Leaderboard

So, I believe that problem is fixed. Richie, from Oliver Service called me back. He ask that when I dewinterized did I turn the cold/hot dials completely off on the outside shower when I dewinterized. I went and check and I had not. So fast forward an hour later, I now have hot water. I hope it was that simple of a fix. Hats off to Richie and Oliver Service.

Hi we made this modification using Overland's instructions. I finished installing the mounting the bracket last Saturday. We made one slight modification in that I added aluminum backing plates. (overkill). I am having a folding table made out of mahogany by a local craftsman. I hope to install the table top this weekend. I believe this project will really enhance the usability of our trailer. Thanks Overland you came up with a terrific idea and execution.

We have pretty much the base model Elite II, our options are the Confection Microwave, Bicycle Rear Rack, LP Quick Disconnects. We went with the standard white counter tops and black dinette table top, all colors picked from the standard interiors colors offered at no addition cost. Our colors were all in the gray/black colors and the white counter tops are so good looking in the trailer they should have charged $1800 extra for them. I purchased the Anderson WDH online for $479.00 including shipping and I installed it myself at the camping ground in 30 mins., I also brought with me the extra lengths and the chain quick lengths needed to add the extra chain. We added no other electronics that were offered as I felt for our type of camping they were not needed and in most cases are iffy if they work in camping conditions, we also did not op for the solar stuff, if we need extra power I would go the Honda Generation route, but no electricity available we probably won't be camping there. We also purchased a 3" memory foam queen size mattress $130 from Walmart, cut if down the middle and it sleep wonderful. Now sounds like I'm really cheap, not really, if spending another $10,000 on the Oliver was what we wanted we would have added other options without any second thoughts. PS, we don't Boondock, we believe in keeping the local economy going. trainman

Don't you just hate that? It is a VERY common RV problem and most people will experience it ONE time. After figuring out what is wrong, you will never do it again. It is very embarrassing. It happened to me too - I could not get more than luke-warm water, maybe 105 degrees, since it was continually sucking cold water into the hot system through the outside shower head controls. You have learned your lesson, now you can be the one to tell the next new Ollie owner what to do. John Davies Spokane WA

If you are switching back and forth between electricity and gas you should go with one or the other, Not sure if I can explain it correctly, but I was on electricity and tried to switch to gas and wondered why the gas heater would not fire up, reason was the water in the water heater was too hot and the thermostat would bock this from happening. The gas should fire up as soon as the water heater temperature goes down either by using the hot water, or the temperature drops and lets the gas heater fire up. Not sure if this is your problem, hope it helps. trainman

Don't forget the 26% federal income tax credit for solar in 2020. That includes all parts and labor. Last year's 30% credit covered our generator! Andrew

I guess I'm not sure that what you're asking is a useful metric to judge your decision, since that's not how you use your system; i.e., running the batteries all the way down and then recharging them 100%. From discussions a few years back, it seems like most people in an Ollie use around 70-80Ah per day. That includes a little inverter use for hair dryers and microwave, along with lighting, heat, etc. No AC, obviously. That usage means roughly 2 hours plugged in to shore power or a generator, or an average sunny day with the 360w solar package. Generators are certainly the more reliable choice. To increase the reliability of your panels, you either have to add more solar, so that you charge faster, or more batteries, so that you can go longer without a charge. Or both. Having said that, ctshort answered most of your question, and I'd only add that for solar, you'll never actually see 30A, even at noon in July in Tuscon, and certainly not for the entire day. The general rule of thumb, which I've found to be fairly accurate, is to plan to get 20-30Ah per 100w of solar per day. So for 360w, somewhere between 70 and 108 Ah, which, per above, is adequate for most owners, at least on sunny days, and with ~200AH of usable battery storage, means that most can plan on 3 cloudy days without worrying about recharging by some other means. I'd also say that for lead acid batteries, having both a generator and solar is a good combination. Run the generator for an hour or so in the AM to get a big chunk of the bulk charging done, and then let the solar panels take care of the slower absorption and float.

Landrover, I have the same question but from my initial research it looks like it depends (as always) on several factors but the crux of it comes down to you knowing some details about how much current each of the two charging methods supply (Solar Controller vs. Onboard Controller ) : 1) Solar Controller - what's the maximum charge rate available for the AGM profile. (example Zamp controllers can be 30Amps or 40A depending on the model installed?) 2) Onboard Controller - from shore power or generator - implies using the onboard Progressive Dynamics charge controller which could be the 45A or 60A unit...depends on your model) AGM batteries generally should be recharged at a minimum of 20% of their total AH rating. Example a 200AH battery bulk charge rate should be ideally...200x.2= 40A... if your charge controller can only push 20A the time to recharge will double. First Pass EXAMPLE: Actual Numbers may be 40% more time than this.... Let's say we had 4 , 200AH AGM's...800AH total capacity, now sitting at 50% discharge. So to take them from 50% discharged state to recharge we need to generate 400AH total charge. Solar - Assumes perfect sun, and controller running at full 30A: 400AH/30A = 13.3 HRS (Actual due to solar and charge inefficiencies will be maybe 22 HR or more) Generator - Assumes the 45A Progressive Dynamics Controller 400AH/45A = 8.8 HRS (again...it's more likely about 13 - 16 Hrs due to battery inefficiencies in recharging) ... which ever charge controller can deliver the power UP TO the 20% rate would be the fastest.... ******************************************************************** Now - if you want to go into more specifics for YOUR system then consider: * The specific individual AGM battery specs (total AH rating) is it a 200AH battery x 4 . You'll need to know the individual AH ratings? * Assuming the 4 batteries are connected in a series/parallel setup. * The state of the batteries at start of charge (example start charging from 50% charged state) * You'll need to know the charge rating available from the various chargers in play: Each solar charger has a specific profile and amperage rating for AGM batteries... The on board charge controller (when using the Generator) has it's own charge rating.... Here's a base article about how fast AGM's can be charged. https://marinehowto.com/how-fast-can-an-agm-battery-be-charged/ If I have time in the next day or two...I'll do a calculation on my own exact setup and post a reply. Here's a resource for AGM Charging as well: battery charging.docx