John E Davies

The main issue with the factory install is that they use a sealant around the perimeter, it is easy to break the cubby free with a thin stainless putty knife, but it is a royal PITA to clean all the sealant off and apply new. I haven’t finished there yet, I plan to use exposed screws and no sealant at all, except I am applying liquid electrical tape to the water pump switch and light to seal them. I don’t feel there is a need for a door as some owners have done, unless you want to store stuff in there like paper products… I did have Oliver install a small inspection port in the closet, so I could at least take a peek in there to look for leaks. Any owner could do this pretty easily, mine is a 5 inch port. I just don’t get why the installer felt he had to put sealer around all these small interior parts. Better cosmetics I guess. But why inside the closet? All of mine has yellowed already. John Davies Spokane WA. .

I have been rooting around under the bath sink for the last two days. Yikes: unsecured wiring, gaffers tape, peeling aluminum tape… Disconnected the unused flush line, added a longer section where it teed into the main water line. Found somebody’s lost boa under my floor, this seems to be quite common… Added a 3 inch adjustable elbow from Home Depot, plus a whole bunch of extra insulation, bubble type up high where there was NONE installed, and a complete layer of 1” R5 pink stuff everywhere else. Cut off three feet of the snake and attached to the elbow, rotated the elbow against the waste pipe and secure it in two places, I get quite a bit more airflow now, some is due to the elimination of the extra duct, some is due to the free flowing steel elbow.Drilled return air holes in the top of the cubby nook thing. Drilled my factory installed inspection plate in the closet to turn it into an air return. Getting there….. I have lots more holes to drill because I am also going to completely eliminate the factory furnace inlet and insulate that wall completely to kill the horrible fan noise. All the return HV air will go through the wall and floor cavities and spaces. John Davies Spokane WA

Bravo, I am glad you got it sorted. test runs are good. John Davies Spokane WA

More pics

RV Absorption Refrigerator Fires.pdfRV Absorption Refrigerator Fires.pdfRV Absorption Refrigerator Fires.pdf I recently pulled out my 3 way Dometic from Hull 218 and found this: That spot is right at the upper exit of the burner flue. Not good at all! I am going to install an Isotherm 130 DC/ AC fridge, the same unit Oliver is currently using, but it appears to be lost in shipping. Related thread: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/8816-removed-my-dometic-fridge-a-couple-of-concerns/#comment-86140 FYI it is so EXTREMELY difficult to remove and then reinstall these in the older Hulls with their tiny outside vent openings, that you should just plan on doing the conversion. Also, I was informed that the reason Oliver started using the Isotherms as standard equipment is that the supply of 3 way fridges THIS SIZE has dried up. Dometic "requires" that they be completely inspected and tested ANNUALLY, which just isn't going to happen in an old Ollie. You simply cannot see the parts in situ. Mine has six short camping seasons of wear. FYI here are some pics of my old fridge:

Please re-read the thread title….. ”charge in lithionics” Don’t worry, we all have times like this. 😀 John Davies Spokane WA

I would be very careful with completely dead lithiums, most likely they shut down safely, but maybe not. Refer to their manual and take your time. Your generator probably has a set of DC charging cables with big alligator clips, you can hook them to the batteries directly and they will basically bypass everything inside the trailer. Once they take enough charge, they should wake up by themselves to allow you to charge them from the onboard unit. Alternatively remove and transport them elsewhere to be charged individually. The BIG question is, why are they dead? You can raise the jacks manually, you should have received a Zee shaped tool…. John Davies Spokane WA

Notice they trailers are nose to tail, so it is a pretty and artificial photo set. And no wear on the decks…. Maybe because they are just resting haphazardly on fresh cut grass and not real. Or is that AstroTurf? I did promise not to say anything negative, so this is as far as I go. I hope everyone is having a great weekend. John Davies spokane WA

I suggest that you investigate flexible panels that can be bonded directly to the gel coat. There are pros and cons - such as they transmit heat to the mounting surface and they can scratch - but they are WAY lighter than flat glass panels , don’t look bad, and don’t create any aero drag. I believe they have been obtaining better efficiency ratings in the last few years. https://news.energysage.com/flexible-solar-panels/ At least run that by Oliver Service to get their feedback. I love my panels but IMHO they are beyond ugly on an Ollie. John Davies Spokane WA

Thanks, this was discussed a while back, 43 ft lbs. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/6812-check-your-rear-jack-mount-hardware-bottom-frame-bolts-were-1-turn-loose/ John Davies Spokane WA

ALL the dead air spaces need proper ventilation, the closet, pantry, under the dinette, overhead cabinets, the bathroom. It evens out temperature variations, reduces the likelihood of mildew if you are unlucky enough to live east of the Rockies, reduces heat stress on the electronics like your inverter and batteries. I wish the furnace fan could easily be run on a very low “fan only” speed, that would really help in stinky hot weather to pull all the trapped heat out of the dead spaces... The more holes, the better, in an Ollie. IMHO. John Davies Spokane WA

That is a great idea, but be sure to leave access to the four big bolts on that flange, so that they can be retorqued routinely. They DO loosen over time. Some sort of “hat” with foamed insulation inside it might be possible, as long as it is easily removable. For example cover the flange with plastic wrap. John Davies Spokane WA

Stop on by sometime, you can take a look, I do not plan on opening it up myself for quite a while. John Davies Spokane WA

Welcome, I will be very interested to hear how your Rivian does with 6000 pounds of Ollie behind it. I am sure you have fully researched the pros and cons, such as having to find a secure place to park and disconnect the trailer when recharging the truck. This article is useful. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a38911919/rivian-r1t-towing-tested/ What does Rivian say about weight distribution hitches? John Davies Spokane WA

The gearbox housing spins on the round shaft when you loosen the three Allen socket screws. You should not need to do any grinding, tho a couple of owners have done that. Read through this thread and the linked thread for the rear jacks. Be sure to check all the big bolts for security, they do loosen. Check that all three Allen screws are there! https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/4094-how-to-vip-3000-electric-stabilizer-jack-service/ Part of “correct” servicing is removing the old caked grease - that is the wax carrier and most of the actual lubricating oil has gone away… . The stuff on your outside shafts should be flushed out with a good solvent like brake cleaner. Grease plus silica grit equals valve grinding compound…. That destroys the chrome plating. I leave mine bone dry. Have fun. Look through my How To videos if you have not already. John Davies Spokane WA

Neat idea! I love it. The manufacturers do not put on filters (in this country) because most owners would: Not know it was there. Not care if it was. Never change it. Burn out the fan motor. Complain on the internet about it. I hate dust. I wish there were ways to keep it out entirely…. https://urbancaravans.com.au/dust-suppression-system/ https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/5790-how-to-window-dust-pollen-smoke-filter/ https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/3291-honeywell-hpa-compact-air-filters-for-pollen-dust-and-smoke-particles/ This subject has been on mind a loooong time but I have never done anything about it: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2598-cabin-pressurization-system-to-prevent-dust-infiltration If you will do the R &D and test it on some gnarly ranch roads, and post a report, I will follow your lead. Did I mention that I hate dust? John Davies Spokane WA

You can leave the plastic cover off all the time, it is a rain shield and completely open at the bottom. It isn’t needed in an Ollie. That way you can inspect the hose connections more easily. And it saves weight, the trailer will be lots faster…. John Davies Spokane WA

Yes, when the shackle flips that side of the trailer droops down. It is very easy to spot by looking in your rear view mirror. At least it is on mine, with the bubble level mounted there. John Davies Spokane WA

That is REALLY common with tandem axles, it is called shackle flip. Mine does it on both sides whenever I service the bearings. The easy peasy way to fix it is to find a parking lot with curbs, island landscaping works great, then drive both the wonky side tires up and along the curb. Bang, it will flip back where it belongs. You can do it on city streets too but it is harder, you have to find a curb cut (driveway) and be a lot more precise in your steering,. I don’t understand why this isn’t in the owners manuals. I bet Oliver Service gets really tired about talking about this. I have had to fix it on “Mouse” maybe a half a dozen times. John Davies Spokane WA

I did it just now. I had to consent to being contacted, that is OK since the fridge is coming from there and I am already getting hammered with emails.... John Davies Spokane WA

PM sent back. The parts are spoken for. John Davies Spokane WA

That video is for an older analog version, not the new digital Intelligent one. The old one does indeed require lots of work. The new one needs a single hole in the fridge I think. Not counting the holes to mount the display, I am going to put mine under the microwave. John Davies Spokane WA

That is why I was going to make a drop-in tray which would be very easy to remove to clean up. It would probably need a rubber pad on top, like the cabinets. Any junk down deep comes out with a shop vac. If I can’t locate suitable soft storage bins, I can always use small duffles or stuff sacks. I have the basics for woodwork, I can rip and route and drill press, but the cuts don’t always go exactly where I planned. John Davies Spokane WA

That is brilliant, thank you, I think my wife will go for that over a drawer. John Davies Spokane WA

BTW, I decided to use the microwave ventilation slots to vent the fridge, I am going to drill a bunch of big holes directly behind the microwave and down into the fridge cavity. I haven’t quite figured out the lower vents yet, but the two big outside holes in the hull will be sealed up tight! No more dust or water entry! John Davies Spokane WA