turning off the dehumidifer. The AC and AC compressor started up immediately just like it was on AC shore power!! KenB: Thanks for the suggestion. I have the Truma instant water heater so no 110 switch for the electric heating element. Problem solved. This is a great forum for solving problems.

It’s easy to forget the 110 switch for the electric heating element on the water heater. Is that turned on? I’ve made that mistake myself.

If/when mine breaks, I’ll probably replace it with a plexiglass sheet mirror. Kind of pricey, but lighter, and eliminates the future risk and safety hazard of glass breakage. This company will do cut to size. https://www.eplastics.com/plexiglass/acrylic-sheets/mirror

These instructions were a big help to me. I broke the mirror in my bathroom door and was able to replace it by following the above directions. My local glass and mirror place was able to remove the mirror from the backing and replace it with a new mirror. Cost me about $100 to have this done. I was very pleased to be able to do this myself, and the door looks like new.

Locate the small wash rag hangers under the sink. You will see 4 white screw covers....pop off with a flat head screw driver. This reveals 4 screws to remove. Remove the hanging rack from the hole, be careful of the switch at the top. You can then locate the two bolts. I tighted back up with a rachet lock nut and lock washer...I actally put on another lock washer and a nut for redundancy. Then put duct tape over the last 3/4 inch of the exposed threads. (In the South it Ain't fixed to you apply the duct tape)

So, very rough estimate, the AC used approx. 10% SOC per hour and your solar replaced that 10% the next day. In theory then, someone in similar weather could probably run the AC for 1/2 hour each night to cool the cabin off before bed and recoup that power (and some other power used) the next day. Looking forward to trying this when we get our Ollie!

I'm 5'7" but I don't think I could even see the top of the trailer to judge if something was amiss up there, let alone work on it, using a 3-step stool. I know that I can't properly deal with my smoke alarm with a 3-step stool in my home, and the alarm is mounted just above 9' -- so, I'm using that to judge. Maybe it's overkill to assume I'll need a ladder all the time, but I also would love to have a more compact and lightweight ladder here in my tiny abode -- right now my ladder is fiberglass and heavy and takes a lot of space. So it's added incentive for me to buy a compact one.

Through research online, I think this is the one that John Davies purchased. It seems to be available (order for ship to store or ship to home from Home Depot). Their price is about $150. It can configure in a LOT of different ways -- as a step ladder, as an extension ladder. So the 14' reach is when it's extended out as a straight line, not when it's "A frame" shape. But it's fairly compact. Their website has complete dimensions, so if you have your Ollie already (I don't) you can measure if it would fit in the closet. Here's the mfr page -- https://www.wernerco.com/us/products/ladders/multi-ladders/MT-00IAASeries/MT-14IAA

John, I hope to never physically get on top of the Ollie while on the road. And, the limitation of 8.5 ft. will prevent someone my size and age from doing so easily 🙂. Yes, I think I can reach all that I need to reach while on the road - the operative word is "road." Charlie.

THIS is the one I purchased back in 2019. It is a 12.5 foot model with 330 pound capacity. Please note that I don't weigh anywhere near that capacity number 😁 but thought that the ladder just might be a bit more substantial with the higher rating (I was correct). I'll admit that I've not used it a lot - it usually simply sits in the closet waiting for a problem while I'm on the road. At home I use my regular ladders in that they are easier to get to and I don't have to get things out of the Ollie closet. Bill

For what its worth - I carry my collapsible ladder in the closet. A bungee around the vent pipe keeps the ladder firmly against the wall between the closet and the bath. Bill

John, I returned the collapsible 12.5 foot and got the 8.5 foot for the road. I didn't feel like I needed to carry the taller one with me on the road. Charlie.

We purchased a collapsible and found it too lengthy and too heavy. We returned it and got a shorter, lighter one that we can use to reach the Ollie roof. If we need to get up on the roof, we'll use taller ladders at home. Charlie.

No worries. I, too, would like to hear some comments from folks who have used them a year or three. Ladders are getting more expensive all the time. We watch for black friday specials, if we can wait.

John - A fair number of these ladders seem to be very much alike and simply offered under different brand names. The one that I purchased has a fabric case and I waited around for a couple of months - using Camel, Camel, Camel to price shop - before I got it on sale. While I checked to make sure that the one I bought had reasonable reviews and ratings I didn't necessarily want or need the absolute best ladder out there. This was due to the fact that I didn't plan on using it that often since it would mainly be for emergency purposes while on the road. Be sure to get one that is at least rated for 25 (I went 50) pounds over what you think the heaviest person's weight that will be using it in order to allow for clothing, boots, and things that might be carried along with the user. Bill

After a lot of research, I recently ordered and received this Xtend and Climb Pro Series telescopic ladder and the silicone protective top rung cover. This ladder will travel with our Ollie. My initial impressions are it’s a very robust ladder. It’s hefty weighing in at 32lbs, very little flex and has a 300# weight limit. The reviews overall are solid. The silicone protective rung cover may work better than pool noodles when laying the ladder top rung on the Ollies gelcoat. I plan on detailing our Ollie using this ladder in the next few days and will post up a review and feed back on how it functions. Just a little info if your looking for a travel ladder. Happy Camping! A few pics -

David, Like the idea of the silicone protective top rung cover. 👍

We also need a ladder but haven't chosen one yet. If you're going to be detailing your Ollie you'll be standing on it for a while. Looking forward to your review!