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I saw advertised this morning and thought it may be of interest to some, plug and play SoftStart! A demo vid featured use of a 15A to 30A dogbone adapter with a 2000W generator to run an RV a/c w/o such device. Impressive!

Completely agree with all of the above experience & recommendations. We have an Elite I (5,000 lb Gross) that's lighter than the Elite II that most folks tow. Our tow vehicle has been a 1/2 ton Silverado 1500 5.3L for 8 years. This combination does fine in the flatlands and rolling hills of the East, Southeast and the mid-West. The Rockies and similar mountain ranges of the West are another thing entirely. We're the vehicle going uphill at less than 45 mph in the right lane with the flashers on. Downhill the transmission really winds up (and heats up) trying to help the brakes keep our speed under control. With an Elite II, in the mountains, it would not feel safe/controlled. After our recent trip to Glacier NP and parts of Oregon, we finally upgraded to a 3/4 ton Silverado 2500HD with the 6.6L gas engine and 10-speed Allison transmission. Higher GVWR for camping gear, bigger engine, bigger brakes, more engine oil and transmission fluid cooling capability. Yes the diesel version would be the ultimate, particularly with its engine braking capability, but the purchase and maintenance costs are higher *and* in some locales out in the boondocks away from the interstate highways you can't always find diesel fuel when you need it... hence the gasser. We haven't been back to the Rockies with the larger truck yet, but in the northern NY Adirondack "mountains" (only hills compared to the Rockies) the 2500 is SOLID; you don't even notice our little Elite I behind us. As some have mentioned, its not the best choice for a daily driver in town with narrower roadways, tighter parking and more traffic.

***Long Post*** XPLOR Hull #634 Victron 3000 watt inverter, Victron 12v DC to DC charger and Epoch lithium battery upgrade. Note: To discuss options and pricing, please contact Jordan Hall at Inverter Services, White House, Tenn. Our OEM AGM batteries were getting long in the tooth and it was time to upgrade our batteries to a complete lithium battery system on our 2020 Oliver LE2. Our good friend, and former Oliver owner Jim Posey, highly recommended we speak with Inverter Services in White House, Tennessee. I called and spoke with Service Manager Jordan Hall and discussed our needs and options. Jordan and his team at Inverter Services were excellent to work with and have a lot of experience working on Oliver travel trailers. Our tech/installer, Easton Ford, kept us updated on our install progress with photos and discussions as needed. We found Easton to be extremely detail-oriented and dialed in and focused on our project. We were originally scheduled to have this work done next March. After returning from our 54 day New England and Canada trip, I decided to call Inverter Services and ask if they had any cancellations. They did and we immediately took the cancellation. They are typically booked 6-7 months out. So we hitched op Oliver and headed to White House, Tenn to leave our Oliver with the team for 2 weeks. Important note: Inverter Services supports the RV and Marine industry in ALL things lithium battery and electronics. This is one of the most detailed and thorough, cutting-edge companies we have ever done business with. I chose Inverter Services to do this install because this is not my area of expertise and it absolutely is theirs. These guys are experts in their field and I admittedly am still in the learning process. Based on our excellent experience, we highly recommend Inverter Services in White House, Tenn if you are considering a lithium upgrade. We chose all Epoch & Victron following products for this install. (2) Epoch 300ah lithium batteries (internal heating elements) -https://www.epochbatteries.com/.../12v-300ah-heated... *Victron MultiPlus-II 3000w Inverter/charger *Victron GX 70 Touch Screen *Victron Smart Solar MPPT *Victron Orion XS DC-DC Battery Charger **We also had the RV Soft Start installed on our Truma Aventa AC. Inverter Services provides tech guidance/support/firmware updates as long as we own our Oliver. I cannot stress enough the pride this company takes in their work. As I think most would agree, Victron components are a class all their own and leaders in the Marine and RV industry. Post install, we have on board 600ah of lithium battery power, and with our extra 90W Zamp panel now configured to lithium, we have approx 410 watts of solar. This will certainly give us more options on the roads less traveled and boondocking. Still lots to learn on this new system. Now having the 12v DC -DC charger I don’t think we will see a need to carry a generator any longer. Thanks to all those on the forum who made the Lithium upgrade happen. ⚡️ The information gleaned here helped me decide the direction I wanted to take this install. ⚡️Happy Camping and Safe Travels! ⚡️ A few install pics- The Victron GX 70 touch screen fit the existing opening with no cutting or trimming of the fiberglass. Our system at a glance. The touch screen nice option if no cell service is available for the Victron app. Although with our SL mini that’s not an issue. Very happy with the touch screen and the Victron app. We can set the screen to time out at 5 or 10 min or longer and then go dark for sleep mode. Zamp 90W suitcase. 12v DC to DC Andersen connector. On our way home we camped at Cumberland Mountain SP in Tenn and gave our new system a shake down. It’s nice to not have to plug in. 😊

Finally got around to picking up a Greenlee Turbro Inverter AC/heat pump to replace the original Coleman that came with Hull 45 back in 2009. Been wanting to do this for a while now and couldn't resist once @jd1923 posted the about the anniversary sale going on that knocked the price down from a list of 1,499 to 1,099 with free shipping. Install was a breeze. The hardest part of the job was cleaning the gunk off the roof after the Coleman was removed. The seal for the Turbro is preinstalled so it's just a matter of getting the unit centered over the opening and bolting it down through the inside mounting plate. Since it doesn't have a wired thermostat, electrical connections were simple too. Just the 120v power and connecting the wiring between the rooftop unit and the inside cover panel was all that was needed. I have separate thermostats for AC and heat which made it easy but if you have a single thermostat for both AC and heat additional steps may be required. The Turbro comes with a remote with a wall mount and it also has a phone app available. Once fully installed, I connected our power cord to a voltage/amps/watts meter and used an adapter to plug into a standard 15amp outlet. I also turned off all other breakers to insure I was getting only the draw from the Turbro during startup and running. There were two main reasons I purchased the Turbro unit- One, because it uses the same extremely efficient "inverter" compressor technology used in mini-split systems and two, because of this technology the system is able to "ramp down" once set temp is reached and continue to run at a lower capacity instead of powering down and cycling like a standard single speed compressor does. Running in this manner reduces or eliminates the humidity spikes common with standard compressor systems and is very important to those of us who live and travel in hot/humid locations. Added benefit is that no soft start reuired and it can be easily run off the Honda EU2000 that we have as a backup. Since my brother is using our Ollie for temp housing while his house is being finished I didn't have much time for testing after the install, but here are some of my finding and opinions for the short time I had. The good- Power efficiency is right about what I expected, which is excellent. The unit slowly ramps up starting around 120 watts and peaks just under 1000 watts. As it gets closer to setpoint, it begins ramping down and settles in around the 500-700 watt range. At set temp I was seeing watts in the 120-200 range but couldn't tell if the compressor was running or not at those watts. The compressor is so quiet that it was impossible for me to tell. The air output continued to be cool so I assume the compressor was still running. Cooling and humidity control were both excellent too. Cabin cooled quickly after which I changed the setting on the remote to "dry" mode which locks the fan on low speed with compressor running. No humidity spikes seen at all. Outside sound level is about the best I've encountered. You will not annoy anyone around you running this unit at night, even if they're in a tent right next to you. LED strips built into the inside panel can be left off or set to white, blue or yellow. I think this feature will come in handy for us at night when getting up to go the bathroom. The not so good- While not close to Dometic level loud, and quieter than our old Coleman, it's not the quietest unit out there. Quiet enough for us for sure, but if sound level is the most important feature you're looking for then you should probably look somewhere else. On the bright side, I think the sound issue could be improved with an updated interior cover panel alone. I loosened the cover and dropped it a couple of inches down and the sound dropped dramatically. Another issue that makes me think the cover panel is the problem is that the airflow only can be felt across about 1/3 of the vent openings on both front and back vents. The ability to adjust the airflow between front and back vents with a damper would be another nice feature... Temperature control... Wasn't happy here. It seems to be about 4-5 degrees off from actual cabin temp. Hoping that this can be solved with the addition of the external Cielo wireless thermostat that @Ronbrinkturned us on to and has had great success with. I wish I had more time to test and give better feedback, but I most certainly will update this post once I'm able to. I want to see how it performs in different environments, how the phone app works, and how it interfaces with the Cielo thermostat before I make a final judgement. For now I'll give it an overall rating of A-. On power efficiency alone, an A++

I use spray white lithium grease, then wipe off the excess with a paper towel. Lasts longer than WD-40.

Dennis and Melissa; your first photo appears to show the small 'ball' in the end of the pin is missing. Perhaps it's my eyesight. That small ball is the only thing that will keep the pin from making its way free.

The Cielo doesn’t override a unit’s fan control, but rather turns supply power completely off or on with each cycle of the compressor when programmed in Comfy Mode. When a set temperature is reached a total shutdown occurs; there is no power to run anything, compressor or fan. Subsequently when a programmed setpoint limit is reached, the Cielo restores power and the compressor and fan startup in sync.

The Ceilo Breez Max smart thermostat claims to be compatible with a/c units having IR remote capability and thus, Houghton models with said remote should adapt; the Truma Aventa comes with an IR remote and should adapt, as well. Conversely the Dometic Penguin ll does not come with a remote, nor is one available as a separate option, but rather hardwired to a wall thermostat thereby rendering it incompatible with the Cielo. Still waiting for a Houghton and Truma owner to up their game and give the Cielo a go! The setup is so simple; download the Cielo phone app, plug into a USB port to power the Cielo, follow instructions to pair the IR remote, operate the a/c via the Cielo’s touchscreen or phone app. If found to be incompatible, do an Amazon return! ‘Nuff said.

I think Mike and Carol sum it up pretty well. You will always be fighting pay load and have marginal power with most 1/2 ton trucks. 3/4 ton and larger trucks tow effortlessly, give you payload headroom but make lousy daily drivers. We went from Toyota Tacoma to F250 6.7. We will never go back to a 1/2 ton for towing. Addtionally, It's hard not to love the power of diesel if it will fit your budget. Given a choice today, we would go with F350 for more payload capacity. We are not minimalist and bring along our toys.

Short version: WOW good news. Why: The Houghton's sense the delta T between the set point and the thermistor reading. For not modified units, the thermistor is in the return air path of the inside the cabin plenum. If in auto mode the fan will run high when there is a large delta T. As the cabin cools it will switch to medium, and then low fan speed. That said, many of us just run the unit on low speed. Either way, the unit would be running on low fan speed when the set point is reached. The Ciello shutting the unit down would do so when the unit is expecting to be shut down. This would be good. The consecuences of such though would be: Loss of the periodic "Stirring" of the cabin air. (A good thing in my opinion as it can be annoying especially when sleeping) No change in the short cycling of the unit due to the thermistor location in the air plenum. This would still require the Mod to relo the thermistor to a location actually in the cabin area several feet from the unit. (In my case I used a 10' long thermistor to place the thermistor at the fore end of the streetside bed. This is a relatively easy mod as compared to the relay mod for fan control. However it does require an unusual way to get there. Not being assured that the control board does not have a problem with repeated full power shut down when cycling. My two cents assuming the Cielo power cycling "does no harm" to the control board: The Houghton would only need the thermistor relo mod. It becomes "Doable" for "handy owners". With the mod, the Houghton and Cielo would provide an ultra quiet reliable unit that also can run in extremely hot conditions (122 degrees F per RecPro web site). It appears to be a game changer for Houghton and RecPro. GJ

Happy Veterans Day As a veteran myself I understand at least a bit of what fellow veterans gave to our country and I certainly thank them for the time and sacrifice they spent/gave on behalf of all of us. We should all give at least a few moments today to reflect on what time and sacrifice means to all of us. Bill

I've heard of these. Looks like an easy option for those who want to run their A/C with a 2kW generator and don't have factory installed soft start.

Ah.. Then should work with just about all of them with a remote. Thanks!

McMaster-Carr is also a good source. Fast shipping. https://www.mcmaster.com/products/pins/quick-release-pins-2~/

I replaced mine a number of years ago. Don't recall my source. You should search for marine stainless steel quick release pins. You will find a variety of lengths and diameters with and without leashes. The marine grade are spendy but they will not corrode.

My take away from the above is that the current distribution box (Plenum) does not effectively allow good control of airflow in different directions, and that the air flow velocity is excessive out the 1/3 section that does work. I've seen several different inside plenum's and they are pretty all passively turn the air flow and discharge it into the cabin. Noise is directly attributed to that from the over roof section and the noise generated by turbulance in the plenum itself. It would be worth a try to place about 3/8" of washers between the ceiling and the plenum at each securing screw locaton. (You may need longer screws to do this.) Doing so would effectively provide a 3/8" gap all the way around the unit. Some portion of the supply air will exit via that gap. This extra air supply path will (hopefully) slow down the air velocity as the air transits into the cabin. That in theory reduce the noise associated with the current design. GJ

OOPS! Mike also included a PDF with Norcold parts list in case anyone needs and/or wants it. See below - Bill PARTS LIST N412 for Norcold Fridge.pdf

About 10 minutes ago I sent Mike Sharpe in Oliver Service an email requesting that he (or someone at Oliver) take a look at Service records on these Norcold fridges in order to see if there is any insight into possible repair parts that might be useful to stock. I'll post back here if Mike (or someone else at Oliver) has the time to do this for us. Bill

Congratulations @CRM, I know you have been wanting this for a while and I'm happy for you! 😂 And you didn't have to wait 'til Thanksgiving! Every time I've read an Oliver A/C installation thread, I've always thought this and you're the first to mention it. When I removed the Winegard dish from our roof it was a mesh underneath and I expect under the Dometic to be the same or worse. I'm hiring a guy to shine up the Oliver and hope to get him up top first after I've pulled the old unit and temporarily plug up the 14x14 opening to keep buffing compound out of the interior! The solar panels will come off too so most of the roof can be addressed. One of the Greenland YouTubers talked to this, re the interior airflow being noisy too. Given your description, I'm wondering, could a foam insert between the Oliver ceiling and the A/C interior panel help here? Did you have fan set to high or low? This is why you insisted on the Inverter A/C! BTW, I purchased one on sale too a few days after you! It just arrived. With help of the FedEx guy, we put it in the back of our GX for lack of a better place to put the huge heavy box! It's still in the box. I have to finish up some current projects and line up the guy to buff the roof. We'll both have new Greenland Inverter A/Cs before Thanksgiving and perhaps we can work together on modifying the interior air exchange for quieter operation. I'm looking forward to running this inverter A/C on batteries. Already thinking about where to put a 3rd battery for total 1060Ah (maybe an Epoch 460 in the doghouse)! 😎 Bummer is the extra battery would cost more than the Greenland Inverter A/C!

An occasional good cleaning and a shot of WD-40 will make these things last a long time. Pay particular attention to the little "ball" in one end and the "push button" in the other and also give the holes in the bumper a little shot of lube (WD-40 or something similar) from time to time. Bill p.s. you might also take a look in Tractor Supply if that is easier - they used to carry these pins.

Grainger has these in several sizes. Quick Release Pin: T-Handle Edit- Lot's of options on Amazon too. Quick Release Pin T Handle Lock Pins

And this is mine for a quick and easy setup when needed. Works great for stationary use with clear view of sky above. The rubber-coated magnets serve to prevent the incased SLM from sliding on the slightly sloped front housing; power via the duplex receptacle.

I just heard today that Norcold is entering bankruptcy and intends to liquidate all of its assets. Apparently the sale of these assets will not cover their remaining liabilities. If this can be confirmed and you have a Norcold fridge (or anything else for that matter) now just might be a good time to stock up on any spare parts you think you might need for the future. Bill