Spike

Thanks, David, for the helpful information, especially for this detail: We are about 1,000 ft higher here in SE AZ. --Jeff

Does anyone know for sure that the Honda EU2200 will indeed run the AC without the Easy-Start? We own a 2017 (Hull 222) Elite II. I am considering spending money on being able to camp in hot weather without hook-ups. Sometimes, traveling here in Arizona, we can find a place to camp at an altitude higher than those at which we travel, and all we may need then is a way to cool the trailer down after traveling in 100+ temps, perhaps running he AC for only an hour or so. I would like to find the most reliable and cost-effective way to do this with these considerations in mind: 1. The generator runs on propane. (I have a strong aversion to fussing with gasoline.) 2. The generator runs as quietly as possible. (The Honda EU2200 is advertised as being very quiet.) 3. If the Easy-Start is required, I would need to have my local RV repair shop install it. (We are in the West, far from the Oliver factory, and I am not all that handy.) 4. We did not opt for the propane quick-connect, so we would either run the unit off a 5lb propane tank we carry in our TV for use with our fire bowl, or devise another way to connect to our 30lb tanks on our Ollie. Any advice for the most reliable and cost-effective way to achieve my goal? --Jeff

We ordered ours on the Elite II that we picked up in June, 2017. We are glad we did. Since composting is an organic process requiring certain conditions, you need to carefully follow instructions for using it, and you will probably need to trouble-shoot once in a while. (For instance, we needed to add diatomaceous earth to stop gnats from inhabiting the compost.) We were new to RVing, and the one thing I was leery of was dealing with sewer hoses and the associated mess and smell. The Nature's Head composting toilet has many advantages over the flush toilet as far as I can tell, such as no sewer smell, less weight (permanently empty black tank), less water use, no time spent visiting dump stations, no handling those stinky slinkies. If two of you pee in the trailer everyday, you will need to empty the pee pot about every three days, but in my view, that beats having to deal with the stinky slinky, etc.

Yes, and just in case I don't have the time or the quick thinking needed to apply those brakes, I bought and installed the Hayes Sway Master, as have a few other Oliver owners: https://www.amazon.com/Hayes-81775-Master-Electronic-Control/dp/B01GT91SY2 It seems to have helped us once already. We were in heavy traffic on a freeway in Scottsdale, AZ, when a teenage girl gabbing on a cell phone swerved into our lane. I swerved to avoid hitting her, and the Ollie's brakes were immediately applied. I don't know if the Sway Master avoided a disaster, but it sure feels good to know it is there.

My experience has, overall, been very good. As far as I know, the company has not yet set up a high-tech way to communicate with its customers like one experiences with bigger companies. Sometimes communication needs to be clarified, or it takes a while to get to the person to whom one needs to speak. However, I have appreciated the personal one-to-one communications I have had with Oliver employees. It has been pleasant to talk over the phone to employees whom I met in person when picking up our Oliver II (June 2017). It was also a bit of a surprise to receive hand-written notes and checks from the company to cover repair costs covered by the warranty. We live in the West--far from the Oliver factory--and it is apparent that the company knows that its former customers are its best salespeople, whether or not they participate in the referral program (as we do). I have had free replacement parts sent to my local RV repair shop with no questions asked. One issue required that I speak to one of the owners, with whom we came to a mutual agreement on its resolution. I would be rather surprised to learn of an Oliver owner who did not have at least one issue to deal with during the warranty period; despite the high quality of its product, issues are likely to arise. All of our issues--rather minor--that were covered by warranty (I think they added up to four) were dealt with to our satisfaction. I think that Oliver anticipates spending a significant amount of money in warranty issues when pricing their pricey product. Other than Oliver's rather clunky system of communication, I--for one--have only good things to say at this point about Oliver's customer service.

Thanks, Steve. I like that encouragement. I got advice from some publication when I was first thinking of buying an RV (So glad it ended up being an Ollie!) to make a sign, like the following, to place outside of the camper (will this word, "camper" trigger an automatic link to the Oliver advertisement, as it did in my other post?): DRIVER TOO TIRED TO CONTINUE PLEASE BE AWARE OF DOG IF URGENT, PLEASE CALL [Cell Phone number] THANK YOU We haven't used it yet, but keep it with us in case we park somewhere where we might get hassled. As I remember, the writer said that he was writing while he was camping in sight of the White House.

What fun!

I guess I got my answer.

Now I wonder if it only links to the first word "camper" used in a post. Will it link to this one: camper?

After quite a bit of research, we purchased this WolfWise ladder: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01B2OFNHM/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 We carry it in our tow vehicle (a camper-shell covered Toyota Tundra). It seems safe, sturdy and reliable. I have used it quite a few times already: to clean the solar panels, wash and wax the roof, and remove a bird nest from the AC, etc. It has a safety feature to help you avoid pinching fingers, although I am very careful to follow the instructions. P.S. Rather strange: edited once to try to remove the bold text and link from the word "camper" above (now perhaps here), but there must be some feature on this site that automatically puts the link in. (I wonder now how many other words, other than camper, will trigger this on the site.)

Thanks, Sherry, for the reply and the links. It seems like the ideal situation would to be to have something like this evaporative cooler--if it really works well--in addition to the AC. I don't know where one would place it, however. I saw that someone on the thread that you linked to write something about the refrigerator location in the Ollie. That got me thinking that perhaps one could replace the microwave above the refrigerator (I know some Ollie owners have opted to leave this space as a cabinet) with the cooler, taking advantage of the existing vents for the refrigerator; in addition, that location would not be too distant from a water source in the Ollie. (Don't know if it would fit in that space, though, as it would need to sit horizontally and still have access to outside air and vent inside the cabin.) Anyway, yes, the reviews are not too bad, and in addition to being able to run it on 12v and being quieter, the cooler modification would seem to be something to seriously consider--if one lived and traveled mostly in the West. I am surprised that there is not more information on the Internet itself about this and any similar--and successful--products using evaporative cooling. I hope that more people will weigh in with their experience, knowledge, and/or speculations.

Makes sense. I learn something interesting and/or helpful every time I visit this forum.

Reed, in your opinion, does this include drain valve lubricant? I recently ordered this product from Amazon after reading in the Oliver manual that using a product like this was recommended to keep the drain valve operational: Camco 40246 TST Drain Valve Lube with Coco Oil Is one forced to choose between the possibility of a stuck drain valve or a non-operational tank gauge? DIFFERENT ISSUE: Since this thread has slipped a bit into the issue of cleaning the black tank, I thought that I would add this. We don't use our black tank since we opted for the Nature's Head composting toilet (and glad we did), but we have been using this product for the gray tank: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CD4BK4U/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 We have been happy with TankTechRx. It seems to eliminate odors from the gray tank and the drain traps well. It has good reviews by folks who use it in their black tanks. The probiotics supposedly work to dissolve solid waste. (I, too, have read that the ice-cube method was ineffectual.)

This is just a follow up to my original shady post. We were successful in flipping the blinds, strengthening the grip so they won't slip down so easily, and more firmly attaching them to the clips. (Please see above.) However, when widening the clips with vise grips, I cracked one of the brackets. I had, previous to tackling these tasks, sent an email to Auto-Motion, the manufacturers of the blinds. I received a phone call from one of their employees today, Vic. After I told him that I solved the problem with the blinds coming loose but had cracked one of the clips, he graciously told me that he would send a few more clips to me. He also said that I had rightly identified the problem: The clips were too narrow to firmly hold the shades. However, he gave me some information that might be helpful to other Oliver owners: He said that, if the screws holding the clips were driven in too tightly, the clips could narrow and not hold as snugly as needed. I'm not sure if this was an issue for our clips, but they WERE very firmly attached to the spacers with the screws. Anyway, I thought that I would pass this information along. I CAN say that widening them the way I did with the vise grips seemed to help: The shades seemed to need more force to pop them back into the grooves and, once in place, seemed to be more tightly affixed to the wall by the clips.

Same here. My wife and I found this article's blatant exposure on Facebook and were disconcerted and baffled as to why Oliver would allow it. Why provide these spots if they are to be widely, publicly exposed? Won't these special spots now be the first places . . .

Indeed, that would be helpful. I DID spend time attempting to find information about this topic using the search function. I was surprised not to not find more on the power jacks since the company advises that maintenance be completed annually--and since other tasks on the forum are so well explained, often accompanied by helpful photos. Anyway, I appreciate the help I have received and will tackle the task soon. Our Ollie is a huge investment for us retired educators, and it would be unwise to neglect good maintenance practices.

Very much so. Thanks, Bill, for finding and linking to this post. I think I can handle the task now.

Thanks, Bill, for your encouragement. Yes, I hope to be able to complete as many of the maintenance tasks as possible myself, and I AM a bit mechanically challenged. I'm sure someone on the forum has greased their jacks before and could give me clearer instructions than I get from the manufacturer. I would also think that others on the forum could benefit from those instructions. I DID find a video online of a guy demonstrating how to grease a hand-cranked trailer jack, but it did not seem very applicable to the Ollie power jacks.

What fun! We took that trip from Hohenwald THROUGH Colorado to Arizona with our new Ollie exactly one year ago. Enjoy.

Can anyone give my clear instructions on how to lubricate the power jacks on a 2017 Elite II? I have gone online and found these "Owner's Instructions" (They seem to be instructions for one with a different color--white--but otherwise seem to refer to the same jack.): https://www.barkermfg.com/uploads/5/4/9/4/54943161/hiperf3000.pdf The instructions about lubrication state this: Once a year, the powerhead should be removed and a liberal amount of grease (preferably a grease with high melting point) applied directly to the coupling on which the drive pin rests. However, it is not clear to me from the diagrams provided in these instructions where that drive pin is or the coupling on which it rests. The instructions also state this: Once a year, the housing cover should be removed and the gears inspected for proper lubrication. Remove 4 screws and tap around edge of housing to free cover. DO NOT insert screw driver blade! (This may damage mating surfaces.) Before replacing cover, clean mating surfaces. If lubrication is needed, use Mobilith 460 grease or equivalent. I have not attempted to remove the cover yet, hoping to get clearer instructions before I take the thing apart. I am also not clear if the Mobilith 460 grease is the same as the "grease with high melting point" mentioned in the first paragraph about applying grease "directly to the coupling on which the drive pin rests." In addition, I wonder about how to lubricate the rear power jacks. What might help me the most are photos or a video of someone accessing the areas of the jacks that need to be lubricated. Clear instructions and advice on the type(s) of grease needed to apply to those areas, at least, should help.

I've been researching ways that folks have been able to run their air conditioners when boondocking--using the quick start, different generators, etc. It dawned on me that there might be another solution to staying cool in the Ollie: an evaporative cooler, something similar to what we use in our home here in the Arizona high desert. I have been reluctant to spend the money on the modifications and extra equipment that might add even more noise to the environment than the already noisy air conditioner. I know that evaporative coolers would not be a good solution for those camping east of the the Rockies with all of that humidity, but I know that we would rarely have that problem out here in the West. (The company says its product is good up to 75% RH.) This is the only system I have found so far that just might be a solution: http://www.turbokool.net/category-s/106.htm The company says it could be used in conjunction with an air conditioner, but with our solar panels, there might not be enough real estate on the roof of our Elite II to install an additional unit like this, so we might have to replace the existing air conditioner with this unit if we decided to purchase and install it. I haven't researched this extensively and haven't read any independent reviews on the product, but I thought that I would see what folks on this forum might have to say about the possibility of replacing or supplementing the Oliver air conditioner with this unit.

Thanks to all for this heads-up. I'm thinking of ordering this and then drilling the hole: https://www.amazon.com/CURT-21504-Hitch-Pin-Clip/dp/B00H56NAPY/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1528582773&sr=8-16&keywords=hitch+pin+with+clip See any reason not to got with this?

Raised, sanitized, and flushed many times. (See my original post.) Thanks, though; I have learned much from this forum.

We recently arrived at our one-year anniversary of owning an Elite II, and I have been completing some maintenance and modification tasks—among them, a fresh water sanitation and flush of the fresh water tank. (I followed some good advice on another thread about how to do this. I used the bleach-followed-by-vinegar method.) I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that this was the first time that I checked the filter that is in the plumbing line just before the water pump. Opening it, I discovered several shreds of plastic. This was before I completed the sanitation and flush. I wondered how they got there, dumped them, rinsed and replaced the filter before thinking that I should have taken a photo of them to post on the forum. However, after the last flush of the fresh water tank, I opened up the filter again to find a few more shreds of plastic in the filter. I’m wondering if others have found similar material in their filters and come up with an explanation of their origin. I’m thinking now that mine might be residue from the modification completed on my fresh water tank by my local RV repair shop: They installed the kit provided by Oliver to replace the intake hose to better access the water. Anyway, I’d be interested in learning if others have found similar material in their filters and their thoughts about the situation. It DOES seem that the filter is doing its job: My pump is still pumping. I will be checking my filter much more frequently from now on.

One thing I forgot to mention, but perhaps is obvious: I needed to first pry the strings away from those corners with a very small screwdriver before placing the ribbed anchor do-hickies between the strings and the corners that increased the tension and thus the grip.