C&MCurrie

I replaced my Norcold with the Isotherm. Was a little involved, especially removing the Norcold from my Elite I. If sometime you happen to be in the NW Florida area, you’re welcome to have the Norcold I removed.

We live and camp quite a bit in Florida and the Norcold had issues with getting to and maintaining temperature during the summer. I tried adding several fans to mitigate the problem and that helped somewhat. The Isotherm has no problem getting to and maintaining temps. Recovery is fast and getting away from the open flame is a bonus as well. During removal of Norcold, I noticed slight scorching on the rear wall of cabinet where the boiler assembly was.

Thanks! I used white 1/4” thick plexiglass from Amazon and the table was ordered directly from Oliver. The rear wall of refrigerator cabinet, from bottom to top vent, was covered with 1” insulating foam board purchased at HomeDepot.

I have recently completed the conversion with the Isotherm that Oliver uses. Not too bad, hardest part was disassembling Norcold 4.1 and then reassembling it after removal from my smaller Oliver Elite. Had to remove refrigerator door and cooling unit in order to fit through the Oliver door. The Isotherm Cruise 130 fits through narrow passageway after removing its door. BTW, The Norcold works fine after reassembly and currently trying to sell.

I have no experience with the Vitrifrigo brand but, yes, a bigger freezer was a requirement as well as physical dimensions that will allow us to get it into the camper without major hassle. It appears to be a well made unit and is priced a little lower than it’s competitors.

Thanks everyone, I really do appreciate your advice and decided on the 2 way. I love this forum!

I’m looking at the Vitrifrigo C115i. I agree with you that the 110 steps down to 12v anyway and that the 12v only model would be fine. Just was wondering if there would be a scenario where having the two way 110/12 would be beneficial. I’ll probably just go with the 2 way since both units cost the same anyway. Probably overthinking it, but thought I’d get some input from more knowledgeable folks.

In the near future I am going to swap out the Norcold 3 way fridge with a compressor fridge. The model I’m looking at comes in both 12/120 and 12v only configurations. Any reason to choose one over the other? Seems like the 12v only model would be a logical choice since the converter would supply the 12v when on shore power.

We’ll be there too, site 98. The long range weather forecast looks good, hope it holds up. Gonna be fun!

Good to know I’m not the only one. I do think moving the temperature probe helped with the cycling. Yesterday I installed a relay which shuts off the interior fan when compressor shuts off. So far in testing, it doesn’t cycle nearly as much. I’m also hoping this will address the humidity issue we have at night. The consensus on the Houghton unit regarding humidity is that the interior fan never shuts off, thus reintroducing humidity back into the cabin. Can’t wait for next trip to try it out.

For those who have installed a Houghton ac, do you feel the temperature setting is accurate? I set mine at 72 degrees and compared the interior temp against the readings of 2 Sensorpush devices and find that they both read approximately 76 degrees after the ac shuts off. FWIW, I have the 9500 Houghton and relocated the temp sensor so that it extends into the interior of cabin.

Loved this mod so much, I implemented it myself on my smaller Elite I . I was going to cut the wood, but decided to reach out Foy and have him make a beautiful walnut version of what I was envisioning. Of course, he did an outstanding job, couldn’t be more pleased with his craftsmanship. With my KTT mattress I could only go with 8” of width but it still makes a world of difference.

It’s basically just cutting out manual valve and replacing it with the electric one. Might want to have a piece of blue pex pipe handy. I extended how much pipe exited camper so I could crimp on a 3/4” threaded brass fitting. The two biggest decisions are where to mount switch and where to get 12v power from. I originally wanted to mount switch with the rest of the switches on the left wall as you enter camper, but running wires between hulls proved impossible for me. So I decided on current location shown in picture. For 12v power, I just tapped into a previous mod of a 12v exterior socket which was very close to valve location. But, it would not have been very difficult to run the wires to the other side of camper where the fuse panel is located. There is a Youtube video on wiring up the US Solid valve. Remember, there are two versions of the US Solid valve, a three wire and a two wire. The 3 wire is what I chose. In either open or closed condition, it draws no power. The two wire version uses minimal power when open and will automatically close when power is lost using internal capacitor.

Well, I took on the challenge of replacing the bearings and races in my 2021 Elite I. It was actually not bad at all. Took a couple of hours on the first wheel because I was careful to check and double check each step to make sure things were correct. . Second went much faster. The original set of bearings appeared fine and had “China” imprinted on them but don’t know enough to comment on their quality. I used Timken products all the way around along with Redline CV-2 grease. Repacks will apparently be even quicker since the races aren’t removed and replaced. Anyway, definitely a DIY project if you’re physically able.

Seems like a worthwhile addition. What size angled Zerk fitting do I need and can the caps be purchased in smaller quantities? Looks like Amazon has only a 50 count of the yellow ones. I have the Elite I and as far as I can tell, I only need 6 caps. Thanks

I tapped into a previous exterior 12v outlet mod. Much easier than fishing wires between hulls.

Here are screen shots of the items I purchased off Amazon. You’ll also need spade connectors to attach wires to switch. I already had those, but they too are available on Amazon. Also some hose clamps or pex crimp rings with crimping tool are needed.

No, I never saw instructions. It’s fairly straightforward if you’re a bit of a handyman. Hardest part is maneuvering in the limited space where valve is located.

I found accessing the fresh tank drain valve in our Elite I quite cumbersome since we leave the bed set up 100% of the time. We have the optional latex mattress which is heavy and awkward to move. So, I copied what others have done and installed an electric valve operated by a toggle switch. Works beautifully! BTW, when I removed the manual valve and inspected it, I saw a large piece of plastic debris wedged inside. Probably explains why it took so long for my tank to drain. Used the US Solid 3 wire electric valve and SPDT on/on toggle switch with flip cover to prevent accident activation of valve. All parts purchased through Amazon.

We use this one. Works great and is very compact for a compressor type dehumidifier.

Well, I explored the possibility of installing my inverter in the rear upper corner as Oliver does, but wasn’t comfortable with that location. So, after some rearranging of wiring, I managed to make a suitable area for it to be mounted below the dinette seating. It will power a dedicated outlet under the bed. I don’t plan on using it much, but as the say it’s better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

I want to install a 1200w inverter in my Elite I. Can’t seem to find enough room under the bench access panels near batteries. Where does the factory install the optional Xantrex inverter during construction in the smaller Elite I?

Everything is done from the outside unless you opt for the defrost/air circulation fans mounted inside the refrigerator on the ceiling.

Is it permissible on this forum to offer up our driveway for a couple of overnight stays to fellow Oliver owners who might be traveling through our area? We are contemplating being hosts on Boondockers Welcome but haven’t committed yet. We have a large driveway with 30 amp rv receptacle and water, and live 2 miles from an awesome beach.

You’re exactly right. Doesn’t matter what heat source is selected. Protects system when past the absorption refrigerator level requirements. Again, I installed it for peace of mind extra level of safety. Worth the cost in my opinion. If, in the future, when the frig needs replacement, I’ll will suck it up and pay for a 12v compressor refrigerator. Apparently with the Elite I, the shower wall has to be removed in order to remove and replace refrigerator. I’ll happily pay Oliver to do it. Not something I want to attempt myself.