ScubaRx
-
Posts
3,091 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
158
Posts posted by ScubaRx
-
-
I used to wonder if using Teflon tape would somehow (electrically) insulate the anode from the tank thereby somewhat reducing its effectiveness.
But, I used to wonder about a lot of things that don’t seem to bother me anymore.
Never mind.
-
1
-
1
-
-
33 minutes ago, GAP said:
My wife and I purchased our 2020 E2 based, to a certain degree, on our enthusiasm for cold weather adventuring. We took a number of trips over the 21/22 winter season to check out limits and capacities. All were trips between 3 and 7 days, in northern New England with night time temps in the range of roughly 30-0 degrees Fahrenheit. We would note nightly exterior temps, kept the overnight cabin interior set to 60 and rotated 3 digital temp sensors around what we found to be the most vulnerable areas to cold we found (and could get to) between the shells that housed water lines and tanks: 1) under front dinette seat, under street side bed by the exterior shower, 2) the pex lines to exterior shower passing through the faux wall at very rear of basement and 3) the battery box. We could not get to but are curious about the cabinet housing containing the bathroom sink. Playing it safe, we kept the trailer winterized for the entire time relying on containerized water and our composting toilet. All of our sites were boondocky, with no shore power hookups so we relied entirely on the LP furnace and solar/lithiums.
We found that the stock trailer could manage to keep all the areas listed from dipping below freezing down to 25 (exterior temp). The lines behind the faux wall and exterior shower would hover in the low 30s at that temp. We realized those pex lines will, realistically speaking, need to be always kept winterized by adding cut offs as heating the basement area would be an inefficient waster of LP. Side note that we asked Jason if that could be done during our build and he informed us that the shop could not find anywhere with enough space to add them. We're open to suggestions. A simple set of tweaks including adding two layers of Reflectix to cover the interior of both the basement and battery compartment doors got us down to 20 with similar results.
Next project was more involved. The temperature difference between the areas under and wall along side the curbside bed versus the street side bed was resulting in heavy condensation on the streetside wall and window which would soak that bed. We also found that the battery compartment was dropping down into the 30s at exterior temps in the high teens. While there is a matte heater pad below the batteries, it seemed to us that the compartment was too cold to reflect the lithiums themselves being warm enough to run efficiently and we noticed anecdotally an increased need for more charging assist - be it solar or generator. Could haver been the drain of the heat pad or the lithiums running less efficiently in the cold (as validated by the manufacturer) but which one did not matter. We felt adding heat to the box would be of benefit. Our fix was to re-route some heating vent. We capped the rearward 4" vent and re-ran that line through the gap behind the water tank from the furnace to the street side, past the inverter, under the battery box to a new vent we placed as a mirror image to the existing one below the drawers in the galley. One vent grate is pointed fore and the other aft. Here we used semi rigid vent tube specifically because it sheds so much heat, allowing the areas it runs through to warm. Where the tube ran past electronics, we would shield the hot tube in a layer of reflectix. Measuring with an infrared thermometer, the reflextix surface was cooler than the surface of the OEM flexi vent tubing and quite cool to the touch. The heat exiting the new vent would run about 10 degrees warmer than the one on the other side of the isle even though it is a further distance from the source.
We expected an increase in output from the vent in the bathroom but did not notice much of a change. As the bathroom is a bit of a "dead end" with air being forced in but nowhere for it to exit, we added a 4" eyebrow vent at the floor level below the towel rack to allow for circulation and share some heat passively with another problem cold area - under the front dinette seat. While there are no pex lines run there, there are drain pipes and tanks and it would otherwise fall to freezing if outside temps were in the teens.
Not very scientific but the furnace did not sound like it was under further strain or seem to run more frequently given similar temps. Our rate of LP consumption is roughly the same now as it was before alterations which, in single degree night time temps, consumes a 30lb tank in just over 2 days. Not very good. To increase efficiency, we cut two layers of "double bubble"reflectix and taped the edges with silver foil vent tape - as suggested in a previous post. They fit tightly inside all windows and are held in place by closing the shade. Bought a camco 14" soft material vent cover which bunjied over the Maxair (when not cooking) and cut a piece of 2" open cell foam to fit the window in the door. Covered it with a layer of reflectix and taped the edges. This is held firmly in place by the screen door. As all including the fan cover have refectix sides facing inward, the add ons look good enough - not jury rigged.
Our takeaway is that these tweaks have bought us 20 degrees of leeway so we have squeaked by to zero. The batteries box is running much warmer but the other areas are more iffy. There is less condensation around the streetside bed but the exterior shower, for it's entire run, will need to be somehow shut off and winterizede or will be subject to freezing. Someone had suggested cutting a block of memory foam to put in the box with the exterior shower nozzle and knobs which may work but would not help with the tubing behind the faux wall.
As to factory options that would have really helped: The exterior shower really needs cut offs or could have had it's lines run through a heated area of the belly and it would be super helpful to insulate the basement walls, basement door and shower door. The walls of the trailer REALLY transmit a lot of cold into the interior. A layer of spray on insulation foam would have gone a long way to help with that. I am also eyeballing the sealed belly and thinking a layer of sprayed on insulation could really help there as well. Am going to contact an HVAC place to get some feedback on options there. Also looking for doable suggestions.
We love our Oliver and appreciate the incredible quality of the build. We also realize that there are very few folks looking to use theirs in frigid conditions. We're hoping that those of you that do, pipe in with further feedback and refinement to increase both capacity and efficiency in these sort of conditions.
I am in the middle of a project where I am rebuilding the basement. I have decided to reroute the supply lines for the outside shower to a position more inboard than they are now. This is mainly to allow the new floor that I intend to install to be lower and completely flat. In rerouting those lines it will put them in a position closer to the centerline of the trailer as opposed to right next to the outside wall. This should have a positive effect on insulating those lines. I had not thought of putting valves into those lines, but it does sound like a good idea, and in their new position, it will be easy to do. I will probably put electric motorized valves in since I would not be able to easily access manual ones from the outside. Thanks for the idea.
-
7
-
-
3 hours ago, John E Davies said:
Me me! I was camped right next to you…… 😬
This is similar to what my wife went through a month ago, on her walk she found a folded in half $100 bill. How can you word a “Found” ad for something like that?
Good try there, John. I found a hundred dollar bill while walking our dogs years ago. Tali demanded I give to her for safekeeping. I never saw it again.
-
3
-
-
8 hours ago, John E Davies said:
Nope, are you asking for a recommendation?….I personally baulk at a price much over $100 for a cutting tool I might lose.
John Davies
Spokane WA
No I am not looking for advice. And I agree that that I would be really distressed we’re I to lose something that cost that much.
The point of my post is that I found this knife, it is in great shape and I have reason to believe it was lost by someone who owns an Oliver.
If someone has lost this knife, please let me know where you were camped when you last had it.-
2
-
1
-
-
I’m wondering if anyone out there recognizes this or owns one…
-
7 hours ago, Going said:
…but main one I see that is not on my BB quote is INVERTER, XANTREX FREEDOM XC 3000 Pro at about $1500. I need to understand why or what that does because it is on their quote for the 390Ah and the 630Ah package…
The Xantrex 3000 watt inverter/charger is necessary to have in order to be able to run the air conditioner off the batteries. It also is able to recharge the lithium batteries at up to 150 amps per hour, 3x that of the PD4045.
-
2
-
-
1 hour ago, Going said:
Good question. Not entirely with 2 GC3s. But there are 3 options as I understand; 1. Use my Honda generator to supplement. 2. Purchase a suitcase panel from BB that I could plug into the batteries. (Would have to make a connection in the battery box to make the plug up easy). 3. Perhaps the best option is install the DC to DC charger on my tow vehicle that John Davies recommended. I don’t think anyone has installed the GC3s yet that I know of. One thing I am trying to figure out to make sure I am not missing anything is why is Oliver so expensive for their Platinum package at 15k vs this scenario. Even if I install 2 of the GC3s at 540Ah, I would still be spending only $5500 plus 4 or 5 hours labor for the battery install. Oliver has 31 hours labor included. One thing is the batteries they use are $4500 each and 315Ah each, so 630 total but everyone on the forum has been happy with either 2 or 3 of the BB 100Ah. They swap out a few more things but main one I see that is not on my BB quote is INVERTER, XANTREX FREEDOM XC 3000 Pro at about $1500. I need to understand why or what that does because it is on their quote for the 390Ah and the 630Ah package.
Questions for you. Did the installer have to run new cables to the battery area or just inside the battery area? And if 4 will fit in there, would that leave enough room to work with the cables? Also, did you remove your factory battery sliding tray or leave it in?
You didn’t mention in the Oliver vs BB comparison the Oliver has ditched the inadequate Zamp equipment for Victron. It won’t make up for the $$ difference but it is light years better in capability.
I swapped my Trojan AGM’s for three BB’s a couple of years ago. We rarely use more than 12% during the dark hours and we are back to 100% by noon with good sun and we only have 300 watts of solar. We were not hobbled with the Zamp stuff as our Hull #050 (and the next 150 trailers) was outfitted with Blue Sky equipment.
A 100 watt panel can only put out about 8 amps so you can calculate how long it would take to replace amps used with whatever number of watts of solar you have. With either the Blue Sky or Victron equipment, you’ll get a few extra amps because their controllers are MPPT vs PWM on the Zamp.
Older trailers will also need to replace the PD4045 charger with a lithium compatible model ($200+).
-
1
-
-
We’ve only gone from Silverton to Ouray, not the opposite direction. I don’t if Tali would go for that as she would be riding on the edge looking down.
-
2
-
-
1 hour ago, skalywag said:
Just finished winterizing and it always makes me kind of sad that Winter is about. I now look forward to Spring and the next camping season.
BTW, after 5 + years, the anode was just a wire. I have a new one (Aluminum) to install when I sanitize next year. What is the best anode?
A magnesium anode protects better and lasts longer than Aluminum Anodes. Sacrificial Anodes are used to protect the hulls of ships, water heaters and other metals in contact with water or a dissimilar metal.
-
1
-
2
-
-
23 hours ago, Going said:
So replying to everyone here since I have talked to BB and I know David may be soon doing the same thing. First, John it looks like from your picture that you took out the factory battery sliding tray. Just curious was that just for more room? It appears the BBs will fit in the existing but would like to hear your thought. I gave some thought to try and fit 4 of the 100Ah 12V LiFePO4 Deep Cycle Batteries from BB in there but I think 3 is the max. Other components being provided by BB are:
SHU050150050 SmartShunt 500A/50mV x 1. This is the BlueTooth battery monitor although I am not yet sure (waiting on reply from BB) if this will work as the solution that John references or I need the actual one in the link he provided. (waiting on a reply email from BB). Costs $124
SCC110030210 SmartSolar MPPT 100/30 Charge Controller with Bluetooth x 1. I believe this is the Victron to replace the Zamp. It is not required but since John recommended and it is only $214 and offers more capacity and better readings I think it is worth it.
100Ah 12V LiFePO4 Deep Cycle Batteries x 3. Costs approximately $850 each.
PD4045LICSV Progressive Dynamics Replacements 4000 Series 45 Amp Lithium Converter x 1. My PD Charger does not have the Lithium switch. Costs $212.
It seems that this is a fairly simple change out to do my self. John, you did mention the external smart battery monitoring device being done by a professional. Is there a particular reason for that? I have a found an RV dealer that can do the whole swap out but if I must have any one part done by professional, I would do it all with them and me buying the parts.
One last thought is BB makes the 270Ah 12V LiFePO4 Deep Cycle 8D Battery and it costs $2279 and it appears two of these would also fit giving me 540Ah. That is $4600 vs $1750 for the batteries but still a far cry from 15k the Oliver factory install would costs. Plus it is close to the Ah their solution provides. BB did mention the option of an external suitcase Solar panel that could could be plugged into the battery array to provide more solar charging capability.
Please let me know any thoughts or if anyone thinks I am missing something. Hopefully this will help David as well.
Phil Drye
How much solar does your trailer currently have? Do you have the Zamp controller?
-
29 minutes ago, Steph and Dud B said:
Another (albeit unusual) consideration: my wife is undergoing treatments that cause, shall we say, frequent severe lower digestive issues. With the composting toilet's aversion to liquids in the composting medium, we probably couldn't use one. With the black tank we can still camp. Obviously not something we, or anyone, would have planned for but the regular toilet ended up allowing us to keep camping during treatment.
In the “millions” of threads concerning composting vs standard toilets, I have posted many times about this very issue. There are many things in life that can cause chronic loose stools, from medical conditions to medications.
-
2
-
-
On 10/9/2022 at 7:55 PM, SeaDawg said:
And, as we all know, Steve likes overkill and extra capacity.
Yep, the only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.
-
1
-
1
-
-
12 hours ago, John E Davies said:
I asked about the brand and model, they are Lionshead, but I can not find that actual snowflake style wheel, it is not shown here.
https://lionsheadtireandwheel.com/wheels
One reason they may be retaining the 6 on 5 1/2 pattern is that the load rating is about 700 pounds higher, which is good. I did find one very nice 15” wheel with the smaller bolt pattern, and it has a 3200 pound rating. I would be quite reluctant to use a wheel with a 2150 limit on an LE2.
John Davies
Spokane WA
John, Lionshead is the distributor that supplies the already mounted tires and wheels to Oliver.
The wheels had a small removable sticker on each one that stated they were made by the company Sumec.
-
2
-
-
6 hours ago, Gliddenwoods said:
Five minutes; all fine.
Thank you for a rational resolution with no drama.
-
1
-
-
AT&T, for years. All over the lower 48, In Western Canada and Alaska.
-
The axles are not changing.
-
2
-
-
27 minutes ago, Brian and Brandelyne said:
By the way, if I remember the conversation correctly, if you get the 16's the tires will be LT, if you get the 15's, the tires will be ST.
I had Endurance ST's on our Airstream.
Brian
This is correct.
-
1
-
-
1 hour ago, John E Davies said:
https://www.rvforum.net/threads/goodyear-endurance-tire-reviews-anyone.130815/
I am NOT a Goodyear fan, but I think these will be fine, I don’t especially like the tread design for the kinds of roads I travel sometimes. The Michelins on my Hull 218 were 29.3 inches overall diameter, these are 1 inch smaller, so the frame will ride about 0.5” lower to the ground. I do think it will affect how the trailer looks. Not so “tough”. I have to buy new tires next year, I may just downsize to these tires with five new wheels. Does anyone know what wheel Oliver will use? I would buy this (old price shown) or something similar.
There was a thread about this a while back. Smaller usually means cheaper when applied to tires, wheels, and brakes….
By downsizing I would make my trailer super easy to mod with disk brakes, 😬😬😬 and a future owner might like having “current” Oliver tire and wheel size. Choose a slip on rotor version and then add Nev-R Lube idler hubs. No more bearing repacks, and you can carry a complete hub as an emergency spare….
https://www.kodiaktrailerbrakes.com/Kodiak-3500lb-Slip-On-5-Lug-Disc-Brake-Kits-10-inch_c_641.html
John Davies
Spokane WA
John, the new wheels will still be 6 bolt on 5.5”.
-
4
-
-
5 hours ago, ChrisMI said:
I noticed they changed the wheels a few months back as well. I’m curious what the new 15 inch wheels will look like. Not sure I agree with Oliver’s choice to go smaller…
I took this photo this morning of one of the Elite II’s on the showroom floor. Rodney says this is the tires and wheel’s they will be using on the 2023 models.
He did say that their existing stock of 16” wheels and tires will be used first. So, it may be as late as March of ‘23 before the new models will start to be delivered with the new sets.
-
1
-
8
-
-
8 minutes ago, bhncb said:
Watch for a disc brake option in 2024, maybe sooner.
The axles are not changing. The are no parts available to convert the 3500 pound axles used on the Elite II from drum to disc. It would be possible on the Elite I since it is supplied with a 5200 pound axle.
-
1
-
4
-
-
23 minutes ago, ChrisMI said:
I noticed they changed the wheels a few months back as well. I’m curious what the new 15 inch wheels will look like. Not sure I agree with Oliver’s choice to go smaller…
Fifteen years ago, 16” wheels were used extensively by the automotive industry. Now it’s an oddball size. All the heavy duty trucks are using 18” or 20”. Also at that time you could not buy a heavy duty tire in a 15” size and the ST tire’s being made were all Chinese maypops.
-
1
-
3
-
-
50 minutes ago, Trainman said:
I don't know why they just didn't stick with Michelin tires, they worked well for most from what I have read on this forum. I guess the company saved $10.00 a tire, so papa bean counter went for the tire change, even if customers weren't too keen on the idea.
trainman
Actually, Michelin quit making the tire they were using.
Is your trailer still on the market? This is a non issue for current owners.
-
4
-
-
We are spending the night at Oliver National Park tonight. We took Anita out to lunch and had dinner tonight with Phil and two of the lovely ladies in his life. Phoenix is adorable as expected.
I found out several weeks ago that Oliver had made (what I consider) a major change that will be included in the 2023 models. Today I sat down with some management folks to get the lowdown.
As many of you probably know, Goodyear has bought Cooper Tire. Oliver has equipped their new trailers with Coopers for the past few years. Due to the immediate unavailability of the tires they have been using, their only choice was to switch tire companies. During their research they reassessed their needs and goals for running gear.
The decision has been made that going forward and starting immediately, both Oliver models will be equipped with 15 inch wheels and tires with a matching spare. The tires will be Goodyear Endurance ST225/75-15’s.
-
Tire SizeST225/75R15Product Code724857519Speed RatingNLoad Index117Load RangeESidewallBlackUniform Tire Quality Grade (UTQG)-Max Load (lbs)2830
-
Max Inflation Pressure (PSI)80Approved Rim Width (in.)6.0-7.0Measured Rim Width (in.)6.0Section Width (in.)8.8Tread Depth (in 32nds)8Outside Diameter (in.)28.3
-
5
-
6
-
1
-
-
Although I wouldn’t do it, if you want to go cheaper than lithiums, you could just go to AGM’s. But for less than $3K, you can replace the four T-105’s with 3x100 amp hour Battle Born lithium batteries and a new PD charger that’s plug and play. There’s no need to spend $15K. And you’ll end with an extra 100 amp hours over what you currently have.
-
10
-
Trojan T105 batteries dead
in Ollie Boondocking
Posted
We have Blue Sky equipment in our Oliver. With all the different brands, to have a good setup, you have to have a solar controller, a shunt and a display. The Victron display Oliver is installing is the BMV-712. It is Bluetooth enabled and I think it provides the best bang for your buck. Shop around for the best price.
As far as the shunt, one is included with the BMV-712.
The solar controller you need will be dependent on the total wattage of all the panels you plan to connect to it. You will want to install it as close to the batteries as possible to lessen voltage loss from a long run of wires. Do not mount it in the battery compartment. I would put it under the street side bed if possible. The 712 display needs to be inside the cabin in a location that is easy to view. Ideally I would put it where the Zamp is now. Just fabricate a panel large enough to cover the hole and mount the 712 in it. If you need further help with that, PM me.