Ray and Susan Huff
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Days Won
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Posts posted by Ray and Susan Huff
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18 hours ago, John Welte said:
And one looks like it's near Portland, Oregon. That's good news for us!
John
Do we know, yet, who the Oregon dealer is? As an Oregonian, I'm curious.
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On 1/29/2022 at 8:08 AM, John E Davies said:
https://travelnevada.com/cities/jarbidge/
It's officially Pacific Time, like all of Nevada, but the town uses Mountain Time because the only way in year round is through Idaho, the pass south to Elko is plowed for their July 4 celebrations, and gets snowed in again in October... 😉 The route from Boise to Jarbidge is about 70 miles of smooth gravel ranch roads, with random water ditches across it, to keep you on your toes. What fun. The route there from the east is all paved, with several campgrounds. You should check it out:
"For many anglers, catching a wily bull trout is the final leg of the IGFA’s “Trout Royal Slam”, and if you find yourself in the spectacular Jarbidge Wilderness during summer and fall, you may just hook into one of these olive-green beauties in one of the best fishing spots in the Silver State."
https://travelnevada.com/fishing/jarbidge-river-trail/
John Davies
Spokane WAWow! And I thought we'd been everywhere there is to see in Nevada.
Bucket List!
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On 1/28/2022 at 6:47 PM, John E Davies said:
I am planning to head for the “less travelled” regions in late Spring, south Idaho and north Nevada, from May 24 to June 4. I was just looking at Great Basin National Park, to see if I could grab a site. It says to check back after April 29 for availability. I guess that means there won’t be a terrific scramble for those sites.
John Davies
Spokane WA
We stayed at Great Basin on our way home from Utah last year the end of May . . . . beautiful park. Drove in, with no reservation . . . . . a lot of sites open at Lower Lehman CG. I would suggest Upper Lehman CG as it was hard to find a level site at the lower CG. The drive up to Wheeler Peak is beautiful; it was open, but trails were still snow covered and we didn't have snowshoes 😀
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On 1/21/2022 at 5:54 PM, Mike and Carol said:
I got the email. Did the survey. Interesting picture of the Elite II with a big fridge.
I thought the same. My first thought was "yes" to a bigger fridge. But now that I think about it, would a bigger fridge be out of proportion to the compact scale of the Oliver?
I find the smaller fridge adequate. Compared to our old 6.7 cu ft Dometic "Demonic" fridge (I hated that fridge) from our Leisure Travel Van, the Oliver Norcold has a bigger freezer and the shelving is more thoughtfully configured. More important, though, is how much more efficient it is. We would have to run the Dometic on the coldest setting all the time to get it anywhere near a safe temperature.
I say, keep the small fridge. A bigger fridge would result in loss of valuable cupboard space.
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On 7/21/2021 at 11:44 AM, Jim_Oker said:
And yeah, when I get the replacement unit I'll be writing down the inverter's serial number in my maintenance notebook before I mount it in the trailer!!When we purchased our Oliver, I asked for a list of serial and model numbers for all components. When we purchased our previous RV (Leisure Travel Van), we were provided with such a list. At the time of my inquiry, Oliver had no such documentation.
Apparently they considered my request important. In addition to serial numbers for warranty claims, it is helpful to have the component model numbers in the event you have to call the vendor for tech support. I think I heard that Oliver now tracks all serial/model numbers of installed components and supplies these at delivery - or at least I think that's how it works. Unfortunately, we are stuck with relying on physical inspection to retrieve this information. Dometic stove top is a case in point; accessing the model number required removal of the stove which should be done by a tech certified in LP installation; reportedly not user servicable.
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Thanks for the message "bump" . . . . . yes, the holidays have been busy and I've not been monitoring the forum much . . . . barely keeping up with my email! I'll try to do better.
It's been a while since we (my husband) installed the new 3000w inverter. What JD says is most important: disconnect all power sources (Jason outlines what/where to disconnect in the attached instructions). I don't know if it was necessary, but we also disconnected the solar controller. Our 2021 has a cutoff switch in the compartment over the street side bed on the outside of the pantry wall. It's a big red switch; you can't miss it.
Oliver Support (Jason) helped us through the entire process, stepping in when Xantrex drug their feet in resolving our issue. Attached are step-by-step instructions, as per Jason. While the task seemed daunting, at first, it really wasn't bad at all; having written guidance made all the difference. Though Oliver offered to walk us through the entire process, via phone, we found the attached instructions very straightforward and easy to follow. My husband has some experience working with electrical things, but we are hardly what you'd call professionals.
I'll try to recall a few of the intricacies of our installation and offer tips to avoid the minor problems we did encounter.
1. As you have probably discovered, the inverter is not situated in a way conducive to replacement. 1. Remove mattress and prop open the hatch to allow the best access to the inverter. 2. Our inverter was held in place by 4 screws at each corner, to the inside wall of the bed base. You'll be working upside down and from the street side in a dark hole; make sure you have good lighting. 3. We utilized our phone to inspect and take pictures of the installation prior to removal. 4. IMPORTANT: absolutely lay a cloth, or something on the floor under the inverter to catch any dropped screws; voice of experience, "there will be dropped screws!" The phone camera also comes in handy here.
2. The only other issue I recall encountering was something Jason neglected to mention. Because Xantrex was not willing to send us a new inverter, our replacement inverter came directly off Oliver's shelf. Having not been handled by technicians, it was programmed, as from the factory, with default settings. Once you have the new unit installed and communication established with the remote panel, you will need to go through the programming and adjust it according to your specific installation. I suggest you contact Oliver for the proper seettings.
Once the new inverter was installed, everything worked as intended. As for the annoying fan noise, I can't say, difinitively, that the new installation eliminated the constant cycling on and off of the inverter fan while connected to shore power (charging mode), though it does seem to be less annoying than before the replacement - maybe we are just getting used to it!
Don't hesitate to ask Oliver tech support for guidance . . . . . you can do this!
If you have any specific questions, don't hesitate to ask.
Susan
Oops! Forgot to attach file:
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6 hours ago, John E Davies said:
I showed my LE2 to a guy who was 6’3” and he said the bathroom was a no go. You need to try one in for size. If I were your size I would find another trailer, at 5’10” mine is fine.
John Davies
Spokane WA
I agree about the bathroom. . . . . my husband is 6'2" and the Elite II is ok for showering, but barely. Elite would not pass muster for him. I guess you can always shower while sitting on the toilet.
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23 minutes ago, topgun2 said:
Did you use the water heater by-pass valves as per the video to isolate the water heater from the rest of the system? If you did do this at the beginning of the winterization procedure - the - you are OK. If not then you most likely used a bunch more antifreeze versus what you would have used otherwise.
Bill
23 minutes ago, topgun2 said:Did you use the water heater by-pass valves as per the video to isolate the water heater from the rest of the system? If you did do this at the beginning of the winterization procedure - the - you are OK. If not then you most likely used a bunch more antifreeze versus what you would have used otherwise.
Bill
Yes . . . . emptied hot water tank, then bypassed hot water heater in plumbing configuration.
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In reviewing the winterization video, I see Oliver drains the hot water heater at the end of the process. Our hot water heater is already drained. I'm hoping this is ok; I don't see why it wouldn't be.
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On 11/12/2021 at 9:43 AM, Rivernerd said:
Follow-up: I emailed Anita to ask if, despite the reported standard practice, the production folks could be asked really nicely to record the model and serial numbers of installed appliances just for us when they build our Elite II. She chose to call me with the answer.
Anita reported that Oliver now uses what she called the "IDS" system, which digitally records model and serial numbers, by hull and VIN number, for appliances installed in trailers now being built. She advised that serial numbers can be retrieved from the IDS system by Oliver service techs upon request. She suggested I call Oliver's service department to request the model and serial number should any installed appliance ever need warranty service. As I told Anita, I plan to ask for a printout of that IDS data when I pick up our Elite II.
The take away: open a service ticket, and call Oliver service to request the serial number, for any installed appliance which requires warranty service.
If any of you actually do this at some point, I would appreciate a report via this forum on how it goes .
I am happy to hear Oliver is now tracking component serial numbers, as many of them are inacessible after they are installed.
When we purchased our prior RV (Leisure Travel Van), we were provided with these numbers. Since our Oliver was built a year ago, they probably don't have those numbers recorded. ☹️
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I've posted this previously, but in case you haven't seen it. We use this hitch with our F350 towing an Elite II. Hitch is rated for 7,500#. This will not work if you have the tongue accessory box on the trailer. Only once have we had a radius turn clearance issue, but it is easily solved by folding the rack up (which can be done with the bikes still loaded), or you can take the bikes off the rack and fold it up, if necessary. Bikes stay relatively clean mounted here.
Love the 1up rack! They have been back ordered till ????, like many bike related items, but appears they might be available now.
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Most auto parts stores (Napa, etc) or other that sells batteries, can test your batteries to eliminate them as the culprit.
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On 9/13/2021 at 6:26 PM, ChrisMI said:
@John E Davies I think the Ford system lets you draw from the battery until it needs to be recharged. The engine comes on to recharge it and the process starts over. I would personally put in a couple lithium batteries vs the agm for your constant cycling of the charge system but you could probably skip the solar if you wanted to.
We have solar and feel it is worthwhile. Solar panels charge the battery while traveling, as well as when camped. Our lithium batteries are full by mid morning after small overnight draw down from running the MaxAir fan, charging electronics and the usual phantom amp usage.
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On 9/27/2021 at 2:10 PM, ShallowGal said:
Always love the little mom & pop places. They have the quirky local goods & some are also the liquor store.
"I♡Publix"
Lakeland, FL (home) is blessed to be the headquarters for Publix. They have given generously to our community.
Our preference, too. I love seeing the items offered that are not on the shelves in our locale. Actually, with pandemic supply issues, there isn't much on the the shelves in our one and only small town grocery store!
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My husband informed me of a design flaw in the Girard awning installation; perhaps this is also true of the Dometic awning installation as well. While cleaning the roof of our 2021 Elite II he noticed a substantial amount of water standing the entire length of the inboard edge of the awning where the rubber gasket meets the roof. A combination of said water and accumulated fir needles/leaves creates a sludge, of sorts - a black slime, that is easily removed, but water only returns the next time it rains.
I realize the intent of the rubber moulding between the awning cassette and the roof is two-fold: to reduce vibration and to prevent water from running down the side of the trailer, onto the windows and above the door. Has anyone come up with a design modification? What do you do? I know, clean it, periodically. . . . . . . but it doesn't seem to take any time at all for the black slime to reappear (at least there in the PNW).
I wonder if some sort of gutter, tilted slightly to the rear would help. Or is "out of sight, out of mind" the remedy?
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Our son and daughter-in-law just installed Starlink at home where they don't have cell reception. She works a lot from home, and they were relying on Hughes Net, which was unbearably slow. They say Starlink is 500% faster.
We are going to hold out for our Rural Electric Coop fiber, but it might be a few years before we are connected. As for mobil data, we still rely on cellular for connectivity on the road. Most always we have service around towns and plan our needs accordingly. Sometimes it's a pain, but that's life!
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Our previous RVs have had Dometic absorption fridges which defaulted to LP when set to "Auto". The Norcold default is 12v; we always choose the power mode and never set to Auto.
In our experience, the Norcold fridge does a much better job of cooling than the Dometic in our Leisure Travel Van. However, the Norcold lacks one feature the Dometic had - it had an audible alarm if the burner failed to light, after a certain number of attempts or the door was left open. The only indication you get of no LP supply, when in LP mode, is an error code on the display. I wish it had an audible alarm.
What we do is set an alarm for the remote temp sensors we use in the fridge, to let us know if the temp gets above 40 degrees in the fridge and 25 degrees in the freezer.
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16 minutes ago, Jim_Oker said:
We have never had them truly "swarm" while cooking or eating outside. We may have a different definition for that term though - it's fresh in my mind as we had some swarm while trying to enjoy a viewpoint in the Washington Cascades last week, when my dog was pawing at the hole to their nest that was right in the middle of the trail to the viewpoint. They were starting to rush out of the nest en masse based presumably on some sort of "bee alert system" and were most assuredly starting to "swarm" in big numbers - I yelled "bees" and we all ran up the trail and then checked ourselves and the dog for any that had attached while we were near the nest. The dog got a few stings and my wife and friend each got one but somehow I was spared (thick long legged pants may have helped though my wife's sting was on her arm). We do, however, often have a few annoying but not angry bees stop by when we're cooking and eating - sweet stuff like fruit also seems to attract them. They've never shown any interest in going after *us* though and we just kind of try to wave them away which only partly works. We just live with it though the dog has a slightly harder time just being at peace with their existence. She seems to know enough not to go after them unless they're going after her though. I think she must have had some other hive encounters perhaps when she was a stray before we got her. Biting flies, otoh, she aggressively hunts and when she catches them, she eats them. But we've never had more than maybe 2-3 bees buzzing around while cooking/eating outside while camping - do you often have more than that, and are they aggressive/angry bees?
My "swarm" was a bit exaggerated! Usually 3 or 4 bees (Yellow Jackets) - enough to be annoying, especially while eating. I guess I'm just not very tolerant of bugs.
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On 9/8/2021 at 3:18 AM, NCeagle said:
Yes, I am the culprit who accidently discovered the alternative use for switch #26. I discovered it when I read another thread about a new owner (can't remember who) was having trouble with his Xantrex charger not working shortly after delivery. Working with OTT Service, the problem ended up being that switch #26 was set to "auto on" rather than "off" and it was preventing the charger from charging the batteries since it was looking for an ignition signal (and would never get one from the Ollie obviously). I was honestly less than 24 hours from cutting a hole under the pantry to get easier access to that cutoff switch before the lightbulb went off that I could use that same software switch that caused the problem for the other owner. 🙂
A DC to DC charger won't change anything if it's an "independent" charger that doesn't go through or depend on the Xantrex in any way. There may be a slick way of hooking the TV ignition or DC to DC charger up so that it leverages the Xantrex - and then switch #26 could actually be used as intended.
Cheers!
John
Thanks for the info. Can we change the #26 setting in the programming menu through the Xantrex remote panel? What is the setting needed to prevent charging and thus causing the fan to cycle on and off.
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On 9/4/2021 at 7:46 AM, LCTraveler said:
Susan
We have an LE2 hull 836 with the Lithium Pro Package (lithionic batteries). On our panel, the Xantrex can be turned off quite easily by the button on the remote panel. Please note, there is a switch underneath the street side bed that needs to be turned to the off position for the remote to be able to turn the system off. We usually dry camp but have turned the Xantrex off while on shore power during the night. The fan noise bugs me too but not my husband.
pamBut turning off the inverter doesn't turn off the charging, which is what makes the fan run periodically.
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On 9/18/2021 at 11:10 AM, Jim_Oker said:
I hear you but after fifteen years with our standard size van (with raised top) we've gotten the utensils and ingredient shuffle down (a few Rubbermaid storage boxes work quite well for this) and frankly just prefer to spend more time outside in the lovely sites we tend to camp at. When we chose how to customize our van we didn't include a counter mounted stove and instead chose to just use a portable (which we can take indoors if really needed) and that worked super well. I think we'll be doing some more very cold and also very rainy camping in the Oliver so will surely be cooking indoors a bit more now that we have that option, but if the weather is good see ya outside!!
How do you deal with bees???? They seem to be prevalent everywhere we go . . . . . the minute you start cooking, especially meat, they swarm . . . . and some places it is impossible to eat outside. Frustrating, to say the least.
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On 8/17/2021 at 10:30 AM, Cameron said:
Wow.
Mark, this is really discouraging. I've had my own issues with my LE2 I just picked up and will be posting something similar to your post in coming weeks.
I think OTT really needs to figure out how to up their quality control. I agree that OTT has great customer service, but like you Mark, I'm far away in California. After spending big for the trailer, I don't think it's reasonable for any of us to have to be doing repairs or maintenance in the first few weeks on parts of the trailer that should have been assembled correctly by the factory. A few little things, OK, but suspension? windows? flooring? These should all be identified before we arrive for pickup.
And, as production increases, resolution of these quality control issues takes time and resources that could be better used on the production end. I realize it is difficult during these pandemic times to get any help, let along qualified help. But, having to manage an increased number of quality related issues can only result in lost ground. Streamlining production is a step in the right direction, but an uptick in unnecessary problems could be disasterous for Oliver's reputation of quality and customer service.
I will say, the service crew is doing a great job - better than most RV manufactureres.
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We discovered another disadvantage to the newer, cantilevered awnings. With the old manual style, you had to drop the awning down in order to roll it up. This facilitated the removal of fir needles and such, after camping in forested areas.
Our 2021 Elite II was ordered with the standard powered Girard awning. I understand there is a way to adjust the pitch, thus lowering the front rail of the awning. However, this is achieved with tools and a manual adjustment.
We rarely use the awning to create a shaded living area, mostly because we don't want to worry about wind. When we do use the awning, it is to shade the side of the trailer to help keep the fridge cool. I'm beginning to think these new fangled powered, legless awnings are not idea. They look good, but lose many of the practical features, such as being able to adjust the tilt and lower the awning to better shade the side of the trailer and allow for cleaning off the upper surface before retraction.
We try to park the trailer such that the street side does not get direct, afternoon sun, when temps are warmer. But this is not always possible, if you are restricted by the orientation of the campsite. Open for suggestions
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On 8/26/2021 at 4:06 PM, SeaDawg said:
@Ray and Susan Huff I use pipe insulation for a number of things,, but you are the queen. You should write a book...
I wish it came in more colors . . . . like pool noodles!
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2024 model year minor changes..
in Ollie Modifications
Posted
How is the mirror attached? Is the latch the same on the outside as the inside (can't tell from the exterior photo). Does it stick out where you would catch clothing, or such, on it when walking by?