SeaDawg

Eva Cassidy plays a lot in our home. Our Norwegian cousins introduced us tp her, many years ago. On the way to music bingo tonight, we listened to a favorite. Andrea Bocelli and Cristina Aguilera, Somos Novios. (We are lovers, for those who don't speak Spanish.) On the way home, another favorite of mine. Older, but still a fave. Donny Hathaway and the inimitable Roberta Flack. I'll never forget the joy of that concert.

Honestly, there are many times I wish we had skipped the complicated install of the separett, and just put a luggable loo (home depot bucket and a snap seat and cover) in the corner. Easy to clean. No worries. Rarely used,,anyway. And, I'd be $900 ahead, at least . For the extra money, I get a more "attractive " and stable install, no smell. Don't have to dump it evey day. In the barn, we installed a urinal for the guys. Pee bottles + luggable loo would still be many $ ahead.

In our case (indel b truckfridge/non marine version of isotherm) the minimal heat generated is vented to the inside. No outdoor vent specified. No dirt. No mud dauber. No screens necessary. I've used 12v danfoss/secop compressor fridges in three countries. None had an outside vent. A big advantage, for us, on dusty roads, actually. The waste heat, without the flame of a 3way, is quite minimal. Can't even really feel it, with a hand next to the vent grills (interior). Biggest issue with 12v dc compressor fridge is having enough battery power, power management skills, and a way to recharge batteries. 60 ah per day is our average, and with our relatively puny 2 x 12v 105 ah agm group 31s, it does require monitoring, if you're not plugged in all the time. Me? I'm perfectly happy with the tradeoffs I have a smaller freezer, big fridge compartment, interior light, no exterior panel lights at night, and most importantly, a fridge that cools down quickly, and stays consistent in temp. I think we're six years in, and I'm super happy that we made the swap.

A PS.. though I have the separett in my barn, I dislike almost everything about it, except the black tank line connection, and its clean lines and smooth cleanability. Don't even think about it for an rv, imo. Its nothing but a very expensive portapotty.

Is your truma original? Where was your camper this winter? If the truma is like our Girard, you should drain the tiny tank, when you winterize. Also, with truma, I believe you are supposed to remove the filter. I'll leave it to the truma owners to give more info.

@C&MCurrie, nicw install. What material did you use on the upper fridge vent? We lined the old vent with two layers of heavy visquene, and added a sheet of Styrofoam insulation, eventually. (Started with just visquene. ) Did you get the lower vent unit/table from Oliver, or what did you use. Very nice! We always have a small table in that space, anyway. Super nice to have one that just rides on the Ollie! Big kudos!

Changing the sink connection to the black tank, if using the tank for just urine, makes a lot of sense. Many rv bath sinks drain to the black tank. The Swedish separett toilet has a line that can be dedicated to a tank or drain field. I'm kind of surprised that natures head, and airhead haven't already marketed a connection, as most rv toilets are mounted right above the black tank.

A number of people have asked me,,via pm, about dc fridges, in the last month, for conversions. Thought I'd just bring up this old thread, for those thinking about it. I'll add this link, as well.

Funny how we come full circle. Kids today can figure out (and, hack) anything electronic. Back in the day, it was just a few wires .. Thanks for the info. I have aluminum foil always in the trailer. Wrap it up. Simple Faraday cage, very cheap. Reusable.

Thanks for the time travel, and trip down memory lane, @MAX Burner. The early first gen trailers had different fridges. Even today, today some 3ways work better at altitude than others, and no one really knows why. Theory is it can be a problem with the propane mix in the tank. Anyway... Glad yours functions well. Very happy for you. I have had a dc danfoss/secop compressor fridge for 6+ years now, and it doesn't care what altitude, nor (out of ) level I'm on. It just works, flawlessly.

I remember that my 2005 Silverado needed a fuse, connected inline, for the 12v charger to work from my truck, to the Ollie. We had to add the fuse, to gain charging while traveling. It's a long time ago.... After we added solar, it was actually unnecessary.

Roadside insurance is actually pretty inexpensive, and adds peace of mind, for me. Warranties are another story. If you keep vehicles "forever," as we do, a lifetime warranty can be a bargain. I doubt theyre sold anymore. (My Silverado, if human, would be old enough to vote, and buy alcohol, next year. 😀) The warranty on our 2008 Ram has paid for itself several times over. If we had kept it only a few years, not so.

Read the first posts in the thread.

We haven't used good sams for vehicle and trailer, thankfully, but good sams for vehicle has been very good for us. (Coverage without the trailer in tow, several times.) My wish? Not so many renewal and advert notices. I'm looking at coachnet.

I'm on year 7 with our DEKA/east penn AGM 12v batteries. Ryan at Blue Sky gave us the correct setting for our controller. I think the solar panels actually help with the longevity of the batteries. I'm not sure why anyone would advise you to turn off the solar. I try to not run mine below 70 per cent, keeping that last twenty as a safety net. Definitely keep them above 50 per cent. Even our flooded lead acid 6v batteries on the boat have managed over 7 years, with six+ years of solar, even after flattening one battery bank of 6 when we lost our alternator on a 300 mile race. (We added the solar after that incident. We were very lucky to be able to bring them back to life, as they were only a month old then, and not cheap. )

Raspy, who still stops by here occasionally, bought a black series, and did a bunch of work on it to beef it up for four seasons. He has a different brand now.

Elite 1, 2008 Ram 1500 4x 4, hemi, 5.7.

This is another situation where experience gives us an edge. I don't care about "surfing the web," nor do I have to upload big files while camping, as working folks do. Yet another situation where time camping (sometimes involving frustration) gives us an answer to what we truly "need," and what we just want. If I wanted total connectivity, always, I'd get satellite, of some sort. I don't. But an emergency beacon, sure, when and if we're in the Yukon again. For most places we camp, in the USA and Canada, one of our phones "usually " works. One GSM, one CDMA. Even a very weak signal gets a text out. For emergency situations, I would never rely on tmobile or att. Nor verizon, even though we get better coverage with them than tmobile, in most situations. @Steph and Dud B, with both verizon and att/tmobile, you're covered in most situations. As are we. Out in the hinterlands,beyond cell towers, we'd need some sort of satellite sos.

I'm truly sorry to see you go, but hang around. Once a member of the family, always a member of the family. To change your signature, go to account, account settings, then signature. It's not very intuitive, I know, but it is what it is.

Any hull penetration can leak, at some magic moment or another. This is true of any camper. And, like any other roof. Start with the most likely/biggest area, and work from there. Duct tape has been our friend, on various campers, narrowing the field. Roofer friends tell me to "think like a rain drop, and do visual inspections. " That's all good, except visually inspecting caulk doesn't always tell the story. Covering areas, one at a time, with duct tape, tells the story, next heavy rain. A leak down the rear window can come from anywhere, if you're high in the nose, and the rear is the lowest point. Logic. Think like a raindrop.

Yes, I believe this is true in many "modern" trucks. Ours is a 2008.

If upgrading to lithium, I would disconnect that charge wire. You might be fine, but honestly, you don't want to fry your alternator. There is a reason why this circuit is disconnected for trailers originally equipped with lithium. Best of luck with your conversion, and we'll look forward to hearing about your process, and progress!

I have, like many other old school trailers, 2 x 105 agm 12v marine batteries. So, 210 ah, total, marine deka/East penn group 31 batteries. I probably come close to your description above. We can get appreciable charge, when traveling. We also have 400 watts of fixed solar, now, so less important, these days. But still important for those who don't have solar, and have lead acid/agm batteries. Level the front, with the jack, disconnect from the truck. With the plug dangling, not too hard to remember to reconnect in the morning.... Remembering to unplug from the tv is kind of ingrained, from old school days, so not a big deal. We're used to it. Many years of practice. As times change, and most people get lifepo4 batteries, Oliver may discontinue the charging wire. As may other manufacturers. We'll see. Times change. Batteries change. Practices change. Just saying, for those of us without lifepo4 batteries, the charge wire is helpful . PS, we live quite well, many months of camping each year, with 210 ah of battery power. We have learned power management. We camp, don't have an inverter. Everyone has a different camping style. Mine is different from yours, I'm sure, and I'd never criticize yours. We each decide what is most important, and work within our defined limits.

Sweet! A few questions. Where do you attach this? How does it function in windy conditions,? Does anything bend/sway/ rub on the Oliver? Is your pole fiberglass?

Cute fur buddies. Glad the barrier works for you.