SeaDawg

There are a number of threads on waxes. It will be hard to pick. We've used 3m ultraMarine for many years. With supply issues We've changed over to Collinite marine. It's a little tougher to apply, but great protection, and a high per centage of real carnuba. Btw, search doesn't work on three letter words. Try waxing, instead of wax, if you'd like to read more posts (til your eyes glaze over....)

That's a great resource, @Jim_Oker I used a similar one setting up my mom's antenna in Missouri, years ago. At least you know how many channels to expect, with the best. God bless your uncle, the tree climber.

Since everyone is talking about (older) Tacoma, I thought you might like to watch this video, comparing the Tacoma and a Ford Ranger in a challenge. (Read the comments if you have time. Some good info here.) The guys used a 5,000 lb true weight utility trailer, so more than the Elite, but less than a II. BUT, a lot of squared off frontal area on the utility trailer. Do you have a Ranger? I test drove one in 2019, and really liked it as an around town, sometimes tow vehicle. Some great features, lots of payload for a midsized, (depending on features), and 7500 lbs tow rating. Very comfortable cab and seats. I don't know about a II, but I think it could be fine for many Elite owners. Especially if they were mostly flatlanders. flatlands. You don’t have time to watch the whole thing, slide on over to the 14 minute mark. That's the Ranger part of the test, and the comparison is at the end.

I really like the idea of the old camera tripod.

I've been thinking about your trailer while I was lubing and repairing cushion zippers, and cleaning the blinds I removed from the trailer last week. We should probably start at the beginning. Is your water very hard? Do you use soft water to wash and rinse the trailer? Which soap? I think beginning of season, you may have to wash the trailer more than once. After waxing, you're going to want a more neutral soap that doesn't remove wax, but my guess is you don't have much wax on yours. You may want to use a tougher soap, like turtlewax (NOT the combo wax and cleaner, pure soap.) This stuff can be hard on wax, but you're going to do two coats of a really good wax when you're done, anyway. I like the yellow microfiber cloths from Costco and Restaurant Depot. They're cheap, and they really do a good job at removing dirt and bugs. It's really best if you can rinse with softened water. Good luck. A photo of the spots you're talking about could perhaps draw better suggestions. The general rule is to use the mildest products you can to achieve the desired results. Even 3m polish is a mild abrasive, but it may be needed to get the dirt out. Once you're on top of the maintenance and waxing, you'll find all the stains come off more easily.

If vinegar doesn't work, give one of the marine cleaners a shot. Like the one Patriot posted. Or, a lot of people like Starbrite products. Here's a review article from a long time ago, practical sailor. https://www.practical-sailor.com/boat-maintenance/practical-sailor-tests-22-hull-cleaners-on-scummy-brown-waterline-stains-to-find-the-best-remedy-to-the-icw-mustache If these don't work, as Topgun said, you may need a polish, not a full blown rubbing compound. 3m makes a very good one, that's very fine, and doesn't remove a lot of surface.

Dewdev, your trailer is pretty new, but the previous owner may not have waxed it as often as you and I would. That allows stains and dirt to set into the gelcoat. As Pat said, it's porous. If you only have hard water stains, I'd start with the least cost and least harmful liquid treatments. Have you tried white vinegar? Soak a paper towel, slap it on a stain, let it sit, and see if it works. Then rinse it off . You can also try scrubbing it with vinegar and a soft microfiber cloth. Oliver uses a really good marine quality gelcoat. I'd be really surprised to find that you would need to resort to rubbing compound or wet sanding on a three year old trailer. There are as many opinions about proper gel coat maintenance as there are boats, I think. But everyone seems to agree, get the fiberglass really clean, then protect it with a really good wax or coating. Look to Practical Sailor for advice. They test products repeatedly, and also report back on longevity .

Technomadia (Chris and Cheri) have a mobile internet channel that is probably your best resource. They lived and worked from a Legacy Elite in the early days. Now, they live and work from a boat, a vintage bus, and a van. They're very smart, and test a multitude of products and services, and provide honest and detailed information. https://www.rvmobileinternet.com/ They also air a lot of informative youtubes, on a variety of topics for the mobile work and leisure life. I'd start there. Edit to add: @Billsarvis welcome to the forum. I just saw this was your first post. Ask away. Lots of people with ideas here .

I would run a small dehumidifier as opposed to the ac. It will use significantly less power.. Like Bill, I use a damprid type of tub in the bath and kitchen sink. The ones from the dollartree ($1) work fine.

We'll look forward to your write-up. They're always great. I've never used any of the Dicor products. What is the chemistry on the sealant you used? Silicon? Polyurethane? I do think setting up the upper guard first was a great idea. Especially if you have the weather, and time, to let the sealant cure.

Qm, really glad your problem will be resolved, and very sorry it happened. I'm glad that you reported this to Oliver, and were patient and persistent in your quest for a response. Some things do take time, to get the right answer. Opening a ticket is an important first step. Discloses issues to Oliver, so they can be resolved. It helps keep the best "best." No one can fix an unknown issue.

That's a good question. Are you in the shade, or under cover? We're in Florida, so somewhat similar climate. We remove cushions for long storage, or at least prop up on end for short storage. I remove just about everything, in bins, at end of season, for winter. Foam in cushions can get "crunchy " over the years, in heat. We found this out with our boat, so those are also removed, off season. We typically leave the bath door open, bath vent partially open, and our FanTastic fan on a low setting, with that vent partially open. We have a hood over the fan, so rain can't come in. I open the drawers an inch or so, so that air can circulate. My main goal is to make sure the trailer can breathe. We have shade, most of the day, from our home, and our neighbor's two story. And, their palm trees. I think you mentioned something in an earlier post about building a shade awning? That will definitely help.

So, the app has arrived. Also in beta. Definitely not good for boats. Another group of caveats for rvs. Capacity, and location availability, is still limited, but Starlink is growing. Full disclosure: I signed up awhile ago, so we're watching closely. No availability for us, yet. This is a great update from our friends at Technomadia. Chris and Cheri are always on the leading edge, and honestly evaluating products and services.

I think that's not only overkill, but probably problematic, years down the road . Especially with the Houghton. Everything is tightly engineered to seal.

Since we're all experimenting, it's tough to say recommended. I do think it's a really good foam seal, though. And, I'll keep you posted if we find issues, later.

We have a Parkit 360, and we've used it for a number of years. I hold my breath every time. It's an older model, no brake connection. We bought it used. Their model nomenclature was different then. It's an L or XL. We typically use it to get it out of the sideyard and gates, just far enough that the drive hasn't begun the steep incline. Then we chock the trailer, jack it up, and back up my Silverado to finish the drive, and back it up to the garage. We're only allowed a few days in the drive, in our community. (We just did this again, a week ago.) The older parkit is clumsy and wobbly, and difficult to attach to the bulldog, and maneuver safely. I'm considering buying the new attachment available , which would move the connection point back a bit. You might be interested in this fairly recent thread:

I think most tank chemicals are formeldahyde free these days, but I still check labels. California banned formeldahyde in the tanks over a decade ago, so most, if not all, manufacturers complied. Which is a good thing for the septic systems at dump stations.

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/search/?q="Tank treatment"&updated_after=any&sortby=relevancy&search_and_or=or We used to use the dropin packets, oxy something. I switched to the inexpensive, widely available Camco orange liquid stuff several years ago. Before the trailer goes into Florida winter hibernation, I use a concoction of arm and hammer clear laundry soap and calgon liquid softener, plus a several gallons of water.. If my grocery store were out of Calgon (it's hard to find), I have read that you can use Borax powder instead, though I would add the powder to water in a jar and shake it up first, if I did that . I let the concoction sit awhile, then use the tank rinse. After emptying, add valve lube. We don't have to winterize here.

Which butyl did you use, btw? And curious if you let it sit 24 hours before water test? I'm kind of disappointed that the butyl didn't work for you. We've never used it on something as heavy as an ac, so that could be an issue, for sure. Most of the weight sits on that 14 x 14 opening. But, you said your Dometic was install with butyl, right?

Ok. I took a brief cruise through one of the dometic thermostat manuals, and it only shows a differential adjustment available in furnace settings, not cooling, anyway. And it's only adjustable by one degree. If we experience the same short cycling, I'll look for the "room temperarature sensor" in the Houghton and see if moving it a bit makes a difference. I kind of remember seeing something that looked like a temp probe in the ceiling, before we buttoned up the adu/indoor unit. Now that it's over a month ago, I wish I'd taken more photos. There's nothing in my manual in the parts explosion for the temp sensor, other than a notation on the wiring diagram, that I can see.

I just found this video on the Houghton dehumidifier function. It doesn't really explain the mystery fully, but it's short and interesting. https://youtu.be/-ZtMvVrSbsU

@NCeagle Thanks for all the data, and the chart. That's all good news, except the cycling. I'll be interested to see if that is the same with my smaller unit that cannot be controlled via a thermostat. I don't know a lot about the Dometic thermostat. Does it have variable setpoints for temperature differential, like some modern home thermostats? Adjusting that can sometimes help with short cycling. Sorry to hear the butyl oozed.. So far, the foam seal we used seems fine. We didn't do an official water test, but mother nature provided us with several tests via heavy rains and wind, and we found no evidence of leaking inside the trailer. We haven't checked the bolts yet. We did have to adjust the bolts on the Dometic early on in 2008 and 2009, and a few other times, as the foam compresses over time, so I suspect we'll have to do that with the Houghton, as well. I haven't had occasion to really use the ac yet, as the weather has been mostly pleasant. When we bring it home next week from the window repair shop, I will probably run it while I finish setting up the interior for camping season. And, check the bolts. Our friend who works in the yacht business told me it's pretty common these days for marine ac systems to have a dehumidifier function. It uses the compressor and evaporator at a different rate, to draw out moisture. Uses less energy than the ac, but increases comfort, like our home whole-house dehumidifier. That's a feature I'm really looking forward to trying out. Our smaller (9500) ac doesn't have a heat function. Thanks again for the info. A 23 degree drawdown is plenty for us. Hope ours achieves the same. The old 13,500 Dometic would freeze us out, and was way oversized for an Elite .

I sometimes use surveyor's tape (flagging tape) to mark areas. It's cheap. Maybe, 2 cents a foot, or less.

This is so true. Older models, and newer models, have different equipment. Thanks for pointing that out, @galwaygirl

Please open a ticket, with photos. I agree with Overland, this is one case where plywood is way better than hdpe. I'm thinking, if you keep hdpe, small pilot holes, and coarse thread screws for remounting . But, do let service know.