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@AlbertNTerri a very solid report and glad you have your issue fixed. Thank you for letting us all know. What I find really disturbing is that Truma knowingly admitted to you that they were aware of the collar nut not being properly torqued which resulted in a gas leak and a fire. Wow, very disconcerting. At a minimum one would think that Truma would have initiated a safety recall via serial number and address this serious fire hazzard. This could have really turned out to be a fire that might have completely destroyed your Oliver. I am so glad it did not, and you took all the appropriate steps to prevent further damage. Again, so glad you are both safe and your Oliver did not suffer and damage as far as you can tell. Hopefully Truma will do the right thing and immediately initiate a safety recall to address the torque issues on ALL serial number units with improper torque specs. Patriot🇺🇸

😁 Hi, I’m Steve, and I am a Snow Peak Addict. 🤪

Spiral wrap hose protector, 3/4” ID for use on dual cable, .67” OD on single cable. Also used remnant sections to wrap propane hoses as routed along and over the frame up to the tank hoses. Unfortunately, the larger size in ‘black’ is currently unavailable on Amazon. I’ve used this type protector for decades on other trailers, as well as boats and Jeeps, and find this particular brand to be high quality and heavy duty.

Some Sun setting pix from this evening at The Q... ...and if you look closely, you'll see where the locals placed their "Q" in Dome Rock: Cheers, All!

I'm surprised that you could pull your trailer up the shear side of those mountains. Carol must have been behind pushing.

It may be prudent for Oliver to address the issue in the forum’s News & Announcements for good measure, as well!

I'm posting this in case anyone else encounters this problem: We were traveling back east from Hohenwald in a driving rain storm through GA and upon setting up at the campsite could not get the Truma furnace to heat; the error E 5 H was displayed on the digital display panel. The Truma documentation that I have did not list this particular error code. The furnace had been operating flawlessly prior to the rain storm so I suspected that the problem had to do with moisture preventing the furnace from igniting. I took a hair dryer and blew warm air up into the Truma exhaust vent to dry out any accumulated moisture and that fixed the problem. If anyone has a detailed description of the E 5 H error please post it here as I could not find a description online or in my documentation.

@Mike and Carol today I thought of a 4th item to check. However, probability on this item being the cause is also lower than bearings and spindle. This would be the RR shock. If the shock absorber at that position failed drastically it could affect tire wear. To test, remove the shock and push it down to full compression on a workbench. Release it and look closely to see that it gradually returns to full length without hiccups or hesitation. Run it up and down 2-3 times in this manner.

Frankly, we enjoy having the extra 6 gallons of available water in our standard Atwood water heater. Been using either an Atwood or Suburban in our RV's since the early '90's - we know them and how to keep them working. With the fresh tank syphon tube mod and the Atwood we're toting north of 38 gallons usable... plus a 6 gallon tote in the TV.

@Jps190: Here's an idea for you, brother... We made a Lagun table with Red Oak and fitted it with slots to fit onto the overhanging bed "wings" - its purpose was to be used as both a table and dog log rack. More space for the humans and the canines during slumber operations. I'm pointing to the slots here: The table top can be lowered onto the bed wings and pillows fill in the height gap between the table top and the mattresses. One or both of the Huskies fight for the cushy pillow addition... (Pls. ignore the dog logs in the pix below): Magnus won the fight: You wouldn't need to remove the night stand as the dimensions of the extended (port/stbd) sleeping area is approximately 52.5"W x 80"L. A standard queen is 60"W x 80", FYI. To make this design into a larger sleeping area work for you and save some $'s... All you'd need to do is 1. Make the table top 14" longer or 2. Use the existing Lagun table top dimensions and make a separate 14" section to fill the gap from the table top to the head of the bed. Then it's just a matter of getting a memory foam insert to match the height of your mattresses. The advantage to this system is its versatility - you can have the extra table space of the Lagun-style table plus the larger sleeping area with just a single additional component to your load-out. FYI: We store/strap our Lagun table top onto the inboard bulkhead in the closet - out of the way completely until we need it. Easy peasy. PM me if you need additional details - happy to help out. Cheers!

When your position is at the west-end of a given time zone, in this case only 25 miles east of PST, the sun comes up quite late in the AM. 0753, in fact: Nice having a room with a view (the not-so-Tactical OTT Operation Center): Cheers...

Well, let's see... The ultimate answer should be - "It depends". Why? The situation for us is fluid. Currently, the boys and I are solo in Quartzsite... Therefore, I get which ever "side" I want - port or starboard. Last night I chose the port side, head fore because we were watching a Netflix movie - Magnus did too. Oscar was banished to the starboard rack. When D is aboard - she opts for the port side and usually takes Oscar with her, he's smaller and gives her more room. Magnus and my 6'1" old bones get the STBD side and make due. What about morning coffee/shower time? Similar to @ScubaRx's comment, interestingly, after the coffee is made we switch from heads fore to aft... Why? Better view - especially when D climbs out of the shower... Cheers!

It is some nice, well made gear.

An unbalanced tire causes vibration. It would have to be extreme to create this kind of cupping, and less likely than other causes. Checking the balance doesn't matter anymore, since after this cupping it is certainly out of balance. You must determine cause, though bottom-line Mike, before a major trip you need to but a pair of new tires for that axle. Save the good one in case you do not find cause and have another single tire worn upon your return. I read some comments here suggesting alignment, but there are no alignment mechanisms in trailers like in an automobile or truck. You cannot adjust camber, caster or toe-in on trailer wheels. Looking at the picture, you can see that the axles are attached and float on the leaf springs, which bolted to the frame at 3 fixed points. The leaf springs generally have a centering hole that would not shift and again, not adjustable. Also, it is highly unlikely that a damaged axle would affect one side and NOT the other! Likely possibilities: a 1) damaged rim, 2) the bearings or spindle, or perhaps 3) the leaf spring for that wheel. When your trailer is sitting level, before you jack it up, inspect the leaf spring thoroughly and compare its height and shape to the good side. When you get the affected wheel up in the air, check for free play by pushing it in the 3 to 9 o'clock and 6 to 12 positions. Remove the wheel and check the backside of the rim for any cracks or bends. Now look again at the leaf spring thoroughly and check for bangs, bends or cracks. Lastly, it is most likely the bearings or a worn spindle on which they sit. It appears the cupping is more so on the outer edges of the tire, which again looks like bearings. See what the grease looks like. Clean inner and outer bearings with old fuel or kerosene, blow dry and see if they spin freely and quickly when sitting on a workbench. Check the axle to see if it is out-of-round, has any discoloration, bad spots or anything that does not look like clean hardened factory steel. Of course, correct anything found to be damaged. If you cannot find anything, just repack your bearings, mount those new tires and try to enjoy your trip! Once you get underway check the temp of each hub each time you stop. I just read this in another thread here. You can get the fancy infrared digital thermometer, or just use the palm of your hand to feel the heat. Feel if one hub seems hotter than the rest. And of course, keep a closer eye on this RR position that had the issue. Good news is you found this prior to leaving, tire cupping is not life threatening immediately, as it likely took tens of 1000s of highway miles for this tire to get this amount of cupping. I understand you put a lot of miles on your Oliver annually. Best wishes

For those that have a bit of time on their hands AND want to save a couple of bucks too: Take those "yellowed" outlet covers off, clean then really well, wipe with alcohol and then given them a couple of coats of Krylon white spray paint. Let dry overnight and put them back on. I did mine this way about two years ago and there have been no signs of the yellow reappearing. Bill

Our trailer is 8 years old. We had it ceramic coated by the CGI team last year and the fiberglass looks as good as or better than new. Unfortunately, the outlet covers on the 110 outlet and back jack switches had turned yellow. The plastic chrome bezels around the tail lights had lost their shine. So, while this isn’t an easy “mod” it is an easy and inexpensive maintenance project. I ordered new Furrion outlet covers and six new chrome light bezels and had them all replaced in about 15 minutes. All are available on Amazon. Furrion Outlet Cover Light Bezel Old and new. This looks much better than the yellow version. Old and new. New bezel on top, old bezels in the middle and bottom.

Another vote for heads to galley, and others have hit on our reasons, as well. Another plus for heads to galley is the ability to use the Froli adjustable headrest under the mattress; this headrest, coupled with their mattress support, have reinforced the heads to galley position best for us.

Nice install! For general information to those that may not be aware, Anderson has an Environmental Boot that can be used at the bumper mount, as well as the DC-DC cable connect on the OTT; this ensures a waterproof connection when in use, and protection from dirt and moisture when disconnected.

Many of the COE campgrounds at Land between the Lakes are closed for the winter. Our favorite is Canal COE and it is closed in March. You will need to check the others. Smoky Mountain National Park is one of our favorites. You will still have cold temps and snow in the mountains in March. I would suggest taking the Natchez Trace Parkway from Hohenwald to Natchez, MS. Plenty of campgrounds and State Parks along the way. That heads you South to warmer temps. Head into Texas with unlimited State Parks and Big Bend National Park.

Additional Update: I received a call from another person at Truma to follow up on the problem and repair (this individual called from the office in Indiana, the one I'd been dealing with previously was based out of Tampa/Lakeland area). He had viewed the video, I described the course and outcome. He informed me that they were aware of the collar nut which fastens the propane source to the burner assembly not being torqued to the appropriate level on some of the units that left the Truma factory and that they thought they had addressed this issue. He informed me that, "Out of the multiple thousands of water heaters they have produced, only a handful, less than a dozen, have had this problem, and they thought they had fully addressed it." He also informed me that they have been in touch with Oliver since it seemed to happen more often with units that were installed in Oliver's trailers. He told me (Truma) would like to see the unit and evaluate the repair themselves and suggested I bring it to the Lakeland FL location when we head north at the end of April. I told him that when this was initially discovered and I started talking to them last week about it, I was about 2-3 hours away from that facility and was happy to head over there (albeit in the opposite direction from our destination at the time). I actually started heading that way when they called me back and said they could not see me until the end of March due to their current schedule and work load. the gentleman from Indiana scoffed at that and told me that they will make the time to see me whenever I can get to them and to just call him when I'm heading that way so he can arrange me getting to the front of the line. (Currently we're settled in in Key West which is 5-7 hours away from Lakeland, traffic depending). For now, the unit is working well, no evidence of gas leaking. When we start heading north in April we may make the effort to swing by Lakeland since that will add less time to our journey north then stopping by The Mother Ship in TN. I'll update as needed. TAKE-HOME SUGGESTION: If you're so DIY inclined, I recommend removing the 2 star-head screws holding the bottom of the burner assembly in place, slide the burner assembly out enough to get a wrench on the collar nut (where the gas line turns upward 90-degrees and attaches to the burner assembly with a compression fitting) and make sure it is good and snug. I've reached out to Truma again and asked for their recommended torque for this nut, I'll update when they reply.

Snow Peak Addiction is hard to cure…😇

I'm with @Mike and Carol for under $20 each, never liked parts painted over! Spend half that amount on paint anyway. And thanks Mike, I just added these to my wish list!

And - That looks to be one great and interesting Forum that you have on the laptop. Care to tell us what Forum it is?😁

I would carefully measure the axles and wheels to see if the axle has moved or been bent. If not finding anything, have it aligned. GJ

Creative solution! Glad it work out so well. GJ

We started with heads by the nightstand. After a couple of years we switched to heads by the kitchen. We did that a few years and now we’re back to heads near the nightstand. We always made the beds with the pillows at the nightstand. Either way works for us. We’ve also switched to using sleeping bags the last couple of years, easier than making up the beds each morning. We still have sheets and a bedspread we just throw our bags on top to sleep. Simple is good. Mike

We both sleep with our heads at the rear, I like laying in bed and seeing more of the beautiful interior space I paid for! When sitting up with the bed and sham pillows at my back, I find the corner wall curvature very comfortable. As for the nightstand, items placed and/or being charged on this table are well within reach, and I really like having my iPhone handy, as well the clock display visible whether laying or sitting. We wouldn’t be able to use our Lagun tables in the same manner if our sleeping positions were reversed; they are placed above the foot of our beds at night to stage the sham pillows and extra bedding. Also, the window view from bed is generally better and more private due to the wall recess at the rear. This is what we are accustomed to and have found no reason to sleep any other way; admittedly, the elbow issue is ‘real’ and I completely understand other’s views regarding the matter, but for us the pros outweigh the cons. Lastly, when the beds are made-up, the overall look of the interior decor is so much more appealing!

Originally I/we slept with our heads at the rear. However, with the corner radius and the nightstand at the rear I/we found that the room for one's elbows was diminished. So, we "flipped" and now not only are the elbows happier but the risk of cracking the inner hull has been lessened😂. Bill

Update (and resolution?) We're currently in Key West until late April. The soonest Truma could see us at their facility in Lakeland FL was in March. Oliver sent a list of places they have blessed, the closest is about 5 - 7 hours north (traffic dependent) but they (La Mesa RV in Port St. Lucie) won't work on an Oliver since they don't sell them, so the next closest place is further than that. I discussed the problem with a local mobile RV repair guy who was highly recommended by a friend (name and address below), he took a look at it, reached inside and discovered a loose fitting, he pulled out his tools and in about 15 minutes he had the problem diagnosed and fixed (see below). $300 and he was on his way. A bargain! I Called Truma and Oliver to update them on the repair. Mike from Oliver said he would likely be able to mail me a check for the $300 later this week. Problem: Looking at the Truma from the outside with the cover open, the gas comes in from the right, goes into the burner assembly then makes a 90-degree turn upward and then attaches to the assembly with a large (about 3/4 inch) collar nut to hold the compression fitting in place. The collar nut had come loose and was freely spinning. You can't see it from this prospective, to access it there are two star head screws on the bottom, once removed the entire burner assembly is able to be slid out enough to get a wrench on the collar nut. Tighten it down, return the burner assembly to its home position and Viola! The tech hypothesized that the collar nut was never tightened appropriately at the Truma factory. Since there was no evidence of burned wires or other burn damage (see videos in the first post) we thought is was fine to continue using the unit. If there had been any concerns of damage then we would have had to replace the unit, Truma had already agreed to replace the unit since it was still under their 2-year warrenty. Fortunately the Gas fire ball only occured 2-3 times and the odd sound it was making prompted me to take a look at the unit. After seeing the "fire in the hole I opted to allow it to occur one more time (this time with a fire extinguisher in hand) so I could get a video of the symptom to send to Truma, Oliver and share with all my friends. I suppose the Take-Home message should be: if it's not looking or sounding like it has in the past, something has probably changed, go take a look at it, whatever it is.... RV Mobile Repair in Key West, FL: I highly recommend Vern for any RV concerns if you are on the Florida Keys. He's been living there for about 2 years, moved from Michigan. He has a very impressive tool set-up in the back of his pick up, a secure topper with tool boxes all the way around, very well organized, and clean. He is polite, responsive, knowledgeable, he arrived when he said he would and cleaned up after himself when he left. He apparently worked for another RV repair place in the past and is making a go-of-it on his own. I'm glad to support his efforts and will absolutely use him any time I have any issues. This is however the first time he had ever laid eyes on an Oliver or a Truma water heater. He was excited to see the Oliver first hand since he'd heard of them in the past and had seen them in pictures. GBoyz Mobile RV Repair LLC. Vern@gbzllc.com (269) 370-3905 65821 Overseas Hwy Long Key, FL 33001

So, are you saying that you will not be blowing off that awning at 0 dark 30 just before getting that early start on a long drive day?😁 Sure do wish that ALL fellow campers were as considerate as you are! Bill

I carry a small corded blower, not something used often so didn’t want to worry about having to keep a battery charged. Very useful for cleaning debris from pad and picnic table areas prior to camp setup, as well as tree debris off the Clam. If you have the means, it would be effective to clean the awning. Mine is stowed within easy reach when first rolling in camp.

The front cap has a lip that catches most debris before it can fall off. Trees are one of the reasons I camp. I love them.

How so? What was the difference between your previous awnings and the one you have now that makes the previous ones so much easier to clean? Bill

I like either the suggested plusnut or Rivet Nuts for Plastic and Composites solutions better than a rivet nut for your project. I have used rivet nuts in fiberglass, but always put a washer on the back side before crushing. The washer spreads the load and greatly reduces the potential for pullout indued cracking from the back side. The use of a washer with either of these two other methods would also be suggested if any significant loads are anticipated as required by a specific application. For this project of course not needed. GJ

Always, always, but always disconnect the negative terminal first! I believe I shared the story about trying to arc weld a wrench to a Huey airframe.😳

A good example of the DYI Pros that trailer batteries are considered as a matched set. One fails, best to either run one less battery, or replace them all. Lesson reminded. GJ

Thanks to everyone for their help and I apologize for the misleading terminal covers! I took the new and really dead battery to Batteries Plus for testing. Their testing showed it was low enough that they assumed it was a broken battery. They were able to get it to hold a charge but said the numbers were jumping around a lot which they thought was strange. I was able to return the battery at Camper World and then went to West Valley RV and bought 4 Interstate batteries for about $150 less than I would have paid for the Camper World batteries. Since then everything has been fine. 🙂 What a strange thing that putting that one battery in caused such bizarrely high readings - at least when hooked up. (When I took the batteries off the circuit the new one read dead and the others read 4 something. ) We're camping a couple of hours west of Phoenix now - thanks again for all your help 🙂

For sure. Or worse a trailer fire of high order fueled by bad Hazmat. It would not have been a fun restoration effort, and then the long trip during your vacation trying to get Ollie back to the Mother Ship would be painful. Would not wish that on anybody. All in all, I think it was good news that nobody got hurt and the trailer is still fully intact. Cord has purchased his first mod, the 350 Blue Seas Master Kill Switch. I hope that other OTT owners that don't have a way to physically isolate their trailer from the batteries do so as well. GJ

It’s another case of red cap misplaced

What a terrible cluster..... A lesson I had never even contemplated before is to check with a volt meter that the + and - voltage markings are correct on a replacement battery! Likewise that the battery puts out at the proper 6, 12 or 24 volts desired. I previously got bit by buying a battery with the proper voltage and proper markings, but the posts were on the opposite side of my truck's. Hence the battery cables did not reach. Carried the battery back to auto zone and got the proper one. Was a long walk to the truck... So I have never forgotten that mistake on my learning curve. GJ

WOW. Nice to know that for 2020 OTT upgraded the panels. Not only more breaker space, but extra breakers too, and 20 amp to boot! But for our 2018 and But for Going Costal (2019 OE2 ) and our (2018 OE2) we are stuck with no spares and some 15 amp breakers with 14 AWG. Wonder if our PD's can be upgraded to your version? Thanks for sharing. Good info to know. GJ

How are they dead, but reading 24V? The only way to read 24V is two 12V batteries wired in series. If this occurred, I imagine it would cause more damage than just the battery bank. Something went wrong and it's not from adding one AGM, which is just a high-performing lead-acid battery.

When water freezes, it just needs a little room for expansion, a little and not a whole lot. Think if your freshwater tank was half full and it gets well below freezing. It would just expand upwards, say another 10%, a slight bulging upwards. Nothing bad will happen, the plumbing will exist as-is. Since there is nothing but air above, with an overflow tube to boot, nothing happens but water freezing to ice. If the tank was 100% full, then tank would fail. When small diameter pipes freeze, they freeze at the ends first. Once the ends have frozen, and the lengths of the plumbing freezes, there is nowhere for the expansion to move and hence the plumbing will crack. If your water pump is half full it can freeze without issue, even at 80-90% full! And btw, when you blow out the lines, running the water pump at least once, it is most likely empty or very close. Fear shall succumb to knowledge. Remember, my friend living in Calgary has worked this procedure annually for more than a decade, where their daytime winter highs are lower than our nighttime lows. Thanks ☺️

Looks like 4 12v batteries wired in parallel. If you know which battery is bad remove it and continue on. With the batteries over 4 years old and if you are not sure of the history I would replace them all with a couple lithium units or new wet cell batteries if you want to keep things the same.

Although all of my 2020 OLEll outlets are wired with 12 gauge wire and 20A breakers, I would still be hesitant to use the Oliver’s exterior outlet for that particular Ninja. I think best to just utilize one of the remaining outlets at the shore power post, separate from the one supplying power to your RV. Either a 30A and/or 50A male to 20A female dogbone cord adaptor would suffice, plus an appropriately sized extension cord (10 gauge) would be my recommendation. As you know, some CGs provide only 30A in loops for smaller trailers, whereas others will have both a 30A and 50A, or only 50A for loops servicing larger rigs. Even in the case when only a single RV service (30/50) is provided, there is usually a 110 outlet/breaker available, as well, that may or may not be sufficient to meet your stated needs. Personally, I’m more concerned about being able to hookup the 30A RV service cord to household current, as thus carry a locking 30A female to 20A female reducer, in addition to a 50A to 30A reducer, a 20A male to 30A female dogbone cord adaptor, and a variety of extension cords.

I've been thinking about this and my gut feeling is that you shouldn't... because where do you go from here... eventually the others slowly die off... each time replacing it with a new one. I'd agree with Bill.... just change them all out at once. That said...I'm wondering... if the others are still "good", why could't you continue operating on those remaining batteries until they die as well. I'm thinking 12 volts is 12 volts and the number of batteries simply creates "capacity". So just continue on with the remaining batteries until the your capacity becomes unacceptable for your needs. (I have lithium... but I suspect the same logic would apply) Then when its time... upgrade, replace... whatever, and start over.

Unfortunately the general wisdom is that all batteries should be of approximately the same age. Sorry. Bill

Does this clear the P-traps in the kitchen sink, bathroom sink and shower drains?

Since I didn’t do the installation, I don’t have any background on what Victron recommended for the mount. It is mounted horizontally under the driver side bunk, along the aisle. BTW, ours is a 2000W.

Custer state park SD is a beautiful park with several campgrounds and on the highway loop to Mt Rushmore. see pix of it in our blog here: https://4-ever-hitched.com/epic-adventure-2021