Mainiac

Definitely Maine. Portions of the mid coast were decimated. A period of drought, followed by two storms, dropping a total of over 10" of rain, set up a scenario where 74 mph wind gusts were catastrophic. Nice thing is we had the Oliver to fall back on if life got hectic. As a matter of fact the propane fridge was a huge help.

With involvement of state legislators we have been promised service by 6 pm. However, we have been given the same " promise" every day for the last 7 days... Guess we are not too bad, at least we got power back on after 10 to 12 days...

We are going into our 4th week of no house phone or internet. We did get back our electric about a week ago. The windstorm that came ashore sure uprooted a lot of trees and infrastructure. Sure glad for cell phones, but think we will have to bump up the data plan. Amazing the contacts we had with the house system. Looking at VOIP system, but not sure after some comments on here about them. But, we are alive and well...

In the Spring, when we bring our unit out hibernation, we plan on sanitizing the water system. First we will fill our fresh water tank with fresh water, and then drain it. Hopefully this will remove any antifreeze that might be present. We will close the drain valve, and then turn on the pump (the water heater should fill, as we turn the bypass back open at end of winterizing schedule.). Starting at the kitchen faucet we flush first the cold, and then hot water faucet until there is no more pink, and then the hot. Next is the bath faucet, shower, toilet, and outside shower. We hook up the city water and run for a few minutes to remove any antifreeze that might be there. Next we will go to the short hose connection by the back bumper and suck about two cups of Clorox into the holding tank. We then run each faucet again until we smell the bleach. Shut off each faucet and leave for a couple of hours, or even overnight. The next day we drain the tank and refill. We flush each line until we can no longer smell the Clorox. Refill your tank and Bon Voyage. The easier than it sounds...

Not sure about other owners, but I have had a few return for a second visit. The first can be over whelming with all the info and enthusiasm. On the second visit they come with a list of questions, realistic expectations, and are a lot more relaxed. Of course that all depends on the distance required to travel. You will find most Oliver owners are nice people with a lot of pride in the quality and vercitalty of their unit. Good luck with your research. The hardest part is waiting for delivery, after writing the check. See you around a campfire sometime...

We have hull #211, and are very happy with the unit. Yes, we have fixed a drawer. Yes, we have modified and added things. Yes, it was fun and continues to be. The Zamp controller is something that hangs on the wall. We turn on a switch and lights, tv, and fans come on. We are not plugged in. Must be the system is working. More of the KISS Principle. Ever seen an ad for a used Airstream? Most say new floors. Not fun and something we never see a need to do in the Oliver. Sometimes the negatives you hear on the forum are self inflicted, read all comments with an open mind. Good luck with your new Oliver...

Thanks for the info. We have seriously considered adding one to our unit, but assumed there was a viable key override option to the lock. Hopefully, if you ever hear about the research outcome, that you share with us. Maybe the KISS principle is the best solution here...

We tow with a Ram 2500 4x4, as that is what we use as a plow vehicle. With the 6.4 gas we can spin the tires for quite a distance. It is great that we can tow without needing extended mirrors and you hardly know it is back there. From the towing that we have done this year, on the eastern half of the country, we couldn't be more pleased. And the added bonus is that it has way more creature comforts than our Mercedes sedan does.

Love that fan. You can set a temp and it will turn itself on or off. Bring in air or exhaust it out. Leave it open while going down the road, or at your site with an impending rain storm. All with a remote control to boot...

We had drained our fresh tank, blew out, added AF, and all the procedures. With the fresh tank problem of not being able to totally get all the water out, we made sure it got some antifreeze. As we don't care for the taste and smell of AF, we jacked up the front of the trailer and recovered as much AF from th tank as we could. I was in the camper yesterday looking at getting ready to install an accumulator and just happened to to set a 9 LED flashlight face down on the tank. WOW, the whole tank glowed pink. Guess there was a whole lot more AF in there than I thought. I will make sure we flush a couple of times come "wake-up". We plan on sanitizing then anyway. A just FYI...

We ordered the 182-200 accumulator today. Seeing our system is winterized we won't get to see if there is any difference for 5 or 6 months. We really have not had any issues, but if the factory is adding them to new units, there must be enough of an issue somewhere. We will see. The spec sheet says it holds 2 to 4 oz of water at static pressure, so not expecting earth shattering results. Gathering water into a cistern and then distributing/using is a lifestyle choice that almost doesn't exist anymore. I can only imagine it has evolved to solar powered UV or clorinator water treatment options. I remember seeing older systems that used rainwater collecting stone/cement tanks in the basement and a pitcher pump next to the slate sink in the kitchen upstairs.

And still have waiting...

Love the shiny bumper, but if I ever get the urge I hope somebody takes me aside and talks to me. Afraid the sun, or those new headlights, would blind someone. Maybe I should just go out and put some of that diagonal red and white reflective tape, like the 18 wheelers have, so I don't get the urge. If I see a sunny flash while out on the open road, I'll know you are around...

Mine was never polished. It seems to have a satin finish. The diamond plate part still looks good. Will keep your polish in mind. Don't think we will ever compete for shine...

Interesting and what appears to be a simple fix. I like it. A couple of questions: while sitting in the cold water of the tank will the 90* bend 'relax' and eventuality straighten out? If the pick up tube was cut on a 45* at the bottom, wouldn't it draw down more before sucking air? (Is that what you meant with an "angle" cut?). Did you reverse the fill and pick up lines? Surely the factory wouldn't remotely have had the standard pickup line at the top. And maybe it is time for you to put a waterproof remote switch in for the electric front jack. The thought of you rushing out to raise the front of your trailer, halfway through a shower, maybe just disrupt a campground...

Congrats on the LadyBug. When you hit the open road, in or around May, be sure to get off the Interstate. You will find that your Oliver has such nice road manners that you will find country roads are a pleasure. If you got solar you won't even have to plug in anywhere. You will find those country diners, yes the ones with the purple vinyl seats, serve some of the best meals and company. We have to assume you are going to head north to introduce the LadyBug to some moose, if so we may see you in passing or around the campfire. You might even be able to watch them pull your lobster direct from the sea. Think Spring...

Not sure if yours is the same as ours, but we assume stereo works? Also have you looked at the heading Oliver University? In there are various years of owners manuals. Hopefully in there, if someone doesn't respond, you will find the answer. Also when I had a problem with, Richie gave me the Furrion phone number and they talked me through some steps. Also during pickup Jason was very knowledgeable about how to connect the two systems. Just be sure to call the new Service number just released yesterday...

We are going to purchase the 182-200 water accumulator. Evidently they are now standard equipment on the new units. I have seen a picture of one installed, but it doesn't show the hook-up. Does anyone have a picture, or a step by step description of what I need to do, or the addition parts I might need? How much does it weigh? What is it mounted to? Does the bladder force it empty when system is empty, or do you have to empty to winterize?

They now have a silent solar powered vent, only trouble is it is 7" around. We have installed a lot of the Cyclones (plastic ones) and they work really well. Never had of anyone having a noise. If I had the metal one I might use WD 40 Garage door lube..

I rec'd the kit. I did not order the kit. I didn't know the kit was coming. That being said, after reading the forum on the issue and watching a spin weld video, I think I could do it if I had the proper tools. What I assume the steps are: fitting spin welded to tank, fitting drilled out to take tubing, tubing lowered to 1/4" of bottom of tank. Then , because of the included 90* bend, we bend the tubing. Where it goes from there is a mystery. Why two butt splices? What gets cut, how long are the cut pieces? Evidently the original exit port doesn't get closed, or the kit would have included a plug. Do you have to buy a plug or a valve? We also want the accumulator. How does that get plumbed in? Would it be best to do at the same time? So many questions. Still waiting for answers...

Should I be expecting a 3" waste valve sometimes soon?

I rec'd the "kit" along with some drawer fix screws. No explanation. I wasn't expecting it. It just showed up. The tube won't fit in the fitting. I called Scott. He wasn't aware there was a problem with that, he was out west hunting, they were doing it at the factory. He would find out and have someone get back to me. Still waiting. He said there was a video. I can not find any video. Still waiting. I went to a local shop and they told me that they didn't know anyone that did spin welding. That being said, come time to winterize, you better get all the water out of that tank. We raised the front way up, on a block, as far as we could, to drain. We then lowered it to level, pumped in a little antifreeze. Jacked it back up to drain whatever we could. We will flush the tank really well in the Spring. Then we will sanitize the system, which we had planned to do anyway. Wonder if we will still be waiting? Any instructions should include what to use for a tool shouldn't it?

Does the vent turn because of thermal reasons (hot air rising up the vent tube), or a breeze moving the vanes from the outside?

I was told time and again, by Anita, that my hitch height was to be 23 1/2" to the top of the ball. She didn't seem to understand that different TV will sag more than others when hitched That being said, my 2500 Ram only settles bout an 1 1/2", and the Oliver is level. She only knew the standing height to the top of the ball. Guess she was just repeating what she said as told?

I also don't like a lot of light, at least glaring light. In our unit we have the frosted upper cabinets doors. Turning on the cabinet lights gives us a nice glow throughout the cabin. If we need more direct light we use one of the four reading lights. Guess a lot of our options in 2017 are no longer options. Guess it is as too hard to figure out more than one way to do things...