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Learn where the fuse for the propane detector is located - sooner or later at 2am you will thank me!😁

Is it mold or is it algae? Sadly water quality has declined in much of the US over the years for many reasons. But having worked in industry for many years and knowing the conditions that exist in municipal water systems, I wouldn't get overly concerned about the formation of what is likely algae on the inside of the water system. Yes chlorine will get rid of it but it will likely come back. If you knew what the inside of the pipes of every municipal water system look like, you would never drink water from those sources again if a little algae bothers you. Here's an example. Most of what you see is mineral build up, but when that pipe was cut open, the surfaces you see were quite slippery or slimy to the touch when wet. That doesn't mean the water was unfit or unsafe to drink, but the condition of the inside of the pipes would make one wonder. As mentioned by someone earlier, the source of your problem is probably in your water source. It doesn't mean the water source is unsafe to drink, but if it contains algae spores, it will grow algae in the system if conditions are right.

We picked our Oliver up in Hohenwald on August 9. It was a dark and stormy night. Actually both nights and the day was rainy. That is my excuse for not posting pictures on the day we picked it up. The real reason was simple anxiety about the overwhelming amount of info pointed at me during the trailer handoff. Another reason is my wife is camera avoidant if she does not have ample prep time. 😉 Anyway, a friend installed a 30 amp outlet yesterday so now I can go hide in Ollie as I study the components. It is hot here right now and having the AC on is a must. I contracted for a simple cover due within a few weeks to shade the trailer. We really need to name the trailer and decide its gender. I do feel like it is a "she". We are noodling on a name. I fixed the only flaw found so far. The black tank pull wire was not properly placed in the plunger. The info given to me about the ball height (24") was wrong. I had it at 24" but it was too high. I flipped the hitch and it is about an inch too low (that is a six inch swing considering the hitch had a 3" drop). It ain't bad now, but I think another inch up will be perfect. I feel comfortable dumping the tanks now. No fuss, no muss. I know how to drain the fresh water tank now after looking everywhere for the valve. The manual sent me on a wild goose chase. It is always the last place you look. 😉 I understand the TV and the phone apps now, (Lithionics Battery, Victron & ProSMART). I am starting to research the Xantrex Freedom X panel. That should be easy. We did find a typo in table 2 on page 375 of the Optional Features manual. It says the panel functions is described on page 52, when it is really on page 396. I am sure this was because Oliver lifted the info from a Xantrex manual. I am not sure why Oliver supplied all the installation info to me. Maybe someone needs it, but I don't. I just want to know how to use the stuff that Oliver installed. To be continued. Let me know what I should study next based on your experience.

“Life’s a dance you learn as you go”’ In other words…time to camp, you will learn hands on and each trip will get easier and more comfortable. Enjoy😃

Possibly some of the best advice ever given. If you want to go camping, go. You're already in the process of divesting. Put family heirlooms in storage, or give/loan them to relatives, divest the rest, pick something, and go. We are very, very glad that we chose our little Ollie that has served us well for so long, but we had no illusions that it would truly be our travel home for 15 years, in 2008. The great news is, if you find (like some do) that it's not perfect for you, resale on molded fiberglass is great, particularly Ollies. The adventures can't begin til you actually get on the road. It's not always easy, but it sure is fun, and rewarding, most of the time. As my husband says, sometimes the tougher times make the better campfire stories. Me? I can't imagine traveling in a diesel pusher, pulling a toad, and feeling "free." Ditto a fifth wheel, dragging every comfort of home with us. (I'll admit, freely, one of the inanimate things I miss the most in our travels is my washing machine...) I can live without the Splendide washer/ dryer in a fifth wheel, for the splendid views out my rear window.

The Airstream sold today. We had a lot of fun with our Desert Tortoise, but it was sad to see it go.

Funny. I just made a batch of garlic Sriracha

Camping in the driveway, or camping in nearby campsites with decent cell reception, when you have questions, counts, too, and way better than not camping at all. Have fun. You'll get there. None of us were born with skills or knowledge. With your determination to learn, and some practice, you'll soon be sharing advice with others. (Former teacher here. Learning how to learn, in your own best way, is one of life's most important challenges and skills. ) My SIL says "eat that elephant one bite at a time." I recommend Sriracha (and white wine) to go with it...

Received mine last week and the round site window above the level bubble was not completely sewn on. Fortunately the return/exchange process with Amazon is painless. Should receive and second item in a few days.

I think the wiring from the solar panels to the battery is an opportunity. Getting familiar with the cutoff points and the associated breakers and the wiring path is good information. It’s not necessary to remember all of it, just get familiar with it. Mossey

This is a topic that is discussed on multiple forums and also YouTube regarding the inability to control humidity with RV AC units that run the fan continually. Unfortunately the design principal of having the temperature control sensor mounted in the plenum air stream for the purpose of cycling the compressor relegates the owner to a life of cycling humidity levels in exchange for constant air circulation. I know it would likely add considerable cost to the AC system but wouldn't it be nice of they would design the units with a variable speed fan that ramps up and down to control temperatures in the cabin and thus allow the compressor to run longer and eliminate the short on/off cycles that result in humidity spikes.

Hello to the Moderators -- I am having difficulty accessing this video -- it has a message "This video is private" -- can others access it? Is this posted somewhere else that is available? https://support.olivertraveltrailers.com/portal/en/kb/articles/dexter-ez-flex-overview-maintenance

Honestly, you'll be fine. You actually "read the manuals," unlike many others. Major kudos to you. Add that to camping experience, and you'll do fine. Hope to meet you camping, someday.

You might decide later that this info is really handy. I prize my Oliver manuals. I've read them and am still reading and digesting and like @SeaDawg says, camping provides the best opportunity for learning. Enjoy!

Many European and Australian sold units use a variable speed compressor. Eventually, we'll get it here.

Very happy with the Barker Jack cover fit and finish. I don’t hang my safety cables on the cover or use the 7 pin plug holder. They already have a secure storage location. I really like the visibility of the leveling bubble at the top and the zippered access to the Jack and light switches. I don’t know of any other cover that provides this feature. The cover fits nice and snug behind my 3200i generator cover. It’s a 💯keeper for me. Patriot🇺🇸

Sounds like it's time to go camping! (Same thing happened to us with the hitch height, BTW. Fortunately, we had an adjustable drop hitch.)

Like Rich.Dev we tow with a VW Touareg TDI. We have logged 10,000+ miles including mountains in North Carolina, Tennessee, and rally in Alabama. March and April were spent in southwest with drive out from Michigan to New Mexico and Arizona (Flagstaff area). Trip included Flagstaff to Sedona stretch which is 18 miles of 6% grade. Same experience as Rich, Touareg tows competently and brakes well. We also are limited with cargo capacity, so we stay mindful of that limit. I will say the road conditions in Flagstaff were horrendous with huge chunks of road missing on I-40 and I-17. Upon return home rear camber was off and I had to replace tires and have alignment done. I am planning a future upgrade to a 3/4 ton+ pickup truck for more flexibility. Happy travels!

I agree on the analysis paralysis part of these types of things. I could have still been on here asking questions about Oliver and wondering when the "right time" to buy one would be. In our case, Life is about change and discovery. We decided to just go do it and we didn't look back. All your concerns are legitimate but do you have to have it perfect before you begin? You can start with your VW and if along the way you decide it doesn't work for you then they do sell trucks everyday. You travel plans are also adjustable since you are in charge. You may have planned to go explore Colorado for example but decided to explore Alaska instead. We have several large trips planned in the future. I don't expect all them to go as planned but some of the fun we have experienced in our short time is making those adjustments and doing things more spontaneously. All this to say, you can sit and research this for years or you can start your next chapter and understand life is full of surprises that sometimes require adjustments. Enjoy and Discover all the wonderful places and people you will encounter.

We looked at Bigfoot several years ago. The interior height was a no go for us. I am 6’ 2” and had to duck under the air conditioner. Other than that they seemed fine.

Have you looked at Bigfoot? A larger molded fiberglass camper, maybe not the same level as an Oliver, but more living space and still very nice. A bit longer and wider with the same advantages of a molded shell: https://bigfootrv.com/2500-series/b25-trailer

Yes, the other side of the coin. You are right. "Analysis paralysis" can cause you to miss out. There are no guarantees in life, something we've learned first-hand, so I understand your eagerness to get started. Sounds like you a have a general idea of what you're looking at, but you're still a little light on the specifics. Asking questions here is a good move. Have you looked at Escapees: https://escapees.com/ ? Their members have decades of experience full timing. Understand that full time RVing comes with most of the problems of full time house living: electrical problems, plumbing problems, appliance problems, leak problems, neighbor problems, plus a few more: drivetrain failures, accidents, difficulty finding a place to stay. It's not all sunsets and waterfalls. If you're sick, you may still have to pack up and move on because your reservation is up. Same if you're tired or the weather's bad. You will be transients. (At the start of the pandemic a lot of full timers had a big problem because the campgrounds closed and they had nowhere else to go.) I wanted to full time when we retired, but my wife insisted we still needed a home base. Turns out she was right, we like to be on the road but we need a place close to our doctors and family, too. I wish you luck and hope you are able to live your dream. Maybe ask a few more questions and try a few more outings before you commit. There are a lot of options.

That is a Mercedes Sprinter, not a pusher. An older high end unit like a Tiffen with a commercial non-emission diesel truck motor, for example Cummins, in BACK. No slides, they are problematic to maintain and will kill you in a collision. ”If you are driving down an Interstate Highway at 60 miles per hour and you have a collision, your vehicle stops, and you stop with it (as long as you are wearing seat belts). However, the slides are still moving forward at 60 miles per hour. Whoever is sitting directly in front of them (driver or passenger or both) is going to be crushed to death.” https://axleaddict.com/rvs/RV-Slide-Out-Dangers Resurrecting a really old Ollie thread: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/1414-slide-outs-and-conventional-construction/ Since you have linked to a $200k RV you should check out used high end expedition campers like Nimbl ($$), EarthCruiser ($$$), Earth Roamer ($$$$$), or custom one-off builds. Do you have a price limit? If not, a new one built to order! https://thisbigroadtrip.com/nimbl-xpcamper-for-sale/ https://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/xpcamper-nimbl-2018-for-sale-189k-very-lightly-used.220074/ https://earthcruiser.com/vehicles/pre-owned/ https://earthroamer.com/pre-roamed/ I really do like spending other people’s money…. John Davies Spokane WA

As above, yes we've done a small bit of rv and camping. Enough to know that we'd like to do it full time for a bit and we're at an age that we'd better get to it. My older brother dreamed of RVing upon retirement. When he got to it he was no longer healthy enough to really get out in it. Bought 4 different size rvs and never really went anywhere. Now he has alzheimers. Soooo, we're just gonna do it, enjoy the adventure as long as we can, and when we hit 80 or so, settle down. Then my kids can relax 😆 "Paring away" a lot of stuff is something we are joyfully doing. I've spent the first part of life experiencing and preparing. The next part was spent building and accumulating. The last part is declutering, experiencing, and preparing... Where have some of your "tiny spots" that you've "Oli'd" in? Sounds a bit like what we aim to head towards in our own way.

I'm from Florida and have well water at home. I also believe that we have worst water available anywhere excluding industrial, manufacturing or agricultural locations that have been polluting groundwater for decades. I can dig a 36" deep hole in my yard and hit water most of the year. So I often refer to my well water as coming from a mud puddle. The point of this is to say that I use swimming pool bleach or sometimes hydrogen peroxide to sanitize my water system. We do not drink or cook or ingest our home water, ever. And I don’t know anything about the water I put into the fresh water tank from any other source after we leave home, so the water use statement above also holds true of the fresh water in our Ollie. And more to the point, if you sanitize you fresh water tank and shortly there after you still have bad water coming out, I would suspect the water source. To my comment above about ground water pollution, my parents were from Ottawa, IL. and Ottawa was the location of one of three factories in the United States that was operated by the United States Radium Corporation . If you don’t know the story of the "Radium Girls" and are curious about why I bring it up, click the link above. It is a story about industrial pollution that had a terrible effect on the people of these three community’s. Mossey

Ewww that’s not good! We’ve never had slime/mold. We sanitize with water and household bleach.

Hey Bryan, we’ve got a regular flush toilet. When we placed our order in 2015 the Natures Head was not an option. Mike

I like the WAY you think. When there is no understandable, logical or definitive information that contradicts whatever warning label or engineering information I've been given, I try my best to adhere by the warning labels and/or generally accepted guidance on the subject. That YouTube video you mention above has to do with an owner ignoring warnings about the proper torque for lug nuts on trailer wheels. Even though he knew better, he tightened his too much and sheared those lug studs off thus losing a wheel. For good reason, he was very thankful that no major physical or property damage occurred as a result of his mistake. We all could learn a thing or two and I certainly appreciate his willingness to publish it. Also, thanks to you for referencing it. Bill

I think that we have the same dog! We've had the same experience in that people with other dogs assume that it's ok to let their dog approach without asking. It's funny that you mention the "find it" game; We have a ritual whereby while she's eating her dinner we hide her after-dinner snack somewhere in the house. When she's finished we shout "FIND IT" and off she goes. She quickly tracks it down and upon doing so we throw up our arms and exclaim "she saw it with her dog nose!!" 😁 while she proudly does a victory lap around the house.

Everything depends on your wants, needs, and willingness to scale back. We had, way back in the day, three couples out of the first twenty or so, who full-timed in the smaller original Elite, for several years. And, we routinely spend three to five months a year in ours. The Elite II is luxuriously spacious, by comparison. What you don't carry can be as freeing as what you do carry. Traveling light can actually be fun, in my opinion. It's challenging to learn how little you actually "need" sometimes, vs "want." Depending on where you want to go, @John E Davies does make a very good point about getting service. Small towns in the hinterlands don't always have mechanics familiar with foreign made vehicles, of limited USA production numbers. I can find someone capable of working on my 2005 Chevy Silverado, or my husband's 2008 Ram, just about anywhere. Not so true in many small towns for foreign badges. If you stick with the VW that you know and love, my advice would be to get good tow insurance that covers both the vw and the trailer (like good Sam's premium), unlimited mileage, "just in case."

We also have a 2016 VW Touareg diesel, one of the best VHs we’ve ever owned and it’s a wonderful very capable tow vehicle. We towed a 2016 AS 26U with twin beds for almost 3 years, it towed like a champ (and stopping), only issue is cargo capacity, at 1180lb you have to watch what you pack. We now own a 2023 LEII and fully packed weighs approx. 6000lb with a tongue weight of 610lb. No issues so towing it or stopping. Fuel consumption towing our Ollie from Hohenwald to Guelph ON (Canada) was just shy of 16mpg. The Touareg is a great towing vehicle AND daily driver. Again, the limiting factor is payload/cargo capacity.

Mine arrived this morning. Nice quality.

100 K miles and still satisfied - can't get a better recommendation than that. Thanks!

We bought a used 2018 that was well cared for and well used. To my eye, it looks new. I have no regrets.

You will probably receive a lot of different answers on this question but allow me to start. Assuming you have had experience with travel trailers, camping and RV'ing to any degree I wouldn't worry about it too much. Make no mistake you will always need to be prepared to do some maintenance on any camper, bar none. There are no exceptions. Bearings will need to be serviced periodically and how often depends on many things, understand too Oliver does not make any of the appliances, only the frame and the cabin plus the engineering of the units. Things break from time to time, it's the nature of the beast. FWIW I have a 2015 model and when people tour it are amazed at how well it looks. Cutting to the chase the Olivers hold up extremely well if taken care of, waxing, cleaning and maintenance. Age, wear and tear, other than appliances not made by Oliver I wouldn't think would matter much, assuming previous owner hasn't neglected their Oliver which would be very rare. To answer your question, much will depend upon your budget, and how much you are willing to invest. Hopefully you'll find this helpful.

EDITS IN GREEN: Ok, now that I have my Houghton 3400 heat pump installed and have run it in 106 degrees full sun on our OE2, I can respond with a professional M.E. opinion: The 13.5 KBTU Houghton 3400 is NOT oversized for hot running conditions. I would not recommend a 11,000 BTU unit for an OE2 if you go to hot places, Secondly, again in my opinion the humidity problem is certainly caused by re-evaporation of humidity on the coils after the compressor is shut down. Frankly IMHO, this is a bad design element of Houghton units for USA use where humidity issurs are common. But for the dry Aussie Land it makes sense. As such, I am doubling down on my long-ago suggestion of adding a relay tied to the fan low speed and compressor as a trigger (Mounted in the upper unit) to shut off the fan when it auto cycles to low speed while on auto. This suggestion is exactly what another AS owner (GSMBear) posted last month on their web site and one of our owners posted on ours. I took a deep dive into that video and the relay part is relatively easy. But one also has to know how to relocate the room air sensor from the supply air duct to the ambient area. Detailed info on this must be known before just adding the relay. GJ

This is just my opinion. At some point you have to make decisions. At some point you are going to say "man if I just waited". I have a 2022 Oliver, sure we wish the Truma was available when I purchased mine but the one I have does the job. I also learned on here about alternatives if I wish to upgrade. We are still using our Oliver in the summer even with the Dometic, we just run it alittle before we come in for the evening to cool off the place. When we purchased our Oliver we made a decision to change the "status quo" for us and begin to discover things and places we always heard about but have never experienced. I cant imagine owning an Oliver and barely using it. We both still work and yet spent many weekends in state parks near us enjoying the Oliver and outdoors. If you are looking for reasons to sell it then sell it.

I do not believe that it mixes outside air with conditioned air as there is no interconnection between the two. If there was, you would have to insect screen and filter the OA intake. The unit only has one filter, and it is for cleaning the return air going into the unit from the cabin. Also, such a design could lead to a really bad insect migration into the cabin problem. Can you imagine a Florida swamp no-see-un's swarming around such an air intake? Sends shivers down my back... I strongly believe the cause is re-evaporation of condensate on the evap coil by the continuously running supply air fan. GJ

Certainly an odd design. I know that on some A/C systems it is normal to run the fan after compressor shut down for a short time to lower the head pressure. Sort of like an unloader in a shop air compressor. The intent for those set-ups is to decrease the re-start torque. But to run it continuously after compressor shut down boggles my mind as well.

I think another part of the equation is that rv ac systems are probably designed for the typical drafty, uninsulated stick-built trailers and motor homes. They're almost expected to run more or less continuously in high heat and humidity. At least the Houghton is quiet. I think it's set up to run on a 2 degree differential, like most,, and I've not found a way to change it. @CRM, point well taken on the humidity absorbed by textiles, etc. At least the Oliver walls and furniture, other than cushions, can be wiped down and don't absorb excess humidity. During the evening and night, though, we all tend to add humidity. Showers, cooking, and breathing add a bunch, even when we run exhaust fans. Since I can't hold my breath all night, I'll live with it. 😅 (pun intended) I'll look forward to reports in the Truma. Home ac systems are designed for a single climate zone. Rv systems have to be a compromise...

We have the Houghton and I do find everything in this video to be accurate (I also have data to confirm this). We do use a dehumidifier along with the Houghton to control humidity/dewpoint AND temperature. I think this is normal as an AC unit is specifically made to operate based on temperature (not humidity) and a dehumidifier is made to operate based on humidity (not temperature). I know lots of people in NC that have a dehumidifier in their home and run AC and the dehumidifier to control both humidity and temp. Auto on the Houghton does not stop the fan from running when the compressor is off. I thought it was just circulating the cabin air when the compressor is off, but if it' s mixing in outside air that may be something that could be improved with the design, but it still wouldn't control BOTH humidity and temperature. What I've found works best for us is keeping the temp set at the lowest point (60F) when cooling so the compressor doesn't shut off. The cabin cools quickly and the dewpoint drops dramatically just as quickly. Once we've got the temperature where we want it, we turn off the AC before it starts cycling. The dehumidifier then keeps the dewpoint in check so even if the temperature goes up, it's still "comfortable". If the temperature does get uncomfortable, it means waking up in the middle of the night and running the AC for about 30 minutes to get things comfortable again, but this is rare. On nights when I know it's going to get too hot, I've used the timer function to have the AC come on for 30 minutes in the middle of the night and then shut off again without me having to manually turn it on and off.

Relative humidity is a pretty worthless measure of moisture in the air as it changes with ambient temperature (rh is the amount of moisture, or vapor pressure to the amount of moisture or vapor pressure at saturation) and warm air can hold more moisture than cold air. I am a big fan of dewpoint (temperature at which moisture condenses in the air) which doesn’t change unless you get a different air mass. I suspect the issue is running the fan constantly versus on auto so unconditioned air is being pulled in. We run our dometic on low (not auto) so the startup of fan/compressor isn’t so alarming. I do notice an immediate change in humidity with our domestic when the compressor turns off (but fan still runs). With a quiet AC it would be better to run it on auto so that the fan is not running when the compressor is off. So I am thinking it is not so much to do with the manufacturer/unit as it is the mode of operation.

Legacy Elite owners be advised: this does not accommodate the safety chains or the trailer plug due to the location of the jack with respect to the coupler and tongue box. This was a disappointment to me, as I followed the user reports of this cover here in this thread. I promptly returned mine and ate the shipping cost... Otherwise, it looks like a fine piece of kit.

Not only do we have natural fires, we had a crazed homeless person set five in a row intentionally, and just yesterday we had a sixth that was “an unattended campfire”…! ”SPOKANE, Wash - A woman arrested for setting multiple fires in the West Hills neighborhood of Spokane last week told police she also set fires in the Dishman Hills area because she was upset about the housing situation in Spokane.” Investigators: West Spokane arson suspect told police she set Dishman Hills fires, too I think arsonists deserve special public punishment. My friend lost his shop building along with tractor, classic FJ40 and all sorts of personal belongings. 98% of the trees are gone. My daughter’s coworker lost her home, burned to rubble. This batch of fires is unusually close to heavily populated areas. I just ordered a roof sprinkler system, I plan to leave it up for the entire fire season every year. https://roofsaversprinklers.com/ Grrr. John Davies Spokane WA

Stuff happens! Used the rear stabilizers to level my 2020 OLEll 579 once, ended up lifting all four tires off the ground. Didn’t know until the next day that both axles had dropped, yikes! Struggled for two hours in heat and humidity, but finally got it done. Random act of stupidity, lessons learned!

We've owned and maintained our 2008 #12 since new, and 150k. I know there's another 2008 out there with similar miles. People are truly amazed at how good it looks, in its 16th season. More importantly, it still tows great. Like others, we've done some mods, upgrades, and replacement components over the many years (fridge, water pump, added 200 watts of solar, then upgraded to 400 watts plus 200 portable, etc. ) It's been a great trailer, and doesn't owe us a dime. So many great memories!

Ours is a 2016, picked up in May 2016. We should have 100K miles on it after our fall trip coming up. The CGI guys did the ceramic coating earlier this year so from the outside it looks better than it did in May 2016. I have the bearings and brakes serviced every spring by the same guy. I will have the brakes replaced next spring. I’ve replaced the 2000W inverter and replaced my four AGM batteries with three Battle Born Lithiums plus new tires. Other than that, everything is original and everything works fine. I’ve made some repairs on wear and tear items, but nothing major. Bottom line - an older trailer should be fine if it has been maintained. Mike

Hull #050. Had it 10 years. First one sold. Best non-animate thing I've ever owned. Been to every state including Alaska. Multiple times. Over 100K miles. Tons of Mods thru the years. Wouldn't trade it for anything.

I, and others, tried explaining to the woman in the video that her problem was due to an oversized unit, but she won't even consider it because the people who sold it to her said it was sized correctly.