[Tips on draining holding tanks???]

I’m not sure the sensors on the tanks are all that accurate.. or consistent for that matter. Usually our gray tank will get to zero, but sometimes it reads 6%... even though it’s empty. Next time yours is “stuck” on 15%, raise the front of the camper.. see if more water comes out.. if not, 15% is actually zero. 
Try lowering the front end as well.. as counter intuitive as that may sound, it may help “burp” the system....  

[Domestic Travel Ban to Florida]

Blackwater River State Park in Holt (east of Pensacola) is nice.. So is Camp Venice Retreat in Venice. 

[Xantrex XCPro 3000 warning code]

I received the firmware yesterday but won’t be able to install it for a week or so. Like you, I’ve been disconnecting the inverter from the batteries to prevent it from charging them all the time. It’s a real  nuisance .. That switch needs to be more accessible.... a project for this summer for sure. 

[The New Ownership experience and Realistic Expectations]

14 hours ago, Cool Ghoul said:

I'm a prospective buyer and very much appreciate this forum.  I've never owned an RV.  And my number 1 concern is not having headaches after purchase.  

I do get kind of spooked when I read about people having maintenance issues.  I'm wondering what kind of learning curve is involved and how self-sufficient and handy one must be to get into the RV lifestyle.   I'm hoping for nothing more than annual maintenance.  Is this realistic?

Thanks

We picked up our new OTT in November. It’s our second camper, but our first new one. It was also a pretty big purchase for us. Like you, I got pretty spooked by reading about folks having issues with their new campers. Part of the problem for me was having 5 months of waiting til we took delivery during which I could obsess about OTT on this platform... which I did (still do.. )... which lead to worries some times, second guessing at other times. In the end I realized that buying an Oliver is much like anything else.. you just have to hope you get “a good one”.. A camper that was built by folks on top of their game, and that it was done on a “good day”. These things are, after all, built by people, who have good days and bad days just like all of us.. So we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best.

we lived in our E2 for the first two months we owned it, and will be back on the road for 6 weeks soon. I feel like in that time we’ve gotten to know it pretty well, though Im sure there will still be surprises.. it is, after all, an RV. 
The majority of issues have been because of us.. learning new systems, occasionally putting common sense on the shelf... The other issues have been related primarily to components, which are being dealt with by Oliver. As time has passed in #685, the more we’ve been overall impressed with the construction and workmanship, and the more we feel like it was a good decision for us. 

With our first camper, a Casita, we soon learned that “stuff happens”.. it just does.. we had no experience.. zero.. We learned to deal with it, make simple repairs and what not, and those times  became part of the overall experience. It’s been the same with #685.. we’ve run into issues here and there, and self inflicted or otherwise, we have learned from them and gained confidence... and we are loving it.. 

if you do decide to pick up an OTT, keep plugging away at this forum.. keep track of bits of info that might come in handy in the future.. dealing with stubborn door locks, tilting the camper one way or another to make the gray water drain better .. stuff like that.. and marvel at the other stuff.. like the  amazing mudflap modification someone just did, or NCeagles  pre cold weather camping study, or the amazing minutia that folks like JD focus on... its quite a group to say the least, and always there to help..

 

 

 

 

 

[Ca to Me in March, what route would you take?]

Wowie  Bill, that is an amazing list! Thanks so much, I’m going to enjoy going thorough it and checking all the places out. Even if we don’t use any of them this trip, we have lots of East/West runs in our future ( grandkids on both coasts ) so this kind of intel is invaluable...

thanks again,

mark

[Ca to Me in March, what route would you take?]

1 hour ago, bugeyedriver said:

Besides your route getting to Maine, consider which campgrounds might be opened in the far Northeast.  Many campgrounds close for the winter and drain the water from their lines to prevent freezing and bursting.  Campgrounds may remain closed until early to mid May to protect their water lines from a late freeze and to prepare the grounds for the camping season after heavy snows.

Be safe and have fun.

 Good thought.. it could certainly impact our final trajectory as we get further East.. Maine is home, so we will make a run for it once we are close enough.... we are prepared to winterize the camper en route if needed.. the closer we get to New England the greater the number of folks we know who will put up with us there driveway for the night🙂. 

[Ca to Me in March, what route would you take?]

3 hours ago, topgun2 said:

That's two votes for the I-70 route - thanks BackofBeyond.  East of the Mississippi you will drive through a bunch of fields until you get near the WVA/PA state lines.  Then you are in the "real" east with roads that wind through the hillier areas of western and central PA along with more traffic.  If you decide on the I-70 route I can give you a list of campgrounds that I've stayed at over the years but, there are enough of them east of Kansas City that it should not be an issue.

Bill

Thanks Bill, yup.. two votes for I-70. I think that’ll be our first choice, we’ll keep an eye on the weather. A list of campgrounds would be great, or, if it’s easier, just a couple that you liked would be great. Actually, any that you didn’t like would be great too.. 

Mark

[Ca to Me in March, what route would you take?]

3 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:

On I-10 between San Antonio and El Paso there isn’t much.  In Junction just off the freeway is South Llano State Park.  We stayed there a few days and it is nice.  Davis Mountains State Park is also nice, very close to McDonald Observatory which is worth a visit.  Drop down further past Marfa and you’ll get to Big Bend National Park.  There are a couple of commercial RV parks we’ve stayed overnight at along I-10 in west Texas, nothing special but a place to stop if needed.  One is Van Horn RV park which is getting a little run down and the other is Fort Stockton RV park which is nicer and a convenient stop.  In New Mexico we’ve stayed at Aguirre Spring COE near Las Cruces, no hook ups but great views and close to White Sands National Park - you have to drive up the mountain on a winding road.  We plan on returning there.  I think most state parks in NM are still closed.  In Arizona, Karchner Caverns state Park is just off I-10 on highway 90 as you head south to Sierra Vista, Tombstone and Bisbee.  In west AZ, you should spend a night at Quartzsite just to say you did!  Dome Rock area is where the fiberglass rally is held, just a big swatch of desert speckled with campers.  Mike

Thanks Mike, very helpful information, really appreciate it. We have two days reserved at South Llano State Park, which we are excited about. We will have a look at the other places as well...Karchner Caverns in particular.. 

Mark

 

 

[Ca to Me in March, what route would you take?]

11 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:

We travel I-10 west from San Antonio to AZ and southern CA all the time.  Roads are good and not much traffic.  I’d monitor the weather and if it looks like there might be some winter weather on the northern route I’d drop south and go I-10/I-20 or even I-40.

We never been through that area and are pretty excited about it.. do you have any favorite campgrounds along the way? 

[Ca to Me in March, what route would you take?]

Im hoping to benefit from the wisdom and experience of those of you that have zigzagged around this country with your OTT in tow...

We are headed from the Bay Area in California  back to Maine sometime close to the end of March.. The hope is to move along at a pretty good clip, but taking a day off here and there .

while I’m comfortable calculating weather related risks East of the Mississippi, I’ve no experience with traveling in the West during that time of year. Would it be prudent to loop south on Rt10 until we can pick up Rt20 to Dallas, and just keep easing to the Northeast through Little Rock and on to Nashville?

Thanks in advance!

[2021 F150]

Man oh man there sure are some cool  pickup trucks out there.. As a very long time Tundra owner, and a very happy one at that, it does make me wonder when Toyota is going to at least make it look like they are trying to be innovative in their Truck design.... I’ve read a bit about some changes coming in 2022 but it sure seems like they are lagging behind. 
I suspect we will be shopping for a new TV in the next couple of years.. can’t wait... looks like it’ll be a lot of fun with lots to think about. 
our Tundras have been incredibly reliable work trucks, but maybe it’s time to move on.. 

[Where’s Ollie?]

Camp Venice Retreat... Venice FL...

[Proud Elite II New Owner]

7 hours ago, dewdev said:

Thanks All

Mainiac I like your logo. The first time I saw an Elite II was the end of the summer and the person lived in Sebago, Maine. He had a Maine logo and as I remember it the logo showed hunting and fishing locations (or something like that).

My sign  guy,  (Sign Concepts)   in Portland tells me we need to wait until the outside temparture is above 60 degrees so it will adher ok so it will be awhile. When I get it installed I will post a picture.

Richard

P.S. Maybe this summer (after we all get our COIVD vaccines) us Mainahs and our NH neighbors can get together at some camping spot in Maine and have a Oliver get together. Looks like there are at least 5 or 6 of us that I am aware of. 

Congrats to you #354 ! Count us (#685) in on a Maine get together this summer..

[Server down repeatedly over several weeks?]

Yup, we’ve seen that message as well...

[Soliciting advice on a "Smart" fan to move conditioned air through both sides of basement.]

Interesting. Did you have the warm duct air running into the basement at the same time as the fans? Do you think that the moist air in the basement can be “drier” if the temperature is increased by the air from the ductwork?

if the object is to keep pipes from freezing using electricity, it might be worth trying running an extension cord with a clamp light equipped with a 150w bulb into the basement.. 

There are crawl spaces under old houses  throughout Maine that use that technique to prevent pipes from freezing.. might help an Ollie in NC🙂

[Interesting electrical problem]

On 12/31/2020 at 3:37 PM, Ray and Susan Huff said:

So, what is your procedure for putting the batteries into storage?  Discharge to 50%, then what?  Turn off solar charging?  Battery disconnect?  Is there a way to limit the SOC to 50% without disconnecting?  

We're new to lithium batteries in an RV; it seems there are so many variables and methods - no black and white/on and off/yes or no; 😕 

Because the LP alarm is wired directly to the battery ( Jason @ OTT ) the only way to avoid phantom drains is to disconnect the batteries at the negative terminal. When the batteries are down to 50% and this is done, they go into a “standby mode” ( Larry @ LifeBlue )..

As NCeagle mentioned, please point out the fact to your Oliver contact that the lack of electrical diagrams is a nuisance.. And while I’ve been told that the service crew doesn’t mind answering even the simplest of questions it doesn’t help much when the issue comes up on a Saturday or Sunday... 🙂

 

[Cold temperature data]

14 hours ago, Jim_Oker said:

Yes, ditto on the thanks, and I second what  John says about  source of indoor moisture  once  you  are spending the evening/night/morning in there (along with possibly moist ski  clothes etc.). In our camper van I've found that in colder weather we need to crack a window and our Fantastic roof vent lid a bit - the amount required depends on outdoor humidity and temperature. Otherwise the condensation on the windows (and  presumably hidden surfaces w/in the walls) gets pretty out of hand. A compact dehumidifier would of course change that picture (and use more amp hours) somewhat. Our van has  a Suburban propane furnace with the intake/vent holes on the exterior so as here the furnace propane burning is  not a contributor of moisture. 

It would be interesting to see what happens to your experiment with the fantastic fan on, or open. We haven’t dealt with really cold temperatures yet, just a couple nights between 30-32, and the fantastic fan set on 10% with a window cracked kept the condensation away. We had the thermostat set at 66 or 68... something like that. I’ve noticed that the air being pulled into the cabin from the open bathroom vent by the fantastic fan set at 10 or 20% is significant... with the bathroom door open of course. Might be a good option to cracking a window. 

[Campgrounds/boodocking sites along I40/southern Arkansas from Hohenwald to Los Angeles]

We are headed to the Bay Area from FLA early March, and plan to stick with I10 the entire run. I suspect we will be boondocking and using HH.  If it’s useful, we could let you know where we stayed. 
we head back East ( way way back East) to Maine in early April, and I’m assuming we will want to swing south on I10 to avoid the mountains but I’m not sure when to start to move North... 

[New Bathroom Sink! (finally)]

Very impressive project... that shower valve looks pretty cool... 

[Ollie 2 with a Tundra / Feedback Requested]

We tow our OE2 with a 2016 Tundra TDR. We’ve got a Leer cap, haul a honda2000 generator, a couple bikes, misc camping gear,tools, 5 gallons of water etc in the bed. We have the Anderson towing setup. The truck tows fine, and it and the trailer set pretty level. Interestingly, if we are traveling at 60-68 mph our mileage is around 12mph.. not far from what it is without the trailer in tow. But if I spend the day driving closer to 75, the mileage drops to closer to 9mph.. 

 

[Xantrex XCPro 3000 warning code]

NCeagle, have you explored the possibility of cutting a hole below the bed and rotating the inverter so that the controls are accessible from the cabin? Maybe move the 300a breaker there too? 

[Xantrex XCPro 3000 warning code]

15 hours ago, Ray and Susan Huff said:

Our inverter remote began working again.  We were traveling, connecting to shore power each night; I don't recall how many 120v connections had occurred when the remote came back to life.  It has not quit working since the initial episode, which was two or three days into our trip.

Ours is no longer flashing [20], and seems to sort of work on occasion... it’s happy to let me know I’ve got shorepower connected, but that’s about it..

Im dealing with the inverter directly when needed, and am waiting to hear what Oliver and Xantrex come up with for a solution... 
 

[Best material for under/ around batteries to prevent chafing? Suggestions?]

Hey there John, I’m not sure if these would work for you, but might be worth considering... They are 24”x24” and lock together like a puzzle. They are about 1/2” thick rubber, and as tough as nails. They are easy to cut with a utility knife. We had hundreds of them to protect finished floors and counter tops on construction sites, and the uses for them seemed endless...I’ve got ten of them with us on the road now.. They had them at HD for a long time , probably still do.. 20 bucks for 4 of them as I recall.....

 

[LiFePO4 battery charging tech article, backup charger]

Thanks for the info John, I emailed the LifeBlue rep this am asking him for his thoughts on the subject of chargers. If my lead acid battery charger could get the batteries partially charged in a reasonable amount of time I think I’ll stick with that. I’d be looking for something to bail me out of a situation while on the road that I can stow in the truck and hopefully never need.. 

[Tank monitor question.. ever seen one of these?]

For anyone interested, I fixed my issue by removing the panel and disconnecting the wires attached to it ( not those related to the water pump). Once reconnected, the readings are back to normal..