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Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Holidays. Here is to a Healthy 2026 with many great camping trips.🎄⛄

75 degrees and sunny here in south Texas. Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas. Mike and Carol

This is a good start but leaving the battery door open/unlocked is not a real good idea. The mods and installs shared on the forum are allways impressive and helpful! Just an FYI - I have the Renogy 200w Solar Suitcase with attached solar controller (link below). I am able to simply use the alligator clips on the battery terminals and route the cable to the lower right corner of the battery compartment. As I close the door, I shift the cable just a bit so it's below the weather seal and next to the hinge - the door will just close without pinching. https://www.amazon.com/Renogy-200-Watt-Monocrystalline-Controller/dp/B07RFQVB9M?th=1

This is more for general information than anything else: I opted for no solar in my 2020 OLEll, but told it was prewired if ever an installation was wanted. I located a bundle of wiring inside the street side hatch on the wheel well next the battery box. I’m not sure of the year model that Oliver discontinued such prewiring. There’s also aluminum mounting plates formed in the roof’s outer shell to accommodate panel installation.

Thank you all for your comments. They are very helpful. We also have a 2nd vehicle that we want to be able to tow with, a Jeep Grand Cherokee with a 5.7 Hemi. However, it is not adequate for the Elite II in my book. Topgun's comment about the hitch weight would be a major concern. Since posting, we have toured both the Elite II and the Elite I owned privately. The Oliver community is so welcoming and the tours were so helpful. While we have a Mini-lite, we also have a Tab 320 and have taken it across the country. We are used to small. We decided to go with an Elite I. So it is on order and due to deliver in March! Either vehicle will be fine to tow with. I'm also a believer in a sway controller based off of a couple of near misses while traveling. Thank you all. I'm sure I'll have more questions once I take delivery.

Merry Christmas

Bill, Do you remove your Lithium Batteries from “Twist” during winter storage? Or do they have built in heating elements or a heating pad? It’s a beautiful day here and I was just out at the Ollie Hangar. I turned off our 30 amp shore power and am now exercising our new Epoch’s by running our dehumidifier for a few days. I am finding the instant read out of the Victron GX 70 is a nice option and a great back up if a Bluetooth connection is unavailable. The GX 70 fit perfectly in the space of the old Zamp solar module, no drill and no cutting. 76d here tomorrow…crazy weather for Christmas Day. 🤔

Another way or as an addition - you could always add insulation in the form of "foam board" to that door. Bill

Very nice install Bill! Sano!! 😊

It doesn't. It is often sucked in. For example, It often is a "Sucked In" by the pump from a loose or faulty fitting on the draw side. If boondockng mode, it is ususally your hose bibb connection having a bad hose rubber gasket or is not tight. Such conditions will really slow down the transport of water from your gerry can into the pump and FWT. Just one example. Another is having a loose connection sucking air in the line that runs from the FWT to the pump. Etc. GJ

I prefer not drilling large holes in the side or the top if they can be avoided. So for our solar suit case, I plug it into one of these mounted on the door of the battery area. It only requires a small hole, easy to mount, and could easily be repaired (or replaced) should for some reason I no longer have my solar suit case setup. And it is quite inexpensive vs. the larger plug holes. Or you could mount it thru one of the vent holes. However it is limited to 30 amps for the 10 AWG one. It typically used for 200 watts of solar panels. GJ

Roger, I did as you suggested and got a new one when the price dropped to $98. I have had it plugged in and running 24/7 for a week now after letting it sit upright for over 24 hours. I am getting about a cup of water daily in the tank, so am pleased with how it's working. I do have a Vornado heater running at low fan speed and the Truma set at 50°. I have all the cabinet doors open. I am happy with it. John

A broken or loose connection anywhere in the entire plumbing system will cause a loss of pressure. Begin at the pump. Check connections there and make sure the filter bowl is tight. Work outward from there. If you have an accumulator tank you may need to pressurize it also.

50° at the moment. Had freezing fog at 6:30am. A green Christmas🙃

Thank you our Friend @John Dorrer for starting this thread of Holiday Cheer! Not yet a White Christmas down here, but they say it might be coming one night this week (picture taken Christmas 2024)! I'm sure some of you are buried deep in snow already. Best wishes! Every New Year we are all blessed in our Oliver travels! 😂

Agreed. The ratio of tow vehicle weight to trailer weight is critical to stability, to avoid having the "tail wag the dog." Jeeps are not quite heavy enough to tow an Elite II as safely as I prefer.

GJ, I use the OEM installed Zamp plug for our 90W Zamp Solar suitcase. It bumps up our solar to 420W. With the DC-DC charger it may not get much use. The Zamp suitcase is a very nice product, but heavy as a boat anchor. My guess is to keep it from blowing over in the wind.

This is a good start but leaving the battery door open/unlocked is not a real good idea. We often have our solar suitcase out when we're gone for the day. Lose the suitcase would be one thing, but LiFePO4 batteries is another! Gary @grweber1, good to hear from you and knowing the old Xantrex is serving you well! Bill @rideandfly, love your compact installation! For something small it's done right and the Renogy waterproof SCs are pretty cool! My take, I'd go with the battery bay install that @Steph and Dud B mentioned and some kind of terminal like @Geronimo John suggested. You could drill a 1/4" hole in the door fiberglass. If you do, use VHB tape vs. drilling the 4 little mounting holes. Check my picture. You could mount the terminal through a vent hole already drilled. I placed a cable gland on the bottom rear vent to get the idea across. Either way, have enough wire length so to open and close the door easily. I'm also not much for built-in Solar Controllers. Much greater selection of panels in higher wattage and you need heavier gauge wire to connect the panels when the SC is built-in. The SC should be as close to batteries as possible and you'll want 30+ ft of cable to the panels, so you can put the solar suitcase on any side of the Oliver. 12 AWG wire is OK for up to a 400W suitcase when the SC is at the batteries. I love this company for battery terminals, etc. They also custom make cables any length with ANY kinds of ends. I've also found products here that are not carried anywhere else. A little costly for custom cables, but great for those who do not have the cable and crimp tools: https://powerwerx.com/custom-dc-power-cables Also in the picture, checkout the rubber disc in the adjacent vent hole. A lot of dirt gets in the bay during travel, not anymore. These vents were only needed for LA batteries. I'll seal the 8 vent holes with rubber discs with clear silicone on top to eliminate dirt or moisture in the bay! Search on Amazon for "rubber discs. These are 1" dia and " 3mm thick. 😎

We don't have factory installed solar charging system. Mounted a waterproof suitcase charge controller and waterproof bluetooth Victron shunt in the battery box with one lithium battery. Also use up to two suitcase 100W panels. In the process of upgrading this system's master switch, DC fuse, and adding two lithium batteries over the next couple of weeks. Also have a different MPPT charge controller, might install it under the port bed, just a thought for now. Here's the original system: Here's the solar port installation that I already upgraded to 20A since the installation:

If you don't want to drill holes in the hull, why not use a portable solar panel on the ground with it's own charge controller and just run the cables through the open battery compartment door?

Likely the first item AI answered with: Brand Name KNKA is a brand specializing in environmental home appliances such as dehumidifiers, air purifiers, and humidifiers. According to their official website, the letters stand for the slogan "Keep Natural Keep Advancing". Other potential meanings Kanka (Turkish slang): The word "kanka" in Turkish is a common slang term for "buddy," "pal," or "bro" and is a shortened form of "kan kardeşi" (blood brother/sister). Kaṅka (Sanskrit): In Sanskrit, Kaṅka (कङ्क) is a word with multiple meanings, often referring to a type of bird like a "heron" or "curlew". NKA (Medical abbreviation): In a medical context, the abbreviation used is often NKA, which stands for "No Known Allergies". K, Ka (Radar detection): When discussing radar detectors, K-band and Ka-band are frequency ranges used by police radar guns. Ka is short for the German word kurz-above, meaning "short".

Leaving camp at Kelso dunes in the Mohave Desert. the road is in poor shape due to storms In mid-November but the slow go is well worth this place for a nice overnight spot.

I towed with a Yukon and it pulled great. No issues. Ours was newer but we never had any issues with it. When I bought the trailer, I picked it up a few hours away from home and didn't tow it back with the weight distribution connected. Towed fine. On longer trips, I did pull it with the wdh and never had any issues either way.

We continue westward and are camping in the Mojave Desert at Kelso dunes. A very warm afternoon and beautiful sunset

John, Mine worked fine out of the box in my Oliver with no issues and has never tripped the breaker. I would suggest you return it and have Amazon send you a replacement - it sounds like there is something wrong with the unit itself. Roger

John, Letting it stand for 24 hours allows the compressor oil and refrigerant to settle back where they belong so that you don't damage the dehumidifier. Roger

I ordered the KNKA compressor model and it comes today. What's the reason for letting it stand upright for 24 hours or more. I will take your advice when it comes today. I am just wondering about the reason. Thanks. John

John, I’m confident you know this, but wanted to let everyone know they boxed and shipped our unit on it’s side, so after unpacking let it sit upright for at least 24 hours before operation.

Thank you so much @Roger and @rideandfly! I just bought one Amazon used “Like New” for $79! (they have more available at this price.)

We purchased the same compressor dehumidifier and it did a good job for us, too! Tried this unit for 3 days in Ollie with outside humidity ranging from 50% in the afternoon to 90% before sunrise with outside temps ranging from low 40s to afternoon upper 60s. This unit removed about a quart of water daily. I dumped the tank daily, but it also has a drain hose that could be run into the kitchen sink or shower drain. Set the unit at 40% and it actually kept the inside humidity at 47% when the compressor shut off to 55% when the compressor turned back on. It has CSA certification. Took a Joker out of a deck of cards to cover the light on the front of the unit, since it's bright at night.

Perhaps Oliver should consider adding a ‘Rant and Rave’ segment to the forum. This Neanderthal is not alone, many Human Beans have posted in like manner. Just say’n!

Ray, it looks like you've been a long contributor over at airforums. Can't see why that can't be the case here as well. It seems to me these brake threads just got too personal. Believe me, I know how frustrating troubleshooting can be. My wife will tell you I can be a bear to be around when some device is defying my efforts to make it perform as it should. Leave if you feel you must, but consider sticking around. Now that your brakes are working you can get out there and share your BoondockingOliver stories with us. Safe travels.

OK folks, let's all relax and get back to normal 'decorum on the forum'. Different approaches and solutions to confounding problems are understandable and toleration of different approaches is encouraged. The forum Guidelines state: You’ll find a wealth of experiences here, and many owners willing to share their experiences. Have fun, but please keep others’ viewpoints in mind. Respectfully state your point, share your information, or ask your question. Keep it casual and friendly. Reread your post before you hit submit. Is it helpful? Thoughtful? BoondockingAirstream, so glad your brake issue has been resolved. Your towing safety is paramount.

Totally agree and apologize for my part in adding to any of that "tone"... Tried to help, as others had, (and definitely for longer than I should have), but outwardly blaming Oliver and the prior owner for the problem pushed me over the edge. Would be nice if the moderators could delete all associated threads as there's absolutely nothing to be gained by spending time reading them.

The tone of these two threads is radically different than most of this board. I'm neither mechanic nor eager DIYer. Just a spectator on most of those kinds of conversations. Which I typically find interesting. Not so much this one. On some chat boards I have participated in there was a way to give plusses and minuses to threads. I don't know if we have that feature here. If we did, I would be publicly advising others to just read something else.

We love listening to Winwood…a great road trip tune.

Mark, If it’s within your budget, and you travel and camp enough to justify the cost, I would highly recommend considering a Starlink Mini. A 💯 game changer for sure. Not ever thinking about CG WiFi or unsecure cell phone hot spots is no longer in our travel plan. Having a secure means to send email and txts or just surf the net for destinations along the way, or pay our energy or light bill back home is worth it to us. Our MINI It also serves as a home back up should we ever loose internet. Streaming TV is here to stay and with tech racing forward at light speed it’s only getting better. I learned at the 2026 Oliver Rally we may see a dedicated internal wiring/SL plug in the 26 YM. All the mini needs is a dedicated outlet to plug into and your on!

We have never had an issue with water running off on our roof from the either of the (2) condensate cups in the unit. We had our “Demonic” Penguin removed and retro fit with the Truma Aventa in May of 2023. At the time of the retrofit, I spoke to the tech doing the install about over flow on the roof possibly occurring. He said that its really important to have the trailer dead level when your set up and running the Truma. The condensate cups are not very deep and can fill quickly, and the drain tube handles this under normal operation. ✅ I learned that it’s really important that the (2) Truma condensate tubes do not have a kink in them. This will result in the cup(s) not draining properly into the OEM condensate drain lines. I think this may have possibly been an install concern early on. This would cause the condensate cup(s) to over flow onto the roof. The tech mentioned that he would make sure that the tube would be installed kink free. It works as designed and I have never had condensate water dripping off my roof. I am not suggesting that anyone here is not setting up their trailer dead level. But in order for the 2 small condensate cups to drain properly this is how it’s designed. If you are set up dead level and you still see water dripping off your roof, you may have a kink in one of the condensate drain hoses or maybe it’s just plugged up.

Use two 7/16" or 11mm open-ended wrenches. Or do what we do. Scrap the old idea of cable, "400 stations and nothing to watch!" 🤣 And who knows what any particular "RV Park" will supply, or if the feed at their post has interference or even works. Stream TV via cellular router or Starlink Mini when cell signals are weak! I removed the cable port on the rear of our Oliver and replaced it with a more useful suitcase solar input!

I don't think it's a connection problem. This system is just not user-friendly! I have occasionally been lucky to get it to work, but most of the times, not. The "find channels" option is grayed-out and the screen just says "unable to connect to a network". I've always hated this and I'm stuck again right now. Anyone understand what I'm facing and how to fix it? (It's not the connections and it's not the button in the o erhead - which is off),

We've had this problem repeatedly in the exact scenario you describe. The "solution" was to open the hot and cold outside shower until the air purged from the system, which could take a couple of minutes. (Don't worry to much about the 2 minute limit. I once accidentally left the pump on for 20 minutes after draining the water from an old trailer and there was no harm done. 3 or 4 minutes is probably OK.) After that we'd be fine until the next stop when we'd have to do it again. Seemed like an air leak on the pump intake side, but I couldn't find one. I recently replaced the pump. One thing I noticed while doing that was that the pump filter didn't seem very tightly screwed onto the pump, something I had never thought to check, so look at that. Now the new pump is in. We'll see what happens next. Also, can you include your Oliver model and model year in your signature line? Makes it easier to help people sometimes.

Never mind the blower I am jealous of all you folks with the hangers to keep trailer in and work on. 😆

Up early this morning while it was still cool here in Western NC and decided to “walk the plank” and wash our Oliver. It’s a total game changer for sure and much safer and easier than as mentioned a (3 point contact rule) hanging off a ladder. The aluminum plank is actually grooved and nonslip which is a plus. Based on my first use of this plank system I give high marks and would purchase again. It use to take me 1.5 hrs to fully wash XPLOR, now it takes about 50 min which includes drying with my electric blower. Set up and take down of the plank is approx 10 min. 👍🏻🇺🇸

Same height, 220 lbs here and no way my shoulders fit. I can just touch the line with one hand, then there goes my neck! I’ll ask my son to get in there and remove the two end screw fittings. Then I’ll make the replacement parts, longer PEX to make up for the restrictor delete. New check valves likely unless the originals clean easy with CLR which would be preferred to leave those connections alone. Then Adam again to reinstall. I might need a six-pack on ice for my helper! 🤣

Many praise the addition of a DC to DC charger, more is better!

The screen/filter that I cleaned earlier today was filthy! Of course, this could be explained by the fact I had not touched in 2 years.