John E Davies

On my trailer it is quite awkward to reach that PEX tube, you have to go around the rear jack and mudflap. I think anything large like a Shark Bite connector would be vulnerable to a rock strike, and you risk all your fresh water vanishing en route if it should come off (if the inside drain is left open). Is there some reason you don’t want to use the outside shower or the galley faucet for dog water? John Davies Spokane WA

I think it would be better to switch to diesel fired appliances - a Webasto combination furnace/ on-demand hot water heater and a stovetop, and a DC compressor fridge. These fridges run at about 50% duty cycle typically and use about 3 amps, way way less than the electric heater in a 3-way fridge, which is about 15 amps. The diesel stuff is extremely compact and reliable, you would gain a bunch of storage volume in back where the existing furnace and HWH are now, and you could ditch the propane bottles and the doghouse and mount a neat cargo rack in their place. A 3 gallon plastic diesel tank could be located in a number of places. The cost of a whole bunch of panel$ and a whole bunch of lithium batterie$ would be more than the cost of switching to diesel, and you would not be in big trouble if the sun doesn’t shine or you want to park under a tree. Most locations out West other than commercial RV parks don’t have any kind of hookup….. John Davies Spokane WA

SteveCr - “Jounce” control is one thing the Andersen does quite well, the only way to know if it will improve is to try adjusting the nuts. Sometimes just half a turn works wonders. Don’t over do it though, because added chain tension is not good because it causes more wear on the ball and tends to bind up everything when you are maneuvering. It will never completely eliminate motion on nasty roads, that would be a miracle. At first I was going to comment that the bushings don’t look very compressed, but that may be fine, all Ollie’s are a little different . Use the setting that feels best to you, not the one that the guy in Service thought was adequate… One thing you can do which will really stabilize the truck is install better tires, those passenger tires are squishy and squirmy. Light truck (D or E rated) tires are better for towing, but you will definitely miss that marshmallow soft ride. They also operate at a slightly higher pressure. When I changed the ones on my 200 the improvement in handling was dramatic, but you sure do feel more bumps…. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.tires-easy.com/blog/p-metric-tires/ BTW I noticed that you are using the weight of fresh water for your black tank estimate, the contents are actually heavier because of the, uhmmmm solids. You’re welcome. 😜 John Davies Spokane WA

Whatever kinds of food you like to eat. And cashews. John Davies Spokane WA

Offer politely to assist if they are having obvious trouble backing, but be aware that you will assume a whole lot of responsibility. If he misinterprets your signals and bashes his trailer into a rock, he will be mad at you, guaranteed. I recommend that everyone carry a pair of cheap FRS hand held radios (walkie talkies) for those occasions when your cell phone won’t work. Yelling and frantic arm waving is simply crude and ineffective. If you arrive at a tricky site, and your spotter steps out and calmly guides you back using a radio, it makes you look like pros and it should really impress onlookers. 😀 I started carrying them decades back, long before cell phones. Once I got our rig trapped in a gas station by a stalled truck, and had to back out onto a busy four lane city street. My wife was pretty miffed that she had to stand in the street blocking traffic! It was truly embarrassing all around, but the process went quickly with the radios. I personally would never ever EVER actually drive the TV for the guy. That would be a huge liability. John Davies Spokane WA

The ONLY valid reason for being pissed off at having to wait for somebody to maneuver is a medical emergency. In that case the driver should get out, explain the urgent need, and ask the trailer owner to make room ASAP. Or, if you can, just turn around, put on the hazard flashers and drive slowly out the other way. I recently watched a guy take twenty minutes to get his way oversized trailer into a “way too small” spot. I was sitting in my chair, and several cars ended up going out the wrong way on the one way road. (Nobody bothered to turn on his flashers.) It is aggravating for everybody involved. I thought about going over to ask him about his trailer. 😬 OTH this was the same CG where it took me that long to get the coupler hitched back up because of the radical angle. One day you will be “that guy”. Count on it. John Davies Spokane WA

Sorry, all the HOW TO titles are reserved for modifications and service info. Forum stuff does not qualif,y, it says so somewhere …. 🤪 Thanks for your attention, I hope everybody has a great Memorial Day weekend. John Davies Spokane WA

Here is an example: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/5266-poll-important-inspect-your-battery-cables/ John Davies Spokane WA

This is very easy but many members do not use the feature. The drop down menu may be different for your device, this is with an iPhone. Two questions make it easier to interpret the results, a whole bunch muddy the water. John Davies Spokane WA

In order for us to vote you need to add a poll with two or more questions. You also need to tell us what TV you have, and it’s payload. John Davies Spokane WA

You and a whole bunch of RV newbies have similar questions, it can be daunting because your house is pretty simple by comparison. There are a number of good beginner books that cover EVERYTHING in enough detail to educate you, but not freak you out with information overload. Something like this one: RVs and Campers for dummies Check your public library if you want a free one. Read it in its entirety, then you can ask for clarifications about an Ollie’s systems, which are pretty standard. The only thing remotely unusual is the factory lithium options, but other manufacturers also are beginning to do this. My 70 year old sister bought her first RV ever, a tiny teardrop trailer with rooftop solar, last summer and she has struggled, partly because she is trying to make do with a completely inadequate tow vehicle, and she NEVER towed anything before, but she is now feeling a little more comfortable. But she still can’t back it, so she disconnects and moves it by hand 😳. Knowledge is power. Learn how stuff works. I STRONGLY recommend that if you have no previous towing experience, you should rent a small Uhaul trailer and haul it everywhere over a weekend. That will give you an idea of what it is like. Then rent a cheap “stick and staple” travel trailer for a week and take it camping. Some Ollie owners ignore these initial steps and unfortunately discover that they just can’t deal with their new rig and are forced to sell it after just a few months. John Davies Spokane WA

The next step should be test them on your truck, if they work there, all the sensors are fine. I installed one on my trailer spare tire (with a short extension hose for better access) and it works fine from the very back of the trailer, if you get this figured out, an extra sensor can be put there, and swapped in the event another one fails. Have you seen any signs of water entry inside them? I am always careful to not nail them directly with my pressure washer. Normal water exposure should be OK as long as the orings are good. Good luck. John Davies Spokane WA

I have experienced the loss of signal alarm, but that was due to dead battery and it did not fix itself…. FYI the Internet is awash in counterfeit batteries, including the button cells used in those sensors, Make sure you get real ones from a drug store or box store, not the “12 for $10” fakes from Amazon. I encountered these fakes, I kept replacing the one in my garage door remote, it would work maybe five times and then it was dead. I tossed the entire package and got some at Home Depot, which work fine. Make sure all your sensors have known good batteries, then see if they keep acting weird. I change mine annually at the start of each camping season, regardless of how much use they have had. If you bought your spares from Tire Traker they may be good, but you never know…. One way to test them for interference - install them on your truck and drive around for a while. I did not need to mount the repeater/ booster thing in my trailer, but you might need to, this is a really weak line of sight radio signal, so massive objects in your truck bed might be blocking them. John Davies Spokane WA

They went out on a falling tide, I would have been even more stressed if it were rising. No cell service, you have to drive to the lodge to call 911…. which is kinda late for a surf rescue in freezing water. John Davies Spokane WA

Jim, I love that Kalaloch area when it isn’t raining or too crazy busy in the high season, it looks as if you went a few miles north to Ruby Beach. That is simply glorious. It is one of two places in the USA that I want my ashes scattered, the other is White Crack CG in Canyonlands NP, my heirs can take their pick… Scary though during a big negative tide, my wife and son went waaaaay the heck out onto the sand, I stayed back, I have this innate fear of huge sleeper or tsunami waves…. you can just see them in the very center of the pic. It would be a very long way to run. BTW it is pronounced “Clay-Lock”. Two equal syllables…. visitors should be aware that gas stations are scarce, and the ones inside Olympic NP are insanely expensive. Just outside the Park boundaries they are just a little expensive, use Gas Buddy, don’t pay an extra 40%… John Davies Spokane WA

You need to remove the roof shroud and look for the model and serial number information, it should look something like this one (this not an Oliver AC picture): It is too bad they didn't write it down, you should have a page with all the appliance models and serial numbers. I don't have a clue about the fan noise, you can run it while the large cover is off, don't get hurt, watch to see what is happening. With power turned OFF you may be able turn the rear fan by hand to feel for binding. It may have a screen over it. The front (compressor) fan is going to be hidden by a cover. John Davies Spokane WA

Brian, I am glad you got it figured out. During normal usage there will always be some appliance operating to bleed off pressure so that the flag will switch to red. Your situation was not really how it was designed to operate. Some of us only open one bottle at a time, so that when the gas runs out it is very obvious, because all the appliances quit working, but that is risky for your fridge contents and you might have to run out at 2:00 am in your jammies to switch on the other bottle. OTH running out completely might be far worse if it is below freezing outside… John Davies Spokane WA

I just reinstalled the pretty stainless screws into the holes at that time, it looked OK, but eventually I mounted my Caframo fan there, which hides everything … https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/3305-how-to-caframo-sirocco-ii-12-volt-marine-cabin-fan/. John Davies Spokane WA

IMHO that is a really lame solution from the factory, it dodges the "charging while towing" issue entirely. Do they even tell the new owners this when they take delivery of their new $80,000 trailer? My guess is, probably not.... especially since they will no longer give you any wiring diagrams, just thirteen BLANK pages! It is also NOT mentioned in the lithium section of the Owners Manual! John Davies Spokane WA

Your early hull requires a new board if you want to use your Progressive Dynamics converter, unless a previous owner already replaced it with a “lithium capable” one. I really like the Victron MPPT solar units because they are smart and will network with the Smart Shunt, so you can see both on the same great app. While the temp probe is not used for charging, it is indeed very useful for keeping track of the temperature inside the battery box. Yes you will have a big hole above the radio when you remove the Zamp, I mounted an iPad Mini there. Keep the 2000 watt inverter you already have, it will work fine as long as you have another source for charging, using the PD unit. I dislike having all your eggs in one basket - with an inverter/ charger, if it fails you lose your shore power charging AND your inverter capability. My experience with the inverter in my trailer is that they are not very robust. When you change to lithiums you lose the ability to get a complete charge from the tow vehicle, some truck makes are worse than others. If this matters to you (and it should IMHO) then you must install something like a Redarc DC to DC 11 amp Charger inside the Ollie, or make expensive mods to the TV itself. Some modern trucks with smart alternators and or hybrid assist have issues with current draining back into the truck when parked, and they need a device to isolate the two systems. Look at my solar threads if you haven't already. John Davies Spokane WA

Before you get too excited, try a vinegar flush of your entire water system, it is mild acetic acid and will dissolve any hard deposits and MIGHT restore things to normal. You need a 50/50 mixture of common vinegar and water, enough total to fill the water heater plus a couple of gallons more, I use 4 gallons of vinegar from Walmart. You don't need to treat the fresh tank itself. Use the winterization port to pump the mixture everywhere, including the outside shower, let it sit for four hours, drain the tank and HTW, and flush really well. Don't do this over nice concrete as it will leave a stain. If you also want to treat the three other outside check valves, you will have to inject the mixture with a hand pump. CAUTION: I don't know about the Truma heater, check to see if this is OK! They do have their own decalcification chemical. I haven't had the vanity cover off yet, it isn't hard to remove. Try the flush first, you may not need to do any more.... John Davies Spokane WA

This is off topic, I sure do like your Foy table top, do you know what kind of finish is on it and if it needs any special care? I have his cutting board. They are very attractive enhancements. I am glad you got your set working. I remained in the background with your TV troubleshooting, because my older unit and the mount are wrapped in plastic and have been sitting on a garage shelf since the day after I got home from delivery. 😃 John Davies Spokane WA

FYI the dozen (in an LE2) stainless steel “scupper” drains in the belly have screens on top, to prevent critters from climbing in. But double check anyway. It’s not just rodents you need to be wary of, wasps build nests wherever they can get, and they especially are attracted to propane, they can really mess up your appliances if they are unprotected. John Davies Spokane WA

Try this one. It is specific for my trailer so you need to alter it as needed for your equipment. https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/2094-my-tow-camp-checklist/ John Davies Spokane WA

It sounds like a failed controller. That isn’t common, but it could happen. It may have been working fine at delivery. I would not get too upset, let Oliver work with you and an RV tech, ask them if they will pay for a mobile one so you don’t have to go to a dealer. It is much less stressful to have the tech come to you. Do you have a digital voltmeter and the skill to do some simple testing? It is easy enough to see if there is power coming in from the roof, and you can electrically check the wiring from there to the batteries. It will only take a couple of minutes. If all that checks out, including the fuses, then the controller is bad. The wiring is actually VERY simple for these units. This is a generic one, not for your hull: John Davies Spokane WA