Ronbrink

I added an ‘Edit’ to my last, which may be of interest!

Thank you for your continued attention to this matter, much appreciated! In response to your questions: 1. Was the house battery negative disconnected or just the positive? You didn’t mention the B- cable. - - The negative cable was not disconnected, only the positive at the battery terminal. 2. I hate to do this, but I assume the tow vehicle was not connected, correct? - - That is correct, the Oliver was stowed at the storage facility and not connected to the TV. 3. Your forum signature states that you have a Renogy DC-DC installed, which I have no working knowledge of. Is it installed in the Oliver? Does it only work with the ignition on? Does it have the ability to store energy, maybe an internal capacitor? - - The DC-DC is installed within the rear dinette seat hatch. - - When the unit is plugged into the TV via a dedicated cable, it only receives power when the engine is running/alternator turning. - - Regarding an internal capacitor, a brief search indicates there is a very small electronic capacitor on the motherboard, this based on a teardown wherein a “JP” capacitor, 105C was referenced. The following statement by Renogy may or may not be useful information: The DC-DC battery charger isolates the input and output to prevent voltage transmission errors and interfere with house battery charging. 4. You might try turning off all 12v breakers and removing fuses. Verify the power is off with the Victron Smart Shunt app or a DC clamp on Amp meter. Then remove the main battery fuse as a different method of disconnecting the 12v supply from the battery. At least you would be inside if the fireworks started again. - - Good suggestions, my retired Navy-trained electronic specialist Son will be visiting New Year’s Day; I will certainly commandeer him to help troubleshoot! I will say that he has either assisted and/or advised me on all of my electrical upgrades to the Oliver, so I have a high level of confidence my current inherent issue(s) to be minor and easily remedied. Another bit of info; although the lead positive cable was disconnected to isolate the battery bank, a small positive jumper wire feeding the SmartShunt remained connected. However, my Son assured me that was not a potential power source contributing to the anomalies observed. Edit: Following the event, I gave thought that perhaps a capacitor in the Xantrex XC2000 inverter/charger could be the culprit, but holiday celebrations put the thought on hold until you jarred my memory. A quick search in the Xantrex Owner’s Guide and voila; under Product Safety Information, line 6: What think you?

In watching a video wherein two CIGS panels (each 14”x85”x100W) were applied to a sailboat deck, care was taken to avoid adherence of these panels directly in contact with the fiberglas gelcoat; reason being difficulty of removal and potential damage to the gelcoat in doing so. Rather, the panels were positioned in select areas where a non-skid surface treatment was already applied, the thought being that removal of that surface treatment along with the affixed panels would be easier and lessen any chance of gelcoat damage. That said, a similar practice may be of benefit with an Oliver rooftop install. I too like the advantage of said panels, as they can be laid to conform with design curvatures while maintaining a low profile appearance, aerodynamics and “architectural beauty”!

That was my first thought, but on the second trial there was no 120v input and the result was the same. I am still hopeful for a switch install, but need to first understand a ‘fix’ or ‘workaround’ for the anomalies experienced. I see where others have installed such switches, even directly atop the batteries, but do not recall any talk of resulting adverse conditions. Thanks for your valued input.

GJ, I will premise the following based on the many discussions in this forum regarding the use and/or installation of a master battery cutoff switch, specific to OTTs. I was surprised to learn that my Oliver wasn’t equipped with said switch, perhaps because I didn’t opt for solar? I have one of the Blue Seas switches, but when trying to figure out where and how to install I first disconnected the positive battery cable to supposedly isolate the battery bank, as would such switch. The trailer was hooked up to shore power at the time, so after the makeshift battery disconnect I ventured inside to see the effect on the inner workings. In short, it was not a happy place! There were several anomalies observed: a few of the under-cabinet lights were fading on and off, the Furion radio was making strange noises and panel flickering, popping and crackling noises were heard coming from the under belly, the GFCI on the Xantrex tripped; I swear, I thought the trailer was ‘possessed’! In fear (not from the devil on my heels) of causing irreparable damage, I rushed back out to reconnect the battery cable. Thankfully all was found back to norm, thus deeming the ‘exorcism’ a success. But wait, there’s more! My inquisitive mind wanted to know if having the shore power connected in correlation to the battery disconnect had anything to do with the observed anomalies. So upon removing from shore power, the battery disconnect process was repeated; as was the ‘possession’, yikes! Given the scenario, if anyone has any insight as to what could possibly be happening, your thoughts and/or advice would be greatly appreciated. GJ, does this qualify as a bonafide thread hijack?

Pics 4 and 5 were taken at my storage facility and prior to bringing the Oliver to the house to complete the install. When checking for leaks, I put the soapy water to good use! I looked at these, but really didn’t like the way the hoses came straight out of the regulator and bent abruptly, so changing the hose angle at that point made more sense in my installation.

The issue was recently addressed on the Oliver FB as follow: Based on this discussion, I do not anticipate any such issue with use of the GasStop. I do have Truma AquaGo, but a Dometic furnance; test pending!

Yesterday I installed GasStop emergency shutoff devices to the Oliver’s onboard propane tanks. The process was very straightforward and relatively easy. However, did require a couple of longer pigtail propane tank connectors and additional fittings; the stock 12” pigtails were too short, given the added length to the tank valve assembly, and the ‘elbow’ fittings to lessen hose bend for improved fitment. Yellow thread sealing PTFE tape (gas-rated Teflon tape) was used, as necessary, in the installation; however, the pigtail connection is beveled and self-sealing, thus no tape necessary. The device: The pigtail: The fitting: Fittings to regulator: GasStop devices mounted: Pigtails mounted (Note the angle of the ‘elbow’ fittings were adjusted downward for best fitment): Gas level indicator/system prime: Another view (Note the cable and lock for theft deterrence): Once the installation was completed, a soapy water test was performed to check for minor leaks. With this device, the gauge also serves as a ‘primer’ by pumping it several times, as well as occasional pressure checks for leak detection. The system prime feature should benefit times when a tank is isolated for use with a generator, fire pit or grill/griddle to purge supply lines of air prior to initial use. Nuff said!

My 579 came equipped with a Xantrex Freedom XC 2000; I recently added a transfer switch to operate the Dometic Penguin 11,000 BTU A/C with Micro-Air EasyStart via the house batteries. Of course, be mindful there are limitations on run time and load restrictions in doing so. I use the A/C in this manner primarily during rest stops and lunch breaks when traveling, and the DC-DC serves its’ purpose when back underway.

DO NOT DESPAIR! I went from four aging 6V Trojan T-105s, 248 lbs/225 usable Ah, ….. …..to two lithium LiFePO4, 90 lbs/460 usable Ah, at a cost of less than $1600, to also include a Victron SmartShunt, necessary fuses and a couple new cables. Some of the stock cables were utilized in the swap.

This is a view of my panel. However, I had enough room in it for two additional 20A breakers (seen unlabeled at the bottom of the row), which are pre-wired and ready for use by way of a single individual 20A outlet for each; think future electrical expansion projects! The two plugs to the right are connected to the inverter, the left two are the single 20A outlets in waiting. I needed an extra plug from the inverter for a transfer switch I installed to enable operation of the A/C on the house batteries.

Although all of my 2020 OLEll outlets are wired with 12 gauge wire and 20A breakers, I would still be hesitant to use the Oliver’s exterior outlet for that particular Ninja. I think best to just utilize one of the remaining outlets at the shore power post, separate from the one supplying power to your RV. Either a 30A and/or 50A male to 20A female dogbone cord adaptor would suffice, plus an appropriately sized extension cord (10 gauge) would be my recommendation. As you know, some CGs provide only 30A in loops for smaller trailers, whereas others will have both a 30A and 50A, or only 50A for loops servicing larger rigs. Even in the case when only a single RV service (30/50) is provided, there is usually a 110 outlet/breaker available, as well, that may or may not be sufficient to meet your stated needs. Personally, I’m more concerned about being able to hookup the 30A RV service cord to household current, as thus carry a locking 30A female to 20A female reducer, in addition to a 50A to 30A reducer, a 20A male to 30A female dogbone cord adaptor, and a variety of extension cords.

I agree, used two 4 AWG cables from under hood to the rear bumper-mounted Anderson plug with my initial 20A DC-DC install; that cable was found to be of sufficient size when upgrading to a 40A DC-DC. That said, I did have to change a previously installed surface-mounted circuit breaker from 45 to 60 amps to handle the additional load. I should mention that a dedicated, continuous-duty, SPST Series solenoid was also initially installed, as well, to prevent the TV battery from draining when the alternator isn’t running.

I didn’t bother with the 712 monitor either, the SmartShunt with BT and the VictronConnect app will suffice; battery bay install, as well, and a Blue Sea ANL block with a 250A fuse on the positive lead. Evolve onward!

In my situation, it’s simply a matter of ‘OllieEvolution’! Many initial cost saving measures had to be taken to be able to reasonably acquire our factory ordered ‘579’, thus sacrificing many of the add-on options offered at the time, to include battery and solar upgrades. So early in our acquisition, the ‘standard issue’ 12V Bright Way battery bank made part for four gently used 6V Trojan T-105s gifted by our Son who was upgrading his motorhome to LFPs at the time. Although these batteries served us well for a couple years, the thought of lighter weight/higher Ah usage LFPs was foremost in hopes of operating the A/C on battery, with limitations, and lean toward alternative charge/monitoring capabilities; 460Ah LFP battery bank, Smart Shunt, 20A transfer switch, 40A DC-DC, TV 200W solar panel array, pending solar port installs fore and aft, eventual portable solar panels….evolutionary indeed!

Actually, GJ deserves all credit due for starting this!

If that is the case, a swap/upgrade to a 3000W inverter may be easier and less expensive than first thought. Current Xantrex Freedom XC 2000 Input cables are 2/0 If the hard reset (reboot) currently being conducted doesn’t resolve the charge cycle issues with this inverter, then said swap/upgrade is inevitable. Again, thanks for the info, much appreciated!

So the 2/0 ‘stock’ cables were changed to what size, 4/0? I’m only thinking ahead, so a response when you find time is okay. Again thanks.

What size cable did Oliver install leading to your Xantrex, was it sufficient enough to accommodate the Victron or was it necessary to increase the cable size for the swap? My Xantrex Freedom XC 2000 has 2/0 cable and thinking it would have to be upsized for a similar install. Your pics show you installed the newer MultiPlus ll model, good move; and thanks for the update!

Sorry, my mistake. I will redirect.

I carry a light weight 1.5T aluminum floor jack for use with both my TV and OTT; trim design, and easily stowed under the rear seat with other tools, spare parts and supplies. When lifting the Oliver at the designated jack points, this low profile floor jack is placed on top of an Anderson Rapid Jack to enable adequate reach; however not necessary for axle lifts. These style jacks have a long reaching, two-piece handle; useful for positioning, as well as leveraging. Although a Harbor Freight brand, it has served me well on many occasions; goes on sale often.

What size cable did Oliver install leading to your Xantrex 3000, was it sufficient enough to accommodate the Victron or was it necessary to increase the cable size for the swap? My Xantrex Freedom XC 2000 has 2/0 cable and thinking it would have to be upsized for a similar install. Your pics show you installed the newer MultiPlus ll model, good move; and thanks for the update!

I think we’re all sailing in muddy waters!

My bad, disregard!

I have recently seen pics of a side-mounted Victron. If your’s is in fact different then I would still like a pic, at your convenience, Thanks.