Boudicca908

Another update: 1) the Truma WH has a 2-yr warranty; 2) Riverwood RV Service was in contact with Mike; it seems they all suspect the WH to be the faulty device. They’re ordering a replacement. Fingers crossed!

Brief and incomplete update, because I have to report to duty in 5 minutes: I will definitely let the forum community know what happens. The small brass tip on the regulator that came with my Blackstone came OFF with the propane bottle when I detached it yesterday -- and yes, all the propane left in that bottle escaped. I had to wait for it to settle down and was thankful I had needle-nose type pliers to reach the nut and remove it from the bottle. I'll reach out to Blackstone about that; the brass tip screws into a 'silver' colored metal section and I see no propane tape or anything in that joint; not sure yet if it will go back together and hold the pressure. RATS. So... I'll probably end up buying a cooktop. I brought food to cook that doesn't work on the grill. Glad I have a truck that can handle all this equipment I'm adding. I went to the ND Heritage Museum for much of the day yesterday, plus hit the Costco for fuel and sundries. Thank you for this. I think it's probably worth having this tool, even if I don't plan to 'fix' an issue on my own. Nutshell: they had the trailer 8 hours and didn't definitively confirm the source/s of the leak. They DID confirm there is a leak with a drop test that "held for 7 or 11 or even 20 minutes and then suddenly dropped." More later.

@SeaDawg thanks for the great feedback and ideas. I had a headache the morning the alarm went off, and that's a rarity for me (maybe once every 10-15 years) so I took it as a warning. Luckily I do have shore power on the days I'm parked for my volunteer job with US Fish & Wildlife -- but the idea was to get out camping and exploring on my days off (up to a week at a time) so that's frustrating. And after Labor Day the plan is to be on the road, but as you say, a hard-shelled tent is better than my favorite canvas side any day. Did I say 5 lb tanks? D'oh! What I brought as backup is (4) 1 lb tanks, the non-refillable type. However, I can buy a 5 lb tank and while I'm working they will refill it for me! I do not have a generator (yet). I need to learn a lot more before I buy one. I must learn to use (and manage) my lithium batteries. Boondocking is my goal, but I have so much to learn. Trial by Fire might get me there sooner than I imagined. Every time I begin to read the manual, I feel lost before page 2. I feel like I need to take a course in electrical systems .... I need to check the videos in Oliver University again, and maybe other sites. All suggestions are welcome. Small electric heaters sound tempting.... any favorites? I was thinking about buying a decent moist heating pad, just to take the chill off, like this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008UZT4YU/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 -- it has 3 temp settings, plus an automatic shut-off after 25 minutes (you don't have to hold the button to keep it on). My friend, who is a massage therapist, owns this model and highly recommends it. I've also thought about induction hotplates; I have friends who use them exclusively (in small apartments, overseas). I'm trying not to gather too much gear, though. I'm going to try to make my grill work for the time being, and I love cooking outdoors (except when the mosquitoes come out). After reading all the possible gas leak areas (I had just switched to the other tank, for instance, and a thread mentioned a leak at the tank setting off the alarm), and then thinking about the toxicity, I called Riverwood RV Service Center in Mandan ND and they were very accommodating -- they are going to fit me in first thing on Thursday (the other place was booked for 3 weeks) and try to service before the end of the day if possible. I had to empty the fridge of course (I'm very lucky to have a fridge here on site to use). I moved my latex mattress from the curb side to the street side, to make access to the water pumps easier, for me and them, if they have to dig around. I'm trusting that I don't have to empty the entire trailer, and that things will be safe while it's in service. It's true that my bike-camping experience has come in handy, many times. I can get by with very bare minimum and still be happy. And even with some issues to handle, I really really love my Oliver. I'll update as things progress.

Where do people find these diagrams? I looked in my manual and didn't find anything... thank you for posting them.

Thanks! I've been wondering, because my search efforts have not been up to par on this forum. And I just know there is information there!

After a year of life’s distractions, I am finally able to take my Oliver on the road. In February, I had the trailer serviced by a local service center in Southwest Florida, with the standard tire check, grease and lubrication, and checking the sealant on the shell. No service was done on other systems. I've been traveling since July 5th. Eleven days later, I'm trying to figure out how to ascertain the source of a suspected propane leak. On July 10th-11th I stopped at a friend's house, keeping the Norcold 3-way fridge cold with propane, but otherwise out of the trailer for 2 days. I noticed a bad smell when opening the door (more like dead animal than propane) but couldn’t find the source of smell. One day later while camping, with the fridge on AC, I noticed propane odor after making my morning meal. Early the following morning of the 16th, while I was in the shower naturally, an alarm went off. (hahaha) It took me a minute in my morning stupor to realize it was the RVSafe unit. Then I realized I could distinctly smell propane. I had not used the Dometic stove yet that morning (the fridge was running on AC), but I HAD just been using my Truma Insta-Hot Water Heater. I opened the windows, shut off the propane, and used the Maxx Fan to vent the trailer. I opened the top 2 drawers below the stove and I’m sure I could smell propane in there. Now I’m at my summer “job” in the middle of North Dakota, volunteering for US Fish & Wildlife, where my Oliver is my home — but I’m without my stove, furnace and water heater. It’s in the 40s at night — that’s okay for me, but I’m worried about freezing temps in the near future, with my city water connection. Needless to say, I feel hogtied. I’ve tried using dawn+water to look for bubbles on the one section of gas pipe that I can see under the Dometic Stove (didn’t see anything); I did this with the tank on, with the tank on plus stove lit, and with the tank off, but saw nothing. I looked at the back of the fridge (outside panel) and tried the soap test there also, to no avail. I have not checked out the Truma WH. I did not hear anything hissing at the propane tanks. My one tank emptied and I switched to the second, just a day or or so before this, and I was surprised, since they had been filled just before the trip. Mike, our excellent technician with the Oliver service department, isn’t allowed to verbally walk us through “how-to” on propane issues, due to liability. He sent me 3 recommended Service Centers — all an hour drive away, which I could do on my “day off” but I would need to sleep in my trailer overnight. I don’t know what I should expect in terms of this type of service — how long to expect it to take to track down the issue nor how long to repair, but obviously I’m in a jamb given my housing and my obligations at my job an hour from service locations. Mike confirmed that there is no ’shut off valve’ between the tanks and the trailer, so I can’t use my quick connect to cook on my grille either; I may have to use the 5 lb tanks, as long as they last. Questions: 1) I saw mention of a “sniffer”. Is that a technical term? (joking) On Amazon (my quickest option, I think) they range from $18 to $70. Are there preferred brands, or preferred options that I should look for? How reliable are they? It might help me source the issue, but not fix it. 2) Should I suspect the WH since I was using it just before the alarm? 3) Should I suspect the fridge, since it was on propane while sitting for a few days? 4) Are there any other suggestions that might help me approach a solution — both for short term living and ultimate fix? 5) How long does it take to find propane leaks (probably .. "depends" but I'll ask anyway.) My lunch break is over, so I’m going to wrap this…. I'll check for replies as I can. Thanks in advance for any assistance. Oliver #1060, March 2022 production date. *** I searched the forum ... "propane leak" "propane stove leak" "dometic propane leak”, read through 6 pages of results, but haven't found a similar question or solution, but please point me in that direction if I missed an earlier thread for this. ***

I discovered a leak under my sink last week. Luckily a friend knew to check this area and mine was not tightened down either. I think that resolved my leak, but I need to check it more thoroughly. Right now I can't access due to mobility limitations after hip replacement.

I'm not sure I'd be comfortable lighting a flame right in front of my tanks. My Blackstone was initiated last night when I reached my destination in North Dakota. I'm very pleased with it!

I discovered that some of the Costco locations offer diesel -- yesterday Costco in Bismarck ND sold diesel for $3.29. My Costco membership is paid for in savings easily. I do wish that my local warehouse in Florida carried diesel.

If you can access USAA (for veterans and family members of service members) I can recommend USAA for truck and trailer. They didn't offer insurance on the trailers when I purchased my Oliver, but this year I learned they started offering it. LAST year, I lived through Hurricane Ian and my tow vehicle did NOT. USAA was prompt and easy to deal with, and I had a replacement before the end of October (less than a month later - which is good, since many of the vehicles in SW Florida were totaled and the supply was lean). I've only had to use them for vehicle issues (being rear-ended and then the hurricane) but both times I had excellent service.

Is this to protect from rocks and mud?

At Denali, I highly recommend the End of the Road bus tour with the guide -- it was one of the highlights of my 3 weeks in Alaska (sans Oliver)...

My water was flowing fine (using city hookups) and then, after visiting a particular campsite it wouldn't flow at the next campground. At that previous site, I noticed that the water started out muddy at the spigot -- I flushed until it was clear before hookup, but I believe that the hose was clogged. Good pressure from the spigot but nothing through the hose (and I tried the filter on its own and it was fine). Bought a new hose and it worked.

My friends sighted an Oliver I in a KOA campground near DesMoines Iowa either 7/10 or 7/11 -- the next morning they walked around and it was already gone. I'm wondering who it was?

Thanks to all for the examples of calculations -- We have to be mindful that some people's Olivers might have different tires (am I right, that they had to switch during tight supply chain issues?)....

I took my Oliver in for service at the highest recommended local place (I'm so far from Oliver).... and when I got home I found that they had inflated the tires to the max. This is just a reminder to check the pressures, if you've had your Oliver serviced 'elsewhere'.

Yet another excellent post for learning! That closet is where I stowed my telescoping ladder, tool box, tackle box, a portable fan, bucket, dirty laundry bag, shoes, extra peat and TP. All my clothes fit in the rear-most overhead compartment above the TV. I'll move those tools out of there. I've carried several 1-gallon jugs of water on the floor but I tucked them under the dining table, and they stayed put. I don't tow with water in the tank, and I have a composting toilet so I don't carry black water either. I do have the solar lithium batteries. What makes the starboard side heavy -- is it the appliances? So this is all new to me for consideration, the caution of keeping weight off the tongue (in the trailer, and I'm assuming ALSO in the rear-most part of the truck bed?) but ALSO not letting the tongue be too light? What? I've already started weighing my gear etc and have it on a spreadsheet, organized by where I had planned to carry it all (for ease of finding it as well as keeping tabs on my payload and overall trailer weight). Is there a recommended tutorial on this topic?

@SeaDawg thank you -- I decided on the Blackstone, all things considered, and after all my research, I feel sure I'll be very happy with it. Though I love cooking and do bring my own carbon steel, cast iron, Futura pressure cooker, etc, I can see advantages in simply cooking directly on a griddle much of the time. I can't wait, because it will be moving all that heat and grease splatter out of my Oliver! And part of the beauty of the Blackstone is double-duty during powerless hurricanes and other emergencies.... I also ordered the conversion kit from propanegear.com (hat tip to Oliver Owners Forum for the BEST information and links!) -- those people were very helpful and I'll have it by next week. Campstoves -- I have my favorite backpacking stove (Trangia) that I kept from my cross-country bike-camping days. For Hurricane Ian I bought fuel for it. Regards Hurricane Ian, thanks for the kind words -- I feel pretty darned lucky, actually. Many friends are still homeless, and lost everything. Many households have taken in family and friends. We must be in the same general vicinity. Thanks everyone!

From living on sand bar (Florida) it might not seem too bad, but it also depends on the bugs. Thank you so much for keeping us posted on this fabulous journey!

Thank you everyone for the great input, and also to other's questions about alternative uses, the use of pots and pans, weight, ease of storage, etc -- I am looking for one device that can grille and/or griddle but also cook in a pot. Unfortunately, I lost my father's 60-year-old gas Coleman and an inherited Weber Q-style in Hurricane Ian; I hadn't personally used either of these, so I'm starting from scratch. I keep thinking that I want a camp stove (for smaller size and weight, but mostly because burners are more conducive to using pots and pans, including a cast iron skillet). Having read this review https://www.thespruceeats.com/how-many-btus-do-you-need-334918 I see that BTU measurements don't tell the whole story... For those who use the Blackstone, is it enough heat to truly sear a steak? Do you recommend it with or without the hood? Is it really carbon steel without a nonstick coating? That would be great -- oddly, I can't find that information on the website. The Coleman Road Trip also looks interesting; it produces 11,000 btus. I do see on the website it appears that the burners are adjustable to use either one side or the entire length; maybe it's only showing that one control is for the center burner and the other is for the outer ring? https://www.coleman.com/grills-stoves/grills/roadtrip-225-portable-tabletop-propane-grill/SAP_2000033047.html Someone mentioned a CampChef (in a related post) -- is it this? https://www.campchef.com/rainier-2-burner-grill-%26-stove-combo-|-camp-chef/CC-MSGGX.html or this The Partner Stoves are very nice looking and light weight, but sadly out of my budget. I love that they are made here in the US. My brother suggested I could just buy a one-burner outdoor propane ring... I see that many of those are high-output only, so might not be suitable for simmering (there are online complaints that the flames go out unless full-bore)... I looked at a Weber Traveler yesterday and it appears to be one burner across the entire section (all on or all off?) - I feel it would be too much for me as a single person. It's also a lot larger and heavier in life than I imagined; I would probably struggle getting it in and out of the back of my truck, with the current limitations from my hip replacement. Thanks @dhaig for the great photos of your hose assembly setup. I'm hoping that I can figure this out, whatever device I end up buying! There is one trailer supply place, about 45 minutes from me, and I'm gathering my info before I make a call and a trek out to them.

Greetings All -- I'm shopping for a camp stove, mostly to move the heat and mess outdoors. I love to cook my own food, and often like to grille (meats veggies fish) so outdoors makes more sense to me. I'm curious what other Oliver owners have found and liked (or not) in the way of camp stoves. So far I've looked at the Weber Q series (needs a table), the Weber Traveler (mixed reviews due to length of time to get hot and lid popping open when moving), and the old basic Colemans (though I discovered this morning on Amazon that the "Coleman 1900" series, supposedly based on the old fashioned ones with cast iron grilles, describes the main material as PLASTIC). If a table is needed, I'll have to buy one of those as well. I'm also focused on compatibility of the camp stove with the Oliver Quick connect. Please feel free to move this if the General Discussion is not the right place for this post. I did try to search in the forum; only found a few posts about changing out hoses. Also, I will mention, I've been offline tending to things here since last summer's Hurricane Ian, and then the bother of a hip replacement. Now that that's done..... I'm itching to hit the road! I hope everyone out there is having a good time.

Has anyone worked out a way to LOCK the batteries down or equipped the battery storage with a different type of lock?

As in -- replace the entire lockset with something different? I've been wondering about this as well, especially for my batteries.

I can't seem to find anything on the website about "auto renewal".....

Hats off to your blog for the great information and maps. Also for your list of things to buy for the Oliver on Amazon, also helpful.