NCeagle

Super easy for us since we just picked up last month and have only camped at David Crocket SP and now Badin Lake CG in Uwharrie National Forest (close to home in NC) in 2020. DCSP was nice, but we were too busy unpacking and checking things to really relax. This latest trip to Badin Lake was fantastic (just got back today). Our first boondocking trip and I am happy to finally color in my own state on the map! 🙂

Jason just told me that he's been asking for them as well and that the Service department hasn't even gotten them. So I'm not sure of the plans.

My SoC is now 100% and reads 14.0 Volts. Interestingly, I was not able to get the batteries to 100% with the Xantrex inverter/charger - it stayed at 99% and the BMS continued to go into "standby" while the voltage would bounce between 3.7 and 3.6. I turned on the solar and it ran the voltage up to 14.0 and the BMS is reporting 100% and kicking into into standby. The amps coming in through the solar are still available - I turned on a bunch of things and the solar was powering rather than the battery. Pretty good!!

@LiFeBlueBattery, Oliver has provided cutoff switches to enable isolation of the LifeBlue batteries - both from charge input and battery output. While camping and attached to either Solar and/or shore power, it seems that the solar and inverter charger(s) keep sending "float" voltage / amps to the batteries and they stay at ~99% most of the time. Would it be a good practice to use the cutoffs to the charge sources and let the LifeBlues "drain" a bit rather than continuously keeping them topped off while camping? I can't tell what the BMS is doing when the charge controllers are sending 3.6V (float). Maybe ok to ignore this on short camping trips but what about full timers and/or long trips? Thanks in advance!

@LiFeBlueBattery, two quick questions. 1. Is there a similar chart for the LifeBlue batteries that we can use as a reference? This one is specific to the BattleBorn batteries. 2. Does LifeBlue have a recommendation for a solar charger / controller? Zamp seems to be basic and probably not the most efficient? Thanks!

I don't see anything outboard of the inverter - it seems to go straight to the 120V breaker box? My 12V battery cutoff is of the same variety as the inverter to battery cutoff - although it's a lower Amp / Voltage. It's bolted to the street side wheel well on #688. If you need me to send a picture let me know.

Just a few that seem to be related to the Lithium package: 1. The 12V charge wire from the TV tow harness is not connected as shown in the 2019 electrical schematic. 2. There are now a bunch of cutoff switches to the batteries: solar input cutoff switch, a main battery cutoff and an inverter input cutoff. I think this is all to enable isolation of the Lithiums so we can shut off charge sources, etc. Lithiums don't like to be kept topped off all the time and I get the sense the BMS and various other charge controllers just don't "get it" yet. So just playing around with the various cutoff switches, I discovered that when on shore power, you can use the inverter cutoff to stop the inverter from continuously charging the batteries. Anyways - that's cool but I didn't even know about it until I stuck my head under the seat. 🙂

I just discovered the problem in #688 as well. Didn't have the problem initially, so not sure what changed to make it pop up. I'm going to open a service ticket with OTT.

According to the LifeBlue data sheet, 13.32 Volts is the full charge resting voltage, so that's what I'm seeing at rest. When charging, I'm seeing 3.7V when the battery is at 99% - that's in the float range. I'll check next time I'm low to see what absorb voltage is. http://www.lifebluebattery.com/ewExternalFiles/LB12200-HC Data Sheet-2.pdf

Bryan, we have just picked up hull 688 last month. The quality and workmanship of the plumbing and electric is very impressive. I was worried looking at pictures and reading about the struggles of past owners with the quality of these internal systems, but I must say I'm relieved that 688 doesn't seem to have many of those older issues. I have one major gripe so far. The lack of up to date documentation on the electrical diagrams to me is unacceptable. I'm already frustrated trying to figure out electrical issues or questions by having to look at older owners manuals, hope someone from the forum knows where a wire is running or opening a service ticket. Thankfully Jason has been very responsive to the tickets I'm opening, but it still takes a day or more to get simple answers that can be answered by an electrical schematic. I can't seem to find the right person to bug yet at Oliver. I've tried my sales person and Jason. Jason says the service department doesn't even have any!

Is this table from LifeBlue? I've seen 13.4 on the BMS, which is 99% but never on the other monitors. They are going to vary based on the accuracy of the electronics as well as the length and gauge of the wire, etc., so I trust the BMS the most. I'll check again tomorrow with some 30 Amp shore power tests since my batteries are close to full now.

Mike, I'm seeing 13.3 when 100% full from multiple sources - the LifeBlue BMS, the SeeLevel Battery monitor and the Zamp Solar charger. I can't remember ever seeing anything higher than that but I'll have to double check when it's charging.

The other member could be using an older Zamp controller that does not support Lithium. I'm using the BMS on the LifeBlue's - along with the 30 Amp Zamp controller on board. Not sure how they interact, but I assume not all that well since there's a solar cutoff provided to protect against overcharging or keeping the Lithiums "topped off" - up to the owner to keep an eye on the batteries and cut off when necessary. The app is OK at best - bare bones - it tells the level of charge, the status (charging, standby or discharging), the total capacity of whichever battery you are linked to, the temperature, the discharge / charge rate (amps) along with the battery voltage. I think it would be a lot better if it would have data collection and trending along with monitoring/notifications. It's also a pretty weak bluetooth signal - I lose it regularly and can only sporadically get it while in my truck.

My 30Amp Zamp controller charges my Lithiums up fully. I ran the test yesterday and today since it was sunny out. I made sure that solar was the only thing charging. No problem at all. Well, technically I only saw 99% before I cut it off, so maybe not 100% - you are sort of correct JD. 🙂

Congratulations! We just picked up last month. Hope you are as please with Pearl as we are with noname (688)! You are safe driving without winterizing in anything above freezing (32F). What happens on the road is that the trailer temps will approach the outside temps much faster than they would while sitting still. Especially in the basement where wind will seep in through weep holes, doors, etc. I'm not sure about this one, but since it's fresh water why not just open up the drain valve and let it drain while driving?

@LiFeBlueBattery I don't know if this tag helps, but last time I used it Larry saw it and responded pretty quickly.

I went for the Lithium package, but I was fully aware of the limitations, so I'd still recommend it for folks if they can live with the limitations. The DC to DC charger has nothing to do with Lithiums specifically - it's the best way to charge any type of battery from a TV to a travel trailer due to the distance the batteries are from the generator. So I'm ok with no charging from the TV charge wire - it wouldn't charge any batteries to 100% unless you drove 5 days non-stop. Since there's an upgraded 3000W inverter, the 30 Amp Zamp controller is definitely the weak link in the system, and my thought process was it's not a super expensive component and it should be pretty straight forward to swap out when the time comes. I was planning on using some of my tax credit to upgrade to a MPPT solar charger next year if they are truly more capable in smaller solar systems.

I've got an open ticket with Dometic technical support on this - specifically asking if it can be set up to run the fan on the furnace in heat mode and the fan on the A/C in cool mode when not in auto. Dometic have asked for a picture of my thermostat, so I'll update this thread if I learn anything.

Yes - trying to find a way to get "electrically heated", warm cabin air circulated into the basement now that I have ducts on the street side as well. I'm looking for a way to balance propane and electrical heat depending on the situation. I'm not planning on winterizing so an all electric solution is desirable while docked at home too (with 30 Amp service). All options are on the table right now and I'm trying to be as non-intrusive as possible. On a separate but related note, have you or has anyone else had any success connecting to the thermostat with Bluetooth? It's supposed to be Bluetooth (according to owners manual) but I can't seem to get my Bluetooth signal to come on at all.

Posting this information here as well since related: I found out that Oliver is not connecting the charge wire by default for owners with the LIthium package. They recommend talking to LifeBlue about the upgraded charge circuit if the TV alternator is to be used.

The lithium package includes the "standard" Zamp 30 Amp controller. Barely adequate for the 340 watts of solar. Ripe for an upgrade for sure!

Good to know for LIthium package owners: I couldn't find my charge wire connections or the relay, so I decided to put my fuse back in to activate my charge wire and see what happened. Well, I saw nothing at all - no charge, no draw, etc. I opened a ticket and Jason answered that the charge wire is not being connected with the Lithium package. I'm good with that since it's pretty much useless without the upgraded wiring and DC to DC charger that JD is considering.

I ran into this issue as well, but in a different scenario. We all know the furnace moves the heated air within and through the ducts in the basement areas. I was trying to figure out how to run the furnace fan only to move warm cabin air around (and into the basement). Every time I set the fan to low or high, the A/C would come on. I poured over the furnace info and found it can't run in fan only mode. What a bummer. I know this is a travel trailer, but the heat and A/C systems and in particular the way they are configured to work - are all pretty lame. Carrying and running an electric backup heater in the cabin is great for the cabin, but without air moving into the basement areas you could have a toasty cabin with frozen basement pipes. I'm already wondering if there's another furnace that fits that has fan only capabilities.

We are towing our new Elite II with a 2006 Silverado 2500 Diesel with 230K miles on it until it dies. From what I've read on the forum, any 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton will pull an Ollie II incredibly well and will ride a LOT smoother with one attached. Other than the rougher ride while empty, parking is the only thing that comes to mind when I think of inconveniences of a bigger 2500 truck if you want to call it that. When my time comes to buy a new TV, I know from experience that I will have a camper top and carry an enormous amount of stuff in the back of my truck when using my Oliver (or any travel trailer). I will also be in the mountains a lot, so for me it will likely still be a 3/4 ton - payload and power are what separate the 3/4 ton pickups from the 1/2 ton ones - at least today.

Yes - that's how it was out of the factory. I didn't even know what it was until you mentioned it. I'll keep an eye on it. I ended up using semi-rigid aluminum duct. I was happy to find 3" - I didn't think they made it but I found some at Lowe's. It's a nice fit and I've put a few holes in strategic places with a screw driver. I'll fine tune with my thermometers. Here's the final (for now) product. The milk crates still fit fine. Here's the 3" pipe coming into the street side. It's attached to a 3" elbow and the semi-rigid duct. And finally, it follows along the black tank drain for the most part all the way up to where the foot well for the dinette table is.