Ray and Susan Huff

Sorry . . . . . . Duplicate post

Just received this from Jason at Oliver regarding our 1UP 2-try bike rack loaded with two Specialized bikes. (Bike rack weighs 50#; bikes approx 35# each) "It weighs too much for our recommended specs" (100#) "I hate to say that because I’m 230lbs and can dance on the rack, but that’s what we have the rack rated for. It is 5/8 inch aluminum" 100# is pretty useless. Moot point, anyway, since their bumper receiver is 1 1/4". I guess we'll be looking at other options for carrying our bikes

Wish ours had an inside switch 😩

I'm beginning to understand more how the Truma heaters work. It sounds to me like the "instant" hot water mode is the Comfort mode. I know that sound you heard, like a valve opening and closing, and it is annoying in the middle of the night. In addition, the burner may fire to provide heating (more noise). As in the Comfort Plus model, the Comfort (no Plus) does cycle water through the tank to keep it warm. This being said, if you switch the mode to Eco and the noise goes away, it sounds like the heater won't be protected from freezing. The Comfort Plus, on the other hand, has a pump (more noise) to recirculate hot water (water in tank is always hot) in the water lines so you get true instant hot water at the tap - no waiting for the water to get from the tank to the faucet. I'm now convinced there is little advantage to the Truma Comfort, as offered by Oliver. It certainly isn't giving you "instant" hot water since you still have to wait for the hot water to clear the pipes of not so hot water, but the same is true of the standard tank heater. Once the lines are filled with hot and hot water continues to run, it will be pretty instant. It is just the initial request for hot water that is delayed, but still a waste of water if you are trying to conserve. The only advantage I can see, of the Truma is the recovery time when hot water in the the tank is depleted. Hope this makes sense

So, do we know if Oliver has decided whether to offer the Comfort Plus in the future?

Another note on the Truma. if Oliver should ever offer the Truma Aqua-go Comfort Plus as an option, while the recirculating hot water setting (Comfort Mode) has the advantage of reduced water usage and lessens the amount of water going into the grey tank, be aware that the recirculating pump does make noise, which might be bothersome. For sure, you would want to switch the heater to Eco Mode before retiring for the night. In Eco the heater will fire occasionally to keep the water in the tank warm. Unless it is going to be freezing overnight, we turn it off because even the burner firing wakes me up. Unfortunately, our Motor home's Truma Comfort Plus is one of the older versions and does not have an inside control. The newer models do, so you don't have to go outside, after you are tucked in for the night, to turn it off.

Regarding the use of antifreeze: when winterizing the RV with antifreeze you must always drain the Truma tank and remove the inline filter. There is an additional step when winterizing with antifreeze: you must bypass the Truma in the water system so not to get antifreeze into the Truma. I believe, in the Elite II twin, the valves for bypassing are under one of the beds (curbside?) This may be why you are confused.

I'm a fan of KISS too. Still not sure about the awnings. I heard the manual awning is self-supporting now, so that may be the deciding factor. We don't use our motor home's POC Carefree awning much because it has support arms which are a pain to deploy; It has issues hanging up on deployment; and it's not wind/rain sensing. Comments, anyone?

Draining the Truma if just a matter of opening the drain valve in the outside compartment. Not ideal in the middle of the night in 20 degree temps, but no tools required. You just have to plan ahead.

I agree; your comments sway me toward the standard heater.

We are in the same position - on the fence. We've had the standard tried and true tank heater. I like that it is electric and LP. We usually shut it off at night and when we were away from the RV for long periods of time. Sometimes had to wait for the water to heat up if I forgot to turn it back on. Other factors: there is the maintenance aspect of periodically draining, flushing and replacing the anode; the additional water (40#) adds weight, but it also gives you 5 gal more onboard water. Our current RV has a Truma Comfort Plus. We've had no problems with it and are satisfied with the performance. However, unless options are changing, Oliver installs the Truma Comfort model. The difference being the Comfort Plus has a recirculating pump that keeps the water in the pipes hot at all times, thus saving on water usage (an issue with the standard heater and the Truma without the Plus option is water usage when boondocking). I don't know that I would opt for the Oliver Truma unless the option changes to the Plus model. I like having instant hot water and the inside control knob is an improvement (standard with both Comfort models). Also the ability to decalcify. I don't know how this works, but I assume it is easier than draining, flushing and inspecting/replacing the anode in the tank heater. Our camping style is 50/50 hookup/boondock. Most of our hot water usage is at the kitchen sink, so it is easy to adapt water use when "off the grid". We don't use the RV shower often enough to be concerned about water storage. Between Truma (Oliver model) and tank WH, the big main difference between tank and Truma is LP consumption. The Truma will use less LP, but the tank heater can run on 110 when you have shore power. The other consideration that you already mentioned is the scarcity of certified techs. I did ask our local preferred shop about having ours decalcified, as we have an older model that doesn't have the control inside the RV with the "clean" option.) I was told they have a tech who can service the Truma, but he is not (yet) certified, thus it would probably void the warranty. It's a toss up; I'm waiting for more feedback (Truma Comfort or Tank WH) from other owners before making a decision.

This is true, especially if it is still under warranty. Truma certified techs are few and far between, at least on the West Coast where we live.

So, the electric antifreeze option is not needed; the Truma will automatically keep itself warm with propane if left turned on? I ask because I prefer to have "fewer moving parts" ie: less components to malfunction 😊

I wish the Oliver came with the Truma Comfort Plus. We have one in our motor home and use the comfort mode nearly always. Now I'm torn between the standard WH and the Truma option. It's been a long time since we've had the tank water heater. What I remember most is we generally only turn on the WH when needed, so there is a wait with the tank heater. Also the anode needs to be replaced periodically. The new Truma with the inside controls has a decalcification mode. Would appreciate opinions on the pros and cons of each; why did you choose one or the other; would you choose differently?

Is the bike setup a factory option? How do you get to the sewer drain?

Tell me about your dinette set-up. What did you order to get the cushions pictured? Is there room to walk around the stand alone table?

What year is your Sprinter chassis? Have you had any problems with MB wheel speed sensors malfunctioning?

By Winter Mode, are you referring to the optional AquaGo Antifreeze kit?

Was the wooden door on the microwave cabinet an option? I thought it came with the same door type as the upper cabinets.

We love the Helinox Sunset chairs. They pack down into a very small package. It takes a while to get the hang of disassembly. I call them "spider chairs"!

We have run AC on 20 amp home circuit, without problems. Not ideal. Jut be sure to use a heavy gauge extension cord and limit the distance to the outlet.

"Little Timmy" brings to mind the classic Lassie show :)

Glad to hear the manual awning is self-supporting so no need to extend support arms. Still haven't decided, electric or manual. Does the electric awning have a way to crank it manually, should the need arise?

Don't have an Oliver (yet) but on our motor home I place a small Stanley level on a horizontal surface of the fridge, since the fridge is the biggest concern in leveling. This works great in a motor home, since I can communicate with the driver while observing the level. Wouldn't work well with a trailer.

Oliver should change their shower curtain option to the bar above the toilet (in front of, not below, the cabinet).