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After detailed discussions with @Geronimo John regarding a DC-DC Charger installation, we finally got around to making it happen. There's a ton of posts on this mod/upgrade, so we're not going down the rabbit hole to the end - just saying that it's a worth while mod to consider. Essentially, our concern was the 12AWG DC circuit from the 7-pin connector supplying an inadequate DC current to the OTT while towing, especially during the hours of darkness when there's no solar input to the battery bank. So, we decided to go with the Victron 12/12 30amp Bluetooth unit to be compatible with our other Victron devices (Smart Shunt, MPPT Solar charger, and the Cerbo S-GX multiplexer). We decided to upgrade from the OTT factory PWM solar module controller to the Victron MPPT unit. We also added the 7" Victron Touch to monitor all our AC and DC input/output activity which has been a game changer for us. Here's a series of pix that may satisfy the curiosity of those interested in efficiently charging the battery bank. FYI: We've got 3x BB's and ran 1/0 cables from the TV's smart alternator to an Anderson plug installed at the hitch, then 4 AWG cables from the Anderson through a Blue Sea Cable Clam to the Victron DC-DC charger installed under the aft dinette seat. The cables were snaked from the forward bulkhead under the toilet to the forward dinette seat, under the dinette table, to the aft dinette seat area: Below shows the location for the Victron Cerbo S-GX Touch Screen... This is the location where we mounted the new Victron MPPT Smart Solar Charger, upper street side compartment where the old PWM solar charge controller was mounted: We mounted the Victron remote solar controller monitor to the right of the Touch Screen... Building the Anderson plug for the OTT with 4AWG cables... Below shows the Blue Seas Cable Clam hull penetration adjacent to the 7-pin cable... Victron DC-DC Charger mounted on the street side wheel well/aft dinette seat next to the Progressive surge protector... Note the 50amp breaker between DC-DC Charger and the battery bank. We installed another 50amp breaker between the TV alternator and the Anderson connection: Pulling 4AWG cables from the hull penetration under the head sink thru the front of the toilet and to the aft dinette seat area... Thanks to @ScubaRx - Steve gave a great suggestion for snaking wires through challenging areas using a stiff plastic strap for securing pallet loads... One and done. I'm going for a cold one...

Don’t know about you folks but it’s time for a cup of coffee however you choose to make it! Mossey

Old backpacking habits die hard, as space/size/ weight still matters, as much as great coffee matters. This GSI pour over filter has been in use for well over a decade, along with the pot I use to boil water, having survived countless backpacking adventures , and now lives in hull 997. I use a paper filter, so little water is wasted on clean up. It folds flat, takes a beating, dries fast, weighs nothing, brews a great cup, too.

A phantom draw (AKA Parasitic loads) are the electrical draws from appliances that continuously suck power from your RV battery. Items like carbon monoxide detectors and other electronics with lights or display screens can be parasitic loads.is a loss The phantom draw on our trailer is 0.4 amps. That's 9.6 amps daily. On a typical AGM battery bank, you will have between 200-225 amp-hours available for use before they reach that critical 50% mark. Our trailer with no power input and those same batteries would be at that point in about 3 weeks. I'd warn that friend because there's no possible way those batteries won't be completely, irrevocably dead in 3-4 months. Even if he disconnects the batteries, AGM batteries will have a self-discharge or internal electro-chemical “leakage” of between 1% and 15% per month, depending on storage temperature. The warmer it is, the faster they will discharge. He basically has two choices. He can remove all the batteries, take them home and put them on a 3 stage charger for the winter OR he can go to his storage unit about once every month and pull the trailer into the sun or use a generator to run the charger and charge them there. Regardless of their construction, whether it's a "sealed" AGM deep cycle or flooded auto starter battery, a fully charged lead acid battery has a freezing point down around -55°C/ -67°F.

https://www.cnn.com/travel/blue-ridge-parkway-section-closed-feeding-bear/index.html

It's a minor issue, but sitting at the dinette or lying in bed we found the touch lights can be glaringly bright. I discovered that a 4" PVC sewer-pipe connector has a flange that is the ideal diameter for slipping over the touch light to create a light shade. To create a shade I cut off the flange from a connector using the band saw. This is the cut end that slips over the light... This is the finished end that becomes the bottom of the shade: The shade slips over the light and stays in place with a friction fit, but a bit of 3M double stick tape provides insurance: Dinette touch light, without shade: Dinette light, with shade: Galley lights, with shades: Shade installation does not appear to have any effect on light operation--they still turn on and off by touch. I suppose that the flanges could be cut with a hand saw (hack saw, coping saw?), which would likely require some additional filing and sanding. Also, the shades could be painted white, but for now we've stuck with plain black.

Don't leave your Truma water heater on when driving. Put it into antifreeze mode, with the the antifreeze unit installed and running. That is what it is for. You can then turn it to Eco or Comfort mode when you are off the road camping and need hot water. When we travel in cold weather,we still run our 3-way fridge on DC. This is to avoid driving into a gas station with the open flame that the fridge propane setting requires. If driving in temps below freezing when not winterized, I would leave the furnace running on propane at 65 degrees F or higher, to keep the plumbing from freezing. But, I would pull off the road outside any gas station and turn it off before refueling. I would then pull off the road again after leaving the gas station and turn the furnace back on. Think about what could happen if your furnace tried to ignite fuel while parked next to a gas pump. It would be like lighting a match! With this regimen, monitor your propane levels. Depending on the size or your tanks, you may run out of propane every 3-4 days.

Tourons

Yep. Our Hull #1291 has a full-strip magnet which holds the door closed. We like it a lot.

Impressive. The documentation of your work is clear and easy to follow. It reminds me of similar posts from John Davies, which is high praise!

(edit) Thanks to all for your educated responses! Its what I suspected. I've shared this all with him... and strongly encouraged him to take them out and bring them home this winter and put them on the appropriate charger (mentioned above). We've worked thru a lot of the more basic items for providing our Ollies with the tender loving care they deserve. He's off to a good start going forward now.

I have been a dedicated espresso enthusiast since the mid 1980s. the machines have advanced tremendously since then. I currently use a Dalla Corte Mina, an Olympia Express Cremina lever, and the Cafelat Robot. I gave my 12 year old La Marzocco GS3 to my son. I have tried the Robot's main competition, the Flair. Flair has recently come out with a heat assisted model with a carrying case. I am waiting until they improve the heating mechanism to give it a try again. The current upper end Flair is has a 58 mm portafilter basket. There are only 3 preheat options: 85, 90, and 95 degrees Celsius. I brew espresso mostly at 93 degrees. When they offer 93 as an option, I will try Flair 58+. I am a scientist and I am detail oriented with brewing espresso. From my experience, the Cafelat Robot is best non electric option for espresso. It does a fantastic job at medium espresso roast. Lighter roast are more challenging and need to be extracted at a higher temperature and they are more difficult to get an even extraction. But for medium or medium/dark roast the Robot is superb and the espressos are rich, concentrated, and flavorful! I have been getting great results with 19 grams of beans ground fine enough to result in a yield of 25 grams of espresso in 32 to 38 seconds at about 9-10 bars. Like I mentioned in my previous post, way better results than you will get at over 90% of America's coffee shops. Kirk

Here's three good threads to read. There are, as TopGun2 mentioned, many more. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/8806-freezing-rear-water-lines/ https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/7461-actually-a-375-season-trailer/ https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/7405-winter-camping/

The Truma rotary control switch has to be in the “anti freeze” mode (the lightning bolt/snowflake position) to activate the electric antifreeze heater/filter, with the exterior power switch in the on position.

You guys are great! It is really fun to see how important the morning joe is for everyone. (Or matcha, or tea, or….). I got into making quality shots several years ago, and I’m sure Jill now considers that in me she has a fully automatic machine. I home roast my beans too, but I’m kind of a rank amateur at that. There are a lot of great ideas here and some things I’ve never seen before, such as the Cafelat Rocket. It seems like things break down into machines with pods and those without. In order to get an espresso type of extraction, I think I need pressure, either from a machine or from leverage. Although the Aeropress provides very good coffee, I’m not sure it is concentrated enough to be compared to a shot extracted at 9 bars. I’d love some input on that though. I don’t think I want to deal with a wand to steam the milk, and I think there are a range of alternatives that will both heat and aerate the milk, so I can put that on the back burner (ha). A comment on the Moka pot. I had never used one until it showed up as THE WAY to make something similar to espresso in an AirBnb that we rented in Sardinia last year. I was amazed at the results! It is neither espresso nor dripped or percolated coffee, but it is rich and good (but we didn’t find the code to keep it from being messy)! It also seems like having an induction kettle is the way to go for general purpose water heating and tea making. (We try to make hibiscus tea regularly and can keep it in the fridge for a few days. I also appreciate the ideas for storage and locating kitchen things in the Ollie – thanks again to everyone for diving into this conversation! I’m still mulling over the great inputs and probably leaning toward the rocket, but haven’t made a decision. So much fun!

Ditto. We use the cone,, into an old stainless carafe from a defunct coffee maker. 15 seasons. Better than the coffee maker at home. So good, that every once in awhile, I break it out at home. It just takes time, not electricity.

You're all wrong! 😁 Deb had one of those little Chulux Keurig copies in the Hiker trailer, and it worked well for several years. For the Oliver, she got the smallest Keurig model, which is still at least twice as big as the Chulux.

I had previously heard (and it was discussed here on the Forum) that the touch lights were not going to be present on the 2024 models. However, I've not heard anything additional on this subject. Bill p.s. It has also been confirmed that the upper fridge vent on the exterior of the Ollie will not be there anymore - i.e. the outside shell will be smooth. However, the bottom fridge vent that turned into a collapsible table will continue to be the table.

Lest folks get confused when they go looking for "4" PVC," what you used is ABS. In the plumbing world, ABS is black, PVC is white. So, to replicate your clever mod, folks should buy a 4" ABS connector. The same fitting might be available in PVC, which would come in white. Lots easier than painting. The fitting you used in PVC might be this 4" PVC Sewer and Drain Adapter: https://www.lowes.com/pd/PVC-4-in-x-4-in-dia-PVC-Adapter-Fitting/3455246?user=shopping&feed=yes&srsltid=AfmBOoqiQKecE5I94QDhmh3FLnYQEu_e183jcC9ZSiT_t9vAn5YMpw4bqvE If I were trying to implement this mod, I would buy one of those, see if it fits, then return it if it doesn't, and buy more if it does.

So... here we are in Wilcox, AZ wine country attempting to avoid sub-freezing temps in Northern NM. It's 75F here without a hint of wind. Harvest Hosting for a couple nights at Pillsbury Winery near the Chiricahua Mountains and Dos Cabezas Peak. OBTW: the new install of the Victron DC-DC charger is pretty awesome... Above pic shows the proximity to the Vinyard at Sam Pillsbury's ranch. Tough duty, but someone has to do it. Cheers to all... stay safe!

I do not have "touch lights" but I really do like both the idea and execution of these shades. Nice thinking and doing! 👌 Bill

I wasn’t clear… I was asking if doors on newer Olivers were held shut by magnets. I think @Rivernerd answered that. My old door has a latch to keep it closed. I added a magnet inside the dinette seat to keep it open. Mike

I don't know if there is any magnet(s) on the new doors or not. But, I'm assuming that the other hardware - the latch - will be similar to the latch that is on the closet door. Yes - mine operates as it should. However, particularly if the camper is a fair degree out of level, the strip of magnet at one corner or the other may not "release" at the same rate as the rest of the door. This can cause the door to vibrate as apparently VBistro is mentioning. The solution(s) to this problem is to either correct the alignment of the door or open the door more slowly or reduce the amount of magnetic attraction that is occurring. Of course, if you reduce the amount of magnetic attraction then you might be in trouble going down the road if you forget to use the latch or some other means to secure the door. Bill p.s. Mike - this only has to do with the bath door being opened and nothing to do with it being held open.

As described by TopGun — it’s difficult to release the door, which causes the whole thing to shake and make a racket. We had them adjust it once on pick-up, and that lasted about two days, so I’m not really sure their adjustment did much. It seems to be highly dependent on just how perfectly level we manage to get. mb

I too found it necessary to hook up the signal booster to my Tiretraker to prevent "lost signal "alarms. I attached a 12 volt male cigarette lighter plug to the signal booster and when I tow, I plug it into a receptacle in the rear of my vehicle and secure it to the side with a piece of velcro tape. It is easy to remove and store when not towing. This approach should work in any of the cigarette lighter ports in the Oliver as well and only takes a few minutes to set up. No trailer wiring involved.

As I currently understand it - the "new" bathroom door will be similar to the closet door in both look and in the hardware that is used for the latch etc.. Also, as with the current door, the large mirror will still be used on the "outside" of the door - the side facing the interior of the cabin. Bill p.s. I think that the "noise" being referred to is caused when opening the door and the magnets don't all release the door at the same time. This causes to door to "vibrate" which, in turn, causes the noise. It is either that or the door hits against the frame when opened or closed causing the noise. Bill

I just had 3 double espressos! 😂

I also use a Melitta, their cone and carafe setup. Then I pour a cup and the rest goes in my Stanley Thermos. The #4 filters are a little smaller and convenient for one person. Chris uses a French press to make a special half-caf brew. Anybody using a manual pour, gotta get one of these. We use it when on shore power and have a backup tea kettle too for LP. Amazon.com: Aigostar Electric Kettle, 1.7 Liter Electric Tea Kettle with LED Illuminated and High Borosilicate Glass, Hot Water Kettle with Filter, BPA Free, Auto Shutoff, Boil-Dry Protection, Cordless, 360° Base: Home & Kitchen This little electric kettle is great. The black and white ones are 1100W and for some reason the new stainless model is 1500W. We have two of the 1100W models, with one in daily use at home. Heats up quicker than the kettle on gas. Why waste LP when on shore power? And when the batteries are charged enough, I'll run this off the inverter too! 😄 I thought the main question Doug expressed, was not about coffee likes, but about counter space and fitment! Doug, let us know if you need any measurements.

Thanks for these, you all. Lots of reading straight ahead. @Frank C and @Rivernerd - I hadn't realized that the Truma antifreeze mode was exactly meant for driving. I just read through the Truma section of the manual I inherited with my OTT - pretty confusing!! But the general strategy @Rivernerd outlines makes sense. Encouraging that the antifreeze kit is meant to protect the Truma unit down to -4°F!! Pretty sure I'm not likely to be out in that kind of cold. I'll read up a lot more before my next below freezing night.

As is the bathroom door in our 2022 Elite II.

Any idea what this change will be? If there is one thing I find mildly annoying in VellOllie it’s the bathroom door. It makes way too much noise when you fully open and close it.

If anyone is interested in using a Melita, and making coffee in a thermos, here is the filter holder that works best. They’re about $12-$15 online. They take a #6 filter. We use unbleached filters.

I use this very small Mr. Coffee machine. For travel it sits in the sink along with other items. At less than 10" tall, it could go elsewhere though. Works great. Doubles as a water heater if on shore power. GJ

It is a ritual. I go slow. I have learned exactly when to remove the heat. It makes two perfect cups, or at least to perfect as I have come to coffee. I have a friend with some fancy $1,000 rig that makes the best coffee I have had. I can't commit to something like that even at home. Our home pot makes good coffee, but the Moka pot is mo' betta.

I enjoy a coffee from a Moka pot also. Nice strong coffee.

We love coffee and we love our Oliver coffee. I know you said you did not want one of these but we love ours.

We're coffee junkies, for sure... Love Peets MD coffee anytime in a pinch. Our go-to has been Black Rifle Black Beard's Delight for many years. We've been using our same 'ol tea kettle and a Melita pour-over with non-bleached paper cones since early 2000's. We store the Melita in a pillow case above the kitchen sink along with an aluminum coffee container from the '50's. The pour-over gives us each 3 cups of great tasting strong Jo which gets me rev'd up for the day! (...also nice with a wee dram of Kaluha on Saturday mornings 🤪). Cheers!

We use ALL the coffee options including instant (yes….bags from Walla Walla Roastery are delicious!), AeroPress, CleverDripper, and our Breville Bambino Plus for espresso. We have a Knock Aergrind to grind fresh for each cup. What we makes depends on the day. If we’re staying put for more than 2 nights, I’ll set up the Breville. One to 2 nights = CleverDripper or aeropress, or instant if I’m really short on time. All are equally delicious, and I never feel like I have to do without coffee!

Thanks to my wife and our son, we are now Aeropress converts for life. We have a typical plug in induction water pot for any and all hot drink needs. Boils water faster than any other method. Using that to make tea, hot chocolate, hot toddies, you name it. Link: Induction Pot For coffee, the Aeropress is king. Once the water is boiling you can have a couple cups of perfect coffee in one minute each. No mess, simple clean up and fast. You pick your favorite coffee and grind. Very cheap and fast to operate. Stows away in the space of a coffee cup. link: Aeropress Video:

I do the same, using a number 6 paper filter into a stanley thermos. Makes even better tasting coffee than my 70's 1500W Norelco or vintage W. German-made Krups

I asked Service the same question while upgrading to Battleborn batteries this spring. Here is a copy of their response:

I do that, too. Amazon sells a box of assorted hot chocolate pods that are pretty good. I have hot cider for the fall, too.

I dont drink coffee, never have - I know kinda weird. Shawna does and we got a small Keurig and she loves it. I did get some Hot Chocolate to run thru it when it is a little cooler on those frosty mornings in the fall.

Since our trailer is Hull 505 Galway Girl we love Irish Coffee made with a melitta #4 pour over system.

Had ours blow up on this last trip. Cost was 22.09 plus shipping brought it to $37.48. 3 week lead time. Number for the company is 574-247-9235. It sure does get your attention when it blows up. Thanks for all the info here guys... appreciate it. Scotty

Per a previous post and very solid recommendation by @ScubaRx I ordered and installed these SS lugs last June. I carry a torque wrench and I too check torque specs while traveling. On our most recent 42 day 6000 mile trip out west all lugs maintained their proper torque setting. https://www.ebay.com/itm/144965685434

Counter and storage space is tight, but the black nectar of the Gods is life sustaining. I don’t have a solution for you (we use Melita cone and pour into a Stanley thermos), but I’m interested in seeing the responses. Maybe we’ll find a better way. And… Welcome to the tribe, and congrats on the soon to be new Oliver.

New bathroom door confirmed with Josh White.