Ronbrink

I did the same couple years ago, easy one-hand operation and full hose flow to boot!

Great confirmation with your test results, should be comforting news to other Truma owners! For whatever it’s worth, my former Dometic Penguin ll (11,000 BTU) would not run on the 2200W genny until a Micro Air Easy Start was self-installed; upon further modification I was also able to operate it with the Xantrex 2000, as well. I have since replaced the noisey DPll with a Dreiha Atmos 4.4 (15,000 and 12,000 BTU cooling and heating, respectively) and consider it a much cheaper alternative to the Truma if cost is an issue to some. As with the Dometic, the Atmos equipped with a SoftStartRV runs great with said genny and inverter. Thanks for sharing your experience.

Yesterday I installed new AIR LIFT LoadLifter 5000 Ultimate Adjustable Air Springs on the Savana. I knew prior to departing for the Texas Oliver Rally that my receiver hitch was an inch shy of the recommended ball height with the trailer in tow, and that was after maxing out the pin hole height adjustment. As illustrated in the first picture of this post, the van and trailer were ‘well poised’, but once loaded with cargo for the trip there was a slight squat. Regardless, it was always my intent to install airbags for ease of adjustment in varying conditions. Today I will remove the AIR LIFT pump assembly from my former TV and reinstall on the Savana. Problem solved! As a side note, I really liked being able to inflate the airbags, via a remote, to tilt the Oliver upward when dumping the tanks and hopeful this new setup will provide like benefit. Inks Lake SP did it right with their new dump station! At some facilities however, raising the trailer’s nose is a must to fully empty the tanks. Did someone say ‘airbags’?

I have read that outside air being drawn in as the issue with the Houghton, but some have argued it is not and I respect that. I do know that the Atmos has significantly more airflow than my former DPll and maybe more than the Houghton, as well. That said, this increased airflow could be drying the wet coils out faster and/or more efficiently, thereby decreasing humidity levels. I too would like to better understand and hopefully someone can provide a definitive answer to your questions.

Great testament on the Atmos. Felt bad you guys had to step into the Oliver with the a/c off, but then perfect demonstration of the efficiency of the unit to quickly cool the interior while dropping the humidity! Love me some Atmos!

Well, curiosity got the best of me when noticing the ‘black tire marks’ at the ‘dark spots’ where road dips occur, so googled it: “Tire marks are often visible at highway dips because the sudden change in road surface causes increased friction between the tires and the pavement, leading to more pronounced marks, especially when vehicles are accelerating or braking while going over the dip, which can further amplify the tire-road contact and leave visible marks behind.”

I was really surprised on the trip over to get an average of 13.5 mpg from Clear Lake to Austin (with some city traffic), then 12.2 on rest of the trip to Inks Lake SP doing hills. That's better mileage than the 5.3L in the Silverado, especially since more power and being a heavier vehicle. Liking the upgrade!

After several months of researching a suitable replacement TV, a van was decided to be our best choice based on perceived criterium, ie engine/drivetrain, cargo/tow capacity and tongue weight requirements for our OLEll and style of camping. The former 2012 Silverado 1500 4x4 was reaching ‘retirement age’ and I’ve been pushing its limits, regarding carrying capacity, for a couple of years. I will acknowledge up front that we are not minimalist! That said, this Explorer conversion van well exceeds my expectations in both spacial and towing considerations, as well as comfort and convenience. BTW, I told my wife “remind me to never buy another tow vehicle days before a planned trip!” Although ‘well appointed’, the passenger seats had to go; at least when towing our Oliver. The two second row captain’s chairs are easily removed via a release mechanism from the floor mounting base for occasional use, as needed; the third row couch/reclining bed not so much and will go to storage. By removing the passenger seats, I now have 10’ of open cargo space from the rear doors to the front seats; the Silverado’s bed only measured 5’8”, plus limited space in its back seat. Having double doors on both side and rear of the van vastly improved access to the cargo area. The two vehicles were positioned end-to-end to facilitate easy cargo transfer for organizational purposes. Ultimately, two storage boxes were acquired to safely stow much of the cargo; specifically, underbody tool boxes. Yep, delivered one day before our departure to the Texas Oliver Rally at Inks Lake SP, what was I thinking! The boxes are serving their purpose by providing secured organization of supplies and gear, with ample room for our folding e-bikes, Dometic fridge/freezer, portable power station, generators, spare 30 lb. propane tank and a couple of small bins. Camp R&B, Inks Lake SP, Site 227; Texas Oliver Rally, October 20-25, 2024.

The dark spots at road dips are the result of oil droplets from fluid leaks, the sudden bounce forces these accumulations to release and drip onto the road surface.

See my post on refining the settings on the Xantrex. Not sure how to link, here is the reference.

Not a Truma owner, but have read comments by owners of SOBs on other forums that a 2200W genny will run the Truma equipped with a SoftStartRV.

Good meeting you yesterday. I totally agree with @Tideline77’s assessment, good job making use of valuable real estate on the battery box side wall! If memory serves me, @jd1923 got a Renogy 400W portable solar suitcase, which I’m hoping to visit with him about while at the rally. You may want to get up with him to see his super battery setup and even mine if interested in a cheaper alternative with the LiTimes. Later

This may be of interest to Truma a/c owners, illustrates how the SoftStartRV is installed.

It should, best mixed 50/50 with water; vinegar and hydrogen peroxide can be used, as well in like manner. Don’t spray directly onto the mattress, rather lightly blot the mattress surface and allow to throughly dry. I would remove the mattress from the trailer for treatment, especially if there is high humidity inside or outside.

This is a very good point! I did the same with a recent Atmos 4.4 install when replacing the DPll, the extra precaution taken with almost double the airflow of the new unit.

Did you take pressure off the bolt by lifting up the trailer? You could also try rotating the bolt in place to see if it will then accept grease.

As @jd1923 referenced!

Being unsure of your ‘new sensor location’, I would be inclined to place it in the furthest and least accessible area for circulation in the fridge just to check if cold air is reaching it when loaded; test with and without fin fan ON and compare results.

You are exactly right! I’ve had Rancho RS9000 shocks on my 4x4s for many years and they have nine settings to dial in optimum performance; lower setting for everyday use and commuting, higher setting for off-road. Pickup trucks are generally 2” lower in the front by design; load the bed and/or hitch a trailer and it will ‘squat’ to a more level stance. I installed front Rancho quickLIFT Strut and Coil Springs on my TV when new for looks, and on the rear an Air Lift LoadLifter 5000 for added stability, cargo equalization, comfort, and trailer leveling and adjustment.

The rooftop-mounted external antennas may work under optimum conditions, but I wanted an antenna up high to clear obstructions (trees, topography). I’ve gotten cell service in parks claiming to not have cell service with a weBoost Drive X-RV setup; for instance Davis Mountains SP in West Texas.

Strongway case from Northern Tool. Flexible panels are generally installed onto a mounting surface using beads of adhesive and/or some kind of tape, air space nil to nonexistent. My panels have been installed for four years and remain efficient with no issues. No thoughts on ‘excessive temperature at the ARE topper’, mine is lined with BedRug equivalent material which likely buffers heat transfer, if that’s even a concern.

For those that may find this statement confusing, when SDG first introduced the Dreiha Atmos 4.4 there was some misinformation spread via a video interview with Kevin Searer, owner and exclusive distributor for these units in the U.S.; said video was taken down soon after its release as pertinent factual information was disclosed. There was no purposeful intent by Kevin to mislead, only lack in understanding product claims and marketing tactics. I also recall a YouTuber that made an apology for conveying misinformation, as well. I concur, based on personal experience with the Atmos!

Perhaps this excerpt by a contributor to the sprinter-source.com forum will provide answer to your question: “The need for a soft start on an RV air conditioner isn't a new problem, this is the case with all 13.5k and 15k BTU air conditioners I've encountered. RVers have always known they experience air conditioner operation problems at low voltage campgrounds, particularly in the high temperature high current demand times of summer camping. The air conditioner compressor won't compete for power, it just doesn't run. The air conditioner fan runs but the compressor won't start if the shore power voltage is to low, because it can't get enough current. Issues with air conditioner high LRAs have become more apparent with the popularity of Lithium batteries and inverters. Folks want to run their air conditioner off Lithium batteries and a 3000w inverter, but dampening the LRA is the only way to do that. The Atmos LRA is 48.5a, Dometic Penguin ll LRA is 52a, and the Truma LRA is 58a. Micro-Air was the first company to realize the RV industry needed a solution for reducing air conditioner compressor LRA, which is why they created the EasyStart. Micro-Air had this market cornered until just a couple of years ago when SoftStartRV started producing a similar type of soft start device. Both the EasyStart and SoftStartRV dampened the Dometic Penguin ll's LRA to around 24a. The lower the LRA the easier for the RV electrical system to run it (shore or generator power or Lithium battery/inverter). All us LTVers have added EasyStarts or SoftStartRVs to our Dometic Penguin lls. The Truma technicians I interviewed at the Tampa RV Super Show made it clear their air conditioner needed a soft start and the if you wanted to use Lithium batteries and a 3000w inverter. They also were very clear that a 3000w inverter was the minimum sized inverter to operate their unit. I believe the SoftStartRV is the only unit that is compact enough to fit inside the Truma Aventa. Based on my observations of the Atmos running off my Xantrex 3000w and 1 of my Lithionics 320ah Lithium battery and then 2 and 3 batteries, I suspect it doesn't really have a soft start. The Atmos brochure says it has a "Low voltage startup function." The marketing for these Gree manufactured air conditioners are quite misleading, using the words low voltage startup, soft start, and inverter compressor in vague terms. I'm installing a SoftStartRV on my Atmos tomorrow to see if it improves upon some of the concerning behaviors I've been seeing. The Truma and Atmos have the identical Rated Load Amperage (RLA) of 10.5a at 120vAC or 136.5a at 13vdc (Lithium battery voltage). The Dometic RLA was 12.9a. The RLA is considered a maximum normal steady state operating current. Air conditioners can run on lower RLAs, as low as 70% under their RLA. In my testing of the Atmos I see it is using less RLA, which is very good. The Atmos heat mode runs about 20-30a more for heat mode. The Atmos brochure says cooling current is 11a (143a at 13vdc) and heating is 10a (130a at 13vdc), but I suspect those numbers have been accidentally reversed, because heat mode definitely takes more current and runs slightly louder in decibels than the Atmos cooling mode.“

Further deterrent, additional cable!

Sorry for the delayed response. I installed two HQST 100W 12V flexible monocrystalline solar panels on top of the A.R.E. bed cover; other equipment to include a Haoguo ABS solar double cable entry gland, EternaBond EB-RB020-50 Roof Seal 2”x50’, Renogy 20A MC4 waterproof inline fuse holder and a Victron SmartSolar MPPT 75/15 solar charge controller (all Amazon purchases). My Son provided a length of solar cable and MC4 connectors needed. The panels were positioned and secured around the edges with the EB tape, a hole was drilled through the bed cover at the cable gland and wires were routed inside to the charge controller. I built the portable 100 Ah power station to primarily run a Dometic CFX 75 dual zone cooler staged in the TV bed.