[Refrigerator Cooling Fan]

Did some testing today. It's only 95 out, must be 115 down in Phoenix, yuk!

Yes, as @rideandfly and @mossemi mentioned there is a simple thermal switch screwed into the top RHS of the condenser. It was difficult to get a reading before the switch on the bottom end, so I pulled both female spade connectors.

Voltage readings were odd, most prevalent number was about 4.3V and it read as high as 5.5V and sometimes lower too, weird. No where near 12V and this is a 12V fan. I made a spade jump wire to connect the fan, bypassing the thermal switch. The fan would not run at all even giving it a quick push start. The switch from the light switch panel was working, going from 4.3V to zero and back with the switch.

I used the ground from the junction below with the heavy gauge yellow and the light blue wire to the fan. It looked to be connected properly as @DavePhelps had suggested checking. Testing B+ and B- at the junction box read 13.6V which is the same number the Victron app shows for the house batteries. What the heck? What would produce 4V or 5V and not 12V? Is the wiring so old and worn it has become one big resistor? Hope not, which could cause a fire.

So, the easy fix for $90 is to replace this fan with the Titan or Beech Lane dual fans that other owners have done. I would not be able to use the switched power since it is not delivering 12V. I could run new wire from the junction below. In AUTO mode do these turn on-n-off with temp? I would mount the control box behind one of the panels, not in the upper cabinet as one post showed unless it can be fished there w/o going through the microwave cabinet, as I just insulated that cabinet for an oven. Can the ON/OFF temp settings be adjusted on these? I would hate to bypass the switch. Maybe I can run +12V up to the switch panel and back down. Any ideas are appreciated as always! Thanks

[Grease fittings issue]

4 hours ago, BoondockingAirstream said:

I found it 'easier' to remove the each wheel to get a straight shot at the zerk by jacking up each side for access and removing each wheel...

Exactly, this is why I have not changed Zerks to 90s or turned the bolts inside out so the Zerks point to the inside (not crawling under either). I would rather jack up one side, use the air gun and quickly remove both wheels. Inspect each tire and remove any gravel. Check the brake action and tighten adjusters if needed. Check the wheel bearings and repack only if needed.

Then without the weight of the wheels and tires, and a basic grease gun pointed straight on, all 8 Zerks take grease easily. Clean off all excess grease and replace caps on the fittings. When this final step is ignored, the fittings can get stuck and then use a thin punch to push ball end in Zerk, remove fitting to clean if really bad. Remount wheels and work the other side!

[Refrigerator Cooling Fan]

16 hours ago, Wayfinder said:

Yes, #110 has the exact setup pictured above.  Mike (forget last name) at the AL rally told me how to test my fan and power leading to it.  I found that no matter what, there is no power going to the fan.  I tested the switch and it appears to work as expected.  I have not bothered to pull out the fridge, and/or microwave, to figure out there the disconnect is yet.  I've lived with the fan off since I owned the trailer.  I will be asking Oliver which to pull out first to trace the wire.  I figure it's the fridge.  Again, not knowing where it's connected in the cabinet.  I wonder if it ever worked, even for the first owner.

Chris, since you're visiting OTT very soon. You could just have them test and fix yours quickly! There should not be a reason to pull the fridge.

[Refrigerator Cooling Fan]

5 minutes ago, DavePhelps said:

I bypassed the temp switch to verify all was well and the fan fired up, which it was not doing before. Now whether or not the temp switch is also bad is another story.

This is a good idea too. Thanks Dave!

[Refrigerator Cooling Fan]

17 hours ago, mossemi said:

Hull 193 also has a fan switch on the main switch panel in the entry area.  It is placed in the 12v B+ supply path to the fan.  There is also an inline thermostat on the output side of the switch.  My B- travels from the fan to the bottom left of the refrigerator compartment and connects to the 12v ground of the refrigerator.  My thermostat was originally attached to the right end of the horizontal condenser fins just below the red B+ wire disappearing on the right side of the picture in your post.  If you have a fan control thermostat it should be located on the red wire. Mossey

Thanks to all who have replied, very helpful! Mossey, this is very clear. Made me think yeah Duh, I can catch a ground in the lower section. Seeing the thermal switch makes me think the female spade connector on the red fan wire is connecting to it on the right side of the top opening. I will have time by today or tomorrow for testing the fan. Wonder if I can use a blow dryer to activate the thermal switch. I'll let you know.

[Roadpass]

13 hours ago, mossemi said:

I found it exasperating to use in its newest format and I switched to…

I’ve found so many things in life exasperating ever since the automobile needed more than gas, air and exhaust, and 12VDC! We don’t need no stinken computer, no sensors. We don’t need Wall Street types to turn a good App into their food chain.

i can still read a map and most often download BLM maps in the Avenza app, make my own trails, in so many places never listed on these apps. Hope they do not mess up Avenza, but when they do we got our paper maps,

[Where’s Ollie?]

4 hours ago, Mike and Carol said:

Overnighting in Roswell, NM

Stayed in Roswell a half dozen times in our biannual trips from Georgetown TX to Prescott AZ, over a 10 year period. We didn’t get much into the alien thing, but LOVE Lincoln Co, just two hours west. What a beautiful place up at 7K ft, Lincoln Co, Mt Capitan, Ruidoso NM, and home of Billy the Kid, just145 years ago! 😂

[Convection Oven Upgrade? No let's just replace the MW with an Air Fryer!]

1 hour ago, bugeyedriver said:

Nicely thought out project and installation.  Well done. Enjoy your air fryer creations! 

Very much appreciate your insight and feedback! More so, looking forward to meeting you Pete, Bosker and #14. at our Texas Rally coming up very soon! 😂

[Refrigerator Cooling Fan]

In reviewing another post on an Isotherm cooling issue, I realized I should test the condition of the fan in our Oliver. Ours is the original absorption style OEM install of a 2016 hull. It has the oddest thing, a power switch on the light panel. Why a switch, given it should be thermostatically controlled? The ON/OFF switch does not seem to do anything. In fact, I have never heard it run in the 30 days we've been on the road over the last year.

I went to test for 12VDC. The red wire has a spade connection that I can get to. The blue wire disappears above the fan into the foil taping, looking like it goes internal to some control. Given that's the ground side, I thought I would write here before cutting into it to test for voltage or to bench test the old fan.

@ScubaRx likely knows how this is designed. How about some of you with 2016 models, like @topgun2 hull 117, or @Wayfinder hull 110 (I know I'm forgetting somebody). Does your hull have this setup like this?

[Convection Oven Upgrade? No let's just replace the MW with an Air Fryer!]

41 minutes ago, SeaDawg said:

Glad you like it. Good job on the insulation.  I'm sure it's helpful. 

I probably would have used stainless vents, to be the same as ours.

I do love our air fryers, at home. Mini convection oven, without the he whole downstairs heat.

Thank you, Sherry. Yours and @bugeyedriver's looked like cover plates and I need something that would insert 2" deep so that heat would not go outside the microwave cabinet and behind the wall. There is a ~1/2" gap between. I found SS choices too, but feared the metal would conduct the heat and I wanted the heat to pass through. Yours must have something to seal the inner area when they custom built the early Ollies.

[Convection Oven Upgrade? No let's just replace the MW with an Air Fryer!]

1 minute ago, MAX Burner said:

Yum, yum!

Always loved these, ever since potato cakes at Arby's back in the 60-70s.

Art, I've seen some of the great feasts you cook in your pictures here!

[Convection Oven Upgrade? No let's just replace the MW with an Air Fryer!]

Ran a valid test today. Had to wait 24 hours for the glue to set on the vents. Cooked hash brown patties for our breakfast today. The Emeril was set on air fryer, 380 degrees for 21 minutes.

The vents were just warm to the touch, not hot. The RUUVi sensor mounted above the Dometic thermostat on the right upper outer wall of the oven went up just one degree, kicked the A/C on. The cabinet facing, in front just above the oven, was a little warmer than the vents, yet I could still rest the back of my hand on it NP. The kitchen cabinet above was not hot at all due to the heat insulation wrap installed. 

I'd say this mod passed the test! 😂 We can now have crispy air-fried foods on the road, no setup time dragging a heavy oven out of storage, no extra time cleaning up. This way, we will likely use it daily when camping, like the larger Emeril we have in our home kitchen.

Anybody else interested in this oven? Check out the Amazon used price at $80! They also list a "very good" one for $85, that is new but not in original packaging: Amazon.com: Emeril Lagasse Everyday 360 Air Fryer, 360° Quick Cook Technology, XL capacity,12 Pre-Set Cooking Functions including Bake, Rotisserie. Broil, Pizza, Slow Cook, Toaster and Much More, Stainless Steel : Home & Kitchen

[Finally! My Batteries and Inverter Now Run My AC!]

@Ronbrink it would be interesting to see if the reboot changes the voltage readings. I still do not believe that such a reboot requires days waiting.

When you test after the reboot, connect a quality multimeter at your batteries as a third measurement. I'm guessing the Victron shunt is over-estimating voltage, that the 12.3 may be the better number because the 1400W A/C load (12A) should cause a voltage drop.

Less likely, it could be the other way around, the 12.3 being a bad reading. Yes, these numbers SHOULD be the same within 0.01V, given the heavy gauge and short distance of the battery cables to the inverter.

[Isotherm Refrigerator - What are we doing wrong?]

3 hours ago, DunnYet said:

with the ambient dropping into the 70s for the last half of the day. The fridge performed better in the lower ambient temps.

This is informative and I get it about the freezer door. I believe I remember reading a post from @HDRider about replacing a broken door hinge.

This is what @SeaDawg was pointing to. If your airflow is limited it could act this way. If you find your Isotherm fridge works well at elevation and cool nights, then the fridge is likely OK. Very good work! When you get home, maybe add a cooling fan like others have mentioned on our forum.

My older hull has an OEM external fan and ON/OFF switch (see pic). Never seen a switch label like this in another RV.

[Isotherm Refrigerator - What are we doing wrong?]

@SeaDawg yes, we have the old style. I mentioned removing the add-on fan in an earlier post. @DunnYet, we have not heard back re what you may have tried? @topgun2 the fan you showed is what we suggested in removing such device.

I like a fridge that runs on propane and will likely keep ours for a while. The freezer is large (I read the Isotherm freezer is teeny and that it has cycling issues on many online forums). It fits two of our jumbo ice cube trays, large cubes for special drinks, and it cools a new tray down every night. 😂 

[Wanted - Calmark Cover for Oliver LE 1]

Anybody need a LE2 cover?

[12v USB-C socket upgrade]

But the deal is these models have an OFF switch. No LED lights when off. The caps are dust caps, for exterior use or seldom use. I already cut the caps off in our old sockets (2 of 4, the ones we use with USB connections) since they do not have LEDs and were always dangling, just being in the way.

[Pepwave Cellular Router Installation]

On 6/26/2024 at 8:55 PM, Steve Morris said:

My plans is/was to use this bulkhead fitting through the roof as a cable guide and into a utility box on the roof.

On 6/26/2024 at 10:11 PM, jd1923 said:

It's up to you, do you want to mount a 6x10" box and blow two tubes of Dicor all over the roof of your beautiful Oliver?

On 6/27/2024 at 12:03 PM, jd1923 said:

The Icotek entry solution you were looking at could be installed by drilling two holes with a hole saw...

7 hours ago, Steve Morris said:

Overreact much? 

I received the IcoTek 90° cable entry kit from MMH today. It's going to work great, and I won't need a box.

 Always trying to help, never meaning to offend, regardless the passion of my wordings. 😟 I guess I made my point though.

The truck installation was actually a bit more complex than the obvious attic location, where you have ample room and pre-wired 12VDC. I just got mine done in two days after thinking it through for a few weeks and waiting on parts.

It's far superior for me, since we use the truck all year and the Oliver some 30-40 days. I offered my example as an idea for others on our Forum. It made no sense to me to spend $1600 in parts and $50 monthly for a 5G business plan, to use it only 10% of the year. It's OK we have our own reasons and go different directions.

I'm not interested in remote monitoring of our Oliver, since when we're not traveling, it's parked safely on my property. I learned here that is an important consideration to others. I hope another suggestion I made here re the closet installation will help other Oliver Owners too, for better reception in the TV. Thanks for reading.

[Isotherm Refrigerator - What are we doing wrong?]

We're home now but I ran ours overnight just to see. I only put a gallon of water in the bottom, and nothing in the freezer. I placed two RUUVi sensors, one in a basket in the freezer and another on the center shelf in the fridge. They read 12 and 47 F the next morning. Maybe this is common with RV fridges, and most people do not notice. Though my test was not valid without food and running longer. We traveled 3 weeks Apr-May, and it got water bottles pretty cold during the day while we were out and certainly cold when left overnight. Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I will measure temps next time out.

Given you're still traveling and need a quick fix...
Not being familiar with the Isotherm, does it have a small freezer in the top of the fridge like most models? What if you remove the freezer compartment door? And maybe the door shelf in front of it. The cool would sink to the bottom and the warmth from below would rise and perhaps signal the thermostat to keep the compressor running longer. You would lose a freezer but perhaps get a colder fridge. It might be worth a try, and you could always reinstall the parts later.

[Convection Oven Upgrade? No let's just replace the MW with an Air Fryer!]

Got everything done today on the air fryer installation. I put quarter-round along the base and 3M 3350 to seal all the edges and seams. Found a decent piece of angle aluminum as a trim piece to make the bottom opening look better and remounted the faceplate.

[12v USB-C socket upgrade]

14 hours ago, DunnYet said:

I have been considering doing this but had a small voice in the back of my head that keeps saying “check the wire gauge and the fuses.” Any concern with moving from the 5 watts to 65 watts on the factory wiring harness? I keep meaning to do the math, but I am bad enough on AC wire gauges, I’m still new to DC.

If you look at my photo above, the wiring looks like automotive grade 14 AWG, though I have not measured it to be certain. 14 AWG wire has ampacity of 15A (16 AWG is 10A). 65W / 12 = 5.4A

Given @rideadeuce has installed his and of course he has the Victron app, he could check amps before, then plug in an iPad and check the negative change in amps to verify actual usage numbers vs. theorical.

I believe you'd be OK, but if 'twas me, I would upgrade the dinette area to the 65W and run new dedicated wiring to a dedicated fuse, since the fuse box is <2 FT away. Ampacity and voltage drop over cable length. The run to the overhead streetside bed is a long run and who knows if OTT has these outlets shared with anything else on the same run (wiring and fuse). There I would install the lesser wattage model for phones (20W) like the one I linked above, to be safer. We normally charge our laptops at the dinette anyway or via the 110V outlet at the nightstand and we charge our phones over the bed to be handy, so this arrangement works well for our usage.

[How to Clean the Oliver Seat Cushions]

3 minutes ago, CnJTravel said:

This is our first time using the forum.  I hope this response appears as we are replying to all.

Many of us read most of the new posts anyway, but to signal another member you can quote them or put the @ symbol in front of their forum name like @CnJTravel and members will see a notification when they login or they may have activated alerts. You should see two notifications since I quoted you and referred to your name.

Also, read this section to add a signature and other housekeeping: How to Join and Use Oliver Travel Trailer Forums - Oliver Owner Forums (olivertraveltrailers.com)

Of course, cushion replacement is not for you, but I wanted others to know of it. I believe we will buy those, just before we set out on Fall travel. Replacing all the cushions in the standard layout is a lot. We have already replaced our beds. 

The automotive cleaners are a form of dry cleaning. It is a lot of work for all the surface area you have, and it may not be thorough, may leave an odor.

I would strongly suggest you talk to local carpet cleaning companies. Some would refuse this kind of work, but some do upholstery cleaning. Ask re that. You want the company that has the van-based system where the hot water is pushed into the fabric as is it vacuumed out. They'll have the small upholstery head for cleaning and first will spray with an appropriate cleaning solution that you could discuss. Depending on your location, if humid you will have to bring the cushions into an air-conditioned space for 1-2 days to allow them to fully dry. That's what I would do.

[We saw an Ollie]

Thank you @Allen Lee Rohner, and wow what a trip! One day sooner and we would have met. Hope to visit with you at a meet someday.

You have a lot of states to fill in on your map now, Arizona, California, and all points in between from Illinois and back!

[Wonderful Prescott AZ!]

Never posted in this section of our Forum before, yet after reading the topic it seemed appropriate for this post! After what you will soon learn we enjoyed a breathless day today.

In a way it's about our story, how we found Prescott AZ some 30 years ago on weekend side trip, off my regular Motorola business trip to Phoenix, and we had a great weekend!

Fast forward 10 years later and our family did a 3-week car trip west to find a new place to live somewhere west, leaving comfortable surroundings of Northern Virginia. We left VA heading to Houston and had Christmas with Chris' daughter. The rest of the family left to San Antonio, the Alamo of course, Sante Fe and Taos NM, other stops and had a New Years HomeAway rental for a week in Flagstaff. Flagstaff was cold, sitting on I-40, a transient town for those to-n-from California and visitors to the Grand Canyon. We did day trips to Sedona of course, Cottonwood and the Verde Valley and it only took one more day in Prescott to know it is the place. Closed on our N VA home in Hamilton VA, June 2005, and moved to Prescott. I thought of living west most of my life. Attending High School in DuPage Co IL and all there was to do was drive west through miles of flat cornfields, with nothing to do, nothing to see.

Our friends here and elsewhere come back from trips to Italy or South America and say, you got to go! Others ask, why are you not out on the road more in your RV (or now the Oliver)? When we lived in Chicago, everybody had to leave the city as often as possible. "Escape to Wisconsin" and "Say Yes, Michigan" were the local sayings, meaning "get outta Dodge!"

We moved from the city to North Barrington, IL. 50 miles out! I started liking staying home on weekends. Actually LOVED doing yardwork, of all things (though I'm a weedwhacker and not a planter). I felt bad for the people who needed the escape to Wisconsin, as where we then lived, we were halfway there. Hmmm.

Why do I want to leave a place as great as Prescott AZ? It is the greatest small city in Arizona, carefully selected over time. It is the ONLY city of any size in Arizona not on an Interstate. Think about that fact!? Literally 50 miles SE to I-17 or 50 miles north to I-40 and I-10 is a whole 110 miles away. You got to want to go to Prescott to drive by here. It's not Phoenix or Tucson, thank goodness and it's not the desert valley, nor the snowy higher elevations.

We had an amazing day today. Played pickleball and won 5 out of 6 games. Adam joined the club today and he met many good people. Always do a spa after sports. For 6 years, I've been trying to figure out how to mod a camper with a hot tub. 🤣 Drinks on the deck and we cooked dinner together (I'm in charge of drinks, Adam and Chris are very good cooks).

We have GREAT weather up here. I'm going to end with pictures from our night, all from tonight. It was spectacular, most are from our deck, and a few are front of house. Monsoon season started early this year, and we will have another dozen crazy evenings over the next few months!

Many of you would pull your Olivers for days, to experience such a camp as we have right here at home. PLEASE COME VISIT as all of you that I know here are certainly always welcome. We have partial hookups too!

I promise to pry my older fingers off the weedwhacker and the other tools I love, just long enough to get 45 days away in the Oliver during our upcoming 2024-2025 season. Hope to meet many of you during the October Texas Meet. God Bless y'all on this Sunday.

[Potential Battery Upgrade]

7 minutes ago, Wayfinder said:

I've shutdown the rig for the night, all breakers open or off and no shore power.  When I walked in to kill the rig, WITH shore power plugged in, I did notice the BlueSky Remote indicated a -9amp drain.  Very very odd with only the ceiling fan on low.  I know for a fact this is different behavior than normal.  Just curious mostly. 

Curious is good! I would think the fan would cause a few amps and your Blue Sky monitor showed earlier a -2.3A draw. just keep your batteries charged in the meantime.

It's great that you are visiting OTT Service, and they are and ALWAYS have been GREAT people! Have them do a full diagnostic and report and be happy to pay for their service. Love to see their report! There is nothing technical keeping you from this appointment. 

After that do NOT do any upgrades on-the-spot, but only required repairs. The Blue Sky solar charger TODAY, can be replaced with a modern Victron, for pennies on the dollar! Amazon.com: Victron Energy SmartSolar MPPT Solar Charge Controller (Bluetooth) - Charge Controllers for Solar Panels - 100V, 30 amp, 12/24-Volt : Patio, Lawn & Garden

You do NOT, how many times can I say the word NOT, NOT at all do you want AGM batteries in the day and age of 2024!!! (and do not buy 100AH BB batteries either). I upgraded the batteries my Bigfoot RV back in 2019 to AGM, since yes 5 years ago LiFePO4 were for the rich and famous (obviously that's not us). You can get one (1) 300AH Epoch battery for $1100 today, or 460AH for $1,399 (I suggest this option) and that's likely all you need.

We here, Oliver Owners, the great people of this forum can help you with this. I'm planning so many solar/inverter/battery upgrades. And I will tell you, first stay conservative, read and learn, and I or @rideadeuce or @MAX Burner (the DC-to DC expert) and SO MANY OTHERS... will having you lovin' your solar/inverter/battery system ASAP or as soon as you may prefer. I respect your thoughtful posts. God Bless and cannot wait to meet you at an Oliver event. PM me with any questions. Best wishes, JD