Geronimo John

Ok we are not PHD English majors, or million dollar news anchors. But we are generally into efficiency and math. Envisionating is concocted of two words: Envision and Creating. Typed these words require 21 key strokes. Envionsionating only requires 15 key strokes. So it meets your goal of less vs. more. Gotcha! 🙂

At your service Sir! Not having a picture though I am at a disadvantage. But , I am envisionating (Yes that is another GJ invented word) that the carry handle is a protrusion that is preventing a flank to flank fit of the batteries. If so can you elevate the new battery so as to allow the flanks to meet? GJ

Thanks Dave, you read my mind! I will be putting the seal replacement on my 2025 Summer Tour Task List. Wash, dry, 303 them! Easy. Without interuptions, about how long does it take to do yours? GJ

I had not heard of Dawn outgassing chlorine gas with or without bleach being added. Its MSDS does not warn about such a hazard. So I went to Mr. Google: Below is a very good video about Bleach and Ammonia. BLUF: Dawn and Bleach does not create Chlorine Gas. BUT: Mixing Ammonia and Bleach CAN kill you. CONCLUSION: Right idea in stating Ammonia and Bleach should NEVER be mixed. But Dawn can be mixed with bleach and not omit toxic chlorine gas. GJ

In early 2017 I was a year from retiring. My goal was to purchase an RV. I knew exactly what I wanted as a result of an experience with my Father. I was 5 or 6 years old and we were up in the Big Bear area of CA. A truck pulling a large silver thing pulled into the parking lot. I said "Daddy is that a Space Ship?". He replied with great pride, "No Son, that's an Airstream Trailer, made in America. The best in the world. So during the ensuing 60 years, that was the trailer I was going to buy. But which one? For months in 2017 I studied, wrote, and rewrote 20 times my "Desired Trailer Attributes" document. During the 2017 Christmas break, my brother and I were down in Matagorda and an Airstream 26 footer was pulled into the parking lot. About every square foot of it It had been beaten to hell the day before. I spoke to the owner and asked what happened. It was a Thunder Boomer with pea sized to 1/2" hail that totaled his rig. I asked what he was going to do. He indicated that for $48K the factory will reskin it. That's when I decided that my AS dream was a non-starter. In January I had completed my Desired Trailer Attributes, and my summary of the various MFG's RV's. Here is what I wrote for the AS: AIRSTREAM TRAILERS: Sport 22 FB, 21.6’ x 7’3”, 6’3 interior height, GVW 4500, Dry weight 3600#, Single torsion axle. HAIL DAMAGE CONCERN. TILT. That pretty much launched me to a Factory Tour at OTT where I met Jason and the Team. That made my decision to get an Oliver. Art: Your story about the concern of our OTT family and your truck, and the lack of concern for the Ollie's in the damaging hail storm is legendary. Thanks for sharing it! GJ DESIRED Trailer Attributes.docx

Dave: I like the idea of going black and actually maintaining them (Wash/303) on a regular basis. It might be icing on the cake, but my goal would be to get two years between service. Would post removal and washing, then soaking them in some sort of mold/mildew preventer, drying and then 303ing them. Would that work with the material and the 303 product? GJ

JD: I am wondering how big those QUEEN size panty hose must be to get around the Air Conditioner unit on the roof. I can see them working well on the refrigerator vents. But the topic of this thread is the AC mud daubers. Kindly "EXPAND" on your vision because mine is watching you trying to install them on the roof. LOL

Roger that. I'm thinking the exact thing with the Ford EcoBoost Phasers. GJ

The issue could just be parasitic losses. But I seriously doubt it. But to stop them entirely is impossible if you are connected. If we can not visit our trailers often when stored, what most of us do is to install a battery cutoff switch. The BlueSeas 350-amp one is the choice many of us recommend and use. John Davies went the extra 20 miles to try to eliminate all of his. Hegot close, but failed to get to near zero. That said 3% a day is not parasitic. That's a load. I would turn off and pull every fuse in the trailer. It should take you WAY down, but not all the way to zero. I store my Ollie for 8.5 to 9 months a year during all the cold months. During those months, many on a mountain in Oklahoma, my litho's will lose about 10% SOC. Certainly not 3% a day or even a month. Then install several at a time to help you narrow down the circuit(s) "leaking" power. This will be visible on your Shunt. I also recommend a clamp on amp meter as Mr. Davies suggested. The Shunt will tell you how much, but it will not always tell you where. The amp meter is a great tool to figure that out. Battleborn has specific protocols depending upon your storage situation. So call you MFG of your lithos. But if they say kill the flow , see above. I hope this helps. GJ

Drats. At least it likely was not as obvious. Could new black ones be "clear coated" with some product to seal out the spores? GJ

Assuming the video is spot on, with main bearing assemblies cast into the block, the likely fix will be engine replacements. 100,000 replacement engines cost alone will be well over a billion dollars. That's based on 100,000 engines at $10K replacement cost. But to amass that number of engines and teams to replace them will not be a short term effort. I have very high regard for Toyota and the fact that they have "Rogered Up" to the problem. I also know that they will fix it, and when it is, the owners will be very happy with their TV's. GJ

Totally agree. I have found that it is not needed if you are using a Honda 2000/2200 inverter generator and a Houghton. Others may have different results for other generators. GJ

Some testing by an OTT owner indicated the best place to run the thermistor sensing end is where the Dometic T-stat is/was located. Once in that area just need to poke the end of the thermistor out the street side. Why here? it is out of the direct air flow from the unit and as such gives a truer temperature of the cabin. This install was done by others on SOB's, but not yet to this location that I am aware of. I will be doing mine in July and will post up the method that ended up being successful. There are three different approaches in my quiver and I have a thermistor that is 10 feet long to get me there. My goal is to have no wires showing inside Ollie and extending as stated above. More on this in July.... Try running the unit on low fan speed and drop the temp down until it maintains a more comfortable temp. GJ

I battle it on my white outside window trim. Some day I'll go black. GJ

That's a lot of corrosion. Salt is bad. If replacing would some clear coat or gel coat help extend their life span? GJ

Crazy Horse is getting up in years and is misplacing his hair. So he has to take care of the floors daily.

I thought the same thing this morning. Aussie Math I guess... 🙂 GJ

Answered on the Houghton Install thread.

I was first to suggest on our forum to use a relay to solve the humidity issue by controlling power to the fan by piggybacking on the power to the compressor. Several months later the Air Stream team working the same issue executed with the idea. GSM Bear posted the below DIY guide to do so in an Air Stream. Here it is: GSM BEAR V2 RecPro Houghton Interior Fan Mod v2.pdf I will be executing it in July. I also will be doing the Thermistor Relo hack as well. My DIY for an OE2 is in draft state. But running the thermistor wire between the hulls is a theory and I have three options. The best one was documented to me by. AndrewK. He provided some specific guidance on how he and now others have run rooftop solar wires between the hulls from the buried solar port on the roof in front of the MAX Fan. But this has not been done from the A/C area, As such, I'll hold onto my DIY guide until I have done so later this summer. GJ

I installed the 13.5 KBTU heat pump. It already has a soft start program that ramps up the start. Some folks have the Soft Start installed in addition. No need for it with my Honda 2200. The 2.5 KW and Soft start I believe was a knee jerk reaction to the Yamaha 2000. That unit has an undersized motor and will not pull up most AC's. I ran my old Dometic, which pulled a lot more power than the Houghton, on my Lead Acid batteries with a 2,000 watt inverter. Worked fine. BUT... did not last more than an hour max. I strongly suggest adding a separate A/B switch for the AC unit. Here is my DIY guide for doing so. DIY - Add Air Conditioner Power ATS.docx I also recommend installing a 3,000 watt inverter when your factory 2K one dies. DIY - Renogy 3000 Watt Inverter Upgrade Thoughts.docx The max current draw of the smaller Houghton is well below the Honda (as well as the 13.5K unit) generator's surge AND running amps. Several of us are running the larger units on 2K Hondas. I suspect the smaller would as well. Now for the 800 pound gorilla question: 9,500 or 13.5K Houghton's: With the RELAY & THERMISTOR hacks, the larger unit works exceptionally well as the recycle time and humidity issues are fully resolved. So no worries once hacked. Our 2018 OE2 has a single layer of Reflectix insulation. We camp out West in very hot almost zero shade areas most of the time. We are not in the trailer much during the day, so we may cycle on the unit occasionally, but boondocking it is never left on all day or night. (No shore power and only a Renogy folding suitcase solar). For our use, when I want A/C, I don't want to wait 50 minutes for it to cool down Ollie. Combined the above usage characteristics lead to our getting the 13.5K unit. I have heard, but still do not fully believe, that at some point after our unit OTT doubled the Reflectix insulation. (VERIFICATION REQUESTED). IF VERIFIED, and if your camping is not generally in extreme conditions, and you have solar or shore power, then I would go with the 9.5K unit. Hope the above is beneficial. GJ DIY - Add Air Conditioner Power ATS.docx

Bill: I would press on if your are under 29K. But would for have towing on both TV and Ollie! Would also not go boondocking where the two insurance would not cover. GJ

I am thinking JB Weld it. GJ

JD: Four considerations to ponder: . +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 48V vs. 12V EFFICENCY: Here is the Recpro graphic: 2400 watts vs. 2400 watts. Yep physics and math do not lie. Conclusion: Per their graphic, there is no efficiency improvement other than the efficiency of the cost of copper wiring. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ COST: Here are the RecPro graphics for the 48V and 12V models: Conclusion: Why pay $950 more for a 48V for the same capacity? +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ AVAILABILITY: I would bet an Art beer that the availability of 12 volt parts is significantly greater than the 48 volt ones. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ OTT ELECTRICAL SYSTEM COMPLEXITY: Setting up your batteries for 48V is easy. But also needing 12V for lights and other components will require at least a transformer. Changing all 12V electrical to 48V is next to impossible due to the scarcity of options for 48V components. Having a 12V system, and a 120V system and a 48V system will for sure complicate life as well. Conclusion: Lots of extra cost and headaches! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ RECOMMENDATION: If you are buying a new Class A, sure 48V is a good thing to look into. But for anything smaller I just don't see the benefits out weighing the negatives. GJ

Install was a breeze. I ended up with the EZ RV gutter approach as well. Will be doing the Thermistor relocation and fan control relay hacks this July. Will keep you posted. GJ

Yes, to your question. A friend of mine could not get his 6 volt Trojan's to charge up. I asked him if he had checked the distilled water level in his. OOPS. Had not. several cells were near dry. Basically lack of maintenance can fry serviceable type batteries. Not being familiar with your batteries, if they are the serviceable ones: Have you checked the water level in all of the cells? If one was low, then a very easy check with a hygrometer of the acid in each cell will tell you the serviceability of the battery. If you find one defective it is generally felt that you would need to replace them all. If you are leaning towards Li's, but are not ready to start the project this season, you could get a couple of COSTCO deep cycle marine 12V batteries and swap cables around to your loads. That could buy you another season to plan out your game plan. GJ