Mike and Carol

We’ve had lithiums for the past year and a half. I’ve never turned off my solar, even the years we had AGMs. I put a battery cutoff switch in the battery box and just turn them off when in storage. I don’t discharge them any, we’re never home for more that a couple of months. It’s covered storage so solar activity is minimal. Mike EDIT: I did turn off my solar when we were swapping out the AGMs with Lithiums and doing some re-cabling. I also turned off my solar when the controller was not working shortly after we took delivery. I had to remove the controller and send it to Blue Sky for some maintenance. Routine storage - I leave the solar on.

Gliddenwoods, I hope you resolved your issue! It would be helpful if we knew which trailer you have and the year/hull number. Things change year to year and you would get more input if folks knew what they were commenting on. It’s easy to add the info to your signature. If you need help just holler. Mike

Sounds like fun. We’re heading the other way tomorrow, to Tennessee for a few weeks. The balloon festival is on our to-do list. Mike

We do too.

Ralph, Truma or Houghton? Can I come over for a sound test? 😃. Mike

That’s some interesting leveling data. I’ve been using the little bubble level on the front jack since May 2016. I do need to adjust it every so often. I always have the front a little high so water drains from the shower a little better. We’re probably never perfectly level side to side, but it’s never enough to be concerned about. Mike

We’re keeping you all on the east coast and in Florida in our prayers! Mike

There’s another camping humor thread that has some of the same funnies. Should we merge them?

40s at night makes for good sleeping! We had several of those in Colorado this summer. Heading out next week and hope to have more. Mike

Eight years for AGM batteries is a good life span. Two of my five year old AGM batteries were starting to swell and two were leaking because the tie down hooks were rubbing holes in them. I now have three 100aH Battle Born lithiums. I had to install an updated PD 4045 that was lithium capable and reprogram the Blue Sky controller. These new batteries have been remarkable. We’re going on two years and we are happy with the switch. Mike

Welcome, Lisa. Between Lithionics, Oliver service and some folks here your battery issue should just be a bump in the road. Let us know how we can help. Mike

Depends. On a new trailer I don’t think there’s a need. On one that has some oxidation, maybe depending on how much. I have a couple of times, probably every 2 to 3 years for me. I’m considering the ceramic thing, those trailers look great. Mike

I can offer advice on a lot of Oliver topics, but winterizing is something I’ve never done! Like Steve and Tali, we are leaving next week for a month long trip. We’ll be back for Thanksgiving and Christmas and then leave for Arizona and other spots before the Christmas holidays are over. Mike

Ours has a valve that shuts off the flush line going into the black tank. It looks like the fresh water tank drain valve. Like Steve says, it’s under the forward dinette seat. Mike

I agree that’s not a good solution. We camped in State Forest State Park just north of Rocky Mountain National Park this summer. We were at about 9,200’, boondocking. The cooktop worked fine as did the fridge and hot water tank. My Weber Q1000 fired right up as did the Blackstone. Mike

I use an external surge protector because we don’t have an internal one. The one I hang on the power pole is our only protection. There has been some discussion about using one with the Oliver installed protection and I think a few are doing it and can offer some thoughts. Mike

Yes, decals get wax.

It’s not an issue. We have the maxxfan open almost always as well as the bath fan. That provides ventilation. Sometimes during really hard rains we shut the bath fan because some of the rain bouncing off the roof can make the bath floor damp. If it isn’t a hard rain, keeping a window cracked is something else we do. Mike

We’ll done! Thanks for the detailed post. Mike

I agree with Frank. If you’re getting a skid when braking back it off a bit. Whenever we start out towing I check mine. Usually before we get up to 5mph I take my foot off the gas and activate the trailer brakes. Depending the resistance I get whether on pavement or gravel I can then bump the setting up or down. Mike

Carmax can be a good option. I bought one car from them, a 2006 MINI Cooper S that was four years old. Low mileage and fair price. The day I picked it up I went straight to the BMW/MINI dealer and paid $120 for a complete bumper to bumper inspection resulting in a page of issues, mostly worn out seals and gaskets and a few other things. The next day I drove it back to Carmax and showed them the inspection results. They honored their 30 day warranty and fixed everything, about $2,300 of repairs. Unless you buy something that is only a year or two old or has very few miles I would recommend a good inspection and a possible return visit to Carmax. Mike

We’ve had a water softener in our current house since we built it 17 years ago. Last year we replaced the original softener with a new model. We’ve also been using a portable softener in the trailer since 2018. I originally bought a 16K grain softener. While it works well, it was very heavy. A couple of years ago I got a 3.2K grain softener, much small and lighter, fits in the basement and will last about a month before needing a recharge. They make a 8K grain that is probably the best solution. All on Amazon. I kept the 16K grain and use it for car/truck/trailer washing. They both recharge easily with plain table salt. Mike

Are there any factory equipped Truma Olivers out there yet? Would like to hear how it performs. The Houghton gets good reviews. Mike

That’s an unfortunate add on. When I bought my Ram 2500 dealers here were taking that much, or more, off MSRP. You might want to look out of state. There are a number of dealers that specialize in long distance purchases with fair pricing. Mike

Interesting. There aren’t any service centers in Texas, just a mobile service out of Austin. Looks like the only service centers are in Florida and Indiana. Mike