SeaDawg

I think a few have. Imo, you'd be better off to get the solar option, and upgrade batteries if you found the need.

What truck, if any, do you own now?

https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/search/?&q=Access&author=Overland&search_and_or=or You can add or subtract key words.

Two different systems, and never the twain shall meet. However, the same black gunk you talked about may very well have caused your Truma problem, as well. If I remember correctly, you bought a 2019 trailer. Did you drain, refill, and sanitize the plumbing system? No matter how meticulous previous owner tried to be, gunk can grow. You don't know how long ago it was sanitized. When you get home, I'd do the sanitizing routine at least twice. And rinse all the crap out of the water heater. After sanitizing twice, fill tank with fresh, and run all faucets (not at once) to drain. Get that gunk out.

@johnwen, how old is your OMMA unit? Does it charge on ac, but not on solar? I've read some mixed reviews on longevity. On OMMA. Are you planning to replace it with a jackery unit?

Yes, they do.

Chances are, you will want two separate policies one for liabilty/comprehensive, etc., and a separate policy for roadside.

Jackery units have their own internal controllers, and use unregulated/uncontrolled voltage input from the portable panels. . So yes, that's likely a problem. You could install a switch before the controller, and a separate lead to thr jackery. And you'd likely be fine. Look at the specs on jacery panels.

The zamp connector, as installed by Oliver, requires input from a separate controller. It's set up for "suitcase solar", ie, panel(s) with their own separate controller. The zamp connector connects directly to the battery bank, via an inline fuse to protect against over-voltage. If you want to upgrade your portable panels, you must provide a separate, appropriate controller between the panels and the batteries, in the standard configuration. So, yes, you can upgrade to 200 watts, add a controller that accommodates the new panels, and you'll be fine. What you CAN'T do is send unregulated power from panels without a controller to the port.

Our old (2010?) steps are flat plate, plus nonskid strips.

That is true of any rv, as far as a 3 way fridge. Doesn't matter what brand, trailer, motorhome or fridge. If you are comfortable walking around and sleeping, the fridge is likely ok running. If you are parked on an incline, the fridge is in danger of crystalizing the coolant. Period. Driving up and down mountain roads is irrelevant, as you're obviously going up and down, and redistributing. Parked without running fridge, also no issue. Statement is a little more "true" for the low and flat fresh and grey water tanks, BUT they also have significant advantage. Water weight is kept low, adding to stability. Enclosed, not exposed to parking bumpers, etc. And, add to the towing stability, imo. (Someday, let me tell you about a used rv we delivered, with exposed grey tank that some previous driver had damaged.... and our repairs, over a ditch, on our backs, on a tarp, in the yukon. I miss that belt I sacrificed, and the hours we spent hunting down stainless strapping.. ollie enclosed system is so much better!) We manage water by filling the freshwater tank, and monitoring. We rarely hook up to city water. (Three or four times in 15 years?) If the grey shows full, fresh is close to empty. Or vice versa. We can "see" black level with a flashlight, if necessary, and leave it out of the equation. It's not rocket science. Eventually, you'll know if you are close to full.

Welcome to the Tampa Bay Ollie contingent! Since you plan to carry and run your generator in the basket, you'll want to tell your sales rep that you want the second electrical connection up front. Also, make sure you have a neutral ground plug in your tool kit. (While you're at it, get a decent 12v meter, dedicated to the trailer kit.) If you plan to chase the cooler weather up north during our hot summers, as we do, the standard ac is probably fine, as you won't use it much, anyway. If you later find it drives you crazy, the new Dometic freshjet is a quieter upgrade (not available from Oliver, yet), using the same interior distribution unit and drain, for much less than the full Truma package. The Truma ac requires a bigger generator than the Freshjet. (We changed our dometic ac to a Houghton after 12 years of mostly boondocking because of its age, and a severely cracked shroud.) The 6 gallon standard water heater is fine for most people, very simple, and if you're bringing the trailer home to tampa, you'll never need the easier winterizing fearure of the Truma, anyway. If you've never had an rv or trailer before, the simpler the better, imo. You can spend more time enjoying the great outdoors, and less time reading manuals and fiddling with features you rarely use. Pretty much everything but the rooftop solar can be upgraded fairly easily if you decide later that you "need" some features you didn't order. A portable solar option is easy. Adding rooftop, since Oliver no longer pre-wires for solar, is not as simple. Battery choice is the last conundrum. We have a 12v danfoss compressor fridge, similar to the one Oliver now installs, with just two 12v agm group 31 (105 ah capacity) , and we manage fine with solar, and the occasional use of the generator. Without solar, you will need to plug in to a power source (generator or campsite) pretty much every day, or every other day, with the standard batteries, a bit less frequently with the 4 agm 6 volts. Some of that decision depends on which batteries Oliver is using now. I've seen a number if issues on here with the Brightway base batteries, but I heard they are not using that brand anymore. (Ask your rep.) Upgrading batteries is also a pretty straightforward process, from flooded to agm or battleborn lithium.

@Wandering Sagebrush, don't be too hard on yourself. Some of this stuff isn't even in the manual, or it's buried. Or, you heard it and forget. Wet feet, backed up drain, etc, etc. I'm guilty of being that loose nut at keyboard, from time to time. It's all good.

Well, those grommets aren't doing a thing for you, right now. Nylon or some other type of plastic, useless if not seated in the opening. Rough fiberglass is abrasive. Now's a great time to replace with a barbed grommet, or cable glands, that will stay put, since you're pulling the batteries, etc.. Material of your choice. Also, carefully inspect the cables for any apparent abrasions in the sheathing. Hopefully, none, but you do want to know. I'm always inspecting ours, as battety compartment is pretty much under our heads. Btw, in Florida heat, we inspect water levels in the sailboat (fla batteries) monthly, or at least every 6 weeks, in summer. I would certainly do the same in Arizona. Use distilled water only, as you know, of course. Winter, we can check every two to three months, and seem to be ok. Our trailer has agms. As @John E Davies suggested, I would definitely check all 4 batteries. Your system will only charge to the level of the weakest, and if you have a bad cell in one, you'll have issues. If I were you, I'd still check in with Ryan at bluesky/sunforge, and make sure your settings on the charger are correct for your type of batteries. I do agree with you, that for many of us, fla or agm, is plenty, if we limit power consumption. By the way, not for you, but for future readers of this thread, do NOT go over your skill level zone , with electricity, and electronics. If unfamiliar with making connections, get a professional to help. Make SURE panels are covered and turned off before attempting work . Better to be double safe, than sorry, and fry something. Or, hurt yourself.

Thanks, @topgun2. I should have been more clear, but I think @Steph and Dud B covered it. The sink doesn't drain "directly" to the grey water tank, as it shares a drain with the shower, and, thus, the valve restricts odors and backup while traveling/jostling, but also means wastewater from the sink has nowhere to go but backing up into the shower, if the valve is closed. In our boat, our bath hand sink water goes to the toilet. (Water saving/flush help.) In some rvs, sink water goes to black tank. You just have to know where it goes. (as in, I have to remind folks on the boat to make sure the hand sink isn't overflowing the toilet! I installed faucets requiring contact to make sure they were never left running..) It's all good, once you know your way around. Former girl scout. Be prepared, for myself, and others. Lol.

It's an honest mistake you'll only make once. Just like the ankle high water, when showering, and forgetting to open the valve. Fortunately, the valve handle is actually IN the shower are, instead of elsewhere, as in a few other trailers.

Another early owner, woodworker, turned them out of maple, and gifted one to us. It's a thing of beauty.

We have the little door. ($12), but your setup looks a little different. Maybe the recpro hatch? Sadly, as Steve said, there are only 50 of us to worry about it. It's a very nice feature. It does, however, take up a lot of space under the front little dinette, and adds the weight of the cord far forward.

With the long and low tanks, the see level is definitely an approximation, especially if you're not "perfectly " level, front to back, side to side . Even so, they are more "accurate " than most, since the sensors are exterior, and properly calibrated, they do a reasonable job, so we opted for see level when we installed new grey and black tanks to increase holding capacity in our sailboat, seven years ago. If you think it's fun getting actual readings in a trailer, think about a sailboat on a heel. 😁 I'd recheck the valves, and look at dewdev's suggestions.

That should work, and looks nice. Maybe you could add velcro? First year, we used a rag. Then, we modified a koozie cup. One of our friends made a cool stopper from wood. (He's a real craftsman. I bought a little plastic door with just a small slot. It works great, too.

I have a friend with 15 year old t105's, still going strong. Of course, he's a maintenance freak, they dont have an inverter. and they've been his all along. (You can't be sure of their maintenance prior to your ownership.) Glad everything worked out. As you get to know the Blue Sky gear, I know you will love it. It is seriously tough stuff, and extremely dependable. They've been talking about adding Bluetooth control to their new pro digital panel. I'd call Ryan at sunforge/blue sky and see if it's available yet. If so, I'd get the new pro touch panel, with more info, and abandon the old one. Install the new at a readable height. I think it's less than $200. If no Bluetooth available yet, then move the existing Pro. Blue Sky offers a "panel" to enclose the upgrade, smaller footprint. All you'll probably need is the nerve to cut a new hole somewhere, and possibly a longer telephone type cable. 🙂 I've been totally ok with our old school pro, but we'll upgrade (someday when they get Bluetooth) to the new and cooler digital panel. Ours is located in the face of the attic.

We've found the Blue Sky equipment to be almost bulletproof (we did manage to short out our 2512ix around 5 years ago, but it was completely our fault.) Are any of the lights lit up on the 2512 controller? What does the indoor (in pro) panel tell you about charging? Do you have a battery disconnect switch, and is it on or off? If you don't have the manual you can download it on the sunforge/blue sky site. There are also great videos to assist you in troubleshooting. You probably want to look through the manual, and the videos, and send an email to Ryan Gurin at Blue Sky, or give him a call. He's an amazing tech, and very helpful. Ryan really knows his stuff. (Watching the videos and reading the manual first helps you gain familiarity, and you can probably eliminate a few troubleshooting steps before you speak with Ryan next week.) https://sunforgellc.com/learning-center/ Solar panels don't often "go bad." They may not generate all the power they once did seven years ago when new, but degradation would likely be less than 3 to 5 per cent. Because of the reliability of Blue Sky, and Ryan's great customer service and technical support, we kept our Blue Sky gear, and added to it when we upgraded from 200 to 400+ watt panels a few years ago. Before you do any actual "work" on the system, other than checking with your meter, I'd cover up those panels, as they are undoubtedly producing power. We use dark blue packing quilts to cover ours.

In my experience, 17 inch tires are less expensive, more easily available than 18 and above. I think you made a good choice.

@routlaw, the "the techs" are most tire places only look at placard, or max inflation on the new tires. And, they have to live by corporate rules. We, as you, do our own research. My truck is 18 years old. Tire technology has changed. I go by manufacturer scale. Incredibly bumpy ride home, at max psi, last tire change. Fixed it at home.

If the system is designed to "snap back" , it should, imo, do so without problems. If you're supposed to keep your foot on it, and release slowly, the manual should say so. Otherwise, I still believe it's a design flaw. Never an issue (yet) with my 16 year old Thetford. I guess we could replace ours with a true marine toilet (raritan) , which requires a lot of work...every flush is a lot of hand pumping. Super reliable on our boat. Much more expensive than cheaper rv toilets . They also last 30 to 40 years.... If/when our toilet dies, I'll probably just get another thetford. I won't l8kely outlive a ratitan. Kind of laughing, because we are troubleshooting a very expensive Toto, in one of our home bathrooms. Looks like about $100 in parts will fix the tiny drip our Phyn detection system tells us we have. At least, there are parts available. That toilet. I'd hate to give up because of a few parts. As toilets go, it's rather pretty. And waterwise. And, expensive to replace. Replacement part numbers are stamped in the toilet tank in the Toto. How cool is that?