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This will be a first for us, though common to many of you who have more time for travel. I have 6 weeks off work, for our personal longest camping trip ever. I was inspired by a post our friend Steve @ScubaRx made last year where wrote that he and Tali often travel across country without reservations! This is difficult for the Project Manager in me, but should make for a spontaneous and exciting adventure! First stop just 5 hours from home, we’ll stay 2 nights up at 7760 ft in this beautiful McGaffey Campground SE of Gallup NM.

I hope you have a great trip. I would love to travel without scheduling everything to a gnat's ass. Wave if you see us. We leave Sunday for six weeks

Happy to report I was able to source a new gasket for the connection between the Shower drain and the ABS piping. It is called a "Coupling Washer 1-3/4" OD 1-3/8" ID" and can be purchased at a local hardware store for less than 2 bucks. Upon replacing the coupling washer and reinstalling the p trap with a little bit of pipe dope on the lower connection, I am happy to report it no longer leaks. BTW: I did have to remove the 3" Black Tank connection to provide me with enough room to get the p trap out and back. Also recommend you get a small strap wrench to loosen and tighten the drain p trap as it is really hard to reach and twist. In case anyone else find that they need the adaptor fitting that goes into the poly black tank, I was able to cross reference a partial part number and come up with the name as an ICON Technologies Limited Model # 12511 Holding Tank Fitting 3" Hub Fitting. It is available on Amazon for less than $10 or on camping world's website for around $5. Also note that Oliver service indicated that they have changed this drain design several times since 2017, so your setup might be much different and require other parts.

The problem starts every time it starts back up! 😆 I know this is a very individualized thing but I actually like the unit and/or fan only running continuously, especially if it is quiet. It was the loud start and stops of the DP2 that woke me up during the night, etc. I am very hot natured and live in the humid SE. What Ron has figured out is better than the other options of timing out, manually shutting off the unit, or using the AUTO mode with no ability to refine temp settings. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

I like 12 ft on the grill and a 12 ft extension with splitter to connect our fire ring too. We used all 24’ at this campsite. And first use of the Napoleon grill last night and griddle insert for breakfast this morning. We love it!

The ONLY good thing re the Dometic P2 is it does turn off when fan set to AUTO and temp is reached!

Just called Lake Guntersville State Park campground and they are not taking reservations for this rally yet (12 or 13 months out only). I thought perhaps Oliver made arrangements with the park for early reservations but apparently that's not the case.

I didn’t think I needed this since already having the remote and other app control but I believe I am going to try it. Being able to more clearly refine the control is what we all want. Thx for sharing the product and evaluation. … now, where to place it? USB power makes things interesting.

We had the 4-leaf Alcan springs installed yesterday along with the 5200 axles. Not sure if we’re the first with this spring version but think we may be. We’ve only towed about 125 miles but so far so good. Will update in a week or so after we have traveled a much longer distance. GJ, one of the guys at Alcan said the 5-leaf spring weighs in at around 23 pounds, so, if that is accurate, I’d say the 4-leaf is more than 17. But I certainly don’t know for sure.

This is from the description on their Amazon store- "Product Usage Instructions: Breez Max connects to a 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network. It is compatible with any mini-split, window or portable unit that has an IR remote control. If your device doesn't work out of the box, please contact Cielo Customer Support to make it compatible." Looks like any unit that works with an IR remote has a good chance of working with this thermostat. Might have to start a new thread at some point to track what other AC units it actually does work with? Thanks again for this.

As I understand it, the Cielo line of products is primarily marketed for mini splint air conditioners, but obviously found to be comparable with other types. SDG that sells and installs the Drieha Atmos 4.4 uses these IR Cielo thermostats in some of the Class B RVs they mostly deal with. I haven’t read of any other brands of rooftop units being controlled by a Cielo, but guess it may be possible. I agree, a perfect solution!

That seems like a perfect solution to the "always on" fan issue! Shouldn't this thermostat work for other units that have a remote control to control them?

My trip to the 2025 Owner's Rally:

Our paths will cross, but at different times. Apple Maps not so good at visualizing the route but this list is what we have in mind, actual route TBD!

We felt the same with all the fuss getting things ready for our longer than usual trip, like your trip starting soon! Stayed 2 nights at our first stop and did absolutely nothing today! We needed this kind of lazy day just looking at the woods and doing little else.

We did our spring trip to the southeast central US this year without reservations more than 1 or 2 days in advance. Mix of Harvest Hosts, state, federal, and a few commercial campgrounds. Worked out fine.

Yep it gets old

We leave Sunday. We are very excited, and I am a little nervous.

Looking great! Nice field feedback on the new grill! The only thing missing in those pancakes are blueberries! 🫐 😋

On 30 May 2025 at 9:15 AM I spoke with Tim at ALCON. He responded with shipping weights. So I asked him to actually weigh the naked springs we are using. Here is his verified statement: 4 Leaf 2,000 Pound Rated Spring with 19 1/2 pounds of USA made Steel 5 Leaf 2,700 Pound Rated Spring with 23 pounds of USA made Steel As I stated a couple of times above, the ALCON 4 leaf clearly has the Rating (2,000#), weight (19#+), and compliance (4-Leaf) to make it very well suited for use by most OTT owners. As such, it is my recommendation for likely +/- 85% of the fleet to use as replacements. If price point is of concern, then the Dexter PR4 springs fits the bill as well. Also as indicated in a few places in this mile long thread, if you are heavy and/or do a lot of boondocking with questionable roads/paths or hiking trails with your Ollie, you are part of the +/- 15% of the fleet and should consider the USA made Alcon 5 leaf spring. GJ

This link contains the information I used to connect and monitor the SeeLevel tank senders and a Cerbo GX. https://www.vanlifeoutfitters.com/using-seelevel-tank-monitoring-with-a-victron-energy-cerbo-gx/ Mossey

How is October 21 - 25 “over Halloween”? And besides, they announced at the Rally this year this year that the rally would be moving to the fall next year. Personally, I think it’s a great idea, by late October the weather should be moderating and there’ll be almost zero chance of a tornado.

A year out is the park policy on reservations for both Alabama residents and out of state folks too. Just a reminder you will have to pay in full for the dates you reserve. The park used to take just a deposit for one day to reserve your site for the rally. Not anymore, now you pay for all the days you have reserved up front.

Back to last months swing rack builds with Phase 2 of that project; custom swing away racks for my two Wavian Jerry Cans and spare 30# propane tank. Had some supply delays, but now finding time seems to be an issue and thus, I will report as the builds progress. I completed fabrication of the primary driver side swing out carrier hinge and tack welds on the passenger side assemblies. Here’s a few pics:

And the Truma for that matter! EDIT: Dometic Penguin ll, as well!

It would be very interesting to see if it works with the Houghton units. Hopefully someone with one will see your solution and give it a shot.

Good idea! It also claims ‘The smart air conditioner controller is compatible with over 20,000 models of mini-splits, window, or portable units’. Maybe there will be some owners of SOB units willing to try the Cielo Breez Max and report their findings.

The Cielo has to be positioned for line-of-sight with the Atmos controls in the air distribution panel. And yes, an AC outlet or USB port is needed in close proximity; however it is equipped for hardwiring. When learning how to use the Cielo, I sat at the dinette and plugged into an AC outlet via the supplied 5V adapter; the supplied base stand for flat surface staging was also used. Being a wall-mount is best securement in a rolling earthquake, I first tried it on the forward bulkhead to the upper left of the wet bath door, but didn’t like the cord dangling down the wall and it seemed a bit less responsive due to the distance. I then placed it between the two curbside upper cabinets near the under cabinet USB ports above the cooktop, but the 90° orientation didn’t work as well and there would be concerns of rising heat if cooking. Finally I placed it as shown in the pic, whereby the cord runs in and out of the galley cabinet and plugs into said USB port. I used Velcro for the mount, and may eventually hardwire the Cielo through that upper cabinet and tap into the wiring within the access screw port for a cleaner installation. As positioned, the Cielo is in clear view from bed, and I like that the backlight is dimmable or can be turned off.

For me, the Pebble Flow made in the USA is the most interesting and beautiful smart EV friendly TT. It has a ton of cool’s features and would be an awesome addition for an ICE or EV setup. My favorite features are the beautiful aerodynamic looks combined with all the new technology like smart glass, app controlled parking, auto camp set-up, magic hitch as well awesome design elements like room flip, huge fold out windows. Also great are Solar and EV importance shown in design like flat roof, integrated solar panels, power assist while driving with brake regeneration. A lot more of very innovative, forward thinking design implementations like off roof silent AC, No TV mounts, etc. Great use of space with room flip and dry bath. Kitchen with open window is amazing, ability to use water from kitchen outside and use of 2 burner induction stove outside as well. Great stuff for the person that loves the outdoors. Integrated rear hitch. Lots more! Video is worth a watch! And No I am not selling my beloved Oliver. Just appreciate innovation Best, M

Sorry but you have some incorrect information I believe. I did order and install the newer converter charger for my PD 4045 unit and it charges at 14.4 volts however it was my understanding some of the earlier units charged at 14.6 volts but realized over time most if not all LiFE-PO batteries should only be charge at 14.4 volts max. I had a long conversation with the people at Epoch regarding charging and what settings they require. The tech support person, perhaps the owner, strongly recommended only using 14.2 volts especially in the initially stages as the BMS goes through it break-in. He insisted never go beyond 14.4 volts. Keeping in mind I rarely use shore power and depend on solar for 99% of my charging duties this was easy enough to setup with the IPN Pro Remote. I would seriously encourage you to talk with the folks at Epoch on charging as they can explain this better than I. The gentleman I spoke with had some serious warnings about 14.6 volts and beyond. In the meantime I have yet to connect shore power to my new Epoch battery but at least I have this option if needed.

The Cielo is independent of the remote and actually turns OFF the power to the Atmos 1° below the low temp setting then turns ON the power to the Atmos 1° above the high setting. There is zero power draw during the shutdown period. When using the thermostat, the remote must be turned OFF and the phone app used to control. The remote can be used for normal operation of the unit, but for enhanced features like Comfy Mode the app is used. Selecting the proper temp setpoint will determine if the fan or compressor runs longer at shutdown. I will address that another time. There is also a Comfy Max Mode, which mimics a home HVAC set for heat/cool, but I think the fan is continuous. Did this answer your question?

I placed ours inside the inside or interior of the hull and it works fine. The idea is to allow it to be placed where another cell phone will pick up the signal the AT is sending. The inside AC might be good as long as the adhesive on the AT holder does not fail and you loose it. I have one hidden in my Honda generator, TV, car, as well.

Ours are 10 years old, look nicely arced. Purchased a backup pair for travel safety, but leaving ours as-is until maybe one day I upgrade to 5200 lb axles and the would get the 5-leaf Alcans which is the co recommendation. Perhaps Dexter used better steel 10-16 years ago. Leave well enough alone in our case.

I understand all this, I was just wondering how you came up 17 pounds being the minimum weight. I would hope that if Alcan designs a spring with a 2000# rating that it would perform as expected and exceed what is required for an LE2 no matter the weight of it. I'm running on 16 year old springs at the moment, that thankfully don't show any of the typical Dexter flattening near the eyes, but want to upgrade soon myself and I'm a little worried about installing springs rated for nearly double the weight we usually travel at. 2000# Alcan's seem like a perfect match but now I'm a little nervous and and asking questions due to your opinion on the weight of them...

Interesting design, but the rear overhang is HUGE. Coupled with what appears to be low ground clearance, the departure angle would be really small.

Please note that the dates were changed. When scheduling the dates for the rally, the Lodge did not check with the campground to verify availability. The original dates were already booked at the campground due to a yearly Halloween event. Oliver Rally Date: October 21 - 25, 2026

Very interesting. 23’ living space. A/C under seats , heat in floor so no roof penetration.

I was going to ask the same thing. I’m pretty comfortable with a 4 leaf full length spring made with US steel and a 2000 lb rating.

All looked good. I was able to snap the window shade back in after checking that the connection points were secure. Thanks for the help. John

Thanks Rich, it looks easy to fix. I see that I used the wrong term. I meant the window shade. Thanks again for finding that video. John

Just so I have a clear understanding of this issue, is it the frame of the window shade or the actual window? Mossey

Well....not yet. I was impressed that Mike Sharpe from Oliver Service sent me an email within hours of opening my service ticket. I sent him photos and then heard nothing back. Three weeks later I emailed him again and Mike responded that he had "sent this over to our manufacturing department to take a look into this." Then nothing for another 10 days and I emailed him again on Tuesday of this week. Mike responded with one sentence: "No response as of yet. I have reached back out to them." It's been over a month now.....so.....not too impressed anymore.... but hopeful that Oliver will make this right since it's clearly a manufacturing defect that should have been caught by both the supplier and Oliver installer. I've had to tape wood shims around the underside edge of the fiberglass lid to raise it and attempt to stop the damage. This is obviously not acceptable. If anyone has a suggestion on how to better communicate with Oliver Service, please let me know...?