SeaDawg

We carry two cell phones, two different services, to improve the odds. Turn on location after you arrive, and weather alerts on your phones. You'll get the alerts for the local area. If you camp a lot without cell service, get a satellite service. Or, camp in/ near town, in tornado country. You'll hear the sirens if there's a warning. Four or five years ago, we camped outside KCMO, in a town or county campground. We'd just finished dinner, when the sirens started. My husband asked me what that meant . (I grew up in the Midwest, he didn't. ) I told him to grab the phones, chargers, wallets and keys, and the dog, and head to the bath house. Tornado warning siren. So, we spent the next few hours in the cg bath house, in a shower stall (extra structure, safer spot) with 30 or 40 other people in the structure, and their pets. Til the all clear sounded. We had no touchdown in our cg, but a few miles down the road, lots of stuff flattened. Another time, outside Lanesboro MN, in a tiny county cg, the sheriff came by to warn us. Told us we could go to the jail for shelter. 😄 We gathered the same items, and the dog, and sat in the truck, listening to the radio. Eventually, storm passed, we went back to bed. Left the phone on, though. Most (not all) organized campgrounds in the Midwest have a storm shelter. If not, the bath house is usually concrete block, and safest spot. If not that, you're stuck leaving/running away, hopefully in the right direction (🤪😒🤨), or lay down in a ditch when you hear the freight train sound coming... Sky (usually) turns kind of a pale pea green when a tornado approaches (daytime.) Kind of rosy peach with an approaching hailstorm. The birds stop singing, and everything gets deadly quiet. Then... the freight train sound.. Get that radio. When I was a kid, we had two homes, in two different states, destroyed by tornadoes. And, I've been in several others, since, and outrun a few. We didn't have weather radios then, but, luckily, we had my mom. She could read the weather like no weatherman ever could. Insure the Ollie. When the weatherman, or my mom, says seek shelter, do it. And know where it is, ahead of time.

We have an abundance of black bear (no brown bear) in WNC. if you see an active bear notice in a campground, or bearproof trash cans, you might just want to lock your car doors. This video from local ABC channel this year shows why: https://fb.watch/eLBFXziB2j/

We have black bear on our property, but rarely see them. Usually just their signs--scat, claw marks on trees, overturned rocks, chewed water lines from the spring collection system, etc. I usually don't have my phone handy when I spot one, (or, I'm too busy grabbing the dog to get a photo) but I did get this one from a distance, last year

As your trailer is very new, and first time in storage, are you sure that spot wasn't there before you parked it? Just a hope, really. There's nothing I can think of, in an Ollie, that could leak an oily spot. Have you ever seen anything dripping from the clamshell fitting? You're nose down, so liquid could run from any rooftop opening. I'd hold off on caulking that gap above the vent tube, till I figured out if and where the liquid is coming from. Right now, you've isolated the egress path. Time to find the ingress. Could be any opening. We use duct tape, and a hose on any suspect opening/roof penetration. One at a time. I know its A PITA, but, if you camp later, a little nose high, and there's an opening/penetration thats leaking you could wind up with a wet bed from water running between the hulls. Since that spot remains the same, doesn't evaporate, I don't think it's water. At least, from what you've said. But, even if it's the ceramic treatment, that got in between the hulls from some opening or roof penetration. Keep us posted and, open that ticket.

If you can see light in the inner hull seal, its an opportunity for a leak to run down that pipe? But, if water got into the interstitial space between the hulls, it has to go somewhere... Unfortunately, doesn't mean it's coming from the vent. Doesn't necessarily narrow it down, actually. Could be coming from another roof penetration. How is your trailer sitting? Nose down, or up? Level side to side? Do you leave the bath vent open while parked? As a roofer friend said once, you have to think like a rain drop...

I'd say, certainly, brass is stronger. But, plastic has been fine for us, for 15 seasons. I think using the trailer a lot, vs sitting around, also makes a difference. Our poor little power boat seems to have some minor failure, every other time we take it out, because it's the least used of the toys, maybe? Granted, it's 20+ years old... but not much more than our Ollie, and far less than our 40+ sailboat. Since our daughter grew up, and, we no longer take it out more than a few times a year, instead of once or twice a week, it seems to be more prone to problems. Stuff does happen. Boats and trailers move, stuff breaks. Sadly, often at the most inopportune times. Maintenance, and regular use, are keys. Imo

Leave the 7000is at home. Way too big, and unnecessary. Good for home power failure, though. One person, or two? Our elite 1 is lighter, smaller than a 2, but it is very compact, and heavy (though pretty rugged) for its size. We're in 15th season, with a 1. Life in miniature suits us, way better than a big tent. We're just average sized people, so the 1 is fine. The "crawl over" bed, east/west, is ok, for us. Yes, I'd rather have a queen, but unlike others, we'd rather just have three tires to maintain. A 1500, any brand, with a 1, is great. A midsized is ok in flat land, but you'll have unhappy moments in mountains. I wouldn't do it, personally. I love vans, but, yeah, other issues. (Like storing fuel inside, etc.) What are your goals?

We don't have one (2008) I wish we did. Probably a future mod, bluetooth? I'm always the guide,,when my husband backs up. Even with a camera, it's really good to have a partner outside watching. Cameras can't capture everything. Yet.

Before you dig into the vanity,, If the black vent pipe in the closet is is wet to the touch, you possibly have a sealing issue at the roof penetration. I'd take a hose to it, and see what happens. Means cleaning up the closet area well first, and, maybe a second time as well. Side force strong hoses act like wind driven rain. You may never have a problem again. Or, it could need resealing. Even a tiny air bubble in the caulk could break open under a powerful spray, and introduce some water, running down the side of the vent pipe. Imo. Good luck. It's aggravation, but I'd start there, if it were me. Water driven into the vent pipe cover shouldn't give water on the outside of the pipe, imo. And, open a service ticket, please.

Those nonreuseable sharkbites that we've used are labeled EvoPex. The nice thing is, if you've done the job right, green shows in the slot, when properly connected. (Ask me how I know.. ) Carry a good cutter. Buy fittings at any ace, home depot, lowes etc. along the way. Make a good cut, giving yourself an inch or two of grip room plus depth, mark the proper depth, (borrow @rideandfly's sharpie, if you don't have one, and you should), push to fit, and done. Sharkbites are slick. Imo. They're also pricey. We don't carry any fittings. These days, widely available. Then again, we " live on the edge," but we carry drinking water, so we can certainly survive til the next hardware store. Only had one plumbing fail in 15 seasons , and pretty sure our fault, not winterizing properly and promptly. Ymmv

Which cabinet, Pete? Upper? I personally wouldn't put an inverter in an upper cabinet. Potential for leaks there is higher than under the seats or bed. Imo.

You could always do an old school faucet like ours, and add an old school aerator/sprayer.

Yup.

We used to have a small 1000 watt inverter, under the rear dinette seat, for a few years. It was very tight, with all the other electronics in there. After we went to tablets and smart phones, got rid of it. We only used it to plug in our laptops. We find no need for an inverter. No microwave. If we need 110 for tools, we bring out the genset.

Those "ripples" show after an impact, in fiberglass. I'm truly guessing airborne rock or other hard object. I've seen similar where fiberglass boat hull meets piling, etc. Imo, a manufacturing defect would have raised its ugly head earlier. Btw, is this the same side as the cracked ac shroud ?

Looking at this, and your other post, I'm wondering if you had a rock or other damage. Best of luck. If the gelcoat crack is cosmetic, it's not a huge repair , on the roof. It does look like impact damage, to me. Open a service ticket, and see what Jason advises.

I wouldn't use eternabond, or caulk, yet. If you can park under cover, leave it alone. If you can't, I'd use duct tape. Eternabond is difficult to remove.

We try to live like (hard sided) tent campers, and use those facilities, when available. Definitely extends water, and tank capacity. Spigots, designated sinks, vault/pit toilets, etc. Using a small tea kettle for once a day dishes really diminishes consumption. Like you, we've camped with tinier tanks than the Oliver, in vans. Every drop you use has to go somewhere.

I'm torn on that. I suspect a cover "might " make it harder to clear snow, in a dump snowfall like my younger days in Minnesota. A hard sided cover, like @Patriot's, rated for snow load, would obviously be ideal. But wind driven snow could still be an issue.

Personally, I would hope that Oliver would "uncouple" the water heater from the Truma package. Imo, the standard six gallon is easier for metering/saving water, if the owners like to boondock. We have a tankless water heater (Girard), and it's never given us a lick of problems, but the former 6 gallon suburban was easy to use, and you knew when the water started getting chilly that it was time to quit. We'd turn it on for 10 to 20 minutes or so, use the hot water side only for showers. (Avoids the cold water sandwich.) I heat (to this day) dishwashing water in a teakettle, to conserve water. Heat water in a teakettle for birdbaths, face wash, etc. Truma and other endless hot water heaters are great for those who routinely camp with full hookups, imo.

Hi, @laTraylor. I have nothing to add since I have never used an Andersen, but I wanted to offer a warm welcome as I see this is your first post. So sorry about the deer. They're everywhere in many camping areas, and certainly a scary experience for you, I'm sure. Good luck with figuring it out. More knowledgeable people here will surely help.

@Katjo, I know you're in Michigan, but I don't know where. You might want to talk with @dewdev or @Mainiac, both in Maine, plenty of snow. Pretty sure both store their trailers outside. Snow melts pretty fast, usually, on the darker faces of solar panels. I'd be more worried about snow load and freeze/thaw at roof penetrations. What's your average winter snow accumulation? I have a friend in Iowa who stored hers outside for a few years, without issue. We winter in Florida, so the most snow accumulation we've seen is a few inches, early winter camping. The folks in the northern latitudes can tell you much more.

One of the several reasons we swapped out our dinosaur 2008 oversized dometic ac was the cost of a new shroud to replace our very cracked and brittle old shroud, probably half eternabond tape. We waxed the shroud every time we waxed the trailer, but the Florida sun takes a toll on plastics. I wouldn't expect that in a newer trailer like yours. I think your dometic has a limited 2 year warranty. Open a service ticket for advice, and see what happens. The $200 for a new replacement shroud for the old dometic was 20 per cent of the purchase price of our quiet 9500 Houghton. Obviously a bit more work to swap the whole unit, than swap shrouds, but worth it in the end.

I measured my 2008 door, and the opening between the interior flanges with the seal are a strong 22 1/16. I'd try it with an empty bin first. Our pinch-point in an elite I is the shower wall to the microwave/fridge cabinet. We had to get above the ledge of the fridge space to bring in our Truckfridge tf130, without removing the shower wall. That space is only 21 and a scant 1/16" wide. The lower space is narrower,, because of the fridge.. You have more space in a 2, but I don't know how much more. The tf130 weighs about the same as an lectric bike, (64 pounds), and I can tell you it was not simple to avoid scratching something, making the turn, up that high, with two people, one inside, one walking up the steps and guaging the distance. Very awkward. Not something I'd want to do on a routine basis. And, those commander bins won't fit under the bed, even empty, in our Elite. Maybe someone with a 2 could measure both spaces? I know it wouldn't work for me. Another thought, if the bins go in empty, you might be able to walk the bike though the door and walk it up inside on the back tire, with pedals folded, and complete the folding process in the trailer. My brother has to do this in his small condo elevator,, with a non-folding bike. How wide are the handlebars?

Love it, and love the "back stage." Just like camping, at home.