Boudicca908

I was also warned not to draw antifreeze into the on-demand waterheater.... and that involves the same valve settings.

THANKS TO ALL for posting this!

How are you distinguishing the consumption -- are you resetting the trip meter in the truck?

Just as the hurricanes and mosquitoes quiet down the snowbirds start piling up!

Oh -- no I didn't have anything with me for sanitizing. I had to switch up those valves under the bed, unfortunately AFTER I had taken the latex mattress out of the plastic bag and put my linens on. And then I attached the water hose and turned on all the faucets (except later I discovered more antifreeze at the outside shower a few days later). It was trial by fire. Lucky for me, Tina and Greg invited me to have some luscious pot roast at their place -- it was the best pot roast ever!

My friend (who camped with a VW van for decades) used a 5 gallon bucket fitted with a toilet seat (lidded seats are available in many places). She lined the bucket with a heavy duty garbage bag and a diaper-change absorbent pad (or puppy pad); she bagged it and tossed it. My NH fan has worked so far -- but at the 3rd campground on my way home, the HANDLE fell off in my hand! The handle has a set-screw and it had fallen out -- luckily NOT down the shower drain!

@SeaDawg -- thanks for the great summary! So here's my report: On entering, I checked my batteries; they were/are full. I turned on the Xantrex Inverter and things came to life; many things, as proven by the many little lights twinkling everywhere. Plus I tried a light switch. Opened the house fan to vent. Turned on the one propane tank (one was empty), and I used the gas cooktop to bleed the air out. Sure enough, there was air and it took a few tries to light both burners. I followed the step-by-step in the manual for the N500 model (starts on pg 217 in the manual) -- even though mine is a "400", the controls match the "500" manual diagram and labels. This allows for selecting the mode from the 4 options (3-way for sources plus the auto mode, on the control). And.... It worked like a charm! I could hear it clicking about 3 different times and then heard it kick on. After 5 minutes I could tell it was cooling. YAY! Since one propane tank was empty and I wasn't sure of the level in the second, I decided to turn the fridge off for tonight. Got propane, checked my tires and lugs, took stock of supplies, loaded linens and a few dry goods. And then I left, feeling a lot more confident. Thanks to all of you! I am sold on the idea of a remote temperature gauge -- actually I want to find the name/model/brand that Charlie Hall showed me when I met him at the factory -- Hey there Charlie! @Time2Go! -- Charlie & Cindy have a device that reads remotely (small hand-held reader) with multiple sensors that they have located in the fridge, the freezer, the basement and I think one is just in the cabin space. I think it includes a hygrometer, which would be great! I'm going to attach a photo of it here (except it looks like a broken link?) I also like the cold-sink idea to cut down on cooling time. And boon-docking is what I'm aiming for, as I work to get my legs under me on the process. Big hat-tip to the Oliver Forum for all the great discussion and advice. 234567788_CharlieHallTime2Gowirelessthermohygrometer.jpg

I agree with this statement. I suppose it could be viewed as simply adding 'fridge power switch" to the routine list each time one sets up or leaves camp...

Good grief. So I'm looking at the diagram in the manual for the N500 -- THAT diagram is what my panel looks like. It includes the "auto" setting. Supposedly, N400 model is 4+cf, while N500 model is 5+cf. And the "3" suffix on the model number indicates 3-way (AC DC Propane) functions. I don't know why, but the N400.x section of the manual doesn't show or talk about the Auto function. I guess that's why I was reading under the N500 paragraph, because it's diagram matches my fridge control panel. And that is where it states that it requires DC power for the control panel. Once I get it started, and on propane, does everyone agree that the control panel will be able to function using the lithium battery? It does have DC Operation Precautions and Guidelines stating to only use the DC 'mode' while in transit, with a battery in 'fully charged' condition, and only to maintain cold, not for initial chill-down of the unit. Thanks to all for the information -- I'll follow up after I test it out.

I thought about that -- it's so easy to see the flame -- but I also wondered if air could be trapped inside the lines at the fridge. I'm going to first try by relying on the lithium batteries for the ignition, and see if that works; then I'll hook up to the truck, if need be. Seems like once I get it running, it only takes a day ahead of the trip to get cold enough to transfer frozen and chilled foods. I'll readily admit that I feel timid about using the lithium and solar power system without enough knowledge and experience; an increase in that knowledge is what I hope to gain at the rally. I watched the panels to see what was happening as the batteries were charging, but I haven't tried boondocking yet. There is a LOT I have to test and learn about yet.

How does it ignite the flame without power? Maybe I'm not understanding the manual.... Hmmm. OH. So I see that I read from the wrong model paragraph, but still, this is strange, to me. From the manual: Operating the Ref Controls (N400 models) -- mine is "N412.3FUL" according to my delivery checklist... it doesn't have this paragraph that is under the .... (N510 models) -- "A 12 volt or DC power supply is necessary for the control functions of the refrigerator to operate. The refrigerator receives power from the 12 volt system of the vehicle; either an auxiliary battery, a converter, or the vehicle engine battery." HOWEVER, the N400 model instructions does read: "Start up - AC operation: Make sure 120 volts is available. Turn the selector switch to the AC position. Set the thermostat. Start up - DC operation (3-way model N400.3): Make sure that 12 volts DC is available. Turn the selector switch to DC position. Shut down: Turn the selector switch to the OFF position."

Thank you ScubaRx -- Yes, the Norcold runs on AC, propane and DC -- in that order, when set to "Auto". My delivery person recommended "Auto" and that is the only setting I've used so far. They also explained that the down-side of the Auto setting is that the panel doesn't indicate which system is actually being used at the time. I don't remember ever seeing a flame or flame indicator on the fridge; I don't even know where to look for it. Parts of the manual are for components that may be similar to, but are not exactly what was installed. I understand that this is due to issues with shortages and availability. I know the microwave is one that is different, but I have yet to systematically go through, mark up my manual, and hunt online for the missing component manuals. The Norcold manual states that the fridge needs DC power to start (to ignite the burner) in order to use the propane mode. It mentions the potential for air in the propane lines when it's been off or out of propane, and that this can create a fault code. They have suggested steps to work through bleeding the air, with cautions about fire and explosions if you hold the safety valve in too long (oh fun!) It states, "when a flame is present and the flame meter moves into the green area, wait about 5 seconds and release the safety valve." So if it's not working, I guess the flame meter won't move into the green area. Can you actually see the flame from the backside (outside) by removing the vent cover?

In preparation for the rally next week, I've been organizing things to take back to my Oliver -- gathering tools, etc, as well as revisiting manuals, checklists and thinking about what I need to do before travel. This will be my first trip since bringing my Oliver home from the factory. I've had the fridge off, and open to air circulation while stored this past month. Sadly, my Oliver is stored about 35 minutes away from home, and without shore power available. I can't seem to find any clue how long it takes the refrigerator to chill and the freezer to reach freezing. I looked through my manual, and the forum. A friend suggested that I just turn it on and let it use the solar power, but I wasn't sure about doing that without being close enough to monitor what it's doing. Also, the manual seems to indicate DC power is needed to turn the Norcold on -- is that best accomplished with the truck hooked up and running? I have everything turned off. Reading about other owners encountering problems I realized I had better at test the fridge sooner rather than later. Any incite is welcome.

I took delivery at the end of March and slowly made my way back to the Florida swamp. At the factory campground I was thankful to have some wonderful guidance and help from veteran owners who were there for service visits, and some of us met up again at other campgrounds in Tennessee. There were a few hiccups (yet to be addressed) and I'm still learning that I have a lot to learn about the systems, but it's all good. I really love my Oliver and I'm thrilled to begin new adventures. The rally is just around the corner!

I called ahead and my refrigerator was cold, as requested. It did seem odd that my Oliver was winterized and the delivery person told me it was "standard procedure" for it to be delivered that way. It meant that at the end of a long day, trying to set up for the first time, I was then faced with de-winterizing the trailer before I could settle down for the night. It was a lot to do, for a single person.