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@Geronimo John previously requested in one of our recent thread on "Relocating Bath Water Pump Switch and LED", for us to post a new thread discussing options for opening up storage under the bath/shower (HEAD) sink. In that earlier thread, G-John referred to an insulation modification engineered by @John E Davies which is actually an element of this suggested mod as well. D and I wish to thank both G-John and JD for their combined encouragement for this and other OTT modifications we've logged to date. FULL DISCLOSURE: We haven't completed the mod, but members should get a good idea of the direction its going - and we will continue to update progress. 1. Background: We mentioned in the WP Switch/LED thread, the PO installed a marine-grade deck hatch on the front side of the sink cabinet after removing the "cubby shelf" which housed the PW Switch/LED package. The deck hatch is available on Amazon: As shown above, the hatch is configured with 2 "dogs" that adequately seal the compartment within as we have yet to discover water intrusion after showering - believe me, we've checked! Higher quality deck hatches are available at a higher price point than this one, for sure. On the plus side, the rubber seal used in our hatch cover is totally replaceable. In fact, some are available that more closely match the latch hardware OTT uses for the upper storage cabinets in the main area. Here's how ours is configured: 2. New storage area: When relocating the WP Switch, we cleaned up the wire bundles and PEX lines in the void below the sink. JD noted in his "How To" thread about how to better insulate this void - especially since PEX lines are located there. We will do the same insulation upgrade in Phase-2 later this summer. D is calling this a "game-changer" for her because it opened up the space below the forward dinette seat for other items - now that the void serves as storage for dry paper goods previously under the seat, as shown below: 3. Path forward: We're planning to add shelving in this compartment for better organization after the insulation upgrade. I'm actually hearing rumblings from D of converting the forward seat storage area into a mini wine cellar - more on that in another update... So as @Patriot might say, "Mod on..." Cheers!

After purchase of our OE II, I realized the first thing that I wanted to add was a cargo box for more external storage. Based on various posts in this forum, I decided to go with either the Arksen 29” Diamond plate (4.3 CF) or the Dee Zee DZ91717P (5.4 CF). While the Arksen has a look that more closely aligns with the Oliver, I chose the Dee Zee because of the larger capacity. As I will explain later, this turned out to be a problem. With regard to any modifications to our Oliver, my goals are to (1) minimize any drilled holes and (2) try to be consistent with Oliver installation techniques. With that in mind, I decided to use the same U-bolts that Oliver uses to attach their aluminum storage basket and purchased two of them from the factory (part #10839). This had an additional benefit since I only needed to drill two holes through the fiberglass (near the tongue jack) - the other U-bolt would be fastened at the tongue. Also, when it comes time to sell, it should be very easy to replace this box with Oliver’s basket should the new owner want to do so. Instead of buying the U-bolt plates from Oliver, I cut and drilled some old garage door hardware that I had laying around (apparently DW is right when she says I never throw anything away). To avoid the possibility of galvanic corrosion I placed pieces of vinyl siding between the steel plates and the aluminum tongue. Positioning and drilling the holes through the fiberglass was a little trickier than I had anticipated. They say measure twice, cut once. Not wanting to screw it up, I think I measured it six times. There isn’t enough space to get a drill directly underneath the fiberglass so I had to use a ¼” x 12” bit to drill the first hole, enlarging it to 3/8” from the top side. Once that hole was drilled, I used the U-bolt to determine the position for the second hole and drilled that from the top, first ¼”, then 3/8”. I then used my Dremel with a pointed abrasive cone to slightly taper the holes as others on this forum have advised to prevent cracking of the gel coat. Now comes the problem with the Dee Zee box. As you can see from the photo, there is an indentation in the rear of the box exactly where the rear U-bolt needs to be! (What did I say about measuring twice?) After considering other fastening strategies, most of which included drilling many more holes, I finally relented and decided to go with the Arksen instead. I trimmed a piece of interlocking foam utility mat (Designer’s Image 765-5058, 0.43” thickness) to use as a cushion between the box and the fiberglass. As luck would have it, I happened to have four 4” x 4” x 3/8” rubber vibration pads (UPE Group) laying around (did I mention that I never throw anything away?). After trimming to the width of the tongue with a razor blade knife I stacked the four pads and secured them to the tongue with 24” long cable ties. The ribs on the pads allowed them to interlock and stack nicely. And four of those pads adds just enough height to make the box level. To beef up the bottom of the cargo box, I added a piece of ½” plywood. To minimize moisture entry from the bottom, I used gasket cutters to make tight-fitting washers from 1/8” rubber packing sheet and placed them on the U-bolts between the plywood and the interior bottom of the box. The U-bolts were then fastened down with the steel plates using SS nylon-insert lock nuts. Permatex nickel anti-sieze was used on the threads to assist future removal, if needed. Overall, I am quite happy with this install. Special thanks to MAX Burner for giving us a tour of Casablanca at the rally in Alabama, including his own Arksen cargo box.

I don't know the torque specs but I would just use loctite and snug the bolt reasonably tight while using a strap wrench to hold the tube. It doesn't really have to be that tight and the loctite will do the trick.

Hey Jim, My input- We are one of the first owners of many to install the SB cargo box. We absolutely love the amount of room it has, and it suits our set up gear with quick access perfectly. I use to secure our generator in the OEM Cargo box. After our 6000 mile trip out west last year and never using the generator, we reevaluated keeping the generator on the tongue and decided to just carry our Honda 3200i in the bed of our TV. The room in the SB cargo box allows me to keep all my immediate set up gear ready to deploy - 30 amp cord, chocks, Andersen blocks and levelers, 4 rubber chocks with lots of room for other miscellaneous items. Before the SB box install I was storing these items in the bed of our TV in an Action Packer box. The SB cargo box has made life easier just keeping everything right where I can get to it quickly vs unloading gear out of the bed. This box has continued to serve us very well even right now as we are out west again. We have not had any issues with water getting into the interior of the cargo box and we have been through some heavy rains on past trips. We always try and support USA made 🇺🇸 products and I think you will find David and Kristine Hess the owners of SeaBiscuit some of the finest people you will ever meet. David and his team take pride in what they craft and produce. I would also suggest you consider the moose rack he makes (pic below the hitch). It will keep your safety chains or cables stowed and off the ground. For what it’s worth, that is my input all the way from Cody, Wyoming now slowly headed home the long way round to North Carolina. 🇺🇸 Cheers and Happy Trails! Patriot🇺🇸

Your LP regulator may not be functioning properly, check if the cooktop operates correctly or the QC ports, if equipped. Switch the regulator to the other tank, a tank valve may have been opened too fast and has an internal shutdown. If that doesn’t work close each and reopen slowly for the first quarter turn to reset.

I have never heard of anybody damaging these either, but I have always been an Abundance-of-caution type of guy that just can't allow camp time to be marred by the unlikely breaking, or bending, of a jack tube. Because, lets be clear, if it can happen, it will happen to me. Even saying this, I use them exclusively to level the trailer as long as all four tires can touch the ground. Once they hang, they get blocked.

Solved! I did some more extensive probing and found the elusive street side porch wire. This thread was pretty long so I decided to start a new one for how to add a second porch light switch, please see the new post titled “How to add a second switch for the street side porch lights. . . finally” Thanks Mossey for that photo of the porch ground wire. I love the collective wisdom and ideas in this forum, and that picture it’s what started me on the right path! Cheers! Geoff

This long awaited swap-mod is now checked off my to-do list! Like many, I tolerated the noisy Dometic Penguin ll long enough; so glad I was finally able to take decisive action with this install. After a couple years of mulling over the various replacement models being marketed, a unit emerged that caught my attention; the newly available Atmos 4.4 seemingly met all of my expectations. I will forego the removal of the Dometic, here is how I proceeded forward: First and foremost, all AC and DC power sources were turned OFF! Scaffolding and equipment/supplies were then staged for Dometic ‘liftoff’ and subsequent Atmos ‘lunar landing’ (only appropriate since I live a couple miles from the NASA Mission Control Center in Houston). Roof area in need of cleaning. Notice the raised fiberglass landing on my year model and that the former condensate drain tube was simply disconnected rather than cutoff. Roof area throughly cleaned and prepped. I decided to adhere the square self-adhesive foam roof seal directly onto the fiberglass and then apply non-leveling Dicor around the cutout perimeter to further ensure the best seal possible. In positioning the foam seal, care was taken to center it as evenly possible, thereby allowing about 1/4-3/8” of exposed fiberglass to lay a bead of the Dicor and finger smooth to finish. Interior view of the Atmos being positioned over the roof cutout. Note the use of the mounting bolts as a guide, as recommended by SDG. Because the ‘rough cut’ edges of the layers of fiberglass (inner and outer hulls, and spacial filler) were inconsistent, I used the foam seal as a reference to accurately center and align the unit; distances measured to each respective bolt. Initially, installation instructions were followed by adhering the supplied straight piece of self-adhesive foam onto the bottom of the unit as a rear support, but it did not make contact with the roof due to relief of the aforementioned fiberglass landing. Alternatively, the foam piece was cut in half and each adhered onto the fiberglass, in like manner as the square seal, along the outer edges of said landing. This adaptation proved very effective in application and purpose, as the last of the next three pics demonstrates. Now that the exterior unit is properly positioned and supported, it’s back inside to further installation. As a side note, I made use of a portable a/c to buffer the heat and humidity of the day! Although my son helped with the heavy lifting and positioning, I cut him loose and completed the remaining tasks solo. Before proceeding, I used foil tape to treat the end of the aforementioned condensate drain tube and secure it to the side. Next the installation of the fabric air plate duct subassembly was started (provided Dreiha Atmos 4.4 Manual details the process). Note I used foil tape on both the upper (at Atmos bottom) and lower (at mounting frame) duct plates, even though most installs viewed applied to the mounting frame plate only. Between the upper and lower duct plate installs, the ceiling assembly mounting frame was bolted in place and hand torqued using a screwdriver only (torque specified in Manual). The AC power connection was very straightforward. The ceiling assembly’s junction box cover was removed, a strain relief fitting installed at one end (the other end had a preinstalled protector) and respective wires routed inside. I reused the Wago Lever-Nuts from the Dometic install, but first tinned the stranded wires of the Atmos lead for optimum assurance in application; electrical tape was used to further secure the Wago connectors. Ground wires were secured per the Manual. The junction box cover was then replaced, DC thermostat wire bundle loom wrapped and tucked away for future use, and ceiling grille fastened in place. . I’m very pleased with this mod, quality of the Atmos and ease of installation! I should mention that SDG preinstalled a SoftStartRV. I will provide an update once the furnace wiring and thermostat mount is completed. A special shoutout to @rideadeuce for forging the way with his install of an Atmos!

We were in Hohenwald this week and saw some new products made by SEA BISCUIT METAL DESIGNS on display in the Oliver showroom. One product caught our attention, so we decide to visit Johnson City. The rear basket carrier and storage boxes are very well crafted. We already have the OEM rear bumper receiver option so installation was simplified. Since we weren't using the bumper receiver on this trip, we replaced one for the other. We're very pleased with the quality and the design. The lockable boxes increase the secure outside storage, and they're easily removed from the basket in case we want to use it to carry odd shaped/sized cargo. We went with two separate storage boxes, but they also have a larger single "coffin" box that spans the width of the basket. The low profile doesn't cover the original license plate location, so no need to move the plate and rewire its light. The CNC cut "Oliver" name on the carrier is also a nice touch.

Good looking cargo box and you will be really glad to have it. Well done!

I fully understand that perspective. You would be a good canidate to be using at least two 2 X 6" lumber blocks under each jack plate to create slip planes for when the jacks get moved or move under duress. Sure have saved bending a LOT of Ollie Jack Shafts. Thanks for the strap wrench idea and Locktite on the 5/8" jack leg ground plate. GJ

Nice installation. Do you know if (2) Honda 2000/2200 watt generators will fit in this box? I could do the math but I'm a bit lazy.

I just received my new Starlink Gen 3. I mostly boondocks and thought it would be a waste of power to convert DC to AC to DC to power the Starlink. I found a device that will convert DC 9-36V 15A to DC 46V 3A through POE. It also has a built in switch to deliver the internet signal to the router of your choice. (XLTTYWL Starlink V3 Poe Injector, 150W 2 in 1 GigE Passive & ESD Protection Starlink 12v Conversion Kit with Starlink DC Step UP Converter DC 9-36V/150W for Starlink Gen 3 Dishy) I am using a mini travel router (GL.iNet GL-AXT1800 (Slate AX) Pocket-Sized Wi-Fi 6 Gigabit Travel Router, Extender/Repeater for Hotel&Public Network Storage, VPN Client&Server, OpenWrt, Adguard Home, USB 3.0, TF Card Slot) uses a USB C power source DC 5V 3A. I wired a PlusRoc Waterproof 12V/24V to 5V Converter DC-DC Step Down Module Power Adapter Compatible with Raspberry Pi 4, Cellphone, Car (USB Type-C Connector) to power the router. I mounted everything on a board and powered it from the DC fuse box under the dinette. I will add a waterproof Ethernet port as shown in many other Starlink threads. It powered up and so far is working great. Even the Starlink mobile app recognizes the signal from the mini router and allows all the Starlink utilities to be used. I had a Victron Solar Panel Charge controller for a suitcase panel in the spot where I mounted the board so I just moved that to the board as well. I love not having to turn on my inverter to run the Starlink dishy.

@routlaw I will offer my opinion on your questions and I’m sure others will offer theirs. 1. If never plugging into shore power upgrading to a Power Dynamics charger capable of lithium charging becomes unimportant, correct? It would only be important if the Oliver batteries were ever in need of a charge and the solar charger was incapable of accomplishing that for you or the next owner. I believe my lithium compatible battery charging module cost about $150 dollars, a small price to pay for the added benefit it provides to me. 2. Why the need to upgrade to a more powerful PD charger just for Lithium batteries? If a 30 A charger worked for lead acid or AGM's why would it not provide enough current for LifePO? My original PD charger module was rated at 45A which is the same as replacement the lithium compatible charging module. And the reason for the replacement is that the original charging module did not have a charging algorithm that supported lithium batteries. 3. My direct battery measurement is different than what my Blue Sky IPN Remote indicates, or stated more precisely a direct battery measurement with my multi meter at the terminals indicates 13.89 volts, while the IPN remote is reading 13.4 volts which is almost a half volt difference. Is it possible I have another issue rather than dying batteries? When I suspected my original batteries were failing, I removed them from the Oliver, then charged them individually and after a 4 hours resting period, I used a hydrometer to test each cell. This test method indicated that 2 cells of 1 battery were failing. Or you could take your batteries to a battery shop for testing. 4. I don't use an inverter, other than occasionally a small unit rated at 400 watts that directly plugs into the 12 volt ports. Probably will not add anything more in the future either. Put another way we tend to be lightweight campers requiring only lights, water pump etc. Am I missing something else worth considering? Your Oliver already has the ability to charge the house batteries and I think you would be remiss to give up that functionality. Just my opinion! Mossey

I hope @DavePhelps doesn't mind me hijacking his thread but reading through these excellent and informative post has me asking yet more questions which hopefully some of you will provide answers. Like Dave I am also on the verge of upgrading to LifePo batteries after 9 years with my 4 lead acid batteries that are showing weakness. 1. If never plugging into shore power upgrading to a Power Dynamics charger capable of lithium charging becomes unimportant, correct? 2. Why the need to upgrade to a more powerful PD charger just for Lithium batteries? If a 30 A charger worked for lead acid or AGM's why would it not provide enough current for LifePO? 3. My direct battery measurement is different than what my Blue Sky IPN Remote indicates, or stated more precisely a direct battery measurement with my multi meter at the terminals indicates 13.89 volts, while the IPN remote is reading 13.4 volts which is almost a half volt difference. Is it possible I have another issue rather than dying batteries? 4. I don't use an inverter, other than occasionally a small unit rated at 400 watts that directly plugs into the 12 volt ports. Probably will not add anything more in the future either. Put another way we tend to be lightweight campers requiring only lights, water pump etc. Am I missing something else worth considering? Like Dave I am considering the Epoch 300 amp but also looking at the SOK lineup too. Will Prowse and a few others have given high praise for all of the SOK batteries. Great price points too. Thanks

Beautiful sunrise at Pancho Villa SP, Columbus, NM this AM - headed to Old Mexico for lunch today... Magnus guarding the perimeter with D and Oscar inside enjoying their BRCC morning Joe (note our newly minted wooden signage made for us by our friend, Coy): @Patriot - FYI: we stayed at Norris CG and loved it there... We felt it was closer to the sights and hikes we wanted to explore. We've also stayed at Fishing Bridge and Madison and thought they were just as awesome. Enjoy, Explor, and Experience it all, brother! Cheers... IMG_2848.HEIC

Yes, they "can". But, I'm not aware of any OTT reported frame, mounts or jack tubes from use on reasonably level ground. However, I can certainly envisonate situtations where it could occur when unwisely used on sloping ground and well extended. But I have not yet heard of such damage actually happening within the OTT community. I believe that it is very important that we use blocking under all three jack plates every time. They reduce the lever arm and will prevent jack damage when moved while extended. But this is a topic of a previous post.... A bit off topic, but important. I recently lost on the highway one of my jack foot plates. Recommend checking their single bolt tightness occasionally. Anybody know how to do so and to what torque? My concern is that one could damage the jack tube if it is not restrained during tightening. GJ

Thanks for everyone’s suggestions. I tightened up the fittings again under the curbside bed and the pump quit running after pressurizing the system. Eventually I’ll check under the kitchen sink, and if necessary, the bathroom sink. I wanted to check the inlet pipes and fittings for the fresh and city water inlets, and the winterization port; what is the easiest way to access these fittings? Thanks again. David

So first, are you sure you have enough water in the freshwater tank? Our fresh tank appears empty when half full due to an OTT installation defect on some older hulls. When it starts to pull air from the freshwater it will gurgle first and then run continuously. We refill frmo the boondocking port and we're good for another 18 gallons. This certainly could be the cause, but a water leak from ANYWHERE will show up dripping in one or more weep holes. Our kitchen faucet had a leak coming from the extension hose built-in to the faucet. It was not even hand tight. See picture for what a leak looks like. The center water spot is fridge condensate. The two on the ends were coming through the weep holes via the kitchen faucet connection.

This could be your new mascot...

Does this mean you'll be doing all the cooking at Quartzsite? Also, are you now calling the trailer Oli Leg?

I'd also check the water pump filter and all of the connections in/around the water pump. I'm suspicious of air getting into the system due to loose connections - probably on the draw side (i.e. where water is drawn into the Ollie from either the winterization port (most likely suspect) or the fresh water fill port). Bill

Maybe under the galley sink, and then the bathroom? I would check for leaks under the galley sink first, as water there can cause major issues. If the connections under that sink looks good, I would carefully examine the bath faucet and toilet supply line connections. Good luck! And, please report your results.

After four years of towing my LE II and reading countless threads on the Anderson and cargo capacities in general, I have come to the following conclusions. The Anderson improves the towing experience and aids in control of the vehicle in emergency maneuvers. The additional time to hook up the Anderson is negligible compared to the increased safety and driveability it provides If your manual states that a weight distributing hitch is required when towing over 5,000 lbs, it is because it is probably not possible to take advantage of the entire cargo capacity of the TV without using a weight distributing hitch. This is because cargo capacity as stated on the doorjamb sticker is always a product of the maximum front axle loading capacity plus the maximum rear axle loading capacity. It is often overlooked, but you can be driving down the highway with your Gross Vehicle weight 300 lbs UNDER the rated GVWR, but if the rear axle is loaded over the maximum rear axle weight, then you are overloaded. When a vehicle manufacturer states that a weight distributing hitch is required when towing over 5,000 lbs, they have assumed that when towing a trailer with a 500 lb tor higher tongue weight, it is not possible to load the vehicle to its rated cargo capacity (i.e., loaded to maximum GVWR) without overloading the rear axle axle. If you weigh at a scale, it is important that you weigh the front axle and the rear axle. If one is over its rating, the maximum rated cargo capacity of your TV is irrelevant. I am no expert and I hope others will correct me or provide the appropriate caveats to my description above if advisable.

Finished the last task of this project, the fiberglass repair. This product worked well. It's slightly whiter than our yellowing hull. I also patched inside the hull where I had removed the original rear curbside TV mount. The color difference inside is hard to notice if any. I'm not the finish polisher guy, 320 grit sandpaper is the lightest I have. This is fine due to the location (see picture above prior to fill). I'll get it detailed further whenever I get to refinishing the hull.

Several years ago on a trip through CO, we made an overnight stop at a campground near Gunnison. It was dark and since we were in a level site I didn’t unhitch. In the morning, I noticed that the trailer battery was dead. As I looked around I discovered the pin from the BAS had been pulled out. I must have snagged it while getting something out of the truck in the dark. No matter how I tried to reinsert the pin, it wouldn’t go in. Upon reading the installation instructions I found that if the pin is pulled out for an extended period the high current from the battery will weld the contacts together! Needless to say our departure that morning was delayed. So if you pull the pin to test your BAS, be sure you don’t get distracted and end up forgetting about it.

Pull on that red cord in order to activate the breakaway switch. You should hear the brakes on the Oliver engage and you should not be able to move the Oliver without the tires sliding on whatever surface you are parked on. Of course - after you have conducted your test (this should only take 30 to 60 seconds) push the pin back into the breakaway switch. This should disengage your brakes and now you should be able to, once again, move the Ollie with the tires rotating normally. I test mine at least twice a year in this manner. Bill

@DavePhelps thanks for asking the question and I hope your project is going well. And Geoff, you got me thinking of the possibility of a device or wiring failure that could occur either side of a breaker. I have the direction reversed on the breakers, as I first suggested (see they're upside down in the picture, yellow levers up) protecting charge voltage from two MPPT SCs. Looking at the bigger picture, I added a 75A fuse (far right in picture) safeguarding the batteries and wiring for everything external to the Victron MP2 inverter where they spec'd a 400A fuse to the batteries. The additional 75A fuse will protect our two 30A solar chargers and the 40A breaker that feeds all 12VDC devices/wiring. Another way to word this is if anything fails/shorts to ground in ANY Oliver 12VDC circuit, this fuse will blow, the last stop prior to the 4/0 wiring, the Victron MP2 and the Epoch batteries. I used this style fuse but instead of the designed holder, I made my own with 1/4 x 1" copper stock and a 5/16" SAE automotive bolt (torque lightly due to the glass fuse housing). Now that it has tested positive, I should buy a spare: Amazon.com: South Bend Components Fuse only Marine Rated Battery Fuse (MRBF), 58V DC Max, IP66, Ignition Protected (1-Pack) : Automotive

Another copy of @Snowball‘s mod just used different but almost the same components. Took a few pics. I was able to save about 2/3 of the upper front maple crossbar. Real trick since the sink is 2 in deeper was maintaining drainage grade. Had to remove metal tube securement (screwed to the back of the cabinet) and was able to reuse the 1 1/2 in ABS but may end up cutting it under road side bed to shorten a bit to get more of a grade. But seems to be draining ok… we shall see. Love the sink and faucet. SO much more useful. Just have to close up top left drawer with faceboard some how. Oh, I did shim the middle between the middle maple cabinet support and counter, the counter had small bow in it. Easily corrected, then was able to silicone the sink to the counter top. Amazon Links: Brushed SS Sink 17x19x9 18g sink, 11g sink rim https://a.co/d/ I wasn’t able to use the deep drain basket that came with it due to limited space. Grohe Bar faucet https://a.co/d/hK5IcRy Best, Mike

In retrospect, the kitchen sink is one of the only areas where Oliver did not do a great job of designing something that worked well. The OEM sink is too shallow and shaped more like a bowl. The OEM full size kitchen faucet had a reach of 8-9 (should have been 7-8in to spray in the middle ) which caused it to splash water everywhere unless you pulled down on the spray head and let it dangle. The upgrade solves all that and most importantly matches the faucet to the sink so they work together well. Plus, I like the more modern design. Mods are so much fun. Especially when so many members lead the way. Just curious, does anyone know what happened to @Snowball ? Oh, I forgot to mention for anyone doing this mod and it necessitates removing part of the cabinetry. Cover the soft close mechanisms, I had a hell of a time cleaning out all the saw dust. Lots of small moving parts make that work smoothly.

She is definitely smarter than her dad! LoL. This morning she was complaining about the healthy cereal and I told her that her mom and I were trying to teach her to eat healthy. I said that things with a lot of sugar can cause obesity and diabetes, etc. She grinned and said “Have you been eating a lot sugar while looking at my belly!?”

Finished the top drawer mod. Keep the wood blocks on the end, they hook into to the end connectors for soft close assembly. You do have to trim them down like the rest of the drawer to make it fit under the sink. Happy that I got to keep the drawer for small things. Turned out better than expected. Had a little helper too!

I somehow missed Snackchaser's post last night. Thanks for that great idea about using a fuse instead of a breaker for the charger to battery connection! It makes good sense to me. So I will amend my proposed diagram above to eliminate the 50 amp breaker, and replace it with a 60amp ANL fuse (per JD's recommendation). Wondering if now would be a good time to add a battery disconnect switch, or if I even need one. Seems like a lot of folks have added them. I could add one to the negative 4awg wire between the battery and the ground bus. I read (Battleborn Battery website) that putting the switch on the negative lead is potentially safer, so trust their call on that. I really appreciate all the input I get here. I could hire this all out, but I really want to learn all that I can about the electrical side. And I like doing the work on my own trailer. I've done a lot of my own residential AC work, but the world of 12VDC is quite different in many ways! JD: There is a 30amp breaker between my solar charge controller output and the battery. With the 'aux' connection on the controller side and the' battery' connection on the battery side (seems correct?). The solar panel inputs are not fused, at least not inside the trailer. I need to now draw out a complete wiring diagram of the entire system. It may take a day or two as I'm pretty swamped right now with other projects. But I'll get it up here as soon as I can. Again, I really appreciate all the help I have received here.👍 Dave

This modification was a break-out from an old and long thread that Mossemi started: “Only one switch to operate streetwise and curbside lights . . .” It concerned a common complaint that the curb side porch lights can’t always be used because the street side lights also come on and they can annoy the neighbors. Mossey posted a new photo of the main switch panel wiring yesterday, and it showed a ground wire labeled “porch light”.” I hadn’t noticed it before, so I tried my circuit signal probe again and finally found where the circuit crosses over to feed the street side porch lights. It was in a sheathed wire bundle behind the attic side board, deep along the right bottom corner. It can’t be reached through the attic without disturbing the insulation, but it can be reached through the right rear speaker hole. The duct tape dust cover will have to cut open then re-taped afterwards. The wire bundle has enough slack to splice it though the speaker hole. I pulled the positive “red” wire out of the “split-sheath” wrap and verified it was the right one with a clamp-on amp meter. It read something like 0.9 amps with the lights on. I cut the wire, capped the end coming from the old switch, and spliced a new blue wire to the lights end. A Wago connector was easier than trying to crimp a butt splice in the tight space. The new wire was sheathed for extra protection and routed to the main switch panel. It was tie-wrapped to an existing wire bundle on the forward edge of the attic ceiling. With the left attic side board also removed (they are held by two small lag bolts), the wire can be passed into the left side upper cabinet. A short stiff wire will help fish it through. The upper cabinets have thin laminate floors fastened with a few Phillips screws. Remove them to expose a channel that the new wire can lay in all the way to the main switch panel. I also removed the microwave outlet for more room to feed the wire into the switch panel area; just snap off the cover plate, loosen the two mounting screws slightly so the wings fold in, and it will come right out. I had a round rocker switch in my stash, and they are also available from Amazon. I installed it in the blanked hole for the “Street Awning” switch, and blacked out the word Awning with a felt marker. The switch just says “Street” now, for the street porch light. Very unprofessional, but I hope someone will had a better solution. If you don’t have a blanked spare switch hole, then a switch can be mounted on the other side of the switch panel, on the inside cabinet wall. The switch was wired with the new blue wire going to the middle terminal, the red hot +12Vdc to the bottom, and the yellow ground to the top (needed for the blue neon indicator.) The other ends of the hot and ground wires went to existing six-port push-in terminals that feed other switches. There were some unused ports. This is easier than it sounds, but it’s good to have a clamp-on amp meter and/or circuit tracer to help find the street porch light wire. I included a photo and list of the tools I used. The inexpensive brands work well enough, and I’d recommend owning them for other electrical projects, troubleshooting and repair work: Digital clamp-on ac/dc amp meter, also a multimeter, can check your shunts and loads too! Circuit tracer for finding wires, shorts, and breaks Metal fish tape, I cut short pieces off the end for these kind of jobs Cable tie gun, you will wonder how you ever got by without one Auto wire stripper, just makes it easier Thomas and Betts crimpers, 50 years old and still my favorite go-to Inspection mirror Fluke multimeter, when accuracy counts Cheers, Geoff

@DavePhelps, I have a new idea after considering what @Snackchaser added. Yeah, it would be great to be neighbors! 🤣 If the charger (AC-DC converter) fails, it would generally blow the 120VAC circuit breaker. If it produces too much DC amperage, the directional wiring I suggested would protect the circuit. If the charger somehow created a dead short on the DC side, without blowing the AC breaker, then you would want it wired as Geoff suggested. Btw, the breaker being close to the battery vs. charger is negligible since it's only 2-4 feet of cable in either direction. New idea: Keep your original drawing as-is but instead of the 50A breaker, install an ANL fuse. Geoff also mentioned using a fuse. Fuses are NOT directional as DC breakers. BTW, 50A is not enough for the 45A charger (45A x 1.25 = 56A, so go up to 60A). Purchase ideas: Amazon.com: Blue Sea Systems 5123 ANL Fuse, 60A : Blue Sea Systems: Automotive Amazon.com: Blue Sea Systems 5005 ANL Fuse Block with Insulating Cover, 35-300 Amp, 32V DC : Blue Sea Systems: Tools & Home Improvement Have you removed your original battery cables yet? Check to see if OTT installed an inline ANL fuse. Mine had one, but our hull also has an inverter. The OEM 12VDC wiring in our hull was reversed from what's shown in your drawing. Switch the bus and breaker in your drawing and that's how ours was installed. OTT also wired both the 40A breaker from (not to) the bus and from the solar breaker in reverse direction. Originally, I thought OTT wired the breaker in the wrong direction, but they did so because the converter is wired directly to the bus (see red 6 AWG cable in wire loom left side of bus in picture). The picture was taken during my recent upgrade to new batteries, inverter and buses. The two red 6 AWG wires you see loose come from the AUX side of the breakers and were run directly to the batteries. So, OTT reversed the direction as I had suggested and appears to be standard from what I found online. Anyway, the ANL fuse will provide better overall protection. Be sure to buy an extra fuse!

The Renogy 400W Suitcase specifies 11A short circuit amperage and Max Series fuse rating of 15A, listed on product label. Use fuse rating per solar panel specifications.

FYI Mossey

This doesn't solve the problem. But this past weekend, I got to see the modification that @Ollie-Haus made on his 2023. It is a 5"+ length of 1x1x1 aluminum Z-bar, painted white, and adhered to the trailer with double-sided tape. https://www.mcmaster.com/7062T15/ I'm going to do the same, but before mounting the shield, I will cover the lens with amber Lamin-X film (that I bought before getting the trailer but have yet to apply...) It makes a huge difference, and even while still a cool white, it is less objectionable than just covered with Lamin-X like the trailer beside us had. It was great to compare the two, which is what convinced me to do both!

I would buy a new 50A Bussman breaker (check PD manual for correct breaker amperage) between the new charger and the batteries on the new 4 AWG B+ Red cable. You can add a bus or merely connect the current 6 AWG wire to either end of your new 4 AWG cable (at battery or charger) to the current 40A busman which feeds all DC fuses, fuses for stabilizer jacks etc. This way the 50A breaker governs the charging only and the original 40A breaker governs 12VDC use in the trailer. If you need more help, post pics. I used our 40A Bussman as described above and I have additional breakers for each solar charger. Note when wiring, the breakers are marked battery and load sides. OTT had some wired backwards in our hull.

We always leave the sewer hose attached. No reason not to…. It makes life so much easier!

Saturday’s install was a success! Soon I will post ‘Dreiha Atmos 4.4 Home Install’, but for now a few pics. BTW, sitting in the Oliver at home enjoying my morning coffee, Atmos whisper ‘cool’; I can actually hear myself thinking of things to come!

Good choice, given the new PD charger is 45A. I believe the original ones were 30A and ours usually read between 20-25A when plugging into shore power. The Blue Sky SC is 25A so 6AWG is just fine. When I upgraded, I found the ground bus (the one on the floor with many yellow jacketed wires connected) only had one 6 AWG connection to the batteries. Our new inverter/charger is rated at 120A, but i have it set for 50A. Instead of replacing the 6 AWG, I merely added a second 6 AWG wire. Together two 6 AWG cables are equal to one 3 AWG cable. This may be an option for you too. You need 4 AWG (or 2x 6 AWG) wire size on both sides, the B+ Red and B- Yellow connections from your new charger to your new Epoch battery. See these links the first one is to calculate wire size, and the second one allows you to calculate the combined AWG of multiple wires: 1) Wire Size Calculator (wirebarn.com) 2) Wire Combination Calculator (wirebarn.com)

Dave, I didn't do a great job at answering your question, so here is some better detail . #6 is the correct minimum wire size for a 30 amp charger, which would be a small charger for your battery. Verify which PD model you ordered because the higher amperage models charge faster, but they require larger wire. There are on-line “dc” calculators to determine minimum wire size based on amps, volts, and length of cable. I ran the numbers for the PD 30, 45, 60, and 80 amp lithium chargers. This was based on an guess-estimated one-way cable run of 8’, and a targeted voltage drop of less than 2%, these are the results: 30 amps = #6 awg 45 amps = #4 awg 60 amps = #3 awg 80 amps = #2 awg These numbers might vary slightly depending on the actual wire length and other factors, but if in doubt, go large! I hope this helps. Cheers! Geoff

Here is the article on upgrading hull 505. it included new inverter and batteries. https://4-ever-hitched.com/ggs-blog/f/lithium-battery-upgrade?blogcategory=Electrical+Upgrades

Dave, 6 AWG is all you need. The ONLY reason for anything heavier is when running an inverter. OTT uses 6 AWG to connect the PD charger, the 12VDC fuse panel and everything else. Make sure all B+ and B- connections are clean and tight. I cut 1/2” off each end to bare new copper in the buses, but if you have good eyelets to the batteries, just steel brush them Blue Sky SC in our hull also uses 6 AWG in and out. Check my upgrade link re configuring the Blue Sky for LiFePo4. Good battery choice, btw! 🤣

Currently targeting this coming Saturday, been dodging outer bans of scattered rainfall from Francine’s havoc with our coastal neighbor. I’m prepared, maybe too much so; totally bought into @MAX Burner’s “One is None, Two is One” and @Patriot’s “Two is one and one is none” concepts. May strap the spare Atmos to the rear bumper!

Give David Hess a call he and his wife Kristine are the owners of SeaBiscuit. They are fine folks and they will get you set up with exactly what you need. https://seabiscuitmetaldesigns.com/product-category/oliver-travel-trailer-accessories/ As for weight limit, the good folks at Oliver may provide guidance on that. Naturally a caution flag on any excessive weight which could really impact the overall handling of the trailer under way on the super slab. Made in the USA.🇺🇸

Sea Biscuit had the rack and other stuff at the rally in May…. Nice stuff, put very ,$$$$$.. talked to the owner , dont have front basket yet for Elite I.. stay safe out there…

@jd1923 The Renogy 400W portable solar panel will likely be my next want, but for now pending installation of the Atmos 4.4 is forefront; one mod at a time!

That is brilliant! That extra storage space is everything! Love it, want it!! Well done. Will you come do mine?😂