Going

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?

I have the 320 Watt package with the T105 Trojons from Oliver when I bought my trailer in the fall of 2017. And yes I have the Zamp controller. Just got off the phone with BB again and since the Zamp controller will work I may wait on replacing that unless there is some good reason to replace it. At this point, I am thinking of one GC3 BB; https://battlebornbatteries.com/product/270ah-12v-lifepo4-deep-cycle-gc3-battery/ to convert instead of 3, 100Ah's https://battlebornbatteries.com/product/12v-lifepo4-deep-cycle-battery/. The reason is because I can easily add a second GC3 if I want and have 540Ah to run more things or longer time. The max size fit for the 100Ah is 3 vs 2 of the GC3's and you can not mix and match. One of the GC3s is less than 3 of the 100Ah's for only 30Ah less in power.

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

Thanks Mike. I will check on your suggestions and place a call to BB. As long as I have a technical person helping me along the way, I am good if it is not too difficult and from your post, it doesn’t sound as if it is.

Thank you John for the info and links. I am very handy at most diy things but electricity is my weak point DC or AC. For example I just purchased a shore power extension because I added a 30amp plug off my shop at home. When I plugged it into the Furion cable that came with the oliver the red light and blue were on. I knew the red meant the polarity was reversed at the source so switched the hot and nuetral. I then tested with a volt meter by plugging the black in the ground and the red into the left and got 122 volts. Plugging the red into the right showed no voltage which is what the article I used said was correct. However, when I plugged the Furion cable back up the red still came on so now I have no idea why. I will try to educate myself on the battle born battery lithium replacement but I wonder if there is anywhere I could trust to work on the Oliver where I am at or close by? I live in Charlotte NC. I don’t trust an RV dealer unless they have specifically done this swap out. I don’t plan to travel until spring again so I have some time to try myself but prefer to pay a reasonable amount to someone with the expertise. I have read many of your post John and have surmised you must be an engineer. Correct? Just curious

Thank you ScubaRX. This sounds like the way to go and the advice I was looking for. I have seen the Battle Borns mentioned in other threads. What is a PD charger?

My Trojan T105s have died. I am at least a year away from doing any serious boondocking but I need DC power to some extent currently. I have two Honda 1000 watt generators I can power everything in the Ollie with. My dilemma is do I just replace my batteries or upgrade to the Lithium Platium package for 15k. Replacement for the 4 T105s is about $1200. I have the solar panel system too. Should I replace the T105s with the same or I believe there was an AGM option in 2017. Are there other options now without making the light speed jump to 15K Lithium? I do not like that the Trojans are wet cell and need to be watered but I don’t know if there is any other option without the bucks for the Platium Lithium package. At the moment I am leaning towards just replacing the Trojans. Can anyone suggest other options?

But shouldn’t it work when the trailer is plugged into my truck since there is a charging lead to the AGM batteries from the vehicle?

Thanks Bill. Yes I agree with the latter questions. For me with my plans it is a must vs simply replacing aging technology. Bottom line is I have to have DC power and the cost/value reward is there. Just didn’t know if anyone knew of something on the immediate horizon. I don’t much like that I have to wait until Feb I think before Oliver can do the upgrade but at least its the winter time!

Thanks for the reply. Saves me some diagnostic work!

This is good info. Thanks for posting with detail. I have a 2017 with the AGM batteries and they are dead. (Never were much good) Won’t even lift the front jack now. I have been checking with the factory about upgrading and it is 15k for the Platinum package and around 12k for the Pro. Seems like a no brainer to get the Platinum based on your calculations and the costs is basically the same as new option from what I can tell. I plan to retire end of 2023 so will be more boon docking. At least that is my plan. My only thought is will the Lithium continue to change and improve with all the emphasis on green. My thinking turns back to the 90s and 2000s when PCs were obsolete 6 months after you bought them due to the geographically morphing technology. Basically doubling in speed and capacity in the same time period Thoughts? Also this is a bit off topic but wondering if related to the batteries being dead. You seem to have a good grasp of electrical DC. Noticed last week that now my fridg won’t run on gas if disconnected from AC shore power. It will if connected. Could this be related to the dead batteries? The fridg tries to start on Gas but clicks off immediately. Does the gas power need at least some battery power to run on gas? Thanks.

Well after some serious time playing with it, I did get it to work using my Apple TV as the streaming device. You have to disconnect the HDMI cable at the TV and plug in your HDMI streaming device there. Of course you need good wi-fi for it all to work. Once the Apple menu came up I was able to stream but no sound. Took me a minute but you have to turn the volume on the Furion receiver way up and you will finally hear clear sound from the 4 speakers. The receiver should auto set to AV IN. I don’t know why you have to turn it up so much. ( I am talking 4 or 5 turns) but it works when you do. Next item is getting Elon Musk Star Link. We are in NC and they say it will be available in 2023. I placed my order with my $100 deposit. When you get it, you set it up at your home and it can replace your existing internet provider. I have seen some using it at campgrounds and they love it. Second it has an RV feature where you pay another $15 per month while traveling and you set it up anywhere. Even with the extra $15 it is still cheaper then other providers. When you get back home they stop charging the extra $15. I saw another thread on here where someone ran the proper wiring and outside port connection for it. Anyone else done this?

I have hull number 262 and the Furrion DV3200 receiver radio and Furrion FEHD19S0 A TV. The DV3200 has an output HDMI on the rear that connects to the 1, HDMI input on the TV. This setup processes the DVD digital audio signal through the Furion and speakers and digital video to the TV. Problem is there is no second HDMI input for a streaming device on the receiver. I have read where some have been able to configure to stream but I am wondering if those have different components then mine. For example the Furrion DV1230 has an HDMI input on the front and an HDMI output on the back so as long as this unit allows you to switch from DVD input to front HDMI input, it should work for connecting a device like an Apple TV. But while a call to Furrion was helpful, it was not conclusive. I plan to get StarLink for Internet but i am first trying to solve the streaming problem. Note: there are RCA jacks coming from the TV to the cabinet above but that is analog like for a VCR and not digital. Has anyone had success here? If so please list your model number equipment. Thanks in advance.

Hi and thanks for posting. If you have an HDMI cable in the compartment your unit is different then mine. My hull number is 246 so maybe they have upgraded the technology? I have RCA cables from the Furrion TV in the top compartment. I can’t seem to find a way to stream because not sure you can go from RCA analog to HDMI digital. If I had the HDMI cable, I would try a streaming device like my Apple TV still using the iPhone as a hotspot. Thoughts?

Thanks for posting. My question is what type cable connects the TV from the router? And since you didn’t connect to the Furrion radio, are you able to play over the 4 speakers. Using Starlink are you able to stream from different channels same as a Roku or Apple or do you still need one of those devices? I have tried to connect my Apple TV to the HDMI port on the TV where the Furrion radio connects but the TV doesn’t read it. And there is only one rear HDMI on the Furrion. The newer replacement Furrion has an HDMI port on the front but I am unsure if it would work or not. I am looking into getting Starlink but still researching. Any answers much appreciated.

Hi John. Good point. One thing you said is "22 minutes". No way mine drains in that time. More like 5 hours. I remember shortly after I picked it up, I had to replace the pump and there were a lot of plastic shreds in the filter. I also seem to remember the first time I drained the tank prior it did drain faster. I have a strong suspicion I have some plastic filings caught in the drain valve. I will blow it out from the bottom with air, but likely that will be temporary as they will just float back down there. Probably will have to cut the line behind the valve, then blow out and reconnect with alligator clip. Thanks for mentioning 22 minutes!

Craig, thanks for the diagram. Mine is the 2017 Elite II. I knew the accumulator had been added but wondering what it does? Might add it to mine.

Well reading this thread, I found out the slow drain is normal. Mine is Hull #246, Elite II, 2017. Did not realize the valve opening was only a pea size. Kept thinking well maybe its a 1/4 turn valve and not a 180. No difference. I was going to blow air back up in there thinking it was clogged too. Saved me the trouble. Not sure why Oliver didn't use a larger drain valve. If I knew the answer to that, I might try replacing it with a larger valve.

I have been looking at the Clearsource 3 stage filter as well. I typically carry a 20 gal, polypropolyne container to fill at a water source then pull in to the tank from the rear port in camp sites with no site hook ups. To Overlands point I do want to be able to pull from a stream or pond if necessary. I am thinking a small DC transfer pump should pull the water through the filters and into my 20 gal tank (sitting on the back of my pickup). Then from there use the on board pump to pull it in. Any thoughts on this? Last does anyone know if the 3 stage is enough to eliminate all negatives from a non potable water source to make it potable? I know there other stages you can add such as a UV.

I replaced the one I bought 2 days ago with same kind and configured like pictures. Works better but I think it’s normal to drop pressure 5 lbs from set point. Mine set at 50 and drops to 45. I definitely noticed a nice difference in pressure. Worth it to me.

John thanks for this post. I bought one yesterday and am going to configure it like yours I think. I had it at the hydro first. But I have a question. You said in an earlier response the if the gauge changes pressure readings when you turn on water in the trailer, that means the gauge is bad. That is what mine is doing. I set it 50, but when I turn on the water inside or the outside shower, it drops to 45. I am going to exchange it today, but can you clarify if I understand correctly? Also, Jason at Oliver said keeping pressure at 50 to 55 is fine. That they tested them at the factory to 80 but the problem with any higher then 50 to 55 could cause the hot water heater pop off valve to go. With mine set at 50 now, I am very pleased at the increase pressure inside so don’t see a need to go higher. Just thought I would mention it.

Follow up. I called MaxxFan and their tech support would only talk to dealers not consumers. So I called Oliver and talked to Jason detailing all. He said not that common but when they have had a problem with the fan, it was the board. He mailed me a new one yesterday and I will be returning the old one under warranty. Will follow up one last time once replaced with hopefully fan working again. Thanks for all the responses.

My hull number is 246. I am familiar with the wiring behind the Furrion. I did look there again and don’t see any wires that look like they go to the fan. BUT, I check again today at the fan circuit board and did read 14 volts power. So this negates my earlier post of no power to the fan. Had to make contact on the back side of board. A little difficult so maybe I didn’t have good contact before. Anyway, That leaves the circuit board on the MaxxFan I suppose. I will try to post a picture.

Mike thanks for responding. I will check today. I did look at the wiring in the pantry portal behind the switches at the door because an older post with older trailer apparently had a switch there. I did see a pigtailed yellow wire there. On the fan itself, there is no yellow wire. There are only two; black and white. 2 come in from one side of the fan and are wired directly to the circuit board. I checked there. Two more come in the corner where the circuit board is and use a connector to two black and whites. Those two go to the switches on the front of the fan. I disconnected at the joint and checked for power on the incoming connection and I checked there. I am assuming the black is ground and the white is hot but I checked it both ways as I would only get a negative reading if I were reversed.

Thats a good idea Bill. Hadn’t thought of that. When you say control board, you mean the circuit board in the fan?