topgun2

Interesting question - As we all know - our hulls are made in a fashion similar to a boat. As such, there are limited places that something like water can run from the inner bottom shell down into the outer bottom shell. However, there certainly are places where this can happen as can be seen in the pics below. But, certainly a hole in the shell can be easily seen in the one picture and it just so happens this hole is located under the fridge where I assume the propane and electric lines are run. Note that this picture is looking from the outside into the area under the kitchen sink. Water can also get between the shells in places like where the entrance door is located. I've also included a picture of the bottom outside shell in order to see all those places where water just might collect. For those unfamiliar with "Scupper holes" on the Oliver, they can be seen by looking under any Oliver while looking for stainless steel cups or cones that open towards the rear of the Oliver. These pieces actually create a "venturi effect" while driving down the road which draws air out from between the inner and outer shells thus helping dry any moisture that may be in between the shells. Bill

Bryon - Well - While the scupper holes will allow "running water" (perhaps read that to mean "a fair amount of water") to drain, there are still a number of places inside the hulls that will catch the water. Certainly moving the Ollie up and down (front to back) and side to side such as when you are traveling down the road, will help "release" this water from places where the water can catch or collect. For what water is left over, the scupper holes provide for air movement between the hulls. The greater the air movement - the faster the water will evaporate. Indeed, this is one of the main purposes of these scupper holes - to help remove condensation (water) from between the hulls. Bill p.s. Maple syrup is probably another story give its viscosity and residual it would leave after it evaporates. Read the thread about the leaking sewer hoses and cleaning what was left over after the leak.

At first I thought that I'd eventually remember to turn that case right side up before opening it but, then, I simply put a strap on it. The "fun" of putting all those Pittsburgh sockets back in the individual places where they belonged soon lost its appeal!🤪

Are you certain that your charge controller is set properly?

There are "scupper" holes in the very bottom of your Oliver which should allow "most" of this water to drain out. However, if I were you I'd make sure to prop open the "hatches" under your beds and dinette area in order to allow for more air flow therefore drying this area out even faster. Bill

Yes, there is a fuse on the wire(s) leading away from where the wires come out of the back of the propane detector. The purpose of the switch is that it is a bunch easier to find this switch at "zero dark thirty" than it is to find that fuse and dismantle it when you are still half asleep, the alarm is going off and your significant other is yelling. Bill p.s. It should go without saying that in the event anyone decides to deactivate this alarm via either a switch or via the removal of the fuse, they should first determine that there is no actual leak. And, either the fuse should be replaced in its original position and/or the switch turned back to the "on" position as soon as possible. Failure to do this could be extremely detrimental to your health.

What batteries do you have in your Ollie?

Good question - My leak (as I mentioned) was under the dinette seat nearest the bath. There is a small section of "rubber" that connects to two sections of black sewer pipe under that seat. This rubber section is held in place with a standard stainless steel hose clamps similar to THIS. Apparently the screw tightening device on the clamp gave up the ghost thus causing the clamp to loosen/fail. Since I was on the road at the time (near West Yellowstone, MT) the first thing I did after determining the location of the leak was to simply try to tighten the clamp. Unfortunately, that did work in that turning the screw on the clamp did nothing at all. The good news is that the ACE Hardware store in West Yellowstone had a clamp that was very simple to install. Bill

Does the solar controller on the 200 watt panels allow for different batteries? Mine does not - therefore I can not change anything on my solar controller. If yours does allow changes then I'd set it to whatever you have in your Ollie. The Jackery has a lithium battery which (as I understand it) can be charged at AGM setting but the lithium will simply either not fully charge and/or it will not be charging at the optimum rate(s). Bill

The picture I posted is from under the aft dinette seat between the hulls - there is nothing at all to see from the seating area under the dinette. In the picture I posted - the "white" area that is behind the aluminum switch holder is actually looking through the hole of the propane/co alarm from the inside to the outside area under the dinette. Sorry but I don't have any other pics of the "full" installation which would show the actual switch. However, the switch is simply mounted in that hole you can see in the aluminum mount. Hope this helps. Bill p.s. here is a better pic taken from JD's post on the subject:

Yes...that's it. Just be certain that your new panels have their own solar controller and that the polarity (reversing adapter (if necessary) are there. Bill Just to be safe - you might also want to check the fuse on that Zamp external port.

This might be a good place to bring back an older thread concerning the installation of a mod for the purpose of TEMPORILY stopping that noise in the middle of the night from these "false" alarms. At about the same time John Davies and I installed a switch on the back side of the propane/co alarm. This simple on/off switch can be used to turn this alarm off in the middle of the night without having to search for the fuse and can be used while the Ollie is in storage to remove one more parasitic drain off the batteries. John came up with the idea of being sure to place a ribbon (or something) in a very visible spot to remind you that you have turned this detector off - a good idea. Anyway - here is mine and JD's looks very similar. The power wire to the propane detector is cut and placed on a switch that is mounted in the hole in the bracket. I used epoxy to attach the bracket to the interior of the wall below the aft dinette seat - where the detector is already located. Bill 2 inch square bracket for propane switch.jfif

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