Leaderboard

@taylor.coyote It sounds like you have an RV tech on the way. That's the best I think in your situation, especially if you are not familiar with these parts, and on the road without all the tools. As @John Dorrer mentioned, many of us owners with older Olivers have had to replace their Automatic Transfer Relay (ATR) switch, AND SHOULD!!!! I've attached my pic of the old style box (insides) and my new style switch box. I changed out the box myself (with shore power disconnected!!!!). It took me maybe 20 or 30 minutes. I've also noted in my pics that my front shore power receptacle does NOT go thru my Electrical Management System (EMS) box. Many do have their front port going thru the EMS, mine was just not done like that at the factory, which proved handy last year in the hot July whether in Georgia, when my EMS kept over heating and switching off. I think it's time for a new one (to-do list). But, I always carry an external EMS to place on the exterior camp ground pedestals. When I realized it was not the camp ground killing the power and it was my EMS, I just used the front inlet port to run the power and used my external EMS for the rest of the trip. Worked like a champ. So, I guess I will NOT re-route that front port thru the EMS in the future, lesson learned. Not everyone has that front port. If folks do not have the front inlet power generator receptacle, then they will not have an ATR box. Hope this helps a bit, and you get help quickly. Reminder, the ATR switch box should be an annual inspectable item. I just checked mine too since I could not find my old pictures. My old box was very difficult, and scary, to push in the sides of the box to release the tabs. The new box is MUCH easier to push in and release the tabs. Here is the new style ATR switch box (I only order this type of important items. from eTrailer, NOT Amazon: https://www.etrailer.com/RV-Transfer-Switch/Progressive-Dynamics/PD5110010Q.html

You camp and learn. We were at my dad’s in southern MI this past week with temps dropping down in the single digits. Atmos 4.4 heat pump quit working immediately and the plug in electric heater was taken out during the last cleaning and forgot to put it back. Propane tank gauges were showing zero and the Truma water heater started blinking yellow. After turning off the water heater and Atmos several times and verifying propane level by weight we turned on the Suburban propane and stayed warm and cozy for the next 2 days without further problems. It is a learning experience every time you forget something or encounter something challenging out in the wild blue yonder. Part of the adventure! Glad you were able to find some AC for heat, redundancy is key .

Stay away from the cheapies! We live on the coast in a very wet redwood rainforest and have tried several Peltier electronic type portable dehumidifiers from Amazon that were absolute garbage. We found that the Afloia Q3 Portable 20oz was the least worthless Peltier, but it's no longer available in Amazon. I wouldn't recommend any of the Peltier's anyway. They're rated in Ounces of water compared to compressor type dehumidifiers that are rated in Pints... it's a bit of a giveaway! The Peltiers are cheaper, smaller, and lighter, and most compressors are too large and heavy for the Oliver. But I've been eying the Ivation 14.7 pint compressor for under $200. The Ivation is the smallest compressor I've seen at 7x7x18 inches, 2 lbs. It has a drain hose so it doesn't have to be emptied all the time🙏 I'm thinking it will fit on the counter and drain into the sink. It's even advertised for RVs! Hope that helps! Cheers! Geoff.

JD is right, your numbers seem too low. This can be caused by several things. Most frequently it's low gas pressure in the burner caused by a restricted orfice jet clogged with debris. If fan runs without heat then could be the Sail Switch sticking. They can get corrosion on the pivot and need to be cleaned. If the gas sounds like it's pulsing, and you hear clicking, then it could be a failing Limit Switch. Then there is the flame sensor, looks like a thermocouple rod, they can get sooty from a poor flame. Take a look and listen while the furnace running; you should hear the gas roaring with a good steady burn. If it's weak or whistles then check the orfice. Flame should be steady and strong, not yellow. If it cycles about every minute-- with a burn then a click, then it's likely the limit switch. There are videos for all of this. I'd recommend shutting off the gas, opening the unit up from the outside, and just doing a thorough inspection and cleaning of things that you can easily access. Then you can try it again and see how it works. Stay warm and check out the Borrego Springs underground visitor center. I helped build it about a half a century ago. Cheers, Geoff

I recently bought the KNKA 1600 sq. foot dehumidifier from on Amazon and used it for the first time last week on a trip (I have been running it in my camper when it's parked at home). It is a compressor dehumidifier and did an excellent job. We were in the Okefenokee Swamp and the temps were in the 50s and 60s with 80% to 90% humidity at times. The unit did an excellent job pulling the moisture out of the air. I ran it the whole time we were in the swamp and it maintained the indoor humidity in the 40s to 50s with no problem. It is small enough to pack on the floor of the closet. It measures about 7 1/2" deep, by 10" wide and 14" tall. I did cover the light in front and will probably cover the light on top on our next trip as it lights up the whole camper at night. It is very quiet.

Taping the transfer switch, getting power and then not having it is not good. The transfer switch you apparently have ,has had several owners having fires and melted wires as a result of no maintenance to tighten all wire connectors. Chris Sharff is one owner that had to replace his transfer switch. The transfer switch is located, I believe under the rear dinette. The last thing you need is a fire.

I am grateful that I know Jesus and He has lead me to Kairos Prison Ministry. I have been serving in Kairos for about 40 years now.

CRM.. thanks for the follow up. I will check the voltage. I found a mobile RV repair guy that seems legit has been helpful way past normal hours. He can get the parts Monday morning with the plan to replace the damaged electronic components. If all goes well, we will be set for shore power and have upgraded everything to be lithium ready. Have not pulled the trigger on the batteries over the phone with the mobile guy. I have made a small bet paying for electronic components up front but not willing part with the cost of batteries until I see the whites of his eyes.

Mike and Carol, I posted the above not knowing your post. Thank you. You have given me the information needed. Already checked the master power switch under the bed and all the fuses and breakers under in the kitchen. certain breakers are not the issue. tapping on the transfer relay make the power go on and off..

Your Progressive Dynamics converter is a circuit card located in your fuse box under the dinette seat (PD4045). Yours will not support lithium batteries, mine didn’t either. Your hull is the same year as mine. I ordered a new one, it was about $150. It has a switch for lithium batteries. It’s fairly straightforward to switch them out. If I did it you can too. While you are down there, check to make sure your main breaker didn’t flip off. Also, I would check under the bed with your Bluesky for the red circuit breaker to make sure it isn’t off. You might have another one under the dinette seat, I do. Make sure it is set. If you are hooked up to shore power and not getting 110 in the trailer I would suspect one of those breakers broke and needs to be reset (push the little flag back in to place). Hope this helps. Mike

A couple of thoughts: 1. Does your trailer have 2 shoreline inputs, one on the driver's side and one on the passenger side of the hitch? If so, try the other one. 2. Does your unit have a power management system display, perhaps in the attic cabinet? With shore power connected, does the PMS display show anything? Any error codes? Not sure where the transfer switch and converter are in your model year. You should be able to find that information online in Oliver University

Our Hull #1291 came with such a vent installed by Oliver. I believe that venting was required by Truma when installing our Truma Varioheat furnace. We have noted no moisture in the basement from the shower. We run the bath exhaust fan when using the shower, and for 10-15 minutes thereafter, venting most of the shower-generated moisture outside.

Roger, were you able to confirm this after purchase. The Amazon listing does not state "compressor" anywhere on the page. Thank you, JD

@rideandfly I used the KNKA on a trip earlier this week in the Okefenokee Swamp where the temps were in the 50s and 60s and the humidity was in the 80% to 90% range and it did an excellent job keeping the humidity down.

Have you checked the wire connections inside the transfer switch housing (with all power disconnected, obviously). Those wires have been known to come loose.

From Chris Scharff's transfer switch replacement and another Owner who had burned wires

JD, just got your note... very helpful but I'm down for the night. we have run an extension cord through the window (a little tape to keep to seal the gap) for our portable electric heater. we will be ok for the night. can't believe I have put us in this situation. Camped on the batteries all the way through California thinking all was fine. The tired batteries are my fault but this other stuff at the same time is classic.. you can't make this stuff up. thanks

I meant ATS, not EMS. You wrote "tapping on the transfer relay make the power go on and off." The ATS can short out and fail often! I have replaced these on 2 RVs in the last 6 years. You can open the box and tighten all lugs which may work. Or you can bypass it. Ours burnt out recently. I could have replaced it but i bypassed it connecting only the streetside 30A outlet, since we do not run a generator and never use the front 30A port. I am assuming you have two (2) shore power inlets (side hull just front of the battery bay and up front behind the basket in front of the LP tanks), otherwise you do not have a shore power ATS. Ours looks like this and your hull is of same generation. The ATS has two (2) incoming 10/3 cables and one outgoing connected to the 120VAC power panel. You can bypass the ATS using wire nuts to connect the hot/black, neutral/white and ground/green wires together. If this is not applicable or does not work... Do you have an inverter? Make sure it is powered on and test again. Is the main 30A breaker in the power panel and/or other breakers tripped? I'll stay online for awhile tonight if you need more help. Best wishes, JD

You need to service or replace or when in emergency circumstances bypass your ATS!

Steph and Dud B thanks for the tip on Oliver University. very helpful

I would still check the battery voltage. If it's too low it might be causing the issue with the relay. Seems weird that you had battery problems and then the relay decides to give up at the same time.

I know the transfer relay is bad. I Tap on it and we get power. I Tap on it again and we loose power. Something is shorting out and or ??? With this symptom, I don't feel it's wise to run shore power. I have been talking with a mobile rv tech about how the rely is behaving. He has seen this issue before and said the box is bad and will only get worse. We still have two possible solutions (besides the extention cord through the window). One is to replace my old AMG batteries. We want to upgrade to lithium if we are going to purchase batteries. Buying lead acid batteries would be a simple solution but not desirable. We know the Victron controller will support lithium but I don't know if the factory converter will or where it is located. Can someone tell me where we can find the converter and possibley the make/model? Does anyone know if the factory converter will support lithium or if the converter will need to be replaced? The other solution is to replace my bad transfer relay so I can have shore power. Ultimately we need to fix all our power issues but one or the other will allow us to continue our trip. At this time I don't know what possible based part availability in Flagstaff or possibly Sedona

I don't have an auto transfer switch on mine, but I don't think it will work without 12v going to it. Maybe your batteries are completely dead? Maybe use jumper cables from your TV to get enough juice to get it to work? I'm sure other will jump in who are more knowledgeable on this. Good luck!

Great shots👏👏

Boondocking on FR 401, east of AZ-87 (Beeline Hwy Mesa to Payson), with amazing views of the Four Peaks Wilderness due east! It only took me a week to get ‘er dirty after polishing and ceramic coating, serious washboards getting here! Dirt not sticking like before though. Too much an OHV location, but as the sun sets early they’re already gone for the day! Quiet and truly majestic and should be a great night for star-gazing!

Mud Dobbers and Mice Nests have been seen before in furnaces. GJ

Yes, YES certainly! (Now you'll get at least 3x feedback on this question!) It's the lowest cost addition (~$600 in parts) you can do to create Ah, increase SOC while towing! We boondock often, lots of short stays, and when you're going from dry camp to dry you can always count on gaining considerable power. Our 320W rooftop solar is about breakeven running our fridge on DC (10 Ah on average in the sunny SW). With our Victron Orion XS 50A charger (get this model) we get +40 Ah every hour towing! Here is info on my installation and performance results:

These are bad numbers, so I would conclude your furnace needs some sort of maintenance. An easy task is to remove the exterior panel and LP vent. Make sure all is clean and there are no flow obstructions. Fire it up for a minute with vent off and see if you can observe the burner in action for a clean blue flame. Check for any documented manufacturer's troubleshooting steps. I say these are bad numbers in comparison to our Atwood furnace. We left camp for a long dinner with friends last night. Since we left our dog in the cabin alone, for safety reasons, I turned off the HWH and furnace and the LP at the tanks. When we returned it was 57F in the cabin (outside was 49F and windy). I turned the thermostat up to 66F and although I did not time it, it seemed like 20 to 30 minutes max and the cabin was up to 65F. I do not have a proper instrument to measure air temp, but I placed a meat thermometer in the main duct. It started at 119F and stepped up to 172F! After I heard the gas shut off, the temp dropped back down at a similar rate. I also have an infrared temp gun which measures surface temps. The inside of the duct measured in the 140s. Our furnace works better than new with ducting changes I've made, and given the numbers, yours seems to be in need service! Hope this helps and please let us know what you find out! JD

@taylor.coyote I recently had a complete Lithium upgrade professionally installed with 2 Epoch 300ah batteries which do have built in heaters. The Epochs fit perfectly in the OEM battery tray. I selected ALL Victron components to include the Victron 3000 watt inverter/charger and the DC/DC charger. Our DC/DC charger is a game changer for us and eliminates the need to ever carry a generator again. Our Ford 6.7 diesel has dual alternators which made my decision pretty easy to roll with DC/DC charger. I considered Battle Born but the preferred the (2) single 300ah Epochs. If one goes down you have a back up. “One is none and two is one”. Charging our house batteries via our TV while on the roads less traveled is certainly a nice option to have while traveling rain, shine or in darkness. ⚡️Have fun with your conversion!

Of course the answer to the first question depends on a number of factors - how cloudy is it and for how long is it cloudy? How depleted are the batteries to start with? I replaced my lead acid batteries (400 ah) with two 230 ah li batteries thus just about doubling the usable capacity of energy. But, my actual usage has stayed just about the same as it was before the upgrade. So, my standard Oliver solar panels have absolutely no problem fully charging these new batteries to 100% every day AND I have plenty of capacity in the event there are several days of no sun. Asking about brands of batteries is akin to asking about brands of truck, cars, etc.. To each his own. For what its worth, I purchased LiTimes and have had zero problems. However, I understand that Epoch is making a nice battery and, of course, there is always the higher end Battle Borns. Check to make sure that the manufacturer is using #1/grade A cells and then it is a matter of the features that you might want/need (i.e. bluetooth, heated, on/off switches, etc.). I'd wait on the DC to DC charging until you have the experience with the new batteries. If you actually need the extra charging then you can add it later. Bill

I am grateful for many things but would like to take this opportunity to tell you how grateful I am for the support of all the Oliver Forum users. We were complete rookie boneheads when we purchased our Oliver but certain we had made a good purchase. The Oliver was a great purchase but a big part of the value has come by surprise by way of this forum. When you are Ignorant, you don't know how ignorant you are. With the support of forum users, we have progressed from rookies to competent Oliver users and learning everyday. This forum has provided us with knowlege to safely drag a 6,000LB projectile around the country, make educated decisions for general maintenance and upgrading our trailer. The User Forum has increased our enjoyment of our Oliver by 50%. When ask about our Oliver, I say we love it but a huge part of the value owning an Oliver is generious support from the Oliver user forum. Let us be the first to wish you the best on however you celebrate the Christmast season. Chris and Tracey

9300 ft Silverton CO

We could not go to the Lake Guntersville rally because we had a family gathering at Jalama Beach county park campground, west of Santa Barbara, CA. This is a really nice campground, right on the ocean. We had our Oliver, my sister had her Casita, and other family members rented cabins. On our way home we stayed in Snow Canyon State Park, near St. George, UT. A really fabulous park.

Overnighting directly across from:

At Land Between the Lakes COE Canal Campground tonight. A very nice place. This nice Kentucky campground is only hour away from our home.