ScubaRx

That means to set your thermostat to a higher number so the A/C won’t come on so often or run so long. Of course, this means you won’t be so cool. If you have a generator, turn it on during the warmest part of the day so you can fully utilize your A/C.

Exciting stuff, all this talk of black tanks and effluvia coming out the drains. Pull my finger.... Bill, great visuals, thanks for the very helpful addendum.

We did not have a single clear day during the month we were in Alaska. There are currently 50 something fires burning unabated. Their plan is to just let most of them burn. The area around Anchorage and south toward Seward and Homer was like a thick fog. Burned our eyes and nose and made it difficult to breathe. Denali National Park was a complete wash. Besides all that, the extreme heat was breaking century old records. We picked a poor year to go to Alaska.

$9K will buy a lot of gasoline but spending it on gas will not get you an ounce of extra torque. We actually get 3 mpg better fuel mileage with our diesel than the previous 6.2L gas burner with seemingly unlimited uphill power and unbelievable downhill engine braking.

All trailers are supposed to be measured from the hitch to the bumper.

[postquote quote=180897][/postquote] The easiest way to do it would be to close the shower back-flow valve. Cover the shower drain with duct tape (it may still leak back a little.) Remove the cover from the vent pipe on the outside top of the trailer. Mix up the disinfectant of your choice (several gallons.) Pour it down the vent tube. Let it sit for a while. Open the shower back-flow valve and let it drain into your gray tank. I’d then fill the gray tank on up with water and disinfectant a let it sit overnight. Empty gray tank and flush with fresh water. Or, if you can get some of those trained mice...

Thanks, folks. We had this happen once and it took me a couple of days to figure out how it could happen. Flushing the black tank is just one of those things that we have to monitor closely while we’re doing it. Remember, this can’t happen while the the black tank dump valve is open. Tali and I make it a two person job. I watch the toilet inside and she operates the dump valve outside. The day our incident occurred, I was outside talking to someone and got distracted (imagine that!)

I left the Facebook folks guessing on this issue. Sequence of events: Flushing water fills the black tank. It can’t escape up through the toilet bowl because of the flushing valve mechanism. Water begins to travel up the black tank vent pipe toward the roof. This is the black pipe you see transversing the inside of the common wall between the bathroom and closet. Water would exit the roof in a geyser of excrement (just like in the movie RV) except it encounters a tee in the vent system that leads back to the gray tank and the bathroom drains. Taking the path of least resistance, the water flows back downhill into the drain system finding the lowest point - the shower pan. From here, two things can happen both with the same ultimate end. If the back-flow preventer valve on the shower drain system is open the water will eventually fill the gray tank, exit from the shower drain, fill the bathroom to the level of the door, overflow into the coach, run out the door and covers the earth with your poop. If the back-flow preventer valve on the shower drain system is closed the same thing will happen, only quicker since it doesn’t have to fill the gray tank first.

You don’t “need” the Andersen Hitch with your truck. We pulled our Oliver very successfully with that truck (except crew cab) and no WDH or Anti-Sway. My opinion is that you’ll be fine without it. I believe you’ve overestimated your tongue weight (to your favor.) Ours “only” weighs 700 pounds and has two 30 lb propane tanks and 200 lbs of generator and basket and assorted other gear sitting on it. We are currently in Alaska but plan on coming through Idaho on the way home.

The LEII has 2 x 3500 lb axles with 10” brakes. The 5200 lb axles were installed on a few of the early trailers as special order options; they came with 12” brakes The tire size is LT225/75R16.

I would deal directly with Dometic. They would have exactly the information and parts you need and it should be resolved much quicker.

[postquote quote=178959][/postquote] Have you ever filled the water heater and turned it on? If so, the “calcium deposits” you’re seeing are most likely coming from the sacrificial anode. If you’ve owned your trailer a year, it’s past time to drain it, wash out the deposits and inspect the anode. The anode should be pitted and look like it’s wearing out. This is normal, it’s just doing its job. Also remove the aerators from the faucets and inspect them. They are probably filled with little particles from the anode. I wouldn’t consider this a manufacturer problem. This is simply a maintenance issue. As far as your 25+ year old Airstream not having similar issues, if water heater maintenance has not been regularly performed (at least yearly), the anode is long gone and the heater tank is in danger.

You are correct. Remove old hitch. Use tongue to take measurements from. Drill new hitch. Reinstall.

I suspect what you said is true about the cable never having been hooked up. That doesn’t explain how your inverter has been working for the past two years. It is obvious that it was attached at some time though. The reason that the cable appears too short is that there is too much inside the coach. Push some back into the battery compartment and it should easily reach the proper battery terminal. The red cable (positive) should be attached diagonally opposite the black cable (negative). This allows for all batteries to contribute equally to power needs.

I would surmise a guess that it’s heat related.

Part 1: https://mountainborn.blogspot.com/2015/06/boondocking-part-oneof-six-part-series.html?m=1 Part 2: https://mountainborn.blogspot.com/2015/06/in-its-strictest-form-without.html?m=1 Part 3: https://mountainborn.blogspot.com/2015/07/boondocking-part-three-of-six-part.html?m=1 Part 4: https://mountainborn.blogspot.com/2015/07/boondocking-part-four-of-six-part.html?m=1 Part 5: https://mountainborn.blogspot.com/2015/08/boondocking-part-five-of-six-part_99.html?m=1 Part 6: https://mountainborn.blogspot.com/2015/08/boondocking-part-sixof-six-part.html?m=1

Hey Jennifer. Glad to see you’re still camping and good to hear from you. I bet your granddaughters are growing right up and I know you’re enjoying having them go with you. We are on our way to Alaska. Been on the road since the rally and only made it to Grande Prairie, AB so far. At this rate we won’t be there till Christmas!

This is the slide I bought 6 years ago. It has gone thru several iterations of build in the two different pickups I’ve mounted it in. It has two different levels (as I built it.) You do have to drill to mount it. Both in the slide and the bed. If you are handy and doing it yourself this probably won’t bother you too badly.

FYI: Not that this requires any special skills or tools but, if you never installed one of these just know it’s a one trick pony. Once installed, they won’t come back out without breaking.

I believe we’ve about ridden this horse until he dead. The way I’m understanding it, (and I wholeheartedly agree) anyone who owns a 3/4 ton or larger pickup does not NEED the Andersen Hitch. However, if an individual has one of these large pickups and feels better using the Andersen anyway, then it’s perfectly fine. If your pickup is a 1500, it’s also a matter of choice. Lots of experienced owner’s coming from SOB’s that have used anti-sway or weight distribution apparatus in the past will feel more comfortable continuing their former practice. On the other hand, many of us have never used anything - with equal success. The Oliver is a very stable trailer. Do what your heart and billfold dictates.

Something doesn’t add up here. Every part is made from the same mold and should all be the same. The table recess molded into the inner bottom hull would need to have spread over 3/8” for this to have happened.

Relax Mark. As Overland said everything works seamlessly together. The transfer switch he mentioned keeps two 120VAC sources from entering the trailer at the same time or keeps power from a generator attached to your trailer from trying to exit if you’re plugged in. Example: let’s say you’re parked somewhere and hooked up to shore power. It’s a hot night and you really are enjoying the cool air from the fine air conditioner mounted on your new Oliver. Suddenly the power goes off. You go outside, set up the generator and turn it on. Soon you’re relaxing in the coolness again. Without the transfer switch silently doing its job your generator would be backfeeding 120 volts into the grid. A lineman working to fix the fault could be electrocuted and possibly killed because of this. In addition, your batteries are being charged while going down the road by both the solar panels and the truck. The truck’s alternator has a voltage regulator to prevent overcharging any battery connected to it. The solar system has its own charge controller to prevent overcharging from the panels. All this will quickly become second nature when you’ve gotten your trailer and started to use it. Have fun.

I am curious to know of any forum member that owns one of the 47 original Elites. I don’t feel enough attention is given to that group of early owners. If you’re a member of that group you may feel left out as virtually all the posts seen today on the forum relate exclusively to the current Elites and the Elite II’s. If anyone here has one of these units please respond. Please post your hull #, whether you’re the original owner or a subsequent owner and any information or questions you have about your particular unit. There are several active members here that still own their original units or, like myself, have sold their first Elite and moved into an Elite II. We’re all knowledgeable about the early units that can and do have unique idiosyncrasies due to their having been constructed differently from the current builds. Feel free to mine our knowledge base.

Just get the 3/4 ton diesel and fergedaboudit. Anything smaller and you will be constantly thinking about weight and will most likely be close to or over your limits. You don’t need a one ton unless you really plan to carry your machine shop.

Mike, our trailer was the first one built and we were just making it up as we went. It has the standard water heater. I requested a drain in the hot line and it was apparently not something they regularly did on subsequent builds. It was only this past fall that I discovered it would do what Overland has described. I’ve not studied the plumbing diagram enough to know why it drains with this valve open and the pump on. I think it may have something to do with elves or maybe Elvis. The drain is located on the floor of the outer shell right beside the cold water drain. As as far as the tank draining slowly, think about draining 30-something gallons of water through a hole the size of a pencil.