topgun2

Thanks Patriot! Straight to Amazon, then to basket and soon to my door. Bill

When the clamp that holds the black tank sewer line to the rubber connector piece under my dinette seat broke a couple of years ago I spent a fair amount of time even finding where "THAT" odor was coming from. Once found and the clamp replaced I had the same basic problem that you now face. After trying the usual Pine Sol scrubbing thing I resorted to waiting for a hot dry day, parked the Ollie in the sun and then I hosed out the area in question. Note here that I didn't go crazy with the hose or the pressure. Just a nice steady stream to make sure that everything in that area got thoroughly rinsed. Then more Pine Sol and repeat the spraying. Finally, about three days in the hot sun with all things opened up and fans blowing I was done. Good luck! Bill

Enjoy yourselves! Great pics of the dunes! Did you get to Mesa?

The similar Camco pump at Menards is $17.79 (HERE) versus $7.49 at Harbor Freight. I'll bet that the fitting doesn't cost anywhere near the difference in price. Bill

These hand pumps are also available at Harbor Freight (probably cheaper than Menards) - like THIS ONE and then all you need is a "barbed" fitting to go into the end of the "output" side/ "discharge" side like THESE. Note - check the size of the fitting since I don't remember it off the top of my head. You can get these fittings at Lowes, Home Depot, Ace hardware, etc. Bill

For this purpose while on the road - I bought a cheap Harbor Freight "set" that includes both metric and SAE plus a hammer, set of screw drivers, etc. - something like THIS ONE While at home I've already got both sizes covered in both regular and deep sockets. Bill

By Rally time you should be an Old pro. Look forward to meeting you there in May! Bill

Indeed - putting your Ollie inside a building when you're not using it is the best storage solution. However, I've been storing my Oliver for almost the past eight years at a storage yard that is totally open (except for the fences and cameras, etc.). For each of those years it has been stored under a CalMark cover. I make sure that it is clean before storage and that the cover is always snugged down with the rear bumper and the solar panels padded so as to not tear the cover. There have been no signs of abrasion due to this cover. It should be noted though that the cover is not waterproof . Therefore, when taking the Ollie out of storage it still needs a bath before hitting the open road. But, this bath is much easier than cleaning the grime off of it that would have accumulated without the cover. Bill p.s. Once a year I also give the cover a bath.

I do remember a Service Bulletin on this subject - perhaps your stove was one of the ones in question. Be careful until you get it fixed! Bill

Certainly not a necessity but it will make your life much easier if you plan to use the generator in the front basket.

Well, certainly it is almost not possible to fill the Oliver water tank to 100% full if you are not reasonably level. But, my Ollie isn't perfectly level (nor do I spend the time to make it so) when I have it in my driveway preparing for travel. Interestingly, while in my driveway my Ollie is slightly high at the front and slightly tilted to the street side. Being slightly high in the front means that the overflow tube in higher than it would be if things were level and with the tilt being low on the street side it also makes the over flow tube higher than it would be at level. All this results in a fresh water tank that basically gets "overfilled". No problem for me except for that first time I pulled out of the driveway and my wife started yell that I had a leak - due to the "excess" water now coming out of the overflow tube. Having said all this - I normally don't fill my fresh water tank with any more water than necessary. If my plan is to simply be driving for the day and I know that I'll be stopping at a campground that night, I just might not fill that tank at all - why tow around the weight of the water. Note here that I always have a couple of milk jugs with water in them stored by the toilet in order to have water to flush my standard toilet when necessary. Don't forget - one of the main benefits of the tank design in the Oliver is that the weights of the liquids in these tanks is distributed low down and relatively evenly from side to side. This is a major contributing factor in the towing stability of Olivers. Bill p.s. both the fridge and the fresh water do not require that the Oliver be perfectly level in order to fill and/or use them. Specific degrees of "off level" can probably be found in any particular manufacturers owner's manual. I simply use my senses in order to determine what is OK for level - if I can sleep relatively comfortably and if my adult beverage doesn't roll off the dinette then I'm good to go.

Hopefully you have view the videos in the Oliver University. Be sure to get very familiar with the one that covers "what to expect on delivery day". Most of us were basically overwhelmed on that day - the excitement and all the information and the people you meet are all a bunch of "stuff" to take in during the relatively few hours that you are there. Take a camera (and use it), take a note book (and use it), don't be afraid to ask that question - yes, stop the person who is playing tape number 36 from memory and ask, ask, ask. Make sure that you actually understand the answer to that question and don't be afraid to ask it again if necessary. If something doesn't "look right" to you - ask about it. Be sure to actually test every thing and all systems on your new Ollie. If it doesn't work (or if you can't get it to work) don't be afraid to walk back over to the Service Department and ask for help. They (and the rest of Oliver people) are really nice and are actually glad to help you. Give yourself a break! You will forget things - there are simply way too many to remember. But - most of all - HAVE FUN!!!!! Bill p.s. We need pictures of your new rig! Most likely you will be in site #1 in the Oliver camping area. All of these sites have water and electric but the sewer dump is located up by the entrance road. If you can't find it then ask someone to point it out to you. Finally - if you are too tired to cook or simply want an easy dinner out then the Mexican place that is located right across the street (in the small strip mall) from Tractor Supply is fairly good. Also, WalMart is right there too in the event you think of anything you forgot to bring.

The answer to this question has a bunch of variables - the time the pump is run, how many times is the pump run, what is the pump being expected to "pull" and from how far, etc. I've never had a water pump fail under virtually any circumstances while others have had them fail after only a short period of time for a myriad of reasons. Having said all this - under the circumstances you describe, I think that you should do fine and that the standard water pump should serve you well for a number of years. But, if you are planning to really be way out in the boonies and/or don't want to take the chance on the pump failing, then simply by a "spare" to cover that base. I've virtually always used a 25 foot hose for the purpose you describe and the draw has usually been from the back of my tow vehicle or from a container located right at the inlet port. However, on two occasions I did draw from approximately 50 feet without difficulty. And, I've drawn from the back of my tow vehicle through a 25 foot hose while using a Camco water filter. If I understand your question correctly - the standard procedure is that the port draws water into your fresh water tank and you must configure the water valves in order to do this. Then you must reconfigure those water valves in order to pressurize the water lines inside the Oliver. I've never actually tried to draw directly from my tow vehicle and use that water inside the Oliver at the same time. My guess is that you can't do that. Bill

I realize that "having never owned a tow vehicle or a trailer" the question of "what kind of camping are you going to do" becomes a bit of a problem - you don't know what you don't know. But, try answering questions such as: we are interested in traveling to visit family, we want to see national parks, we want to see America, we want to go to Alaska, etc. And/or: we have experience camping in tents or backpacking and prefer getting out away from people; or, we enjoy a good meal and visiting museums. Do you have to have air conditioning? Living in Florida the answer is probably - yes. I have found that living in western North Carolina I only actually use my air conditioner less than 6 times a year. During those times I can stop at a campground that has full hookups and this saves me from having to have a generator. The standard air conditioner is noisy. Can you sleep with ear plugs or even the noise just may not bother you The standard battery setup on Oliver is fine if your intent is to virtually always use campgrounds that have electric hookups. However, if you really want to travel, the Oliver solar setup can't be beat. It allows you to camp virtually anywhere without having to sacrifice (much) in the way of electric usage. I've lived with the standard toilet for 8 years. But, normally I travel alone and I use rest areas and campground restrooms whenever possible. There are many ways around the issue of disposing of human waste. Lean on your Oliver sales agent "hard". Search this Forum for help on just about any topic that enters your mind regarding Olivers and camping. But, enjoy the process! It is a great learning experience that we all continue to have. Bill p.s. Welcome to our world!

If you are really going down this additional "rabbit hole" then I'd suggest getting some 1/2 inch foam pipe insulation and putting it on both the cold and hot water pipes. Even without removing the kitchen drawers you can shove that pipe insulation almost all the way to the entry door. Also relative to the above post - don't forget about putting some around the inside of the outside shower. With a pair of scissors and a little of that tape you can get a good layer around and over that plastic box. The same can be said of where your shore power comes through the outside wall. Another place is around the turn signals (from the inside of course) and that wall in the basement that separates the basement from the area under the street side bed. And - how about another layer around the Styrofoam that covers your water heater (assuming of course that you have the standard water heater). Get creative! But, be a bit careful around electric areas. Bill p.s. not only does that pipe insulation help with regards to freezing issues, but, it also helps keep your hot water a bit hotter such that you will lose less heat during the water's travels from the water heater to the shower in both warm and cold weather. And, it helps keep your water usage quieter - yes, some sound does travel from the water pump through the water its pipes. p.p.s. just remembered another place - the underside of those "hatches" that allow you to access the area under the dinette seats and under each bed. Actually instead of using Reflectix in these areas I used an insulation/sound proofing material like THIS STUFF. It not only insulates part of the bedding area but it also cuts noise from the water pump on the curb side.

Also get yourself some tape like THIS. That way you will not be getting the spray adhesive in places yo don't want or need. Indeed, where possible I'd only use the tape. The reason for this is because an air gap between two layers of the insulation will only increase the insulation qualities (i.e. R value). Then, with my Ollie I first looked at places that were most exposed to the cold and/or heat. Things like the basement door should be considered and, depending on what types of batteries you have, you might want to put a layer of insulation on the battery door. Then - the attic is a place and all areas you can reach in the between the hull's. Have fun! Bill

ALL absorption fridges work in this manner. It usually isn't a "problem" while traveling because the ammonia (liquid) gets "moved" around a fair amount in all directions. In fact - if one of these fridges stops working because of being left in a unleveled state for too long, driving it around on rough roads possibly will settle the liquid back to where its supposed to be and the fridge will work again. You can Google it but here is a quick idea of why they must be "fairly" level: RV fridges are susceptible to issues when not level because it can cause the ammonia/water solution to not flow properly and accumulate in low points of the system. Additionally, an unlevel RV can allow ammonia crystals to form inside the refrigerators piping.Oct 28, 2019 Basically, a good rule of thumb is that if you would feel "comfortable" living inside the trailer (i.e. sleeping) overnight, then the trailer is level enough for the fridge. However, the closer the trailer is to level in all directions - the better the fridge will work. Bill

Since we are "bumping an old thread" on this old subject for the benefit of the owners of older Ollies then we should also bump THIS THREAD which gives more background, frustrations/compliments by owners and explanations by Oliver staff along with what should be done if you are the owner of any Oliver with this problem that has not been previously fixed. Bill

Lookin' good! Bill

Actually - your assumption is correct. But, as SeaDawg mentions, the valve is located between the shower pan and the grey tank. This means that when you run water in the bath sink, the water flows towards the grey tank but when it hits that closed valve the water can't flow into the grey tank and, thus, winds up coming up through the drain in the shower pan. I agree that this is an honest mistake. But, I disagree that you will only do it once - at least if you are anything like me 🤪. I did this so often that I actually went out and bought a second shower mat so that I could let one dry while I still had one to use. Of course, once I bought that second mat I've hardy ever had the need to use it. But, like the good Boy Scout that I used to be - I'm prepared! Bill

More than likely, under the assumption that there is still a plastic plug in the water tank, anything inside the tank isn't causing your problem with the readout (however, this is still a possible explanation). As Steph and Dud B mentions above, Olivers are very susceptible to rather "wild" tank" readings due to the trailer not being level and this is due to the shape of the tanks. The sensors are on the exterior of the tanks - the easiest ones to actually see are the ones on the black tank. Lift the dinette seat nearest the bathroom to locate the black tank. Then look at the sensors usually located at the lower right side of the tank. Unless you have placed something against these exterior sensors that interferes with the connections it is unlikely that these are the source of the issue. Given where you live, I assume that you will be taking your Oliver back to Service at some point (something just before the first year's anniversary would be appropriate) in order to have it re-checked and to get anything fixed under your one year bumper to bumper warranty. Bill

Yes - the original Trojan T-105's are still in the same place. I thought that this year they just might give up the ghost but - they performed as they usually do during my major camping trip out west for fishing. Since new they have never been under 87% full! I'm fairly conservative on my usage of electricity but I do watch a DVD movie about three or four times each week. About all I use the microwave for is popcorn with the occasional heating of left overs for dinner. After treating the battery posts with anti-corrosion treatment during the first year I've never had to get after them with baking soda. But, I do clean them each time I wash the Ollie. I'm going to wait until Spring and assume that at that time I'll replace them. Certainly they don't owe me a dime and I'd rather not have them die while I'm on the road next year. Bill

Certainly my batteries (also lead acid and still original) were not delivered with those bolts. I'm guessing that there is nothing specifically "wrong" with them but .... I check my lead acid batteries about every 60 days and find that they usually require a bit of water - never more than a cup for all 4 batteries. During the winter I have a small solar panel always feeding them since I have a CalMark cover that shields the main panels on the roof. Bill

JD makes a good point about the solar switch being in the "on" position - it appears to be in the "off" position in your photo. Bill

When I originally started down the molded fiberglass trail I didn't know Oliver existed (like most of us). So, I arranged to take a tour of a Casita. My initial "problem" was that I could not stand straight up in the shower. But, as we sat at her dinette I looked around and saw that the "oak" cabinets were actually particle board with an "oak" decal. The floor simply looked "cheap" and the fit and finish was not good - and this was a trailer that was only one year old. A week later - I found Oliver!😃 Bill