Ray and Susan Huff

More info on neutral ground here. I understand, now, why the onboard 4000w Onan generator in our van works with the surge protector; it has an auto transfer switch.

UnderlineKeyboard shortcut Ctrl+U Thanks for the informative video . . . . easy fix. So, here's a question . . . . . I found this plug and it says, "Resolves E2, Open Ground and Open Neutral indications on surge protectors, generators and inverters". Not related to generator use, but occasionally, when we plug our Van into a receptacle where we store it, the surge protector cuts the power and gives an E2 code. I first assumed it was because we were connecting to an older outlet that perhaps wasn't properly grounded (I know, probably not a good idea). However, it has done this, a few times, when connecting to our house. One time I thought it was because the extension cord was not three prong, but the E2 has come up when using a proper extension cord in a properly grounded outlet. Usually all it takes is to unplug and plug back in and then it is fine. Any idea what's going on?

Planning to purchase the Honda EU2200i (non-companion) as an accessory for our soon-to-be Elite II. I have heard that, in order to work with the Oliver's onboard surge protector you need a "neutral to the ground connection". Our current RV has an onboard Onan generator and built in surge protection, but the "neutral to ground" is probably built in to the system. As I have only basic knowledge of power conversion, please explain. What do I need to allow the Honda to function with the Oliver surge protection?

Last week we traveled to Central Oregon (hope the governor doesn't read this!) for a tour of an Oliver II Twin. We made a point of going in the middle of the week, knowing campgrounds might be full on the weekend. The weather was beautiful . . . . . we stayed at Cold Springs CG (USFS) where there were sites available. Met the Oliver in Redmond Thursday morning, then journeyed to Bend for a mandatory stop at the Sparrow Bakery; if you've never had an Ocean Roll do stop here when in the vicinity. We decided to spend a night on the trip home along the Metolius River where we could enjoy nature and do a bit of biking. Alas, out of a dozen campgrounds along the river, everyone was full! Frustrated, we continued west. We didn't investigate any of the FS campgrounds along McKenzie River Hwy 126, where there might have been vacant sites. Instead we called one of our favorite places, Belnap Hot Springs Resort, and they had an open spot for that night only. This is an older hot springs resort with a lot of options - lodge rooms, rustic cabins, deluxe cabins, RV sites (many along the river), hike/bike trails, a secret garden, disc golf, and two hot springs pools - one of which is reserved for campers only; the other open to the public. Definitely worth a stay - a serene forest setting along the beautiful McKenzie River. The grounds are well maintained and the staff friendly; when we checked in, the receptionist remembered us from previous year's visits! Secret Garden Belnap Resort Site #1 McKenzie River at Belnap Resort Oregon is a beautiful state with its rivers, waterfalls, beaches, forests, deserts, geology and historic attractions. Unfortunately camping is not user friendly right now; I certainly hope the situation improves. My best advice, if you plan a visit to the Pacific Northwest, is to check campground status and availability. If state park campgrounds are on your radar, be aware you must have a reservation (good luck with that!). I heard, though have not verified, that they do not accept walk-ins, even if there happens to be a vacancy. Reservations can be made up to a day before arrival, but not the day of. USFS, BLM, and other public campgrounds are more apt to have vacancies, depending on the location. Most are self-check-in, so reservations might not be necessary, but check on specific campgrounds at Reservation.gov. Dispersed camping is allowed on USFS and BLM lands, unless posted "no camping". Fire season opened today, so campfires are prohibited except in campgrounds with approved fire pits. Private campgrounds/parks are most likely your best bet, unless you are lucky enough to get a reservation at a state park. Check Reserve America for availability.

Our solution for chair carrying chairs One more thing: when do you guys find time to camp/travel?

The optional 30-amp convenience connection on the front of the trailer is the only option I'm undecided on. I can see where it might come in handy, but is it handy enough to spend $500 more? We do plan to carry a generator since we do a lot of camping with no power hookups. Is it really that much more convenient to hook the generator up to this plug than to use the standard street side plug? I understand sometimes you might be in a position where the power pedestal is on the wrong side of the trailer. In a back in site, this would be problematic; pull-through not so much. That being said, I don't believe we have ever been in this situation; or perhaps once, and we were able to run the power cord under the RV. Those of you who chose this option: do you find it necessary? Those who passed on this: do you wish you had it? Also, is it true this option comes with a shorter power cord? If so, how long is it? I did a brief online search and the shortest locking power cord I find is 10".

So we're getting close to deciding on our options: 1. No to auto backflow prevention: I see no advantage to the "Automatic" backflow prevention valve. I assumed that automatic meant you don't have to remember to open/close it; apparently you still have to push the button? The manual valve seems much simpler and less apt to malfunction. Someone please correct me if this is a wrong assumption. A couple of you have curbed my concern that the valve would be in the way while using the "facilities". 2. No omni-directional antenna: my initial reasons for inclusion of this option were FM radio and occasional TV reception for local news. It seems that FM reception is poor and TV not that great unless you are very near the broadcast area. We rarely use our TV now, except to watch an occasional DVD. Resale value might be the only advantage, however these days those who want TV are going to have satellite receivers. Besides, how hard is it to sell an Oliver? Cosmetically, no antenna makes for a much sleeker looking trailer 😎 3. No cargo box: It might be convenient to have easy access to chocks, leveling blocks, etc especially on a road trip where you go through the hookup/unhook routine on a daily basis. However, as my husband pointed out, it's just another checkpoint when breaking camp and we wouldn't want to carry valuable cargo there; and there's plenty of room in the pickup. In addition, I am not certain the cargo box will allow us to carry our bikes on a rack behind the pickup. As with the antenna mentioned above, I feel the cargo box interferes with the clean lines of the exterior. The $1,200 not spent on these three options can be used to purchase other aftermarket accessories 💰

I heard about this storm . . . . Glad we weren't out there. We had planned a road trip up through Washington, into Montana and across Wyoming to Devil's Tower. Changed our plans, thank goodness. For the trip to Tennessee, we have no intention of taking a northern route. Driving in windy conditions really wears you down, limiting the time you spend on the road. I'm sure there are a lot of things we'd like to see along the southern route; might be we don't make it that far south again. Hopefully Covid-19 won't be too much of an issue next year, but that's probably wishful thinking. Thanks for your valuable insight ☺️

I plan to make custom fitted bottom sheets, but my husband likes the bottom sheet to be tight. Does the metal clip mar the fiberglass, or damage the Hypervent pad (if used)? Can you feel the buckle through the mattress while sleeping? - I'm the "Princess and the Pea"!

I looked at reviews for the Air 360 and it doesn't seem to do any better than Roadstar for radio reception. Seems that Omni-directional are all show, no go. At least there is the TV radio.

Could the double hull with insulation/reflective material be some of the problem with radio reception? I suppose a lot of radio stations stream over the Internet now, anyway.

Alcohol prep doesn't affect the gel coat on the walls?

Is it the consensus that the optional omni-directional antenna does a fair job of picking up FM radio? We probably wouldn't order it if it was just for TV (though it is nice to pickup local television to know what's going on in the area). We have one in our van and have used it only once or twice in three years. If the optional antenna does improve radio reception, I will say "yes" to it. Also for resale value, though I can't imagine selling such a nice trailer 😁

Thanks for the measurements. If we decide this is a good place for the Breville Mini-Smart oven, it will fit. We don't use it much when boondocking, so might store it elsewhere and save the cabinet space for other things.

Thanks! And you answered my question about how the back flow prevention valve works: To prevent the grey water from coming into the drains, it shuts off the flow of water to the grey tank. In order for water to get to the grey tank, it has to be open. I think I want the manual valve.

We had our house wired for a stand-by LP generator, but haven't justified spending $15K to install one. Occasional power outages are tolerable. It's just with appliances having electronic components, power outages can be pretty damaging. We finally had a whole house surge protector installed, but it doesn't protect from drops in power. Little annoyances . . . . . some days we are more tolerant . . . . others, not so much . . . . It is what it is. . . . . . things just aren't as simple as in the "good ol' days"

What model/year came with black weatherstripping? Is this something you can request in your build?

How does it compare noise-wise to the Honda 2000?

My question: do we know the cause of the above fitting's failure, so as not to duplicate the situation?

Specs don't say it bonds to fiberglass. Is that a problem?

Is there a retaining strap to secure the TV in the up position? With the amount of bouncing present at the rear of a trailer where being towed, does the TV stay folded up ok?

Where we live, we have routine weather related power outages. These apparently reduce the life of the sealed battery so replacement is needed more often than every 10-years.

Not the same thing, but we recently had to have our home smoke detectors replaced (under warranty). The replacement came with a plastic cover like a small shower cap. We use it to cover the RV smoke alarm while cooking! I think all of the new safety "detectors" have sealed batteries, as well as being hard wired, so you cannot simply remove the battery. We are not given the benefit of the doubt when it comes to having common sense and a brain.

@John E Davies: I appreciate your comments as we decide which options to choose. One we are still going back and forth on is the cargo box: We have a HD pickup, so weight is not an issue. We are looking at the possibility of mounting our tray bike rack on the pickup. The rack extends 26" beyond the receiver; the distance from hitch to LP cover is 34" so I think this will work. However, clearance might be an issue with the cargo box installed. The only consideration to mounting the rack in this manner will be that the rack is hinged to drop down, so opening the tailgate might require the trailer to be unhitched or removing the bikes (which takes less than a minute). Once I get a schematic of the trailer tongue, I can better calculate how the rack might work. It's a trade-off between using the rack or carrying the bikes in the pickup bed, which is a hassle; we prefer the rack. My question is: You say a cargo box can easily be added later. I get this, but if the Oliver cargo box is ordered, can it easily be removed? Is it welded or bolted to the tongue? Adding one later has the advantage of customizing the box to fit our needs (our son can do this). The other option we are unsure about is the auto-drain backflow prevention: I understand the need for this, but it's another electronic element to hassle with. I have reservations, however, about the manual valve: is it in the way, particularly where feet are concerned? I can see going into the bathroom barefoot in the middle of the night and whacking an ankle bone on the handle; would be nice if it was recessed. What are your thoughts on the backflow prevention options? Exactly how does the automatic valve work? Reliability of each option . . . . . . why not just plug the drain with an expansion stopper, or perhaps to a kayak scupper plug, while towing? I agree with your other observations: Our intention is to keep our Oliver as simple as possible with fewer powered/electronic accessories; I'm thankful that Oliver gives you this choice. Our options list: Midnight decor with Ultra Fabric dinette upgrade Hypervent mat Solar Pro Pkg (4 6v AGM, solar panels, inverter) Micro-air Easy Start (we will be carrying a generator) Omni-directional Antenna - mostly for FM and resale; still somewhat undecided Manual curbside awning Black cabinet doors No microwave 30# LP tanks Standard toilet Standard 6 gal water heater 4G cell phone booster Backup camera Inside basement access door Extra fabric back cushions to convert dinette into sofa and possibly use with beds