jd1923

Would a household system have return air duct(s) without a filter? My next thought was to add one, to keep the camp/road dust and dog hair out of the basement furnace area. I purchased this part: 10" X 6 Steel Return Air Filter Grille for 1" Filter - Removable Face/Door - HVAC Duct Cover - Flat Stamped Face - White [Outer Dimensions: 12.5 X 7.75] - Amazon.com This is an amazing addition for just $30 plus annual filter replacement. And think about the fact that with a filter in this location is would first impede airflow here, pulling more air from the basement AND it would result in less noise (dB) when sleeping! I was hoping, yes hoping, the idealist I am 🤣, for it to be a plug-n-play install! The OEM cover has a 10x6" opening, but not exactly go figure. OTT Service, if you are reading this, do your future owners a solid by either installing such filter as standard equipment, or at least cut a true 10x6" hole (measure twice, cut once). Turns out it was actually 10" wide, but closer to 5 3/4" tall. Thank goodness for a high-end Dewalt cordless jigsaw, so smooth. Cut the opening to the proper size and cut the other imperfections. Measuring, taping and cutting was just another 20 minutes labor, NP!

Finished up the bathroom vanity. I had a supply of 1/4" u-clips but the fiberglass is quite thick at the opening and decided that would be too much work, the placement must be extremely accurate. I merely used thin panhead wood screws with no taper. Measured with a digital caliper to drill just the right size holes. Added a SS washer so the screw head would not drag on the plastic. Thoroughly cleaned off all the old caulk and sealant. This product has just the right size opening and adequate length: uxcell U Channel Edge Trim, 6.5ft Length Rubber Guard Seal Strip Edge Protector Fit for 1.5-2.5mm Edge, (13/64" W x 5/16" H) White - Amazon.com To-dos left are the bathroom to under dinette vent and the return air filter housing. Waiting for parts...

There must be a half dozen mods in this category, and I studied all I found in searching this forum. It's a shame the flexible ducting OTT uses, when upon original installation it would be so easy to plumb rigid ducting. Mine was torn everywhere in the area where you need to reach in and change the water valves. I closed the rear duct at the furnace, using 5x6" sheet metal that I got inside of the furnace housing and used 3M 3350 tape to hold it airtight inside and out. I figured why not blow air at twice the CFM in the forward direction? I replaced the first 6 ft of ducting with semi-rigid dryer vent ducting and added a 4" steel junction to connect it. Placed foil insulation above it since it is now very close to the fiberglass under the bed. I kept it straight and tall as possible for better airflow vs. the downhill and tangled mess of the original installation. Wrapped the furnace hold-down with some old automotive heater hose to keep it cushioned and quiet. I wish I could have reached all the way to the junction but would have to cut the floor of our kitchen cabinets to do so (if I ever have to replace the fridge, I will cut below and replace everything past the junction). I removed the underbed airduct completely, which is now a dummy vent, a return vent that I will place an air filter behind. The airflow at the kitchen duct is now 2-3 times the old and at the bath it has certainly doubled. I also strung up the bath vanity ducting, so it has better straight airflow, not cramped by laying down at the bottom. While in there, I foam-wrapped the PEX which had been banging on the drainpipe very loudly when in use. I will add an air filter to the return duct next (to catch dust and dog hair) and my last task will be to add the bathroom vent that @Rivernerd showed in another post (thank you!) This should really help when the bathroom door is closed as well as to vent/circle air around the basement and keep the water pipes above freezing in the rear basement. And of course, thank you @Snackchaser for your "Bathroom Heat - a more direct approach!" post that got me started in the right direction!

Am counting right, only 400 AH? Come on, @rideadeuce teased us with 920! (Yes, we all still wanna read about it.)

Ricardo from KISEA left me a voice message. He said there should NOT be continuity across the terminals unless the input terminal shows >100VAC. That does make sense to me now. No shore power then only the inverter circuit is available through the ATS. It has a solid 120V and continuity on both sides of the ATS terminals now that it is reading voltage. It seems the ATS is working now, so I'm not sure what to do about the intermittent issue I've witnessed. Why was it not working for 24 hours. Did it somehow reset when I had shore power disconnected for 30 minutes today? Will it get stuck open again? Good thing we are not traveling soon.

When I read this yesterday, I was thinking I would have to do the same upgrade prior to adding LiFePO4 batteries. Then I realized there may be a bigger plan in my future. Many of us have this inverter: Amazon.com: Xantrex Prowatt SW2000 2000W True Sinewave Inverter Model# 806-1220 : Automotive This model is inverter only, hence the separate charger (and hulls without an inverter only have the PD charger). What if I was wanting to upgrade to a 3KW inverter at some point? Many new inverters on the market are inverter/chargers and may have superior charging performance over this upgraded PD charger. Although it may be difficult to fit an inverter/charger like one of these, under the rear dinette seat where OTT mounted the Xantrex in our hull. It would also need modification to wiring if the PD charger was to be deleted. Amazon.com: Victron Energy MultiPlus-II Pure Sine Wave Inverter Charger for 120 amp Battery, 120V, 3000VA 12-Volt : Automotive Amazon.com: Victron Energy MultiPlus Pure Sine Wave Inverter Charger for 120 amp Battery, 3000VA 12-Volt : Automotive

OK so this is going to get strange! I went out to test the ATS today and IMHO the testing shows a bad switch. An ATS must have a fail-safe design in that if it's unplugged, or the inverter fails, or whatever condition, the AC input line to output/load is connected, a closed pass-through connection must be the default position (should always be able to run via shore power). First, I disconnected shore power and tested for continuity left to right across the switch. The ground had continuity and both the hot/load and neutral terminals did not have continuity. I unplugged the ATS and had the same test results. Then I tested continuity from the 20A plug to the terminal leads. Again, ground to ground was good. However, the two plug posts showed continuity to BOTH hot and neutral terminals. I would think one should connect to one, not one connecting to both hot and neutral terminals. This must be wrong. Next test was to see if the new 12-2 line from the power panel (the hot through the 20A A/C breaker switch) showed continuity through the terminal screw heads. This would show the wires from the panel were connected properly at both ends. All three connections tested positively for this cable. Then I connected to shore power to see if the switch was getting nominal 120VAC. As I climbed into the Oliver the air conditioner started running! It had been connected for the last 24 hours, and it would not power on. Maybe my continuity testing reset something, but this is unacceptable quality. It had gotten up to 89 degrees inside. I'm inside the house now and my RUUVi says it has dropped 6 degrees in the last 45 minutes. I had thought that during the install, it did run once via shore power and later after running by inverter it would not. In fact, I turned the inverter off while the A/C was running and it just quit, where it should within milliseconds switch over to shore power while keeping the compressor running. The sole purpose of an ATS is to switch seamlessly in either direction. Before it had powered up, I placed a call to KISEA and left a voicemail re the continuity testing and asking for a replacement switch. Can't wait to wire another one of these!

Try a quality popcorn product with cooking oil in a covered pan on the stovetop or outside on the fire ring! Like D, Chris is the one for popcorn in our family. The smell of microwave popcorn reminds me of the overused microwave in the break room of a tech company, yuk! The microwave does make it easy, but ours is already in our storage shed, gone. Our air fryer had fit well under the front dinette seat. More on the install later today!

Thank you @Ronbrink and @mountainoliver, I was made aware of this solution and the KISAE ATS 20A from posts you made previously. I must have one wire on the Input side off (from the breaker panel/shore power). The output side must be fine since the A/C is running on inverter. Where I mounted my box the power cord just makes it straight down to the inverter. I'll check the wiring today. It's not a good design where you cannot physically see the wire connections and the screw dia is barely wider that the wire gauge. Changing to standard metal clamp type openings would also make the wiring easier. I'll get it today unless the ATS is defective. My 2KW Xantrex inverter got rather hot running the Penguin for <8 minutes and I don't plan to do that again. This will be for when we upgrade to a new more efficient air conditioner. My plan also includes 900 AH in Epoch LiFePO4 batteries. A final upgrade in future years would be a 3KW inverter, hopefully one with hardwired 120V terminals and built-in ATS.

Not happy with recent purchase of a KISAE ATS 20. Could they give you another 1/2" in the terminal area? It is very difficult to wire. To tighten the terminals, you need a micro-size flathead screwdriver. Another bad, this is a 20A switch that should have standard terminals like in the 30A power panel. Some pics to follow. The first one is the OEM Xantrex ATS used to run all AC circuits less the air conditioner. Wonder if Xantrex has a 20A version of this? It must be better. Or... maybe given a likely upgrade to a modern RV A/C system needing only 10A, we then would only need a 15A ATS. The switch as installed will actually run the old Dometic Penguin II A/C running off the inverter. (See pic 4, it started at 1400W and after 5 minutes was running at 1800W.) I did see an occasional error code on the 2KW Xantrex. I still have lead acid batteries, so the error could have been running just under 12V for a second. The reading was 12.1V most of the time under this heavy amperage. You truly need LiFePO4 batteries to run the A/C off inverter. I was hoping to get this inexpensive installation done now to be ready for future HVAC and LiFePO4 upgrades. Pic 3 shows the switch in the bottom righthand corner taped to the top of the power panel (original cable in and new 12-2 cable to the panel). It will NOT run the A/C on 120V shore power, go figure. It could be a bad switch, or it could be I have an open wire on the input side that connects to the 20A A/C breaker on the panel. I hate to have to open this and wire it again. First thing to check is for continuity of the hot, neutral and ground, from the panel and left to right across the switch. I'll report on this later. Of course, while I'm doing this there is no air in the Oliver! I truly would like to find another brand inverter ATS. Please don't run out and buy one of these in a hurry.

I have 3 weeks off and besides maintaining the home front, I'm spending half of my time on the Oliver, and 3 times a week some pickleball diversion! The main mods are improving furnace ducts, an oven to replace the microwave, an ATS for future running the A/C off inverter and what else... renewing the entry steps, but for now it's just a simple mod for less than $20! I really needed one for the bathroom, but glad to have purchased set of two. I looked and measured and could not think of another bathroom location. BTW, this fits nicely allowing a 1" clearance for the bathroom cabinet door. Then it made sense to add one at the kitchen sink! What do y'all think? I know Chris will love this when she returns home later this week! And it's not easy to mount the adhesive mounts squarely. Amazon.com: CGBE 2-Pack Bathroom Organizers And Storage, No Drilling Adhesive Shower Caddy Shower Organizer With Drainage Holes, Durable Shower Shelves for Home & kitchen - Small & White : Home & Kitchen

@NomadLife what's your progress? I'm up to my eyes in brown with anticipation! 🤣 Anybody else want to know how this one turns out?

Just make everything "good-n-tight" using hand tools and it's hard to go wrong.

Surprised nobody has replied to this, in our rather vocal group! Full timing is certainly not for us! What would I do with a garage full of trucks and tools? Multiple outbuildings, motorcycles and dirt bikes...? Heck, I miss that I don't have a tractor anymore! 🤣 I would think something larger than an Oliver would be more fitting to full timing (now this should get the conversation going)! I'd want a full queen (60x80") to start, not two singles or even a short RV queen, maybe a king. I'd hate to move out and lose our California King (and my garage)! The upside would be having a large bank account in selling our home (not).

It's only been 30 nights for us in our first year. I've showered in 2 times (don't like getting everything wet) and Chris uses it 100%, she loves the bathroom as-is!

I have four 6V lead acid batteries purchased together 3 years ago. When I had them apart, they all read exactly the same voltage to 0.01V accuracy. Actually, with the Victron SmartShunt you can monitor 4 batteries with 2 shunts: Amazon.com: Victron Energy SmartShunt IP65 500 amp Battery Monitor (Bluetooth) : Automotive There is an extra wire that can be used to monitor the tow vehicle (TV) battery, or to split a battery bank for two readings. Presently mine is not connected but would like to connect it to the TV battery when installing a DC-to-DC charger (run that wire to the same terminal at the hitch).

I thought to be a "diatribe" you had to be complainin' 'bout sompfin! @MAX Burner yours is not a diatribe. We all want to read more and see more great pics!

The toilet area in the Oliver has more room than in most RVs. When we had the Bigfoot Class C with a large bathroom area, I had to have the door open with one leg in the hallway! Shower height not being tall enough is about the same as other RVs. Just realized why I've taken more outdoor showers (when boondocking) and campground showers since owning an Oliver. At 6' 6" tall very few showers are tall enough.

Try running without this fan. Could be it's upsetting the internal ofridge thermostat. We have the older 3-way and performs well as-is.

@MAX Burner my comment was re the stabilizer Jack being further from the edge (see pics above). We don’t need no schtinken ‘cumulator, REMCO pump Made in USA, variable speed pump, they suggest no accumulator necessary. 🤣

I'm 6' 2" and it seems I just make it lying flat on my back. I believe the inside edge is right at 76" which is 6' 4" but then the other side is curved a ~16" radius so less room for the outside foot (given your head is up at the kitchen side). I'm mainly a side sleeper which makes the length OK but then the 30" seems very narrow. I've gotten used to it after a few trips. Some owners have removed the nightstand and built a platform to create a RV king bed space which gives much more width and some length on an angle. Going this route, you lose the nightstand, seating area, and the hallway which makes it difficult to get in and out of bed.

I believe we have a replacement thermostat, not the original, though I do not know the Dometic model names or numbers. Check the picture. It's set on AUTO and has the snowflake meaning the AC is on. This mode will switch the fan to off when the compressor is off. On this thermostat the AC can be set on at low-high-auto fan settings, there is a separate furnace setting and I believe a heat-strip setting on the thermostat that is not applicable to our unit (or something we've never used). I have it set at 84 and it runs most of the time during the afternoons in the hot AZ sun (it would get to mid 90s in there without it) and will turn off after sunset for the night. When I'm working in there, I drop the temp a few degrees, AND I HAVE TO TURN THE VOLUME UP ON THE RADIO TO HEAR IT!!! 🤣

Just searched for keyword "earplugs" one word and this came up:

Perfect temps up there! That's great that you got away from the heat early this summer and are having a great trip! Colder winter yes, but our summer has come early down here. High of 90 in Prescott today (was 60 at dawn) and 114 in Phoenix, OMG, yet only 82 in ABQ. I've been running mine afternoons, working on furnace ducting upgrade and replacing our microwave with an air-fryer, and eight other smaller Oliver things! Just finished a second coat of stain on our deck (must be done in the shade of the evening). I believe you had the better summer plan! Maybe next year we meet up with y'all up north. Best wishes buddy. 😂

Except for what looks like the plastic seal of a gallon bottle, your filter otherwise looks very clean!