jd1923

We’ve never yet run out of LP while on a trip. So we always fill up at the same company in Prescott, where an empty 30# tank consistently takes 6.8 gallons. My understanding is they should be filled 80%. 16.9 / 2 = 8.45 and 6.8 / 8.45 = 80%. Your tanks were filled 100% with no expansion room for the liquid to turn to gas. In the future know that 6.8 gallons is the correct volume. Tell any unaware attendant to stop filling when it hits this number!

I understand the EE standard calculations. Question though... How am I charging at 50A through a 25 ft 10 AWG cable in series to a 14 AWG extension cord? (see pictures) We left home yesterday batteries down to 34% after running our fridge for 48 hours on DC, lights and radio, etc. We usually leave with full batteries and tanks but day one was only 2 1/2 hours to Lost Dutchman SP were we could charge and fill the FWT. When we got here we had a drive-through site and want to park the opposite direction, so I needed the extension cord. First I turned the MP2 to inverter only (no charging) and ran the HWH on AC. Even though we were connected, I guess the MP2 sensed not enough available amps on the 20A shore power connection and was pulling 127A DC from the batteries. This translates to approx. 10A 120VAC but maybe the HWH was using 10A in addition to the limited shore power. I should have checked the EMS readout for shore power amps used but did not think to at the time. A half hour+ later we had hot water, we turned the breaker OFF, and the 600AH batteries were now at 20%. The Victron picture taken at 11 PM (5 1/2 hours later) showed the batteries up to 60%. This adds up that the charger was supplying 50AH. When I woke up in the middle of the night the batteries were at 100%. The extension cord never got hot. What's the deal here? Does the 14 AWG cable work because voltage is 120VAC and the 4 AWG will not be enough for 50A at 12VDC (13.6V actual)? Also, does voltage drop really matter when the Orion XS 50A accepts input voltage as low as 9V? (input range spec 9V - 17V)

That makes sense about cable wear. The 90 by the pull handle is large radius which should not be an issue. Mine has an issue at the waste valve in that they mounted it vertically right near the wall of the dinette seat causing an 180 to 200 degree turn. I can’t yet see a way around this turn with a major plumbing change. Hope the new cable will improve the action, Problem solved, yes. Like to see a pic off your switch installation Val. Thx

Water test went well. I filled the black tank at least half full. Filled the bathroom sink until there was 3" on the floor. Ran several gallons down the kitchen sink. Let everything sit for a couple hours, not a drop anywhere and the height of water in the bathroom floor held without change. All three valves are now renewed. New seals on the black. New valve, seals and pull cable on the gray. Motorized valve on the 1 1/2" gray line from the bathroom. Having an electric switch is amazing! Though I still had the batteries disconnected during the test, so I used the pull handle to manually open the drain. Reinstalled our inverter and connected the batteries and all is good! Pulling the gray waste valve open is feather light with new valve and pull cable. The 144" cable for the black tank waste valve was delayed twice by the USPS, go figure. Leaving today, so this last part will have to wait. For the long black cable an easy way to run it is to first remove the old inner cable. Then cut the old cable sheath at the area under the streetside bed. Insert the new cable through the outside opening and feed it into the sheath and use electrical tape to keep them together. Then detach the old sheath from the waste valve and pull it through from there. This way it will run exactly where the old cable was with minimal effort and neck strain! Another 20-30 minutes of work for me when we return from our short trip. I found that silicone grease on the cables did not help at all, in fact it added to the resistance, making it more difficult to pull and push. On the new cable, I greased the pistons on both ends but not the cable itself. I don't imagine that any of you would be looking forward to doing this work! For me, I'm so happy this is in my past and with no worries for the next many years. 😂

Anything in life worth having is worth working for. — Andrew Carnegie

All that matters is whether or not the Dealer invests in their business and pays well to keep good mechanics. This is uncommon however, as I to date have yet to find a RV dealer I would trust to do work for me or to pay their high rates for average work. And Hohenwald is too far! Two years ago I had not heard of Oliver and since then I’ve maintained or torn apart every system, better than new. I’m an engineer and auto restoration hobbiest for 50 years, no OTT training here for sure! It’s like when you go to your favorite restaurant and get a bad meal. Then you find out the regular cook had the day off. Everything depends on the mechanic working your repair or service. Oliver is just a travel trailer, no matter how much you and I love them. Service and repairs are not rocket science! I strongly suggest y’all find a good local mobile mechanic. Have your Oliver serviced in your driveway or garage! 🤣

I'm with you, Bill. I have a theory that companies that run non-stop advertising, commercials on TV etc., are not to be trusted. Think big pharma as an example and all those companies that sell amazing supplements! Yes, it's a shame but there is so much false advertising, stealing and corruption in our world. Who can we trust? Not that Stabil falls into that category. The woman in the video seemed to prove that Ethanol Shield absorbs water better than Stabil. She did not prove that one over the other keeps fuel from turning into a lacquer like substance with age. Is the assumption that moisture is the cause? That's why they say keep your fuel tanks full when in storage. But I do the opposite. I keep tanks low, fuel treated, and when I pull them out of storage, I immediately fill the tank with fresh gas! I empty the fuel tanks on our dirt bikes every time we come home from a ride, and lawncare power tools every end of season. I prefer to believe those with real service experience over manufacturers' claims, but that's me. Her shop looks to be the real thing, lots of experience there.

I also used Stabil in the past. When I was in the market this year I found this and she was convincing. What's BEST For Storage! Check Out These SHOCKING Results!

We have purchased two Brooklyn Bedding high-end hybrid mattresses for our home and love them. Made in Phoenix, so we can drive down to try them out and drive it home. They make their Dreamfoam Essential in a dozen different RV sizes. They roll them up and boxed shipped CONUS no additional charge. We have the twin bed layout, so we bought two 30" x 75" mattresses. They come in 6, 8, 10, 12, 14" sizes. We went with 10" thickness which is a bit tall for sitting but wanted 3 layers of foam density (2 layers in 6-8" mattresses). The 8" might be a better height but firmer and the 10" is med-firm. We removed the stitching in one corner to bare the foam and then with a long insulation knife I cut the radius from a template I made of cardboard. We could have sewn the cover back, but just tacked it and the mattress cover holds it together nicely. Check it out: https://rvmattress.com/products/brooklyn-wanderlust-memory-foam/rv-bunk-30x75-10-inch

Was a long day getting the new gray waste valve installed. But by 5PM today... it's done finally, yay! 😂 It's difficult to get the valve in place, in tight quarters, without the rubber seals slipping. The valves in the front have rubber couplings which can be removed giving so much room, but not down here. I applied a sealant on the back side of the rubber seals and set them on the flanges the day before hoping that would keep them in place. One slipped off but the other stayed which certainly helped. The two flanges were on different angles, tied down by the weight of the 3" gray plumbing on one side and the gray tank on the other. Pulled a long crowbar to raise and shift the plumbing over, used a longer bolt to get one corner started. Installed one part at a time as the full valve assembly would not fit being crammed into the floor. Got everything torqued down, "good-n-tight" after another hour or more... Removed the old cable to install the new one. You can only source 6 ft cables and must cut them down to fit. OTT installed a stock 3 ft cable. I found it to be jammed up in a corner for being too long. I cut the new cable sheath to 32" and the pull cable 4 3/4" longer. I also cut into the shelf that extends in the rear trunk area of the Oliver using a handheld coping saw, so that the pull cable would have a straight line to the valve (notice bottom left of picture). So all was good, ya think, but the thin SS steel cable would not fit into the push rod of the valve, the fixture which holds the cable with an Allen key. I tried and tried and then I got a thin needle tool and found that the opening was defective, made in Mexico POS, and mostly closed. In the bottom of the basement, valve installed, I had to drill an opening into the cable receiver using a 90 degree extension powered by a 1/4" impact tool (whoa, make sure yours is good before installing)! 🤣 New waste valve, new pull cable nicely realigned and this valve now opens and closes like butter, so nice! Tomorrow the 12' cable for the black valve should be delivered. I will also fill tanks to test all three valves tomorrow. Hopefully no leaks but given Murphy's Law, new plumbing often leaks somewhere on first try. I need a break on this project and hoping for the best! Hopefully we're done tomorrow so we can start the fridge, pack clothes and tools, hitch up and be ready for the next adventure! 😂

I made this fitting for quick campground connections. It should work well.

Wanted to provide an update on this statement. Just yesterday, in another post on this subject, I learned of Drain Master waste valves. This product is flush on one side, so it can be installed directly on the floor in the gray tank waste valve location. Looks to be a very good option when anybody needs a new gray waste valve. https://drainmaster.com/rv/product/pro-series-s3vt-kit-2-valves-6002

Thought this same thing soooo many times! Like changing the starter motor of a 4WD Gen2 Toyota 4Runner or pulling the PS pump (known for leaking) on my Lexus SC400. Can I add replacing the fuel pump in our TV - pull the fuel tank or remove the truck bed? I went with the latter. These are jobs I've done in only the last two years and I cuss design engineers that only care of manufacturing process with no concern for maintenance. Auto design engineers should be made to work an internship in service for 3 years before allowed to make one design decision! The 3" gray plumbing should have been installed 1/2" off the floor instead of pushing so hard on the floor to make an impression into the insulation! Also defeats the purpose of the insulation.

Yes, and thanks again Patriot. These are going to make water connections easy. @Ronbrink used Igloo caps and instead of the assembly hanging in your picture, I'm using these rubber caps for $1 ea. Three of the Eley female connectors total $50 (with 15% off) plus tax.

OK, so I broke down big-time and spent a lot of money on hose fittings. This is getting to be too much, but thank you @Patriot as I am looking forward to future ease in watering... I added quick connects to the 3 water inlets (not the black tank rinse), the 25' and 10' hoses we travel with, our water filtration system, the 35-gal tank in the TV, other hose attachments and I believe we are good-to-go. Nice that I can get everything connected and torqued down, knowing these connections should be mostly permanent. I could not spend another $50 or more for fancy hose endcaps, but got these instead: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000SKXR0C?ref=fed_asin_title&th=1 They fit just right, like the price and the retro look! 🤣

GJ, yes certainly. The relevant charging specs are the battery manufacturer's specifications. Most chargers are configurable. I spent time programming our NEW Victron MP2 and our OEM installed Blue Sky solar charger to configure per Epoch LiFePO4 parameters, voltage settings for bulk, float, etc. This is a must, however... For secondary chargers like the DC-DC charger, or for example a 30A MPPT solar charger, connected occasionally to a suitcase, it is so much less important! These chargers are temporary, so does it matter if the charge rate is somewhat off the specs? NOT. Your not using these secondary chargers to bring the batteries up to 100% SOC periodically. We use these secondary chargers when SOC is low enough to care and take the time to connect. Use your LI batteries to their potential. It's crazy that one 300AH Epoch at $900 today would replace the 3x Battleborn batteries. But as long as yours are working and satisfying your needs, @MAX Burner has talked to this, just keep them charged! Another consideration is the charge rate (Amps). our Victron MP2 can charge up to a 120A rate. The Epoch batteries can handle up to 200A, but they suggest 50A as a conservative charge, so I set my MAX charge rate to 50A. When you park at a campground and connect after a few days disconnected, a 50A charge rate will always get you back to 100% SOC by the time you leave the next morning. 😂

Wow, thanks Rich for this video! If I had seen this a couple weeks ago, I might have purchased Drain Master RV waste valves, expensive though at $635 for a 2-valve set. https://drainmaster.com/rv/product/pro-series-s3vt-kit-2-valves-6002 The design of these would allow installation at the gray valve which is flush to the floor. I did just buy a tub of Molykote on Amazon which will be delivered tomorrow. It seems better than the lube I've been using designed for swimming pool plumbing. I'll wait on reinstalling my last, most difficult to reach gray valve, until I can apply this product. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VV6QZ7N?ref=fed_asin_title

@Galileo Val, I hope you have made progress and are back up and running! Let us know. Mine turned into a project, as you can see here: https://olivertraveltrailers.com/forums/topic/10711-waste-valves-restoration-and-upgrade/

A bench inspection of all 3 valves showed something quite interesting. With cables detached, the black waste valve opened and closed easily yet the seals were crusty and looked more worn. The seals on the gray valves looked to be in better condition yet the valve mechanisms on both gray valves were stuck, all gunk-ed up! My thinking is soap and/or tank additives in the gray plumbing caused this and the black tank is certainly a different chemistry. I cannot be sure with 3 prior owners of our hull what was used through the years. I remember our good friend Steve @ScubaRx writing that he does not use additives, has not for years, and I believe we’re going with that plan going forward. I was so hoping not to have to replace the gray waste valve since I had installed our Victron MP2 directly over it. Last week I reached down and around the inverter and with much pain and patience. I loosed the Allen key on the cable and the two Phillips screws to remove the sheath. With the cable detached I found the valve was near impossible to move by hand. What I feared came true, and today with much pain I removed this valve. Was very happy to get the valve out and in only 2 hours, considering all. First of course, I removed the ground to the batteries and switched off the solar. I had to unstrap the inverter and pull the 42 LB beast up far enough out of the way to work below it. I used a steel bracket to hold it up. I feared I had taped the shelf down strong with the VHB tape, but it popped off with a strong pull due to the slick shelving material. The waste valve was jammed so hard into the floor that the two bottom bolts were extremely difficult to remove (see impression of the waste valve in the floor insulation in 2nd picture). They were also rusty given their bottom location. You needed two open-ended 7/16” wrenches and the back bolt is extremely hard to reach being under the aisle floor. I spent 30 min on these two bolts alone! I’m really good at wrenching in tight spots from considerable experience. Most of you reading this, I strongly suggest getting OTT to replace this valve when you feel "it’s time." If they charge more than a hour labor, a good retort would be, “Well you put it there!” There was a rubber mat installed under the gray tank which was halfway under the waste valve. I cut this rubber out in the area where the valve is bolted to make the reinstall a little easier. The gray valve was much worse than the picture reveals and the fact that this valve was installed horizontally makes all the residue collect on the lower side causing friction on one side adding to overall pull & push resistance. I replaced entire valve assembly for the gray and just the seals on the black. The gray pull cable is about 4' short and looks fine with a slight curve. I will replace the 144” black cable when it arrives. Before we travel next week, I’ll get the garden hose in the Oliver, fill the black and gray tanks some, run water into the shower drain to test all 3 valves. Tomorrow I should install the new gray valve. It will not be easy as the two flanges do not sit parallel. The two bottom bolts will be fun again! Then I need a plug and some fiberglass repair for the hole in the bathroom wall, and I'm sure I'll see other needs. Sure hope to be good very soon... and for another 10+ years!

There was a recent thread started by @Galileo where Val had a black tank waste valve beyond repair. OTT Service suggested replacing the valve with the Valterra motorized valve which would eliminate the need for the 12 ft pull cable replaced by an electric switch. This got me thinking as we have a 10-year-old hull and ALL three (3) waste valves, including the 1 1/2" gray valve for the bathroom, are very difficult to pull the valves open and to push back to close. It's always better to work preventive maintenance than to get caught on the road with a stuck waste valve! I wanted to install electric motorized valves in all 3 locations but we were made aware by OTT (through Val's service call) that replacing the gray valve would be difficult. From a picture I had taken of that area, I noted it was installed laying flat on the hull floor which would not allow for the considerably wider motorized valve. I couldn't see a design with one manual valve with t-pull handle in the rear next to an electric switch for the other. So my plan morphed into restoring the main waste valves replacing OEM parts as needed. I kept the idea of a motorized 1 1/2" valve for the bathroom because this valve must be opened/closed often, every travel day. What a chronic pain it is getting into the bathroom, reaching down ankle height and pulling the valve open before pulling a muscle! Yep, we're getting older... To start, I removed both valves under the front dinette seat. The 3" black and the 1 1/2" gray valves were originally installed angled towards and touching each other, with the gray valve jammed against the fiberglass wall. I sawed off the 1 1/2" ABS at the waste valve flange so that larger motorized valve could be installed. Purchase of a new flange and two couplings was all that was needed, as I was happy we had some ABS glue. With the plumbing out it was so easy to run wiring for our DC-DC charger from the hitch to rear dinette seat, an added bonus. At first, I wanted to install the power switch near the entrance door so that it could be reached while standing outside. Thinking through the extra work and that it could be easily damaged or switched accidently, I installed it right there under the dinette seat. Here the provided wiring harness reached the buses under the rear dinette seat w/o modification. I cut a tight-fit rectangle opening for the switch alone, tossed the large faceplate and by-passed the odd fuse/reset button, adding a 5A fuse at the +bus. When the valve is open a thin red LED shows which can be seen from outside the entrance door. It is soooo great to merely press a button to work this valve!

There's an Oliver in our neighborhood! It's not a standard issue, instead a classic early hull and with its own capable power plant! During Christmas it carried holiday lights (shoulda gotta a picture then, next year for sure). I love it and I miss owning a tractor! What a find! 🤣

Ever since @Patriot started this thread, I've had the Starlink Mini on my list, TY. Chris made me aware of a new Starlink Beta working with T-Mobile (gotta love Elon)! I'm not sure I understand it fully, so we just signed up for the beta. We have a T-Mobile business account for our cell phones and Pepwave router. Want to add the Starlink Mini wired to the WAN port on the router, but if this new technology comes to fruition will we need the dish? Looks like Starlink may become a satellite based cell tower for T-Mobile. Motorla was working on this with the Iridium Project in the 90s which never came to be. We went with T-Mobile since recently their 5G network is more capable than the competitors and they actually have 5G in Prescott and nobody else does. Verizon and AT&T could be in trouble when this launches! Check out this link FYI: T-Mobile Starlink Satellite Phone Service: A New Era in Connectivity

Love the first 3 and we quickly removed Flag from our list, as you said nosebleed, and SNOW and too much transient I-40 traffic/business on the way to CA or the Canyon! Great place to go to college though.

As it should be! I walked by a brand new GMC Duramax in the Walmart parking lot the other day. It was soooo quiet I could not tell the engine was running until I was within a few feet of it. Very nice, wish I could afford one! My Gen 2 Cummins at idle is quite another story! It is certainly much louder than a Honda generator. I never start the engine just when somebody is walking in front of me in a parking lot. Good thing it quiets down at highway speeds!

Come on Bill, don't stereotype! Meaning don't put the high country of AZ in the same boat as the desert valleys. We would never live in Phoenix, or anywhere from Lake Havasu to Yuma (The hottest parts of the country along with the Palm Desert of CA). And Tucson summers are just about as bad! An August day in Prescott will get to high 90s in the afternoons ONLY, for 4-5 hours, but dry and you're not sweating all day and night like summers in the SE! Don't you retreat to Wyoming every summer? 🤣 It cools off every summer evening and we eat dinners on our deck. You can sleep without A/C knowing it will be about 60F every morning! We do have the best weather as compared to the five states we've lived (IL, VA, TX, FL and AZ). Elevation is key and if we had to live east it would be nearby you somewhere in the Carolina mountains! 😂