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Sending out two plywood prototypes tomorrow. The absence of a composting toilet in our Oliver has added complexity to the process. I extend my gratitude to the two Oliver owners who've assisted in measuring, test fitting, and finalizing the design. These prototypes, crafted in beautiful mahogany, with all stainless-steel hardware, should be ready for their inaugural owners in a few weeks. The Hocken front legs rest on the shower pan, while the back legs find support on the toilet platform. It's a space-efficient design, allowing you to shower with it in place. The legs are easily removable for storage, requiring only four thumb screws, and no tools. If you find your composting toilet too tall, I have a solution for you.

Ho, ho, ho!

An arc between two contacts could cause the sizzling you heard, but, most likely that would not explain the odor. It is possible that some insulation on the wires melted due to heat generated by an arc but I wouldn't bet on it. I'd try like heck to locate the area that had the arc and the area that produced the sizzling/melted wire insulation before I turned the fridge back on. And, I'd make sure that the area is dry. Of course you know that you can pull the fridge off via the off switch, circuit breaker/fuse so that you can still have power to the rest of your Ollie. Good luck! Bill

AND - Jason comes through once again - Thanks for making our season bright and jolly too. Bill

It will be our first time there. They live north of Hobart in Rosetta, close to the river. I am looking forward to having summer in February and March.

Now - that's interesting. I thought that Oliver wired these external ports directly to the batteries. From what I can see in the pics above it appears to me that the external port wires are being spliced into others that are coming off a circuit breaker which in turn goes to the batteries. If I'm correct then what I'd do is take the Zamp port off, test the wires (just to make absolutely sure) for "positive" and negative" with a multi-meter and then attach the wires to the appropriate terminals on the Anderson. Bill

Jason - Thanks for the hat. Bill

Can't have a Christmas logo without some lights! @topgun2

Have you ever seen any statistics on this? No doubt that there are some RV's that have burned with the absorption fridge as the source, but I'd guess that there are also some RV's that have 12 volt electric and/or compressor fridges that were the source too. I'd also guess that the number of absorption fridges that have cause fires is very small relative to the number of them on the road. But, even though I've seen a few videos on the subject I've never actually seen statistics that show exactly how dangerous or not dangerous any of the fridges are in the real world. Bill p.s. It sounds to me that in this case the "problem" is electrical and has little to nothing to do with what type of fridge it is.

My order details.

For an external port, a waterproof connection is my preference. I purchased a couple of Andersons that had a ‘weather tight cover’ to seal when not in use, but returned them due to concerns when using in inclement weather. Although Anderson offers dust and waterproof components, I found none that were flush mount. Conversely, I ordered ports with waterproof bayonet-style connections when in use.

I am still awaiting a response regarding OTT’s consultation with Xantrex and a definitive answer to my question - Is this the norm for my Xantrex or is it not operating correctly? I did get the following from Jason E., which implies voltage will be maintained after bulk charge. I think a call in in order! FURTHER OTT RESPONSE: The charge cycle of the Xantrex can be changed within the settings either manually or by selecting a battery type and temperature. We typically select a battery type and manually update based on the battery manufacturer's recommendation. It will initially charge at a bulk rate which is higher amperage, as low as 30a for standard 12v batteries, 60a for AGMs, and up to 150a for some lithium batteries but this depends on the battery type & number of batteries in the bank. After bulk charge it will maintain the voltage but starts to gradually drop the amperage until it goes into Float charge which will be a low amount of amperage like they are on a battery maintainer.

ive done this with a cheap stool i got on amazon. Ive been thinking about devising a way to add fold out rear legs for it so that it can serve as a standard foot stool as well.

FYI: IMO, the Anderson connectors are superior to SAE types. They "clean" themselves with each connect/disconnect action - better connectivity. Victron and Renogy components are our "go-to" off-grid power manufacturers, so far, they play well together.... Zamp is a known quantity - but we've not had 100% confidence in their products from our experience. Take that for what its worth, but I don't think you'll be disappointed with either Victron or Renogy gear. Cheers...

It was a great bonding experience having you both here! We were glad you had not headed on to AZ before your retina detached. Do you feel like tackling another project? 🤣🤣Mike

@JWalmsley: Hey, Jason - We're think'n it might be time for another "Oliver Hat"... HO, Ho, ho! Cheers, Brother!

Loveland/Fort Collins Colorado We have twice used Nathan RV Service and Repair. He moved from Fort Collins to Weldona. Oliver recommended him. He has twice done maintainence on our Oliver.The first time he replaced the flooring. This time he replace the Automatic Transfer Switch which had failed. He is thorough and price was quite reasonable. He took plenty of time when we picked it up to answer our questions. He loves working on Olivers.. he said they make the best campers! Hope this helps someone. Linda OEII #111

Ya just got to keep those eyes open these days.😃 Bill

Well played, sir!

Way to go, Jason!

@John E Davies That is a great article and the authors have some really good credentials. I did not like the absorption fridge in our Airstream. It was “ok” at keeping things cold once it did get cold but it needed to be defrosted often. I didn’t like running on propane while traveling but also didn’t want things to get too warm. For that reason, I always ran with GAS STOP devices and will have them on my LE II. I was happy to see Oliver went with the Isotherm AC/DC fridge. I am not sure as to “why” but I heard it was because many trailers in the industry are moving to all-electric compressor style fridges. This could account for a low supply of the absorption fridges in this size. I also like that if you are not level when parked we don’t have to worry about damaging the fridge. I think you made a good choice. My brother-in-law has had Isotherm on his boats for as long as I can remember and they always perform. Another great share, thank you! Brian

My apologies for not finding anything about this in a search: Was washing my poor filthy trailer today and inadvertently (I'm always SO CAREFUL about this!) got water up into the lower fridge compartment. Spouse was doing inside cleaning, I was doing exterior at the aft end when he comes out asking, "What's that sizzling noise?". We located it to the lower fridge access, pulled the panel off, and I immediately smelled that "hot electrical" smell. Burning wire insulation is quite a distinctive odor, no? Then smoke started wafting from the upper left corner. I jumped inside and hit the battery kill. Sizzling and smoking stopped pretty quickly after that. Both of us have examined the compartment to the best of our abilities to see if we can figure out WHAT was burning. I'm quite leary of turning the batteries back on! I don't see ANY burnt wires in the small space that one can actually see anything. Any suggestions about how to track it down? Would it be ok to let the compartment dry out and turn the batteries back on? I would NOT be able to pull that fridge out if that is what it would take to get to the bottom of this, would have to take it for service.

This is what was on the cupboards in my last trailer. I don't know what they're called. But I hope to find something like it.