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Showing content with the highest reputation on 06/20/2026 in all areas
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3 points
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Not to rehash any particular issues with the Truma on demand water heater that I have experienced, but I am considering replacing the Truma with the Suburban. My primary reasons would be reliability and serviceability. I don't ever want to be 800 miles from home with no hot water if I can help it. I know that there are no perfect solutions, but I want to reduce the likelihood of an outage. Based on some other threads here I see that some have chosen the suburban route, and been quite happy. The on demand is great when it works, but my experience has been less than satisfactory in the nearly 2 years of using it. Any thoughts on the wisdom of making that switch? Thanks!2 points
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The Suburban tank is simple and reliable. There is nothing about it that can’t be serviced by the owner. Parts are available on Amazon and most RV shops. I’m not going to change ours out, I like reliability when out in the middle of nowhere. Mike2 points
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Yes I put those on there. I got a roll of stick-on UHMW from Rockler. People put it on tablesaw fences. Bill2 points
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2 points
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There are two types of generator transfer switches, ones that break the hot wire only, and ones that break both hot and neutral. If a hot wire only switch is used, then the generator must have a floating neutral or there will be dual bond condition as @CRM mentioned. Conversely, a double pole switch needs a bonded generator or the bond is lost. This is why some generators come with a bonded or not option. It’s difficult to explain why neutral-to-ground bonding works, but I try in the simplest terms with plausible scenarios. If a hot or neutral wire becomes shorted to a conducting element of the trailer, such as the skin or frame, then a person touching the frame could create a current path to earth and get shocked. However, the ground wire is bonded to the trailer frame — so with a normal properly bonded power supply, a fault to the frame would result in a direct short that would trip the breaker. If using a power pack such as the Bluetti, then there is no path to earth and such a fault would energize the frame. There is no current path to trip the breaker. You could touch the frame and create a shocking path to earth. This is where a bonding plug comes into play. With it installed, a hot-to-frame fault becomes a direct short back to the source's neutral — this collapses the frame's voltage to near zero and may trip the breaker outright. Either way, the frame is no longer dangerous to touch. I hope this helps explain a very complex, but interesting, subject! Cheers! Geoff2 points
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One of the first "mods" I did to hull #145 was to install 3M trim lock drip rails. We've owned the trailer for 10 years now and although we have been fortunate to be able to store inside for the last 8 years, I have never had a window leak problem. Once a few years ago I decided to remove the rubber and clean the weep holes and window channels. I only found dust. I credit this to the drip rails. They just channel all that rain run off around the window and keep the channels clean. Just my $0.02. It's an easy install and I believe prevents a LOT of problems. I even put it above the Oliver sign at the back. Happy Camping, Scotty2 points
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@Olive2Roam No experience with the Aqua Go but as John stated about a month or so ago I did install the Fogatti WH. In short it works great, very quiet and has an awesome control system via a wired remote. It is much smaller, and much lighter than the older Suburban WH (empty) and you are not carrying around another 50 lbs of water while traveling albeit chump change in weight compared to everything else. Understand other than using it to make sure everything works I haven't been out on a trip this year at all due to knee replacement surgery 4 months ago yesterday so at this point cannot absolutely speak to its in field use and efficiency. It heats up fairly quick but not instant due to the cold water in the lines so we plan on having a container close by to fill with unheated water that will be pumped back into the fresh water tank later given the somewhat smallish Oliver holding tanks. Not that big of a deal really. We never used the Suburban in AC mode, only propane. FWIW I am not a big fan of Suburban products but especially their furnaces like the one installed on the Oliver. As John pointed out Truma is out of the question for a litany of reasons. It is worth noting we never had issues with our Suburban WH other than cleaning and anode rods but have had multiple issues over the years with the furnace and it is loud. I would install the Fogatti furnace in heart beat if there was room in the basement of the Oliver but the shape and size of the Fogatti furnace just doesn't fit unfortunately. It's also important to note DIY people can work on and repair the Fogatti appliances if the need arrives. The Fogatti WH is NOT an easy install however, or rather replacement with the Suburban. How that differs compared to what you already have I don't know. One thing for sure is the Fogatti is light years ahead of Suburban technologically speaking, Design, fit and finish is on another level as well. Suburban products look like relics out of post WWII era by comparison. Hope this doesn't offend anyone. LMK if you have questions about the Fogatti. Oh and they do go on sale from time to time and would expect a 4th of July sale or at least Memorial Day sale if not Dads day sale.1 point
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John, As always, very helpful. And the LP only model would be an interesting option.1 point
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YES! YES! Yes.... This is a good switch. We had the Aquago from new in 2016. Nothing but trouble and large repair bills. Switched to the Suburban and never looked back. Service available just about anywhere. It just works. I never use the electric heat, always propane. Heats up reasonably quick. The only negative is that it will take up quite a bit more room under the bunk, so locating and throwing the cutoff valve takes a bit more work. Did I mention that YES!.... I think you should do this? Good Luck Scotty1 point
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Bob, I haven't heard of anybody going this direction, but why not? It's usually moving from the 6-gal Suburban to an on-demand/tankless model. Given your experience and reading many other posts re the Aquago model, I would not want one and I agree that I would certainly replace yours asap with something else. As you know, this model is not reliable, and my understanding is anything Truma is not serviceable! This is based on their policy of "authorized service" only. They work OEM installations only, no aftermarket sales, hence NOT serviceable except in waiting forever for OTT or Truma to service months later. Those who DIY cannot even purchase repair/replacement parts, so certainly Truma products are not for me! Rob @routlaw very recently removed a Suburban for a Fogatti tankless. He could chime in on his reasons. I would also read some blogs on tank vs. tankless to fully understand the pros and cons. Lastly, I and others with 2015-16 models, hull #s up to 150, have run the Suburban 6-gal HWH for 10+ years. This includes @topgun2, @Mike and Carol, @rideandfly, @ScottyGS, @Wayfinder and others. I would say this defines Reliability. Others can chime in on Serviceability but in 3 years of ownership, all I have done is drain it, rinse the tank annually, did the vinegar treatment once (on all plumbing). Purchased 2 anodes, installed a new one and have another for backup. I've read something about blowing the dust out of the burn chamber, but I've not experienced any real service needs which speaks again to reliability! You'll always carry 6 gallons in the tank that can't be used. I really like the option to run on propane or electric. Use electric when plugged in and it runs quieter than hearing the LP burning. I often run it on electric when towing to a campsite, powered by our inverter of course, and the +40A we get from our DC-DC charger makes it a breakeven in power, arriving at the campsite with 6-gal hot water (unless we instead run the A/C, weather depending). LP tanks always OFF when towing. There is an AC switch under the cover that is awkward to get to, so we always leave that switch ON and turn electric ON/OFF using the circuit breaker inside. There is a separate switch to fire it up by LP. For this model feature you'll have to run new 10-12 (?) AWG 120VAC wiring and add a breaker in the 120VAC power panel. You'll also need an LP ON/OFF control switch if your tankless model does not have one. That's my take. Hope it helps! 😎1 point
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This just came up in another thread, but in their case it was one of the breakers you already found under the bed, so we can rule that out. Since the last thing you changed was charging the batteries, let's start there. How are you charging the batteries? Did you plug your shore power cord into the Bluetti and now the trailer's built-in converter (Xantrex) is charging the batteries? Or did you connect in some other way? Also, to start from basics, are both of your Lithionics batteries currently (no pun intended) turned on (blue light glowing around the power buttons)? Is EVERY DC item dead? All lights? Bathroom fan? USB outlets? Tongue jack?1 point
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My 2021 E2 has an OptiFuse 12V 60A breaker under the street side bunk. The best wiring diagram I have found that’s close to my model is the 2019 manual (page 43) from the Oliver University. See the breaker in the upper left side. Another quick check is the CO monitor under the dinette. That usually is always on, does not go through the circuit breaker. If that has a light on, you have power coming in, so it is likely the breaker.1 point
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Yep, That sounds right, it's not likely the elastic locks nuts loosened clamping the plate to the fiberglass hull, but still check when the spare is removed. Good advice!1 point
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Ok now I’m thinking that the second nut is a jam nut to hold the first nut on and both have backed off somehow. I would remove both nuts and see if the aluminum cylinder is threaded on that rod and check for something that might have loosened. Bill1 point
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I like the pads (assume) you installed on the fiberglass. Ours has two nuts on the stud, but I like the single nut with disc on yours, too.1 point
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@Dirt Duff No that is not typical. On our Ollie the fit is snug when the wing nut is tightened. Is this mounting plate tight against the fiberglass hull?1 point
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That's the one you want. Lay it out in the sun on a summer day and it will uncoil just fine. Clean the area just above the window with iso alcohol and let it dry before install. When you put it on be precise because that's where it will stay. When I installed I found that there was a window that I had to use two pieces on because of the length of the roll. (25' I think) You might want to measure and buy more to avoid that. Cannot recommend thus enough. Good Luck.1 point
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To make sure that if the generator is connected to a residential service that will always be code complainant. You can't have more than one neutral/ground bond in a system, and since a residential main panel is already bonded you would be violating code and creating a possible hazardous condition. Edit- I shouldn't have said "always be code compliant" since there are ways to connect a generator to a residential system that will violate code even if you use a floating neutral generator.1 point
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Yes, using a bonding plug makes it safer by providing a low resistance path back to the generator to trip the breaker in the generator if a short to the metal case of an appliance inside the RV or the generator itself occurs. When it comes to the ground rod system in a residential system, it is there for voltage stabilization and surge dissipation, not to trip breakers. In fact, if the neutral and grounding electrode system are not bonded in the service panel you could connect a hot conductor straight to the ground rod and it will not trip the breaker. You need the bonding in the panel to provide a path back to the transformer for that to happen. You get that path when the ground and neutral are bonded in the service panel, completing the circuit back to the utility transformer's neutral point.1 point
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We met Oliver owner “Rob” from Florida at Manzanita Lake in California! Not many Olivers in these parts and it was a thrill to meet you! I was sorry we didn’t get a chance to chat with the wives together. Our camping group was demanding, and then you were gone. I didn’t find your profile on the forum, so here’s a public shout-out, and I hope your trip was great! Cheers! Geoff and Tanya1 point
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