Overland

Nice job!

I can’t tell from the photo, but is the top of the cover specially cut to fit around the AC and solar or does it just sort of drape over it all? Yours looks like it fits well. I need to get one but I’ve been nervous about giving them the wrong dimensions. You wouldn’t happen to still have the dimensions that you gave them when you had them make yours?

I’ve never done it myself, though I might try. I like this guy’s setup better, seems much easier and safer - https://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-completely-refill-a-1lb-disposable-propan/

Mine also has to be beaten out with a mallet. I suspect that the receivers are slightly twisted, which jams the thing in there. I tried some lithium grease on mine and it didn’t help a lick. Maybe I’ll try a different kind.

Thanks for the clarification. The way to tell if your charger is working is by checking the voltage on the battery monitor. If it goes up when you plug in, then it’s working. It will read 14.4 or something close to that when you first plug in, and usually 13 something when you unplug. Just for clarity, your DC circuit is always DC even when you’re plugged in. What happens is that when you’re on shore power, the charger converts some of the 120 power to 12 volt and adds that to the 12 v ‘pool’. Part of that power will go to the batteries to charge them and part will be used by your lights, etc. So, in other words, your charger is converting when you’re plugged rather than when you’re not, and there isn’t really a ‘switch’ that changes you from 120 to 12 v. I still think that the fridge is the most likely culprit, since there isn’t anything else that would ask for more power when you unplug. And if your breaker is tripping immediately, then it has to be a pretty big surge of power that’s doing it. Otherwise, it would take a bit for it to trip. I guess another thought is that the breaker is bad, and maybe vibrating open when you’re traveling. If the problem is repeatable in your driveway, then that’s probably not the case though. Do you have an inverter? If so, I guess that’s another possibility and you might try unplugging that before you disconnect.

I’m not sure if I understand exactly what’s going on. Sounds like you’re saying that if you’re plugged in, then DC works. When you unplug, it throws the breaker, but if you reset it then it works again. Is that correct? Are your batteries charging when plugged in? If so, then your converter is working. My initial guess is that your fridge is switching to DC when you disconnect, and somehow that’s throwing the breaker. Maybe try pulling the fridge fuse (or breaker if your trailer has a DC breaker panel) and then disconnect to see if that does it. Otherwise, I’m at a loss.

Typically either a trip to the factory or Oliver will pay to have someone local do it.

Impossible to say for certain, but that sounds like the most logical answer.

First thing would be to check for a leak at the pump. Before hooking up to city water, remove the clear plastic filter housing and place a shallow dish under it. Then when you hook up, you can see if water is leaking through the pump. If not, then you can move on to the valves. Definitely possible for a valve to not close all the way.

Since my battery monitor will show amperage drain, I went through all the electrical items on our trailer one by one so that I would know how many amps each pulled. Here's the list, which apart from a few items like the fridge and inverter, should apply to most Ollies: All lights off, no fridge, no inverter - 1.2 A All lights off, fridge running, no inverter - 3.7 All lights on, no fridge, no inverter - 5.7 All lights + fridge - 8.2 All lights + fridge and inverter - 10.2 Fridge - 2.5 (3.5 starting) Inverter - 2.0 Reading lights, all - 0.3 Outside lights, each side - 0.7 Outside courtesy - 0.1 Inside courtesy - 0.1 Cabinet lights - 1.1 Main cabin overhead - 0.6 Right bed overhead - 0.3 Left - 0.3 Kitchen - 0.3 Dinette - 0.3 So I have 1.2 amps of parasitic drain. That's probably higher than most, since it includes my Cradlepoint router and Victron stuff. It's enough to kill my batteries in 12 ½ days, which I've verified. Solar is more than enough to keep on top of it of course, but if I were to cover the trailer or store it inside or in the shade, I'd want to disconnect the batteries.

I’ve often wondered why no one has come out with this before, perhaps partnering with someone like Tesla to make it happen. Going a step further, if you add a stability control system to the trailer that links to the car, then you could completely eliminate trailer sway.

The overload protection and GFI outlet are designed to protect you from power leaving the unit; i.e., the 120v circuit. They don't, however, protect you from power entering the unit; i.e., the 12v circuit. That protection is provided via the "ground" cable and the fuse that I was asking John about. By and large, the danger from the 12v circuit isn't electrical shock. Your skin has enough resistance to prevent much 12v current from passing through your body. Not that it can't happen - just that it would have to be a special circumstance, like if you had a cut on your finger or if you touched your tongue to the positive terminal. General rule: don't lick your battery. The danger from 12v, or specifically 12v powered by a large battery, is fire. Each of your batteries is capable of releasing thousands of amps in a short circuit, which is easily enough to weld with. Even protected batteries like the ones I have can release hundreds of amps before tripping their protection circuits. So how a fire might occur is if a 12v wire inside the inverter comes loose from vibration, or rubs on the case of the inverter until its insulation is worn off. If that bare wire touched the case, then a few things could happen: 1) If there is no ground whatsoever, it might not do anything, since the current wouldn’t be able to find a path back to the battery. It would, however, electrify the case of the inverter and if any stray bit of metal should touch it and complete the circuit to the chassis, then it could arc and start a fire. 2) If the case of the inverter is bonded to the 120v ground (almost certainly it is), then the 12v current would find its path back to the chassis via that 120v ground wire. And since the current from the batteries is so high, the relatively small ground wire would quickly heat up and eventually melt, possibly causing a fire in the process. For good measure, it would also melt off the insulation on its hot and neutral neighbors, creating a 120v short. It's possible that your battery fuse would blow before any of that happened, but since that fuse is fairly large, it very well might not. 3) If you have a heavy gauge "ground" wire attached to the case, the current would find that path back to the chassis, and prefer it over the 120v ground since it has lower resistance. That cable is (should be) large enough to handle a current that would blow your main battery fuse, cutting the current before it has a chance to heat that cable up and melt it. If you don't have a fuse then you're back to melting ground wires, which is why I asked John to make sure he had one (my trailer did not, for reasons that hopefully don't apply to any others - though there is no fuse block noted on any of Oliver's wiring diagrams, so maybe best to check). I put "ground" in quotes, since it really just provides any short an alternate path to the chassis. Even with your jacks directly on the ground, not much current will really go to earth. The only time your trailer is truly grounded is when you're plugged in and the trailer "ground" is connected to the service ground. I do think it's fair to ask how likely any of this is, and personally I'd put it in the quite-unlikely-but-entirely-possible category. So it should be fixed, though I think Oliver's email was a bit dramatic. I don't really understand why they're telling people not to use their inverter, since the potential problems seem unrelated to the inverter's use. Perhaps I'm the one missing something. Better advice, imo, would be to disconnect the unit from the battery; or short of that, until you attach a ground, treat your inverter like an extension of the battery, and don't lick it.

John, I must have missed your earlier reply about not having a fuse block or disconnect. IMO, I don't think the ground is worth much without a fuse to blow. 12v is unlikely to shock anyone unless they're soaking wet, but a short is absolutely a fire hazard on a high amperage unfused circuit. So adding a heavy gauge ground and giving any short a nice clean path straight back to the battery may actually increase the risk of fire, unless you add a fuse to your battery bank. That is, at the moment, your ground wire is also the fuse. If you can verify that you don't have a fuse, then I suggest you get one of these and a spare fuse, and install it on the positive side of the circuit as close to the batteries as possible. I'd guess on a 2000w inverter that a 300a fuse would be fine, perhaps even 200a, though I don't know the max draw of your inverter. I have a 400a fuse on mine, with a 3000w inverter, and that was the size fuse that AM Solar recommended to me. While you're at it, you may as well add a disconnect switch just after the fuse. I think Oliver should amend their TSB to include the installation of a fuse along with the ground cable.

I've read that ERs don't care much for the bleed stop stuff since it's so difficult to get out of wounds later. Certainly in a life or death situation it would be worth it though.

Before our last trip, I started to reorganize our first aid stuff. I bought two of these pouches from Blue Ridge Overland and filled them each with the stuff from the list below. That way my wife and I will always have an individual kit with us when hiking, and since there's always at least one pack in the truck, we'll always have a kit with us there. Within each pouch, I have individual 'kits' in zip lock bags so that it's easier to get to what you need and also to keep things dry. Pretty amazing what you can stuff into a small kit. Backpack First Aid Kit Wound Kit: Band Aids: 2 ea. S/M/L 2 ea. Knuckle and Butterfly Bandages: (2) 2x3 (2) 3x4 (2) 8 x3 (4) 3x3 Gauze Pads Gauze Roll Wound Closure Strips Waterproof Tape Duct Tape (6) Alcohol Pads Neosporin Scissors Blister and Bite Kit Moleskin Glacier Gel, Lg & Sm (4) Oval Blister Bandages (6) Benadryl EpiPen Afterbite IvyX Mini Tweezers Misc (2) Tylenol Sunscreen (4) Bug Wipes (5) Eyedrop Vials SOL SAM Splint Life Straw (2) Trioral Salts (2) Rescue Blankets Thermometer Signal Mirror

Yes, it was a very hopeful time for many. I was studying the informal settlements that had sprung up after apartheid and so was able to get to know people from all walks. Their optimism was contagious. My time there in school was mostly spent in the triangle between Durban, Johannesburg and Kruger, though we did make one quick trip down the coast to I forget where, but in the area of Port Shepstone. My wife and I retraced all of that a few years later and then went inland around the Drakensbergs before heading south to Port Elizabeth to catch the garden route to Cape Town. So in all that we probably managed to miss your hometown. I'm jealous of your daughter's trip - we would love to return someday, but oh the price of those flights.

From where in South Africa? My wife and I rented a car there in 2000 and spent seven weeks driving around the country, and I also spent a semester in Durban while in grad school. Such a beautiful country.

The current rack is a frame with a bike rack attached. They like to sell them together, but a few of us have gotten them to sell us just the frame. On our last trip, I put a Rhino Rack basket on it and it fit really well. We didn't really use what we put back there, though, so I'll probably go back to Plan A and put a few 1 up racks on it. I suppose someone could try mounting a receiver directly to top of the bumper, either bolted or welded. You'd be dependent on the strength of the bumper hinges and pins though, so I'm not sure how much weight I'd trust on it.

I asked Oliver to install the same door that they use for the basement access. Makes a big difference, but to be honest, whenever we flip the valves or drain the tank, we just flip up the mattress and use the hatch. We use the door to access the pressure tank valve, since I don't like to travel with it pressurized. [attachment file=IMG_0697 (1).jpg]

I've used a Snow Peak #40 tent stake before - just drop it in the track. It does slide up the curve but then it sticks. I don't think you could force it open.

The same, but different. They’re talking about injectable bicarbonate, which is I think still in limited supply. Too much consolidation in the drug industry means too few suppliers for even basic medicines, so problems at a single plant can cause major shortages. Here’s an article about it - https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/21/health/sodium-bicarbonate-solution-critical-shortage-hospitals.html

I like that. We have our library in the attic, but yours may be a better solution. Thanks!

Oh dear. My greatest mistake with our poor shepherd was thinking the big guy would get a kick out of watching fireworks. Every 4th after that the entire night was dedicated to pup. I wish he’d have buried himself under pillows. Instead he chose to rip them up. Did you know that down will expand to fill whatever space it’s given? Sorry, I’m no help other than moral support. Interested in any that others have to offer though.

By the way, I grounded the case of my inverter directly to a negative combiner post that I had installed next to the shunt for my battery monitor. If Oliver has a similar post on their standard setup, then that would be a good alternate grounding point.

Nice work on the solar. Your 120v ground circuit is bonded to the frame already. This is to give any short against the frame an easy path back to source rather than just energizing the frame waiting for you to touch it to complete the circuit. So the potential for your batteries to see the 120v is already present when you're plugged in or running the inverter and a short occurs. I'm unfamiliar with the Xantrex, but I assume that the casing is internally bonded to the 120v ground. So the external ground is primarily/exclusively for the 12v circuit. That is, you might ask why you need an external ground if there is an internal one which itself goes back to the frame via the 120v ground circuit. The reason is that since the battery is connected directly to the inverter, the 12 gauge ground wire on the 120v side would be insufficient to handle a short from the 12v side, as the amperage could be much higher. In my case, with 4 battle born batteries that can deliver 200 amps each, that's potentially 800 amps of current. Therefore you need a heavy gauge ground cable, which should be sized to handle a current that would blow your main fuse block. If it is too small, then the wire would melt before the fuse blows. Keep that in mind when sizing your ground cable. 8awg is probably a minimum, and might be fine for shorter cables. If, however, you're going to run it some distance before connecting it to the frame, then you might want to oversize it as John did.