Ollie-Haus

Not trying to sell anybody, but if you like electric camping alternatives and adding options to your camping utilities, EcoFlow has some real awesome pricing right now on some of their bigger power stations. I'm talking 65% discount from normal pricing. The Delta Pro even has a 30 amp plug right on the panel that can power your camper for a few hours of AC when dry camping overnight. This is what I have in the back of the truck and use it mostly to power our portable fridge, but it offers many options including emergency backup for short power outages at home. I also love that it's a no noise option in the campground. I'll post some links here to the items I spoke of in the previous post for anybody interested. The sky's the limit on this stuff. EcoFlow Delta Pro https://us.ecoflow.com/collections/delta-series/products/delta-pro-portable-power-station?variant=40516140138569 Duxtop portable induction hot plate https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FLR0ET8?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1 Greenpan ceramic coated induction ready griddle and skillets https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D2J2LL5B?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B074CWBJ5D?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title Storage bag for griddle https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CZJFFGMM?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

I’ve decided to try something new for outdoor cooking. We’ve had the single induction hot plate I mentioned in my post above and it works great both for inside or outside cooking. It’s extremely fast to heat up, and even quicker than gas when adjusting temperature in the middle of cooking. Well we’ve also been hauling a 22 inch folding Blackstone grill around with us for the last 18 months and that’s what we’ve been doing about 90% of our cooking on. Because we’re in the habit of carrying so much gear along with us when we travel, there’s really no room for the Blackstone in the back of the truck, and for that reason I’ve been strapping it on the top of our rear cargo box behind the Oliver. Needless to say I’ve never been very comfortable with that arrangement for a number of reasons, mostly the extra weight it adds to the back of the camper, but also at about 90 pounds, it’s quite heavy and awkward to load up onto the box. After seeing the two burner induction stove Oliver is installing in the new campers, I started thinking about the same concept for a portable induction setup. But I also decided a double burner unit would not be as versatile as just adding a second single burner unit. The double burner models all divide the 1800 watt capacity between the two burners, limiting the cooking heat range of each element. By adding a second single burner hot plate, both would be able to run at the full range of heating capacity at the same time. There are several ways to accommodate the electric demand. I usually set up my camp table next to the curb side outlet for using the hot plate. For the second one I can either run a heavy 25ft cord under the trailer to the pedestal directly, or I can set my EcoFlow lithium power pack under the table and plug directly into it with the second one. I actually did a little experiment this evening running both induction plates off the lithium power pack at the same time just to see how well it would perform and was very pleased with the results. Even with both induction plates running on the highest settings simultaneously, the EcoFlow was still over 1600 watts below its maximum output capacity, and it showed that a full charge would last over an hour at that rate. At a more moderate setting for each hot plate it read that it had about three hours of capacity. I continued my experiment by grilling up two steaks for supper on the system and couldn’t be happier with the results. The steaks were cooked to medium and it took less than fifteen minutes. Including this and the other experimenting I did, the power pack was still at 84% soc, enough for several more meals without recharging. This new cooking arrangement only required the addition of one single element hot plate and an induction ready ceramic coated griddle that spans both hot plates, all of which fits easily in the front closet. And now I won’t have to load and haul the heavy Blackstone around with us anymore. Here are some pictures for entertainment purposes.

Regarding the induction cooktop, we installed a 36 inch five element cooktop in our house when we remodeled the kitchen a couple years ago. Holy cow that thing is absolutely awesome, even fun to use. Bonus was our wedding gift cookware set from 32 years earlier were already induction compatible. And as others have mentioned, since the ceramic top only sits about an eighth inch above the counter top, it’s just additional counter space. And talk about safe to use, spilled grease will never ignite on the cook surface and you can lay a sheet of paper against the base of a boiling pot of water with no chance of it igniting. And again as mentioned earlier no gas hazard or combustion fumes. Regarding the induction cooktop now offered in the Oliver, just the fact you will no longer need to open a window and turn on the vent fan to run the stove is enough for me to want one. Perhaps necessary if you are deep frying but otherwise no risk or need at all. With that said, I would never remove the remainder of our propane system because I like redundancy, and prefer gas heating hands down.

Having had numerous conversations with Oliver personnel, I can assure you they are looking at every available source of consumer interest in the Oliver brand as well as the general RV customer trends. Nearly every change/upgrade that’s been made in the design package has been spurred by customer and owner suggestions and weighed against cost and benefit for customers and production costs. Streamlining overall brand quality is obviously part of the motivation as well. I’m very confident that cost cutting always comes lower on the list than quality and customer satisfaction. Some changes are unavoidable due to supplier issues, the new windows being the most recent example. One additional reason we can be so pleased with Oliver as a company as they make changes to the design is that they usually try to consider the ability to upgrade previous model years when possible, something other manufacturers couldn’t care less about. I doubt very many current owners will pursue very many of these possible upgrades but if we are in love with one or the other, at least it’s an option.

We’ve always drank the water from the fresh tank. A properly sanitized RV fresh tank is no different than any other plastic container that is used to carry and store water. But then again I drank from garden hoses, hand pumps on old farm wells and public water fountains and even artesian springs in many locations without a worry our ill experience most of my life. Unfiltered well water was all I knew until I was an adult. We use a Costco pitcher filter these days for consistent flavor in our morning coffee or tea.

This seems like a good thread to reinforce a certain logic when it comes to tow vehicles with regard to the LE2. Like a few others here have stated here, I have extensive prior experience towing trailers, to the tune of close to 50 years. This includes rather large livestock trailers and twin engine boat trailers, enclosed and flat bed cargo trailers all the way down to small motorcycle trailers. They all introduce significant challenges depending on the tow vehicle used. Over the years my overall observation in learning from the seasoned veterans along the way is that just enough truck is never enough and there’s no such thing as too much truck, within reason. I’ve pulled trailers that were on the margin of overloading trucks at times and know what that feels like. When people mention white knuckles and pucker factor as it applies to trailering, I’ve experienced firsthand understanding I was at risk on a few occasions. Similar to previous comments once you’ve been there, you always make a point to never let that happen again. When we began formulating our plan to purchase the Oliver, the choice of truck capacity was of little debate. Our previous camper was a 34’ standard with a super slide on one side. I chose a diesel crew cab dually for that rig, and it performed perfectly. For the Oliver I would be towing a couple thousand pounds less and significantly shorter, but I still wanted plenty of truck and decided to downsize to 350 crew cab short bed with a 7.3L gas engine. Still far above the margin of capacity, so a significant safety factor built into the choice. Best part is like others have mentioned, I don’t have the worry about what cargo I want to load into the truck. No white knuckles and no pucker factor. But most of all with the Oliver, we’re way below the need for a WD hitch and that’s important to me. A WD hitch is a way to compensate for when a trailer connects behind the rear axle and weighs in at near or more than the tow vehicle. It’s acceptably effective at restoring controllability to the tow vehicle, but introduces compromises in articulation and can add significant stresses to both vehicles when moving through uneven terrain. I really wanted to avoid the need to manage the rig through situations where I could be risking damage to vehicles or equipment during remote camping/ boon-docking destinations, etc. plus I just didn’t want the added complexity of hitching and unhitching. These kind of threads always generate “lively debate” and I guess that’s fine so that the inexperienced can read the many views people have and hopefully learn the key factors to consider regarding TV choice and safety considerations. If you choose plenty of truck, most of the discussion is just good general knowledge that you won’t have to worry much about. Long winded way of saying that I f someone is asking for my advice, always choose plenty of truck with an abundance of safety margin. Nobody ever complains about having too much truck, but many have learned through any number of experiences that just enough is often never enough. Cheers!😎

Happy birthday America!!!

This was reportedly the result of allowing a trainee to do assembly work while unsupervised!🤨 The problem was actually discovered by a seasoned employee further down the line. They have a record of which trucks he worked on.

Hang in there, they have run out and restocked repeatedly in the past. Walmart.com also stocks the same unit from time to time.

I think that's a first for me. I guarantee they are laying in a ditch within a half mile of our house. Had to source the replacements from several key services as well as the manufacturers, Over $200 combined. Live and learn..........

Sounds about right for us as well, except the e-bikes have separate keys for each battery with two batteries for each bike🤪. It’s kind of ridiculous! I have lost a full set of keys recently so I’ve changed tactics for “key management”. First off, with keys pads on TV and Oliver like @Patriot, I’ve always kept most of the keys ringed together in a safe location in the truck. Unfortunately this gives you the potential to lose all the keys with one mistake 🤨. The difference now is the keys are still kept safely in the truck, but ringed together in logical groups. Truck and trailer access, bikes, hitching related, and miscellaneous which includes cargo boxes and any other keys that don’t fit the other groups. I only grab the keys needed for whatever occasion, and of course never lay them down while in possession 🤔. The incident mentioned above happened by laying the keys on the bumper while making a hitch adjustment 😩. Some of these keys are very hard to replace because blanks can be very scarce depending on the design. Oh and now there’s a full set of backup keys in a safe location in the Oliver including a second key fob for the truck, and additional backups for everything at home. Not going through that again!!😆

FYI for @DaveK and @Patriot, when you receive the dehumidifier from Amazon, take it out of the box and set it upright on the counter and let it rest unplugged for 24 hours before you turn it on the first time. Like all refrigeration based appliances, if it’s turned on it’s side during shipping, it must be allowed to set in the upright position for 24 hours to make sure the liquified freon and the oils inside drain back to where they normally are during normal operation. This of course applies any time the unit is allowed to lay on its side or upside down. It will certainly be handled like any other package during shipping so don’t forget to perform this procedure to safeguard the internal systems. 👍

Hi Dave, sorry it took so long to respond. I leave our Oliver plugged into shore power when parked at home, and with the lithium system there is never a complete “power outage” that occurs in our situation because it takes over when the grid power blinks or goes out temporarily. For that reason I couldn’t answer your question without running an actual test of the dehumidifier’s recovery system. Well I did that this morning in the garage by shutting down the circuit I had the appliance plugged into for a minute, and you’ll be pleased to know that the dehumidifier comes back on at the previous setting when power is restored. I hope this helps you and others in deciding whether to invest in one. 👍

That’s interesting your experience with the dehumidifier. Which brand/model did you purchase? There are two primary design principles for electric dehumidifiers, the desiccant principle and the refrigeration principle. Desiccant dehumidifiers only work well at warmer temperatures and loose efficiency quickly as temps drop below 60 degrees, and in general they don’t rate very well in consumer reviews. Refrigeration type dehumidifiers work much more efficiently all the way down to near freezing. Most commercial dehumidifiers work on this design principle. The model I referenced in my post operates on the refrigeration design and you can literally watch the humidity in the Oliver cabin drop on a hydrometer while it’s running. But the best gauge for humidity and comfort is my wife, and she loves the effectiveness of the little dehumidifier we are using. As a matter of fact, the identical model runs in our bedroom at home every night. 😆

We did not have any fresh air coming in for this particular situation as the humidity outside was considerably higher than inside the camper. One unique characteristic of the Oliver design is you are sealed into a “plastic bubble”, if you will. Normally you will want to ventilate to alleviate the tendency to build up moisture in the cabin, but in this situation bringing in outside air would have reduced the comfort level significantly. My point in the original post was that while we were experiencing cool, rainy, humid weather outside, the comfort level in the Oliver was able to be maintained by only using the portable dehumidifier. Using the Air conditioner would have made the cabin chilled inside in order to try and control humidity, and turning on the ventilation fan only introduced cool air while increasing the already humid conditions inside. It was kind of a third option to use the humidifier only, and turned out to be very effective in keeping the humidity under control. The side benefit was the humidifier puts off a noticeable amount of heat so it actually warmed the inside of the camper while reducing the humidity. Thus not needing the AC or furnace in these particular conditions. You could always crack open a couple windows for ventilation, we just chose not to because it was so comfortable throughout the night. Again, with experience you will find that the one thing everyone battles in an Oliver is humidity. The AC works marginally at best regarding humidity control, and if the outside humidity is high with lower temperatures, it’s a losing battle. The dehumidifier is a game changer for us and an essential tool in the arsenal of comfort ( think menopause 🙄). 😆 Regarding the AC and fresh air intake, the AC only recirculates cabin air, therefore the ventilation fans and open windows are the only option. I don’t think CO2 is a problem, although some may be sensitive to slightly increased levels. It would be interesting to bring a CO2 monitor into an Oliver to test levels inside for different scenarios. On the other hand stale air is always the issue with the camper sealed tightly so some ventilation is usually the solution. Hopefully this helps answer your questions.