Ray and Susan Huff

We have a rechargeable bug zapper . . . . only tried it once or twice. The device works on the assumption that bugs will be attracted to the light and get zapped. During "bug season", with daylight savings time, it doesn't get dark until after 9:00 or so - past our bedtime! Thus, when we tried it, we didn't have many "takers". Until someone debunks my theory, the bug zapper stays in our garage; we aren't willing to take on cargo that isn't worth its weight. Please respond if you've had better results.

Another advantage to lowering the nightstand: it would make tucking in bedding much easier. Our Leisure Travel Van Twin Bed night stand was level with the bed platforms. It also had a fold out top that transformed the twin beds into a king. We did not use this option as it resulted in disturbing your sleep partner during nightly visits to the bathroom. It also required carrying accessory mattress fillers, but is does provide the option of a larger bed. I would like to see a change in the way the black/grey tanks empty; it is not always possible to raise the nose of the trailer to get complete evacuation. Not sure if a design change is possible, but maybe the option of a 12v pump. I would love a window in the kitchen, but that might not be structurally feasible; a sky light would be nice, but then that's one more way for water to leak in. Edit: I revisited the idea of a skylight, thinking one would be great toward the front of the cabin. It would illuminate the entry and add natural light to the dining area/galley. However, I see there is no room available on the roof since I'm not willing to sacrifice the solar panels. Darn 😭

That's a bummer . . . . . porcelain toilet or composting? Oliver should include a spare of these specialized parts at delivery. Maybe if one asks . . . . .

Seeing all the lower 48 in one trip would be much like hiking the PCT from Canada to Mexico. Timing is a big priority. I doubt we could do a lower 48 road trip in a year . . . . we tend to visit a new place and stay longer than planned in order to see as much as possible, since we might not make it back that way again . . . . . .Maybe an exploratory trip first, then another to return to discovered places you didn't see the first go-round. I'm sure there are members here who have some experience with coast to coast treks. Anxious to hear reports.

We are HH members, but have yet to stay at one of their locations. I'm guessing the merger will make it easier to search for sites, with only one interface. That being said, anything remotely related to RV life is so unpredictable amid the Covid pandemic; where you once could have a reasonable anticipation of campground availability according to time of year, day of the week, and location, now it is hard to travel without advance reservations. I blame some of this on the Internet which seems to be taking advantage of the surge in RV campers by posting a lot of hype on popular destinations, and even some not so popular ones, in order to bring in advertiser $$$$. I'm hoping, when schools are back in session and workers return to their offices, the situation will improve. We rely a lot on Campendium to find some lesser know campgrounds.

Not sure if the LifeBlue rep is still monitoring this thread; I guess we'll find out. Not long after we purchased our new Oliver (equipped with Lithium Pro Pkg) the Smart Connect app lost communication with one of the batteries. After Oliver could not resolve the problem, I was told to contact LifeBlue support and I was directed to reset the battery (there is a reset button on the top). This resolved the issue. Now, we have the problem again, but don't recall the details of the reset procedure; if I wrote it down, I can't find it 😖 LifeBlue (Larry K), if you are following this forum, please remind me of how to perform a reset to restore bluetooth connectivity. I only recall there was a period of time involved, but that's about it. Thank you Edit: I looked back at the Oliver ticket notes. This is what Jason suggested: "Hey Susan, I spoke with LiFeBlue and they advised on the battery that is not picking up on Bluetooth to press the reset button for one second and let go. This will reset the Bluetooth feature and then try to connect to it again. Do not hold the reset button for too long as if you hold it for 5 seconds it resets the entire battery and would require it to be completely recharged before it would be functional again. He said this is not something that they have actually seen before as a failure and if resetting the battery does not resolve the issue that he recommends you call them directly so that they can work with you and see what they can figure out." When the 1 second reset did not fix the issue, here is what LifeBlue recommended: They had me do a 5 second reset. Doing so restored the BT connection. I don't recall what they said about the battery having to recharge after the 5 second reset. LifeBlue had no idea why the connection was lost, but told me, if it should happen again, to note any circumstances occurring at the time the connection was lost.

I remember driving by there on our maiden voyage from Hohenwald to Home (Oregon). I don't recall if we stopped; the trip home is a blur 😐

The AC units in the newer Olivers are 11,000 BTU, so should be no problem. Just be sure to order the optional soft start. If you choose the Lithium package, soft start is included.

Looks like the same sky we saw in N. Nevada just before a violent thunderstorm on I-80. Fortunately it didn't last long.

Congratulations on your expected Oliver! By March, perhaps the Covid Camping Crisis will have settled down and you can find campsites! RV life is sure not the same these days - still fun, but with different challenges.

We finally saw our first Ollie "in the wild" last month, on our trip through S. Utah. And one parked at a rest area along I-5 in Oregon. We plan to head up into Montana in a month or so. Will be travelling north through E WA, east from Spokane, then south through the Bitterroot Mts. We've never been north of Pullman in E WA and never to Montana. Would appreciate any recommendations on places to camp and sites to see. Trust you arrived safely home. We have experienced terrible wind along I-80; not fun in a 25' motorhome 😱

No BT thermostat in our 2021 Elite II, hull 699. Don't get me wrong . . . . I'm no technophobe . . . . I embrace technology. But I'm glad to have one less app on my phone and one less tech gadget to manage. As for convenience in adjusting temp from bed, I turn my phone off at night, to give it a rest and chance to recharge. Usually I'm snuggled in my down sleeping bag, so temp doesn't matter. You can set the thermostat to come on at a certain temperature . . . . . don't think you can at a certain time. On another note, I can't believe we just picked up our #699 in December and we are now talking about hull# in the 800's . . . . . Wow!!

Thanks for the advice. I think the caps are attached or, if not, the cap on the rear burner is stuck on tight. Our home gas cooktop has similar base and cap, though the caps are cast iron. The propane comes up in the middle of the base, like a Bunsen burner (ask me how I know!) I do like the looks of the cooktop; the continuous cast iron grate is great (pun intended). The stove itself is an improvement over the one that came installed in our Leisure Travel Van. It had light separate grates over each burner. They fit into the top in grommets that broke and were expensive to replace. And, the stove was set into the counter with a black rubber (or some material) seal around the edges. If you got a pan close to the seal, it melted! One con I have found with the Oliver stove is that the writing on the control knobs comes off if you wash them with any kind of cleaner. It sounds like Oliver has the best choice available. Once I hear from Oliver, we will probably pull the cook top out and inspect to see if any repair is needed.

There is an attachment to the base for the striker, which I assume is connected to 12v power. It's a mystery that the top plate is not attached because it is on the burner that is firmly affixed. Not sure if something popped loose or what; have yet to look under the stove to explore. This is minor, except it is free to move about during transit which might not be a good thing. At any rate, a new stove shouldn't break in a few short months of use. Someone needs to build more durable RV appliances, rather than cheaply made disposable ones, but that's not likely 😠

Thanks for the encouragement . . . . . . I did open a ticket. Still waiting to hear back. I do hope Oliver can help; I called around to local shops and there are a couple that are certified for Dometic warranty. However, they charge a diagnostic fee ($75-135) which is not covered by the warranty. I explained there is nothing to diagnose; the burner simply detached from the base. Besides, its a $227 appliance! https://www.amazon.com/Dometic-50216-2-Burner-Propane-Cooktop/dp/B085J1RSWD/ref=asc_df_B085J1RSWD/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=459648088933&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9492047895167854305&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033074&hvtargid=pla-944460478530&psc=1 Hoping Oliver can do better than that.

Jason helped with the settings for the inverter: battery type - Lithium. When lithium battery type is set, charger current reset to 150a. LifeBlue recommended 120, so Jason said to follow their recommendation. Also, when lithium battery type is set, the AC input breaker setting #28 changed from 30a to 50a. We changed it back to 30a. Our replacement inverter came set at defaults for flooded battery, not AGM. The settings Jason had me change were #20 Battery type (changed from flooded to lithium) #24 - charger current (changed from 80a DC to 120a as per LifeBlue recommendation). He also said: "#28 can be changed as needed based on the power supply you connect to. For example if you connect to a small generator or a regular house receptacle you can lower that to 15a so the inverter knows how much incoming power it has to deal with. This will help with its feature to manage the incoming power accordingly." This agrees with what you say about adjusting the setting to reflect the power source. How did you arrive at 18a for small generator? I'm curious about what Xantrex had you do to set up specific lithium battery settings in regards to bulk and float charge rates and an auto cut-off at X% battery. When I scroll through the settings, #21 (battery temperature), #22 (custom absorption voltage), and #23 (custom float voltage) are not available. And, is the auto cut-off setting #02 (LBO) which is designated in volts DC rather than % of battery. Can you explain what you had to do to find/change these settings and what values you used? LifeBlue recommendations low voltage disconnect of 11v (seems high, to me) with discharge cut off voltage of 2.0 volts, any cell (8 volts). They also recommend an absorption voltage of 14.1 to 14.6v and float 13.6 to 13.8v. These numbers are from the Xantrex XC Pro inverter settings sent to me by Jason and as found on the Oliver Knowledge Base/Oliver Travel Trailers Service/Electrical Systems page here and the LifeBlue Battery Specs sheet: LifeBlue_LB12200HC_Battery_Specs.pdf Thanks for sharing.

So, I contacted a couple of our local RV repair shops. The first available appointment at one is the end of July. Another has an appointment this week, but they charge a $135 diagnostic fee, not covered by warranty! Half the cost of a new stove. I'm sure, if I contact Dometic, they will want the stove shipped to them before replacement. Perhaps if Oliver initiates the repair, there would be no diagnostic fee or ???? I'm waiting to hear back regarding the July appointment, which is an independent repair shop and not a dealer, if they charge a diagnostic fee, as well. Maybe this is standard policy. I suspect the dealer shop is charging a fee since we didn't purchase the RV from them 😠

Definitely a Dometic issue . . . . still under warranty . . . . . I'll see what Oliver says - if there have been other instances of this issue. I wonder if items stored in the drawer under the stove could cause problems.

We also had the inverter remote panel "20" error. Xantrex determined it to be a bad communication board, after troubleshooting and attempting to install a firmware update did not resolve the issue. While the inverter was still functional, the batteries were still charging, but to use the inverter, we had to get under the street side twin bed to turn the inverter on and off, or to check function. Xantrex wanted us to return the defective inverter to them for repair, which meant at least a two week turnaround and down time, since we would be powerless, unless we recharged the batteries manually. Oliver deemed this solution unacceptable, since we should not have to lose the use of our Oliver for that length of time. After attempting to get a replacement sent to us from Xantrex, Oliver simply sent us a new inverter from their stock and assisted in the swap. Kudos to Jason, the service crew, and Oliver for stepping in and keeping us "on the road"

Removal and replacement went well. The biggest problem was the removal and mounting, as the screws were difficult to reach. We dropped two while reinstalling, but were able to retrieve them. The new inverter is working as it should - charging when on shore power, transferring from grid to battery mode, and powering up on 12v. There is with no problem with communication between the inverter and the remote panel. I tested the outlets and all are supplying inverted and AC power. I did have to program the inverter for lithium batteries, as it came with default settings, which are for flooded batteries. Oliver gave us the settings, which are easy to change. I haven't had the opportunity to compare the new inverter to the old, in regards to fan noise, though I suspect it will be the same. According to the Xantrex manual and Jason at Oliver, the fan cycling is normal; the fact that the inverter is basically installed inside a drum most likely amplifies the noise level. The only work-around I have found to this annoyance while sleeping is to disconnect shore power at night as it seems the fan cycling on and off coincides with the charging function. Also, possibly when there is a high electrical load, though we haven't tested that theory yet. With the lithium/solar pkg, we can go the night without shore power and only lose a tenth or two of battery charge, assuming the AC or other high draw appliances (such as an electric space heater) are not being used.

Following . . . . Husband reported leakage the last time we dumped the tanks. Will try flushing out the black tank and adding some blade lubricant and see if this fixes the problem before inspecting the valves.

Our Xantrex 3000 inverter does the fan kicking on every 15 min or so, like the OP reports, running for a few minutes when hooked to shore power. I asked Jason if this is normal and he says it is. Whether the noise level is as high as yours, I can't say. It isn't bad, but annoying, especially after we settle in for the night. I've thought about unplugging shore power at night. That being said, we have a new Xantrex 3000 waiting to be installed. The original inverter that was part of the Lithium Pro Pkg would not communicate with the remote panel (consistently). An attempted firmware update did not fix the problem; thus, Xantrex decided the inverter had a bad communication board. Oliver sent us a replacement which Jason will walk us through installing so we can be fully functional, in regards to power. We'll see if the new inverter fan does the same.

Both pieces are loose. I wouldn't worry so much about the top; but, as you mention, the bottom being loose might morph into an issue with the gas supply. I do believe the gas jet is in the center . . . . that's the way our home gas cooktop is, with similar spreader, though it just sits on the top with ears that match up with slots. I will initiate a service ticket and see what transpires.

Question for those with the new Dometic cooktop (2021 installations) with the cast iron grid: The burner assembly (top plate and base it rests on) came loose. Is this normal? Nothing appears to be broken. There are two pins that fit into holes in the bottom of the cooktop, but I can find no way to lock the burner back in place; the rear burner is snuggly attached. I don't want to call Oliver or Dometic until I find out if there is an easy solution. I know . . . . . pictures are nice! I'll take some and share, when I get the chance later today. Thanks

We stopped over at Great Basin NP on our way home from Utah last week . . . . . mainly because it was half-way between Cannonville (our last Utah stopover) and Lamoille, NV (where we were meeting one of my HS friends), but also because the sites were FCFS (until Memorial Day weekend). We chose to stay at Baker Creek. There were several sites available, but we had a hard time finding one anywhere near level. As it was, we had to jack the Oliver's front up quite a bit. The sites were all gravel, which is fine, but apparently the NP system doesn't understand the need for levelness. We tried two pull through sites, entering from both directions before we found an orientation that sort of worked. Some of the problem is that our SD longbed crew cab is hard to maneuver into pull-through sites that have a good curve to them. Before leaving, we drove up to Wheeler Peak and checked out both of the Lehman CGs. I thought the Upper CG was better than Baker Creek as the sites were all paved and appeared to be more level; it looked well maintained. Lower Lehman seemed a bit neglected. We did enjoy the change in scenery, after nearly two weeks of desert, canyons and red rocks; the wildflowers, at the campground elevation (7,500') were fantastic - there were meadows full of Sunflowers, Lupine, and Indian Paintbrush. We also had numerous encounters with marmots, deer and a variety of birds. We also met a couple (ironically from Bend, Oregon) who asked how we like our Oliver. They had a shorter version Lance, but with a slide out and way more room than they need, and Oliver is at the top of their list. They were thrilled when we offered them a "look-see" (the wife confessed that she had adamantly told the husband "not to ask for a tour"!) As an aside, we found S. Utah to be overwhelmed with campers; too much for our taste. Fortunately we had made reservations because everything was full, including the popular boondock sites. We didn't even attempt to see Arches or Bryce Canyon; we did spend a couple of days at Capitol Reef, which was not too busy. All of the trailhead parking throughout the entire southern region was full and overflowing; we inquired at the Escalante visitor center where a ranger gave us some suggestions for hiking areas that are less frequented: The Red Canyon Arches trail was awesome. Additionally, the state parks (Dead Horse Point and Kodachrome were not crowded, if you got there early. We drove several scenic routes along the way - Colorado River Hwy 128 (again, all the campgrounds were full); Hwy 313 to Dead Horse Point, and Hwy 12 from Torrey to Cannonville. We were able to drive through the Cedar Breaks (the road had just recently opened) and we drove out BLM road 500 from Cannonville and hiked through the Willis slot canyon; the road was decent and had been recently graded. After returning to pavement, we decided to drive the 11 miles out Cottonwood Canyon Road to see the Grosvener Arch. The road was terribly wash-boardy; it took us nearly an hour to reach the arch, but it was well worth it; again, not many people there. It seems that getting off pavement is the trick to avoiding crowds. The final leg of our trip was spectacular; we took Hwy 50 from Utah to Ely, NV, then through the Ruby Valley (east side of the Ruby Mountains), over a pass, and down into the Lamoille Valley. Such a beautiful place; I've been wanting to visit since my girlfriend moved there a few years ago and so glad we did. We spent the night at Thomas Canyon CG (USFS) - yes, we had reservations. Our only disappointment was the last day on the trip home when we decided to spend the night at Virgin Valley, NV. My husband usually stops there when he's passing through on his motorcycle; there is a "warm spring" with a pool and always on warm showers - free camping in the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge. FCFS (always) and rarely more than a couple of campers. However, being the Friday of the Memorial Day holiday, it was full - and, again, way too many people. We spent a quiet night at the rest area just west Virgin Valley. We are home for a time, now: with grandkids graduating, family commitments, physical therapy (long story), and garden planting. Have you tried purchasing raised bed soil this season? Yet another Covid shortage. I guess I'll have to resort to using our barn compost and deal with the weeds. Or, perhaps I could sell it on Craigslist 😎