Steph and Dud B

Looks like the Big 3 are starting to accumulate a surplus of pickup trucks. Maybe we'll see some price concessions? https://www.autoblog.com/2023/02/25/gm-truck-production-cut/ https://www.motor1.com/news/654342/chevy-silverado-gmc-sierra-production-pause-high-inventory/

We've had several issues with fiberglass dust fouling switches in our 2022. Shop vac, canned air, and working the switches seems to have resolved them. OTT could do a better job vacuuming production dust from between the hulls.

I was concerned that there was no charge from our truck, especially since we run the fridge on 12v when traveling. However, we've found that the solar panels usually do a good job keeping up while on the road.

Our biggest snow of the year may come early next week. 😒

If you have a Xantrex unit, there are two things going on in there. The Inverter converts battery power to household current to run your outlets when you're not connected to shore power. That's what the round button on the Xantrex panel turns off/on. BUT... the Xantrex also has a Converter that converts shore power to 12 volts to charge your batteries. That will be on whenever you connect to shore power and is probably what's powering your 12v lights if you're plugged into shore power now and your batteries and solar are off. If the blue buttons on your lithium batteries are off nothing external can drain them. However, if you have the Platinum Package, those batteries contain internal heaters that could drain them. You should definitely check your Lithionics manual for the correct storage procedures for your specific batteries. Not sure what you turned off under the bed...

A little bit of that ice worked its way over to CT today. Definitely been a strange winter.

The RV sales industry is in a nosedive right now, coming off the COVID boom. Apparently OTT is not immune. I imagine these are cancelled orders. Second thoughts, financing fell through, who knows?

Doesn't matter. It's a very low torque application.

Doesn't have to be diesel, either. Our GMC 6.0 gasser tows our LE2 just fine. We've been from Tennessee up I-81 to mid state NY and points in between so far. While diesels are clearly the best for towing power there's a premium to be paid upfront and for maintenance.

There's a 1/2" hex wrench for the exterior water hose fittings. I bought this one, but it's not currently available: Bondhus 12116 1/2" Long Hex L-Wrench https://a.co/d/6MCI0Jf I also find a spring hook can be handy in many situations, not just for springs.

They make a small GPS tracker with an integrated solar panel. A roof mount would give you solar power and good GPS tracking and communications.

2 OTT design decisions strike me as odd: Why aren't there separate switches for left/right flood and outside courtesy lights? Sometimes I want to light my patio area without blinding my neighbors on the street side. Why isn't there an indoor switch for the 120v water heater element? Sometimes the campground voltage goes low and I want to switch to gas hot water instead. Both of these are pretty common in other brands, so I wonder why OTT opted against them.

Hi, Doreen. You don't have to worry about the kitchen sink. Only the bathroom sink can back up into the shower pan. Hope you feel better soon. Maybe we'll see you guys at Hammonasset sometime! Dudley

Yes, as long as there are no other large draws on that circuit in your house. Then, when you have 30 amp shore power at a campground, you can set it back to 25.

How would a battery load cutoff help in a battery fire? In a lithium battery fire, the battery's internal cells are compromised and burning, usually from a physical shock or damage.

Just saw an Oliver on a video taken at the Tampa RV show. It was at the end of the latest YouTube video by LivinRVision. They said they were in the media camping area. As they pull out at the end of the video you can see an LE2 with a white crewcab pickup with cap 2 sites over. https://youtu.be/nmNd9y8kGus

You weren't the only one, Jim. Our old Ford 6.0 diesel ate turbos for breakfast. When the high pressure oil sensor popped out of the engine on I-80 in the middle of PA with our fifth wheel in tow, spewing the entire volume of engine oil all over the truck and brand-new trailer in the process, I had enough. That truck was gone a week after we got home. It was a pretty truck, though.

There is no battery cutoff switch in a 2022 with the lithium package. Only the built-in switches on the batteries.

Which Lithionics do you have? You need to read the Lithionics storage procedures for your type of batteries. The larger (Platinum Package) batteries have internal heaters and will discharge in a few days to a week in cold weather. The smaller Lithionics do not have internal heaters and should not be stored in freezing temperatures. Improper storage and complete discharging will damage your batteries. The manuals are in Oliver University.

DO NOT TRY TO CHARGE THE BATTERIES IF THEY ARE BELOW FREEZING. You will need to change the charge settings in the Xantrex. Specifically, Setting #28. Leave the batteries off. Make sure the Xantrex inverter is off (button out). Start the genny. Connect your generator to the ground plug. Connect the trailer. Change the Xantrex setting #28 to 15 amps (see Xantrex manual). Turn your batteries on. It will take a while. if you leave the Xantrex setting at the factory default it will try to pull 25 amps from your small generator and trip the circuit breaker. It would be better if you could recharge via a 30 amp shoreline connection.

After reading it all again, I'm back to my starting position: With my 2022 I can only claim the panels, wiring, installation, and (apparently) the inverter. The batteries are no-go because they aren't 100% solar charged. There is some verbiage about "standalone" power storage systems being acceptable in 2023 if they are large enough (https://programs.dsireusa.org/system/program/detail/1235), which is interesting because those are not necessarily powered by solar at all! That might overrule the 2018 ruling @Rivernerd referenced. But, it won't help me with my 2022. 😕

I read that article, too, which was what I was referencing in my first post. But, I also see the date was 2018. Now I'm wondering if that requirement has changed. ??

Then I found this: https://www.solar.com/learn/how-getting-a-home-battery-affects-your-federal-solar-incentive-tax-credit/ which says the 2023 cutoff is only for the minimum size, and all batteries in 2022 are included. Very confusing.

Found this: https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/homeowners-guide-federal-tax-credit-solar-photovoltaics Says the inverter does count. They changed the battery rule recently, too: https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/articles/solar-investment-tax-credit-what-changed "[batteries] that have a capacity rating of 3 kilowatt-hours (kWh) or greater (for systems installed after December 31, 2022)." So, from what I can tell, I can't claim my batteries because they were installed in 2022, but anyone with a 2023-built trailer will be able to. Somebody tell me if I'm reading this wrong...

Last I checked, an RV is considered a second home if you live in it at least 14 days of the year. You can claim the cost of solar generating equipment (the panels, controller, and wiring to the batteries) but not the storage batteries or any non-solar charging equipment like the converter/inverter. (You can only claim the batteries if they can only be charged by solar and have no provision for charging by shoreline, etc.) I asked OTT to send me the dollar value of my panels, controller, charging wiring, and installation and they did so. This is mostly from memory, so check further before committing.